How long does it take to complete the project?
It is quite difficult to evaluate the work time and plan the work of a design engineer. Especially if he is carrying out several projects at the same time. And if several engineers are working on the same project, then the estimate of time resources becomes completely inaccurate. Meanwhile, the timing of the purchase of parts, manufacturing and timely delivery of the order depend on the design of the product. It is believed that engineering work is a creative profession and it is impossible to estimate the design time. I only partially agree with this opinion. Working out detailing, selection of standard products and hardware, drawings and instructions - this is the routine that the engineer does most of the time.
Everything that is done with SOLIDWORKS can be calculated the time.
#timemanagement
An example is an air cooled condenser, how long did it take for this project? How much time is spent on assembly, how much on drawings?
Let's take a look at the numbers.
The total time of work is 27 hours, most of the time was spent on work in the assembly 20 hours, 10% of the time was spent on drawings.
The main work began on 13.07 and ended on 06.08, the time interval is 31 days.
At the same time, they worked on the project in SOLIDWORKS for 12 days, of which only 9 with a time spent more than 1 hour. I went over to the drawings on 22.07 and worked on them for 4 working days.
What if there are several projects?
The total working time in SOLIDWORKS is 100 hours from 06/07 to 08/08, work on our project took 27% of the total time.
If you are interested in project statistics, I suggest you join testing the new WORKLOG application.
This processing uses several different programs and is being finalized.
To install and use logging macros, I used add-inCAD + Toolset, it is free (registration is required to obtain a license), you can download it from the link https://cadplus.xarial.com/ where you can also find installation instructions.
The CAD + tab appears in the toolbar (Tools)
Next, select Toolbar + / Configure and create via + the SaveLog macro block, the block should be the only one (so far).
It's just a section with a common name that summarizes individual macros.
In the SaveLog section, press + and set each macro in turn:
Title: Macro name (the name corresponds to the action of the macro)
Description: Description (optional)
Path: The path to the location of the macro.
Entrypoint: The macro is simple, the entry point is the only one
In the Triggers tab, select the required action at which the macro will be triggered.
A total of 5 macros need to be installed. Each macro corresponds to a specific action.
MacroSave.swp – Save Document
MacroOpen.swp– Open Document
MacroNew.swp– New Document
MacroActivate.swp– Activate Document
MacroClose.swp– Close Document
Unload After Run – leave a check mark.
Create each action one by one. As a result, we have 5 automatic actions in the SaveLog group.
Pass to each macro in turn and write a document to save for each user.
All macros have one common document where all actions are saved. The user must be registered in SOLIDWORKS documents, otherwise there will be no division by executor. Or, for each performer, you need to create your own macros with a separate document (log) for each user.
Macros are seamlessly and automatically logging information, you can check in the file WorkLog.log
As a result, we get a log:
#1899-12-30 19:15:28#,#2021-02-22#,"E:\Разное\КД.025 Стол-стеллаж\Drafts\КД.025.00.02 полка центральная.SLDDRW","","Save","КД.025.00.02 полка центральная - Лист1"
Time, Date, Part location path, User name (empty if not in the template), Activity type, Name of the saved part
You now have a log of SolidWorks activity.
For further processing of the log, it is necessary to fill in the Project List.xls, the table assigns a path to a specific order.
Analytics will take place based on this table.
LOG ANALYSIS.
You need to install Python (download from here https://www.python.org/downloads/). It requires the pandas, nampy, openpyxl libraries, how to install can be found on the Internet.
Copy the WorkLog.py file into the directory with the log file and run it, then specify the file with the full path to it.
The program processes the log and creates a new document with the assigned project names WorkLogResult.txt.
Next, install POWER Bi - this is a utility from Microsoft (how to install can be found on the Internet https://powerbi.microsoft.com/ru-ru/desktop/).
After installation, open the WorkLog.pbix file
In the document, click the file, select the options and settings
Data source settings
We replace the proposed sources with our own files (Project List.xls and WorkLogResult.txt)
Now you can analyze the received data.
If the installation of the utilities causes problems or strange results are obtained, you can contact me and I will carry out the analysis for you.
Link to files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fEWGuBY2f1uOnU68nj0LA262LzLAo_rx?usp=sharing
Time is the most valuable resource!
TimeAnalisiys #timeanalisys