SMARTDRAW REPLACING AUTOCAD:

Perfecting Process Flow Diagrams for Environmental Regulation

Problem
James Jarrett, a senior engineer at ERSG, helps businesses comply with environmental regulations. He needed an easy way to create process flow diagrams for his clients.

"My work involves environmental permitting, air emission testing, compliance inspections, storm water pollution prevention plans, and more," said Jarrett. "I needed an easy way to illustrate client processes that relate to these issues."

Jarrett had been using AutoCAD, but wanted something better.

"AutoCAD is very time-consuming," he said. "I needed something easier and faster."

Jarrett also wanted to produce professional-looking results that would impress his clients.

"The diagrams I was making in AutoCAD didn't look very pretty," he said. "I found SmartDraw on the Internet, and decided to give it a try."

Solution
SmartDraw is so fast and user-friendly that Jarrett didn't even need the tutorials.

Jarrett was also impressed with SmartDraw's thousands of symbols and templates. SmartDraw offers graphics for nearly any application.

For example, Jarrett used SmartDraw's "Industrial Automation" symbol collection to access images for material handling, blowers, motors, process heating, vehicles, and more.

"The symbols are just great," he said. "They make the processes look so realistic."

Results
According to Jarrett, SmartDraw is simply a better value than AutoCAD.

"SmartDraw allows me to create and update process flow diagrams significantly faster than I could with AutoCAD," he said. "I can create diagrams in 30% of the time."

He's recommended SmartDraw to several co-workers who create diagrams. They've also found the program easier to use and understand.

Jarrett is also much happier with the output he gets with SmartDraw. The end results are always professional and polished.

"People who compare the same diagram in SmartDraw and AutoCAD like the SmartDraw diagram much better," he said. "In fact, one client liked a diagram I made in SmartDraw so much, that he framed it and hung it up in his office!"

His conclusion? "SmartDraw is easy to use, and it has great features," said Jarrett. "I could get the job done with AutoCAD, but why? SmartDraw delivers great results in less time."