TeamWork for Everyone!

Thoughts

Team Work - When I think of teamwork I think ants. Teamwork forms the very basis of their existence. They always work together and adapt to a changing environment. Many design and engineering consultancies and businesses rely on teamwork and structured project management to succeed. For me it was surprising to also find dedicated teamwork messages in a children's animation. I was watching Monsters University with my daughter and I was pleasantly surprised that the story is based solely around team work and cooperation, where working as part of a team is better than working alone. I thought this show was a great teaching tool to help parents like me to prepare my child with these life lessons.

This post is about the messages conveyed in the Monster's University animation. I have no affiliation with Pixar or anything related to Monster's University.

Background

For a while I was pondering whether to write this post at all - I was just so surprised with the strong teamwork messages outlined in Monster's University in a clear and simple process. I had only completed a short Project Management Training course and discovered that team work and planning are integral to the success of any project. I'm no expert, but the simple messages I learnt in the training were right here in this kids' animation. Because the animation was amusing and visually vibrant it was already entertaining but the producers really worked on a story line that made it very engaging for me. It was one of those movies which I think should be part of a school curriculum!

Go to School Kids!

WARNING: Spoiler alert...It sounds a little weird, but in the "Monster World", power is generated by literally capturing a scream. Maybe not so much fun for kids, but bear with me...Monsters have all sorts of jobs, but there are a group of monsters who specialise in scaring kids. Monsters train hard to get the biggest screams and these guys (yes, a gender bias unfortunately) are the "Top Guns" of Monsters, the best of the best. To be the best of the best, you have to go to Monster's University (referred to as MU throughout the post). This University education has both the theoretical elements and practical tests. I guess this is the first lesson - school and study helps you improve.

https://image-cdn.zap2it.com/images/monsters-university-trailer-disney.jpg

Consequences

There are two main characters: the small, green, one-eyed monster, "Mike" and the big fur-ball "Sullivan" are at MU learning how to scare effectively. 

One-eyed Mike is diligent and studies hard, and believes with hard work and persistence you can achieve. Sullivan on the other hand, is more relaxed and relies on his size, looks (like a monster) and raw ability to scare. Mike is just a lovable guy and dedicated, but as he's told several times through the show, if you're not scary you won't make it. Sound like familiar typecasts? People still manage to do impossible things even when things "aren't possible", but that's another story.

Both of Mike and Sullivan try their hardest to do better than the other. They're so focused on proving they're better than the other that they forget outside factors. Through a showdown between the pair, they destroy equipment and are promptly expelled from University. Some actions can have serious consequences. If it's something risky, take time to think about what could happen. 

"There is no 'I' in Team"

Fortunately, this pair of monsters discovers a chance to get back into University by playing in the "Scare Games" - a set of team work tests to encourage cooperation and only teams can participate. Through necessity, Mike and Sullivan join Team "Oozma Kappa" (OK) in order to play in the games. However, Sullivan and Mike have not learnt to work together and compete against each other to win, neglecting their team mates.

Don't Ignore Rules

While the first task in the Scare Games is being explained, Mike and Sullivan are so focused on winning, that they miss some of the rules crucial to participating. The main rule was for the whole team to cross the finish line together. Although Mike and Sullivan finish in top placings, the rest of their team cross through separately in last place, not to mention some injuries. Team "OK" finish in last place and cannot move to the next round. When team members are not focused, mistakes can be made that affect everyone on the team.

Second Chance?

Sometimes we get a chance to try again. Through a fortunate coincidence, one of the other teams is disqualified and "OK" are moved up a place to continue in the competition. When you are in a team, things can still be tricky. Even though the team has been defined, roles outlined and tasks scheduled, not everyone is "paddling in the same direction" or with the same effort. There needs to be consensus with common objectives and an understanding of the requirements to get there.

Talk and Listen

Eventually Mike and Sullivan realise that they depend on the team to have a chance to win in the competition. In the following races, the team concentrates on the things that are important to run smoothly and end up doing very well - they focus on communication, cooperation, repetitive training, and effort by all team members. These activities help a group understand the objectives and function together.

You're All Welcome! 

In "OK" each of the team members is different: one has octopus arms, another has two heads, another is basically a furry bridge and of course there are the two main characters a giant monster with big teeth and claws and a green ball with an eye - Quite a diverse team! In one of their next tests, each of the team members is able to use their separate talents to win and move to the next round. People are different and can all contribute to a task.

Comment

I could go on with messages in this animation as there are so many: Like mistakes are inevitable and honesty beats cheating and deception for example. But I think if you are a parent or just discovering project management and team work in a workplace, then I encourage you to watch it for yourself (a good excuse to watch a kids flick). If you enjoyed this post and are interested, there are many others available in print and online like one I read recently by Bernard Marr.

A Community Champion

Cutaway of Trakka Motorhome by Michael Lord 

Surprise Guest!

