AUTODESK CIVIL 3D CAD MANAGER’S GUIDE
23
Chapter 5: Training Considerations
A training plan is a crucial part of your Autodesk Civil 3D software implementation. When
developing your training plan, consider your users’ experience, the types of projects your
organization works on, schedules, and budgets. In addition to training core users of Civil
3D, consider a plan to train other people such as managers, people who need to view
data, or IT personnel who need to maintain the software.
Developing a Plan to Address Required Skills
Training can be grouped into three general categories: basic training, advanced
(sometimes referred to as targeted) training, and mentored (or “on-the-job”) training.
There are also various combinations of these categories, including advanced custom
training and targeted mentored training.
The type of training your organization needs depends on the type of projects you work on,
the number of users, and the departmental structure of your organization. For example, if
you only design highways, the training you get should focus on the software’s road design
features, covering other features only briefly.
In addition, specific tasks may be performed by specific people. Therefore, each user may
have different responsibilities (designer, surveyor, drafter, and so forth) that require
different training. Plan to address the required skills and accommodate training for various
skill levels and tasks. Whatever the case, create an outline for the training and work with
the people in your departments to ensure that the tasks they are required to perform are
covered in the training you propose.
When creating a training plan, consider the following:
• Who will deliver the training? Will it be you? Will you bring in an outside
consultant? Will you go to your reseller?
• Where will the training take place? Will it be at your site? If so, do you have the
appropriate resources available? These include a quiet training area with
workstations, network access, projector, and possibly a microphone.
• If needed, are you prepared to grant the instructor network access so files can be
shared easily between instructor and students?
• Identify a sample data set to be used in training that represents your project
types.
• It is important that the students are able to focus on the training during class
time. You might require that attendees be “off limits” during the training or that
they not have Internet or email access. Interruptions can drastically reduce the
effectiveness of training.
• Request that the instructor tailor the training to account for different skill levels.
• Request that the instructor tailor the training to account for different tasks and
responsibilities within your organization. Training might include separate
sessions for engineers, surveyors, and drafters.
• You might also request a combination of formal training and on-the-job training.
This approach gives users a good knowledge base of the product’s features as
well as access to an expert while they work on real-world projects. The benefit is
