Teamwork : how to divvy up the workspaces?

[Erika Epstein]

I have started working intensively with teamwork on small projects. I understand the different ways to share the file, what I would like to start is a discussion on the pros and cons of different ways of dividing up the workspaces.

We are working 2-3 people on small protects and I find us redefining work spaces several times a day. This is very time consuming. there must be better ways.

Are there some better strategies to this?
Ones to avoid?

thanks!

[Anonymous]

I am interested in this too, as we have just upgraded rest of office to AC9 and will be working together on some small-medium projects. Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

[Link]

There's so many different ways of divvying it up - by story, S/E, detail, camera path, layers, etc. One often overlooked method is by selected area. You can use your marquee tool during the sign in process to define an area on plan. These areas can touch (you can even snap to existing areas) but not overlap. The same marqueed area applies for any story you have selected, so it doesn't matter if it's thin or phat.

That's just a fundamental teamworking tip late on a Sunday night - not an advanced method that you are probably looking for. A combination of the above methods has always worked for me, but maybe Ben or James or other 'big office' users have interesting ideas.

Cheers,
Link.

[Erika Epstein]

Link wrote:
The same marqueed area applies for any story you have selected, so it doesn't matter if it's thin or phat.

A combination of the above methods has always worked for me, but maybe Ben or James or other 'big office' users have interesting ideas.

Cheers,
Link.

We've pretty much been dividing up work areas by sheet type.

When people are designing/redesigning are they working in their local version and just sending into the team leader when appropriate?

Are people really using the mark up tool to alert the rest of the team about changes?

I look forward to hearing more!

[Anonymous]

It is for me a question of Strategy.

The question is : how do you divide your works in your Office ?

In my precedent office in small projects —2 or 3 architects in teamwork— we try to cut the file in "logic entities" each entity being managed by a "specialist"
by example :
— User 1 "interiors layers", interiors walls, structure, stairs, furnitures
— User 2 exteriors walls and purely 3D layers in plan and elevation
— User 3 small drawing, texts, cotations, details

In bigger one you may divide
—by area where each "specialist or person in charge" who perfectly know his part of project an Auditorium, a restaurant, a technical area, car park, etc.
—or by layers the drawing of the all the grounds or the false ceilings, etc.

What does not prevent the conflicts and the frequent "Send and receive"…

Some is the choice carried out the rules of drawing must be even more rigorous than when one only works…

[TomWaltz]

In Archicad, I find that you cannot divide work in the traditional way: one person doing schedules, one person doing interior elevations, one person doing plans.... they are all too inter-related.

Instead, I recommend that work be divided like what Fmr said: by area. For example, interior and exteriors, sometimes an marquee for stairs and elevators. I usually try to get people to sign out using the "4-hour rule": If you are going to work on it in the next 4 hours, sign it out. If you are not going to work on it in the next 4 hours, leave it for someone else. That cuts down on the "layer hogs" who take the whole building for no reason, and the stingy ones who only take 1 layer at a time.

On some projects,we tried pre-made PLC files for each area. This way, there is a PLC for

• "View Manager" - owns the main Viewset
• "Interiors" - all interior building components, sections, and details. May be subdivided into architectural, MPE, and structural, and details.
• "Exteriors" - all exterior components and sections. May be subdivided into site, building, roof, and details.

This was in an attempt to cut down (or eliminate) changing workspace. It is a pretty big time drain, but with a little planning, can be diminished.

[Rakela Raul]

In Archicad, I find that you cannot divide work in the traditional way: one person doing schedules, one person doing interior elevations, one person doing plans.... they are all too inter-related.

i think that small project should be taken by only one person .....and have other team members to do quality control, do details, cut and paste in pm, check schedules, etc. ....(working with ref files is a good thing also)

pm should be divided in several parts so a few persons can do final touches under deadline pressures and printing. (if pm is integrated to ac, can i do that anymore?? mmm )

(whats small project for you could be a dog house for me btw)

[TomWaltz]

Rakela wrote:

In Archicad, I find that you cannot divide work in the traditional way: one person doing schedules, one person doing interior elevations, one person doing plans.... they are all too inter-related.

i think that small project should be taken by only one person .....and have other team members to do quality control, do details, cut and paste in pm, check schedules, etc. ....(working with ref files is a good thing also)

pm should be divided in several parts so a few persons can do final touches under deadline pressures and printing. (if pm is integrated to ac, can i do that anymore?? mmm )

(whats small project for you could be a dog house for me btw)

That is a good point. A single person should be able to handle a greater volume of work in Archicad .... and it would be SO nice if Plotmaker could be teamworked as well!

[Anonymous]

Rakela wrote:
i think that small project should be taken by only one person .....and have other team members to do quality control, do details, cut and paste in pm, check schedules, etc. ....(working with ref files is a good thing also)

Works are never linear so we use to prepare the sharing of EACH file —SMALLER OR BIGGER— at the beginning at the project to be ready at the moment when it is essential.

Then the teams can grow bigger and lose according to the deadline and the LOT of "small" works necessary to finish documents.

[Erika Epstein]

Tom, Frédéric et al,

Thank you for your help. I was also wondering, do you find that your strategy changes as projects progress from the beginning design stages through construction documents? Granted the distinction between these are now blurred since Archicad.