It's always interesting to me to see other people's perspectives, and so with this post I've invited a guest blogger - a person for whom I have great respect. Michael Lord is a long term Engineer and Designer at the well-known and respected brand Trakka (manufacturer of Motorhomes and Caravans). He is also the Sydney SOLIDWORKS User group leader. 

Of course, coming from a SOLIDWORKS background myself, I wanted to know (and thought others might also like to know) about what Michael does, and how. It's interesting to note, that being a User Group leader is not a paid job.

Take it away Michael.....

How it Happened

When Alex asked me if I would like to guest blog for his site I was honoured. I first meet Alex Henry a couple years ago: He was at the time in his role as Territory Technical Manager - SOLIDWORKS at Dassault Systemes for Australia and New Zealand. And me, in one of my roles - this time as Coordinator of the Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group.

 The Sydney User Group (SWUG) on the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN) webite

Cloak and Dagger...

My day time role is one of Design Engineer for Trakka, an Australian manufacturer of Motorhomes and Special Purpose Vehicles [Alex: at night he is a cloak and dagger Blogger J]. Over the many years we have changed dramatically how we design and developed our products: From the early years of physically building prototypes, modifying, rebuilding and producing templates (and the list goes on!). Next we incorporated 2D CAD but still with the need to produce multiple prototypes. 
Then, in 2005 we moved to 3D CAD - SOLIDWORKS - which changed everything!  Not just in the way we designed, but how we interacted with the likes of large global companies (Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Volkswagen etc.), right through to how we manufactured.

One of Michael's Photo-real Images for Trakka

Guest Blogging Veteran

The guest spot on this blog was a similar request to five (5) years ago, when I was invited to write a post on using photoview 360. (I hadn't looked at it since I wrote it - It's nice to see my rendering has improved since then). That was the start of me becoming more involved in the SOLIDWORKS Community.

Michael's as Guest on Solidsmack's Blog

It sounds strange to think that there is a “Community” based around a Mechanical Design Software.   Yet there is!   My first interactions with this community came about seven years ago. First, whilst looking for help on the internet and with the discovery of many of the SOLIDWORKS Blogs, leading me to the start of Twitter - the new “social media” platform (at that time)! (You can still find me on Twitter at @ml13ml).  It was through social media that I now know many great people from around the world who are SOLIDWORKS users (as well as many other great people who use other CAD programs. But you can’t hold that against them J).

We have a Winner!

However, it was winning the SOLIDWORKS World 2011 Internet Correspondence Contest that got me noticed inside of SOLIDWORKS Corporation.

The SOLIDWORKS Blog Page

You can see my winning entry half way down in the comments section.   I hadn’t read that either since I wrote it all those years ago and I still crack myself up!

Michael's winning Comment for the Competition

Things kind of escalated from there.   Over the next couple of years I got a little more serious with my own blog: michaellord.me and decide that it was time that I should give a little more back to the SOLIDWORKS Community itself.  Which takes me back to the first paragraph in this blog and my role with the Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group.

Michael's Blog page

A Community of Like-Minded Beings

The Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group at the time had been dormant for a few years until I gave it a kick start, in July of 2012 (in a bloodless coup) [Alex: ha ha].    SOLIDWORKS User Groups are quite unique: They provide their members' access to a wide range of the SOLIDWORKS community both in regards to skill sets and also to a far greater diversity of industries.  As the meetings are normally in a relaxed atmosphere, the members are far more likely to share information relating to their technical skill, and also in regards to networking.

Also, as the user group is so diverse, there is greater variety of input and everyone has something to offer -  it doesn’t matter if you have had 12 months or 12 years of experience [Alex: I think even those with days of experience with SOLIDWORKS is relevant] - everyone uses the software in different ways.   With access to those "resources", there is the ability to learn additional skills and along the way, connect with a far greater range of people and companies that you’d otherwise may not have the chance to do so in normal working life.

A Modest Leader

   I try and avoid the term “Group Leader” because the role is really one of organisation.  My role within the Sydney SWUG is one very much that of a Coordinator.  Which sees me arrange to have people present content at the meetings, mainly on various elements of SOLIDWORKS or associated products.   However, it is not restricted to just the software; it may be hardware or a product, which I believe may benefit our members or how they do their job.   We always try to have two presentations at a meet, along with updating the group with news of what has been happening around SOILDWORKS (Beta release, SOLIDWORKS World and the like).

The Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group (SSWUG) is very fortunate that we have the support of both this (NSW) States' SOLIDWORKS Resellers.  I can always call on either Intercad or Cadspace, who are always willing to provide one of their Application Engineers to give a Technical Presentation.   This, along with Dassault Systemes Australia or Asia Pacific South employees who have made themselves available to present in the past!   (It’s been a while since Alex presented!) [Alex: it’s true, it's been a while but my role has changed...]

