Our Primary Goal

To make the users of InRoads, Civil3D, AutoCAD and MicroStation successful by turning them into competent, productive Engineers and Surveyors who understand their roles and can do their jobs more efficiently and technically correct with their software.

How We Work

We strive to provide the most focused, budget conscious and technically accurate software Support Services, Documentation and Training available anywhere.
If there is one thing that sets us apart from everyone else, it’s that we really care about YOUR success. We do not see ourselves as outsiders in your organization; we become part of your team. Your Goal becomes our Goal; your purpose develops into our purpose; and our agenda is rooted in your agenda.

One overall objective of Zen Engineering is to achieve a betterment of the business through the betterment of the individual user. Your organization is composed of single
individuals. We improve your organization by adequately addressing individual needs. We do this while maintaining a strong focus and alignment on the precise goals of the group, and we do this like no one else can.

We start by understanding your needs and then educating the actual users & support personnel with the proper software foundation to achieve your educational goals.
A thorough understanding of the software, presentation of the material, the ability to convey ideas to the students, personal experience with Engineering practices & projects, and the interest in making sure that each of the attendees themselves can understand & apply the material are key to a successful class. Our personalized custom training approach be will be built around your desired topics and can be integrated into your project data.

“Class participants have spread the word about his class and I have numerous requests that others be placed in his next course. Supervisors of those who attended his training have also had praise for the class and the abilities shown by their personnel as they returned to production.”

This is where individual attention is taken to the ultimate level. Whether you are a Manager of the Survey Department, Engineering Division or CAD / IT group, 1 on 1 attention may be what you need. This service is for anyone who wants to take their understanding and productivity to new heights. You tell us what you want to achieve, and we’ll develop the content and deliver it to you.

“Going from the classroom to actual operation is a big jump and Mark has been essential in helping me do it successfully. I wanted to make sure it was known what a fantastic job Mark does!”

In order to train others you will have to understand the software beyond just the ABC’s and you will not gain this understanding in a basics class or even 5 basic classes.

No one is teaching individuals how to train others. Why? Because some people require this ‘job security’ and are really just not interested in someone else doing what they do. Why do we do it? - Because we have a passion about increasing the productivity of the Civil Engineer and CAD user. Our TtT program provides you with everything that you need to succeed from Books, quizzes, PPTs and support.

“Patience. Knowledge. Enthusiasm.”

The software will help you with your project needs. But ‘software’ is not going to turn a drafter into an engineer, it’s not going to turn a poor engineer into a brilliant one, and it’s not going to create a successful project all by itself. It’s not about luck – you have to develop a plan, get everyone on board, and start becoming more efficient with the tools that are right in front of you.

In a nutshell, these services will trigger an analysis of your existing CAD environment, from a functional perspective, and provide you with recommendations for improvement regarding your staff, their knowledge, your system, internal workflows and department interaction. The next step to take is yours … to decide to what extent you want to implement any changes that you deem beneficial.

“Mark provided our staff with clear, understandable guidance in use of the different software packages. He added valuable insight to the use of the software and provided suggestions for modification of our work procedures so that we could take further advantage of the software’s design and output capabilities.”

“I have worked with Bentley Civil Design products for over 20 years and have had the pleasure of working with Mark on several occasions. Each time Mark has proven to be an extremely competent asset in training, consulting, setting up and documenting InRoads environments. Mark is exceptionally thorough and one of the best InRoads instructor/educator I have ever worked with. His efforts have helped make my software rollout project a success and I would recommend his firm to anyone needing InRoads consulting and training. I look forward to working with Mark on future projects.”

This service addresses how the software is set up for your office, your clients, and your users. This is a very key point that is often overlooked. Each software package has specific configuration that should be done to allow the software to be used for different agencies to achieve integration with others using the software. Software configuration also ensures that the correct standards are integrated into its functionality.

This service utilizes the expertise that we have with not only the software, but in Engineering and Survey. Every year this experience grows and grows as we continue to work with more and more civil and survey firms. You not only get our personal understanding of the software but also our experiences of having worked on hundreds of projects, at hundreds of companies and agencies. Our solutions for you are not prepackaged, they are specifically created for you and your needs.

