I would like in this post to invite u to show your job experiences as PDMS Administrators.
I'm Mechanical Engineer and I have over 6 years of experience working with PDMS. I recived all trainings for user profile in the beginning and later for administration tasks. Nowadays, I have a big enough knowledge of the tool so I can have a nice overview for the way of working and implementation of the tool.
I share this task in my company with another guy but I'm the only expert dedicated to Administration tasks fulltime by now...Recently I'm being asked to get more free time for other tasks as create some drawings when the project is in a hurry, or get training for calculations for the future...I see that the company woluld like to get some more from me apart from my PDMS knowledge...But what I think by now is that PDMS Administration is a continuous task of development and adaptation for new projects. I see difficult to show to the company the tasks I do each day...as nobody has this knowledge in the company...so it is a beat difficult to show how important is this roll in the company...may be I'm confused, but asking to other companies, they have fulltime administrators, and also some of them, dedicated to Cats&Specs, others to project structure...Nowadays, I do everything not related with users task...I do all configurations, standarisations,trainings or help users to get what they need...
It is a difficult question, but I would like to see If you administrators do only PDMS administration ensuring a gret development and implementation of the tool, or you do everything you can, or you formed an organized admin department...I see interesting we could share our job experiences here if you see it right.
Hey guys! Cheer up! I think this is an interesting issue related with the organization and implementation of the tool...nobody has any experience with this? I can believe it!! :) Come on...
process of implemetntation for example PDMS, is very difficult.
you can't do each type of work by yourself. try to show some efficiency reports to your management.
Admin itself is not a full time job unless you are working on Billion dollar project with many global satellites. Once the project is set up, and maintainence is done correctly on a regular base, then there is almost nothing to be done. Of course if you expand your duty into policing the model, customization etc etc, than it can be a full time job. Now if you are still bored, you can start doing some catalog/spec work.
The write up by Aveva on job function is quite good, but most company cannot afford so much overhead on a project, unless they are using PDS.
Personally speaking I don't think being a bored Admin guy qualifies somebody for Cats & Specs work. Especially those that migrate from IT.
You really should have an engineering background in the discipline concerned.
In piping there is a lot of responsibility on the Cats & Specs guy to ensure the integrity of the catalogue & specs and their
adherance to standards & codes.
More so in recent years when many so called "designers" are in actual fact just CAD operatives.
There is also a responsibility to give due consideration to Purchasing and Material Control down the line.
This is not game for amateurs building impressive 3D models it is a serious business.
Don't overlook some of the things that have happened over the years like BP in the Gulf of Mexico and Piper Alpha in the North Sea.
We are dealing with peoples lives here.
I expect I will get a bit of flack for the grumpy old man attitude and of course it does not apply to everybody, but if the cap fits.
To add to the grumpiness.........I have long said that pdms is a tool to be used by designers/engineers in their dedicated field of work, more and more users are picking up on its 'contract wages' and trying to learn how to use it, where in fact they should be learning the trade first?
quote "This is not game for amateurs building impressive 3D models it is a serious business." unquote I applaud.