Frequent Contact

We try to have at least four to five meetings per year.  These are held in a variety of locations around the Sydney suburbs to give as many people as possible the opportunity to attend.   I would like to be able to have more “site” visits/ meeting and have the group member present on how the SOLIDWORKS product is used in their business.   Personally I like to see other people’s factories especially in industries I have little knowledge of! The Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group now has a database of over a 100 names and we see an average of around 30+ people attend the meeting.

SWUGN Website

If the Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group sounds of interest to you then contact us - details of our next meeting are on the SWUGN website.   You can also connect via the Sydney SOLIDWORKS User Group on LinkedIn Group for regular updates.

The LinkedIn group for Sydney SWUG 

Part of Life

My involvement in the SOLIDWORKS Community is now just part of my daily life and personally I still feel that I gain more from my involvement with the SSWUG than I give!

With that, let me hand back Alex’s own Blog back to him ……. Thanks.

Thank you and Contact 

I am very grateful to Michael for sharing this post with us - thank you for giving us a little insight into your role at Trakka and for working so hard to keep the User group going.

As Michael mentioned, although he can get help from the resellers, this is about new products or how to use them.   Sometimes this content isn't enough and Michael will often stand up and share a presentation. And he's done a several for this group.   Seeing SOLIDWORKS used in a "real-world" environment is always exciting - I've seen several and recall a session on the basics of surfacing by Mike Puckett from SOLIDWORKS Certifcation team. In another session we saw how to built a full tug boat and the modelling techniques around modelling the hull of a sailing boat.  In my previous role, I made a presentation on how to use the "flatten surface" feature at the Melbourne user group in late 2014. I then created a subsequent 3-part post due to the interest it received.

 As there are so many tool sets in SOLIDWORKS to help with different tasks, users will find the ones that do their job the best way they know how - the way you use the software is likely to be different to someone else and will be interesting to others, prompting questions and also further developing your knowledge. Presenting at a user group is something that everyone can do and Michael I'm sure will welcome something you can show about the way YOU use SOLIDWORKS.

Also having a Site visit or a Company to host the User Group meeting, are a great ways to make the meetings even more interesting by understanding a bit about other industries. If you are able to provide a site visit, or want to contact Michael, you can do so through the user group, or the LinkedIn Group.

  

Hope to see you at the next SWUG meeting!

The Devil is in the Detail

A sketched concept of a shop display

You've heard the expression before, "the devil is in the detail". Why do we say that? Actually it was a different phrase before that according to Wikipedia, but in general the phrase means that the job being completed needs to be thorough. Depending n the scope of the project, in can be quite a tedious task to make sure that all the details needed are there. When it comes to engineering manufacturing and design, design and details are almost all that matter after you're through the concept phase. 

"How are we going to make that?"

The concept design is complete - the render is done and the customer is happy. The concept is passed on to the detail designer and they say to themselves "How are We going to Make that?". It's one of the challenges and also the benefits of design work - not just coming up with something that the customer likes, but then working out how everything will go together, what materials to use and what processes to use for manufacture. To define processes there needs to be documentation in written form, or outlined on the design information supplied to the manufacturer.

Render from a 3D  CAD model

The last point there is what I want to focus on - Times are changing, but mostly the detailing is shown on a 2D drawing.  This is the documentation that is sent off for quote and finally further details are added for manufacture. At one company I worked for, part of the process was doing a quote drawing by hand. We had a 2D CAD system but I guess it was the Design Manager's way of doing it quickly. 


The hand sketch was done on a typical border representative of the company's standard and the sketch tended to be pretty simple - it might be a rectangle with some holes of similar size drawn on it with dimensions so a fabricator could come back with a quote - just a overall sizes, material, "X" number of holes and quantity. Enough information that the manufacturer could come back with the pricing.

For some companies, the manufacturing drawing shows the supplier that you know what you're doing and what you want.

Weldment and steel detailing with welding notes

If the drawing looks professional, laid out correctly, all the details and finishes required - it shows your customers that you are professional.  I mentioned 2D earlier - 2D drawings and detailing used to be done by hand, then onto a CAD system where vector lines were used and today 3D in many flavours is being used in many organisations. BUT we still rely on those 2D drawings. 

3D CAD makes 2D easier

With 3D solid modelling there's no need to do some of the traditional things we used to do like project lines from view to view to get the picture of the top side and isometric "3D" view. 

3D Solid Model

There's minimal guess work. You're able to concentrate on the design and import dimensions or use smart functions to quickly get the detail you need for manufacture. The point is that advanced as our systems are you need to be able to put the right information into a drawing for manufacture. Eliminate duplicates, don't cross lines, space things evenly so that when your drawing is read, it's clear and concise and easy to follow.

Detailing on a 2D drawing sheet

The services HENRY design provides are from concept through to manufacturing drawings, but our "sweet spot" is in that design and detail phase. We take a design that is being developed, partially complete, or "almost there". We work together with you and add the detail as needed to create documentation and drawing packages ready for manufacture. If you'd like to discuss our range of services, please contact us through this link.