Agenda

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Agenda

• The Document Management Alert for AEC
• Brief Overview of Synergis Software and Adept
• Client Success Snapshots

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The Document Management Alert
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Our Objectives Today

• To understand the urgency of managing our data.
• To understand what document management really
  means and what problems it can solve.
• To understand what to look for and how to
  financially justify a document management system.

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The Mess Stuff Everywhere!

• CAD files, spreadsheets, digital pictures, PDFs,
  contracts, change orders, emails, etc.
• These things wont organize themselves will they?
• Why are we in this situation?

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The Mess Questions

• Why do we spend so much on software tools then
  simply hope the data is well managed?
• How hard is it to find the right version of key
  files/documents?
• How easy is it to reference archived jobs to save
  time on new projects?
• Are things getting better or worse over time?

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The Mess The Cause

• So what is the most popular document management
  system in use today?
• It may not be what you expect.

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Look familiar?
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Why doesnt Explorer work?

• Theres only one, static way to find anything.
• No standard naming or filing standards are
  enforced.
• Searching is very weak.
• No history is stored No support for versions,
  entry of comments, who edited the file and when
  or documentation of design intent.

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Explorer Youre fired!

• Document management helps solve the fundamental
  weaknesses that File Explorer hampers us with.
• We need to find information faster, control
  versions, search through project histories,
  control file access and retrieve archives with
  reliability.

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Explorer Youre fired!

• Versioning, file to file relationships (like
  XREFs or assembly trees) arent tracked for CAD
  or any other programs for that matter.
• As files change the reason for the change
  (intent) is never tracked so we have no history.
• Email attachments arent controlled at all.
• Were not managing files, theyre managing us!

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Be Thorough Manage it All

• It isnt enough to just manage CAD because your
  company does more than just CAD.
• What sort of information is created in
  conjunction with designs?

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Be Thorough Manage it All

• Purchasing, sales, vendors need your drawings
  too!
• What about PDF files, Word, Excel and email
  documents?
• Scanned images and digital pictures?
• Your company is more than CAD! It is a
  collaborative design enterprise with multiple
  departments that must be coordinated!
• Manage everything in a consistent manner.

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Enter Document Management

• What does document management do for us?
• What is the PROCESS of managing all your data?

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Document Management Function

• An electronic controller for an electronic
  environment.
• Tracking your computer file assets in real time
  to solve version problems and address security
  concerns.
• Blowing away OS limitations via the power of a
  centralized, indexed database
• Facilitating searches
• Performing content searching (inside documents)
• Keeping track of who has what
• Keeping track of file history/revisions

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Document Management Function

• Facilitating wide area teams (via WANs).
• Sending email links to master copies of files
  rather than sending uncontrolled copies of files.
• Creating audit trails (who had what and when) to
  preserve intent and create better archival
  records.

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Document Management Function

• Manages all files (not just CAD)
• Contracts, forms, notes (as PDF)
• Digital pictures (as JPG)
• Scanned images (TIFF, multipage TIFF)
• Calculations (XLS)
• Databases (MDB, DBF)

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Document Management Process

• Gets everyone on the same sheet of music.
• Streamlines the process of managing computer
  files.
• Saves you time and money by cutting search times.
• Allows everyone to find their own information
  without interrupting others to do so.
• Allows automation of manual tasks associated with
  file management thus eliminating errors and
  rework.

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WANs Where is your data?

• We must support remote users with current
  information in real time.
• Yet users can create copies and incorrect
  versions that we cant keep track of.
• Existing OS/networking methods actually work
  against us.
• We need document management

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WANs Where is your data?
How easy is it to find data in this environment?
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WANs Data problems

• WANs amplify all the problems you have in LANs.
• When work teams are in remote locations lack of
  standards really start to show up and cause
  errors!

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Weighing Your Options

• So how do you know if a document management
  system is worth it? And even if you think it is,
  how can you prove it?
• Well need to ask some economic questions.

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What to look for?

• What system functions should you look for when
  shopping?
• Well need to look for systems that solve our
  business problems and generate savings.

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What does it cost?

• To lose a file? To find one?
• To construct or fabricate something based on a
  wrong revision?
• To send the wrong drawing to a client?
• To have two teams working on two different
  versions of the same file?

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What does it cost?

• To ignore the problem - letting it fester and
  grow?
• To clean up the mess later - after it has gotten
  bigger?
• Interesting questions, right?

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Sum it Up Savings Rule!

• Small savings add up!
• System costs can be easily justified when time
  savings are considered.
• Once a system is in place you start saving money
  every day thereafter.
• Document management is both a short and long term
  investment in your productivity paying for
  itself in labor savings.

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In Conclusion Things to Remember

• Documents dont manage themselves.
• Operating systems dont have the horsepower to
  manage data well.
• Find and eliminate your document management
  problems and youll save money.
• Savings pay for systems.
• Document management is a process!

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Overview of Synergis Software and Adept
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About Synergis Software

• Founded in 1985
• Self-funded and profitable for 22 consecutive
  years
• 17 years experience developing, implementing and
  supporting engineering document management
  solutions
• Developer-direct relationship with our customers
• 27,000 users worldwide benefit from Adept today

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What is Adept?

• A simple, powerful document management solution
  that helps companies organize, manage, share and
  control documents and information across the
  enterprise.

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W.L. GORE Associates

• Challenge
• Link design centers in the US UK
• Enable immediate access from multiple global
  manufacturing locations
• Solution
• Adept used across US, UK, Europe and Far East
• Reduced customer response from 48 hours to 15
  minutes
• Enabled design re-use cutting cycle time
  significantly
• ISO compliance process easier faster

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South Carolina Electric and Gas

• Challenge
• Manage multi-discipline substation
  designsincluding steel structures, electrical
  schematics, moving steel components, site
  development
• Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC)
  compliance
• Solution
• Eliminate revision control problems
• Reduce substation requisition time from three
  days to one hour
• Improved product quality
• Document Security to comply with FERC Compliance

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DeSimone Engineers

• Challenge
• Collaborating on large scale structural
  engineering offices across disciplines and
  offices
• NY, Miami, San Francisco, New Haven, Las Vegas
  offices
• Solution
• Improved quality control over projects
• Ability to meet project timelines and more
  effectively control project costs

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NASA Ames Research Center

• Challenge
• Required centralized, controlled access to Wind
  Tunnel project information including SolidWorks
  and AutoCAD design information
• Solution
• Inter-departmental access to design information
  reduced to seconds
• Improved productivity results in substantial
  gains in efficiency and greatly reduced costs

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Next Steps

• Visit www.SynergisSoftware.com
• Contact Us!
• 800-836-5440
• 215-529-9900