What's the best way to create and maintain your CAD standards manual?

1 Define your scope

Before you start writing your CAD standards manual, you need to define the scope of your document. What kind of projects, disciplines, and industries do you work with? What are the specific requirements and expectations of your clients and stakeholders? What are the common challenges and issues that you face in your CAD work? By answering these questions, you can identify the key topics and areas that your manual should cover, such as drawing formats, layers, blocks, symbols, annotations, dimensions, scales, units, colors, fonts, and so on.

2 Research existing standards

You don't have to reinvent the wheel when creating your CAD standards manual. You can research existing standards and best practices from various sources, such as industry associations, professional bodies, government agencies, software vendors, and online communities. For example, you can refer to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the National CAD Standard (NCS), or the Autodesk CAD Standards Guide. You can also look at examples of CAD standards manuals from other companies or organizations in your field. By doing this, you can learn from the experts and adopt the most relevant and widely accepted standards for your manual.

3 Customize your standards

While researching existing standards is helpful, you also need to customize your standards to suit your specific needs and preferences. You may have to modify some standards to fit your project specifications, client expectations, or workflow processes. You may also have to create your own standards for certain aspects of your CAD work that are unique or uncommon. For example, you may have to define your own layer naming conventions, block libraries, or annotation styles. The key is to balance between following the industry standards and creating your own standards.

4 Write your manual

Once you have defined, researched, and customized your standards, you can start writing your CAD standards manual. You should use a clear and concise language, a logical and consistent structure, and a user-friendly and professional format. You should also include examples, illustrations, screenshots, tables, charts, and other visual aids to explain your standards and show how they should be applied. You should also use a

tag for any code blocks or commands that you want to highlight. For example, 
<code>
LAYER        

is the command for creating and managing layers in AutoCAD. Your manual should cover all the essential topics and areas that you identified in the scope definition stage, and provide enough detail and guidance for your users.

5 Review and update your manual

Creating your CAD standards manual is not a one-time task. You should review and update your manual regularly to ensure that it reflects the current and best practices in your CAD work. You should also solicit feedback and suggestions from your users, such as your team members, clients, or contractors, to improve your manual and address any issues or gaps. You should also monitor the changes and developments in your industry, software, and projects, and adjust your standards accordingly. By doing this, you can keep your manual relevant, accurate, and useful.

6 Implement and enforce your manual

The final and most important step is to implement and enforce your manual. You should make your manual accessible and available to all your users, such as by uploading it to a shared folder, a cloud platform, or a website. You should also train and educate your users on how to use your manual and follow your standards. You should also check and audit your CAD drawings and files regularly to ensure that they comply with your standards and correct any errors or deviations. You should also reward and recognize your users who adhere to your standards and provide constructive feedback and support to those who don't. By doing this, you can ensure that your manual is not just a document, but a culture.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?