TRACKING COMMANDS

Management is wanting a way to track the time someone actually is working on drawings. Not when they open a file and close it, because any fool can open a file walk away and goof off. What is needed is a way to track the command selections. A way to track actual working time.

Can this be done and has anyone tried it?

TIA

 

Very interesting. Would be better to install cameras for that. Even if
there is a way, it cannot express time "thinking" or designing, or plotting,
or searching for drawings, etc. Would be pretty hard. Even if you were to
record keystorkes, a mouse is used quit a lot. Even good draftsperson still
"think".

Very interesting tho I must say.

on drawings. Not when they open a file and close it, because any fool can
open a file walk away and goof off. What is needed is a way to track the
command selections. A way to track actual working time.

 

Curious, do these drafters also need to communicate with engineers or
outside agencies via email? If so, don't forget to track those keystrokes
as well. Since that would be considered working and not actual drafting I
wouldn't want to see anyone get caught in a loophole. Also, we can't forget
about the phone. If anyone needs to actually talk to an engineer or outside
agency you would want to record all conversations to make sure they didn't
stray from business only. You should also consider pedometers so that if a
drafter needs to take a check print to a superior it can be verified that
they didn't take a little detour and goof off. You might also consider
putting bells throughout the building that ring to tell everyone when their
breaks begin and end.

Sound outrageous? I've worked at various places that have done all of these
things at one time or another.

Tell management to cut back on the expensive hotels and meals during trips
rather than looking for ways to drive morale straight into the trash can by
accusing everyone of being a thief. Just another stupid way to try and cut
back on expenses while making sure mahogany row gets their bonuses at year
end.

How about this: if you have a drafter that goofs off too much it should be
pretty obvious by their output of work. If it is too low, fire them.

Stepping down from soapbox now,

Jeff

 

He didn't mention key strokes.

And there is a way to monitor actions...commands being issued.

One thing you'll have to take into considerations, is as he mentioned,
actual time "thinking" or "designing".

For that you could setup a timelaps. before next command is issued. Sort of
like a screen saver timer.

You could have the utility monitor only certain commands, like "LINE"
"PLINE" or entity creation or editing.

A dialog would consist of an itemized list of possibilities, from actual
command, editing, creation, etc. and a given laps time for actual function
or execution. All this in a simple reactor call and written to a simple
variable, file, log for the day. Just like a time keeper software for
billable hours. Since "Time Keeper" is already a software, you'd have to
call it something else, like "Productive Time Keeper" or "PTK".

Not an impossible thing to create and or develope. It's just a matter of who
whats to gamble with it. Most people don't actually work 40 or more hours a
week, if any. The human mind is too complex to just do the same thing,
without having time to daydream.
--

AUTODESK
Authorized Developer
www.Cadentity.com
MASi

 

The simplest seems to be a Log File.

I use it to track what jobs I have worked on.

Don

on drawings. Not when they open a file and close it, because any fool can
open a file walk away and goof off. What is needed is a way to track the
command selections. A way to track actual working time.

 

Why not go back to work rather than wasting valuable time trying
to create an CAD SS POLICE??

 

If you had your own office, and would like to know how your time is being
spent, you'd ponder to think that someone working for you is not doing this
job.

What it comes down to is profit.

If you've been in the business long enough you'd know how long it would take
to produce a set of drawings. Based on that, you'd prepare your billable
hours, and deduct the amount you'd like to put a side for profitable income.
With that said, if you had someone employed, give him his budgeted hours to
get the job done, or contract someone to do the job for that amount, and
perhaps put in a percentage.

If the project were to go over the budgeted hours, you'd know that something
is wrong and perhaps even find out that you under budgeted the project.

If you really want to control the hours, then consider full-automation for
actually producing a project. Belonging to this newgroup you could learn
several methods to reduce the amount of time need to produce your set of
drawings.

I'm a strong believer in automation, but for that you need imagination.

--

AUTODESK
Authorized Developer
www.Cadentity.com
MASi

 

I've been in my business for awhile and you right about the fact you must
be able to
budget fairly well the numbers of hours for a given task.

The thing is when you are associated with incompetent people who think
they work for a socialist government, or any government for that matter
and truly act as if the money dont matter.

Competent people tend to be very creative to get around problems and
make sure profitability and quality are the primary goals as long as
they are involved in a trasparent way to a realist budget.

I count on a final product from that person compared to the amount of time
spent
not to how that person got it done: walking on the parking lot, upside down,
laid down,
showering, etc...
in Any sport teams we have only one head coach for a bunch of guys using
their bodies.
If someone is not playing well and making the team lose... call him to the
beach right way.

Enough said.

Odie

 

Enough said?

Far from the truth...

You're holding back...

 

Since you are so sure... can you also tell me the winner numbers for next
week's lotto???

I can use the money.

 

I actually wrote a formula based on possibilities back in the eighties, and
gave them to someone, but he never used the numbers. Guess what? 5 of the
numbers came up...

What's even funnier, is that while creating a serial no. generator for my
utilities, I was able to create a method of determining winning odds on the
slots, and I was able to hit the pot 3 times in a row..., but wait I wanted
to make sure that it worked, so I went around and tried different
machines... Guess what? They all cashed out...

17 48 29 9 32 5 4 - just for fun.....

 

and
Guess what? They all cashed out...

with a system like that, why are you still working?

 

I only tested it to see if it would work, because I knew mathimatically it
could be done.

It's against my religious beliefs to gamble, or even play the lottery.

Besides, I make a lot of money doing what I'm doing.

 

must be nice!
I must be in the wrong business!

or i should say ...
:-(

 

More like |:-o

 

I like the comments. But this has nothing to do with budget. We have a Supervisor who thrives off of micro managing. I sometimes think he gets off on it more than..well you know. I argued that we are all adults, but his little cronie (who pretends to know how to write lisp) said we need it and so who do you think won that verbal fight. Thanks for the input guys...

 

Big Brother is definitely watching these days! What about also tracking
the time spent in this NG? LOL!

 

I have had to justify time in various NG's. Luckily I have been able to
provide tangible time savings by things I have learned or found in here (and
other NG's).
Not only the customization, but many of the other groups. We all have
issues that arise and don't know the answers to everything (as I find on a
daily basis in here).

Jeff

 

Phil,
Good one
Bob