“Mark provided exceptionally productive service to our project, helping us complete our design and meet our deadlines. Mark proved to be extremely dedicated to helping us complete our project, often staying beyond work hours to complete the design work, help us resolve a specific problem with the project design, or to resolve a problem that we were experiencing with the software. He took “personal ownership” of the design, making every attempt to make sure that the work was correct and complete. Mark also worked very well with our staff, always positive in sometimes very stressful situations. I would not hesitate at all to have Mark return for support of this or any other project, and I would highly recommend him to others.“

“I got your reply and I’m so impressed, to say the least, to get an answer so soon. I was kind of surprised that you could come up with such a great fix without knowing how the problem arose. Your diagnoses were also right on the mark. I tried exactly what you said and that did the trick and I didn’t have the issue anymore. I do appreciate your quick response and most importantly, for providing the accurate answer to my problem. Thank you so much!”

Software support can cover a wide range of activity, but can be generally lumped under “software assistance”. That assistance may be very focused on a specific task, or can be very broad such as in software configuration. This service is generally an “as needed” service and is only used when problems or questions arise and no internal answer is known. This support can address the use of certain tools, problem solving advice, InRoads surface debugging, InRoads roadway modeling recommendations …and so on.

Our intent is to present subjects in down-to earth, common terms that can be absorbed with relative ease, and with enough detail to enable team members to use the software efficiently to complete projects on-time.

Over the years as project engineers, surveyors, consultants and instructors, we’ve discovered common threads to the confusions experienced by someone not proficient with the software. A lot of these questions stem from a lack of understanding of one or more key basics. Without a thorough understanding of these fundamentals, higher levels of application can appear confusing and remain out of reach. Our guides cover all the versions of InRoads and InRoads Survey for the last decade or more, and we will continue to produce these guides covering topics and tools from the most basic to advanced.

“With much fear and trepidation I decided to pay a considerable sum for what is essentially a paperback book, because it was the only thing I could find after a week’s searching on the Internet for something cheaper. I am a self-taught engineer making a very good living, but I have to dig this stuff out of books, not having any teachers. Get a pocket full of different colored highlighters, this book, and study it page by page and you will get insights into “InRoads” not available for ten times the price...because if you go somewhere else, you get what they teach you, usually not what you need to know. This book tells you “why” and “how”, and philosophy. If you want to be the best...this book IS Essential. Buy this book!”

“Mark has been one of the best software instructors I have ever had. I greatly appreciated his knowledge and ability to convey it to others. Mark has a great attitude and he wants everyone to enjoy the class as he does.”

“Very knowledgeable; promotes participation; seems to live and breathe this stuff. Dynamic speaker, able to communicate thoughts and ideas.”

We can create any procedural guides that you need for any workflow or set of tools. These can include the use of InRoads, InRoads Survey, ProjectWise, MicroStation, AutoCAD, particular survey data collectors, or any aspect of the Civil industry such as drainage, profiling, or plan & profile creation. We work intimately with your staff to define, capture, suggest improvements, and document your processes.

We deliver and provide more services than promised whether it be defined by speed, quantity or quality.

We strive to not only meet our client’s needs, but to go beyond their expectations.

We offer superior service that is unmatched in our industry. Mere client satisfaction is mediocre; we make every effort to achieve outstanding service.

When I started out in the engineering business in 1981 I saw the value and necessity of relying on others as I performed my day to day project work. I also saw that some people had a greater knowledge than others, but that everyone had the capacity to know and learn. I never intended to have my own business doing what I do, but through the course of time I have found my place. I am here, with what I know, and available to help you achieve success on your projects. Call me.

“Zen is like a spring coming out of a mountain. It doesn’t flow in order to quench the thirst of a traveler, but if the travelers want to help themselves to it, that’s fine. It’s up to you what you do with the water; the spring’s job is just to flow.”

– Alan Watts