Where Is Autodesk’s 3D Printing Assessment Tool?

I believe Autodesk should produce a 3D printing assessment tool.

Why? Because they’ve already done so for the construction industry.

Their construction tool addresses one of their major audiences, building construction. Designers of buildings, including architects, engineers, contractors and others often use several Autodesk products focused on those industries.

As a result, Autodesk has some expertise in how projects should be undertaken.

They’ve leveraged this knowledge into a tool whereby participants can assess their progress against others. Autodesk explains:

“We recently surveyed over 200 construction industry professionals to understand how they measure success. The data revealed seven processes that leading companies use to capture critical project information, gauge project health, and maintain quality control in construction projects. Better yet—when put into practice, these processes also help to:

• Reduce risk

• Avoid downstream problems

• Improve performance

Do your current processes give you the data you need to maximize performance? Take this free 15 minute assessment to see how you measure up.”

And:

”Autodesk recently collaborated with Dodge Data & Analytics on a KPIs of Construction study (Dodge study). We were surprised to learn that approximately 50% of contractors do not consistently capture and review project data. That’s a lot of critical information left on the table.

While the industry overall still lacks an established set of benchmarks, the Dodge study gets us closer to a fixed standard of performance measurement in construction. It can serve as a guide for how leading companies are handling data capture and project intelligence to inform construction project metrics.

This free tool takes the study one step further by allowing you to see how you stack up against the top construction companies we surveyed. In a few minutes, you can get an overview of your blind spots and identify processes that can help improve the way you record and use information to formulate a construction quality management plan.”

This seems to be a good idea for architects, engineers and contractors in the construction industry, but what about the 3D printing industry?

I see many parallels between construction and 3D printing activities, and certainly 3D printing companies could find great benefits in at least knowing where they stand versus others in the field.

However, it would require Autodesk to undertake a study with a survey analysis firm similar to what they accomplished with their partner, except that the analysis would focus on 3D print services, additive manufacturers, companies prototyping with 3D printing, etc.

From this survey a similar self-assessment tool could be developed and could provide the industry with a good push towards best practices.

What do you think, Autodesk?

Via Autodesk