Civil 3D Users

don't use any of those, or exref, or a whole list of fancy gidgets in there 

civil3d for survey is like hitting a fly with 8 lb hammer. 

unless you have a specific reason to use civil3d there are lots of other options for a much more reasonable cost

At the employer which I was first introduced to C3d they had point group hierarchies to what, I thought, was an absurdity. You had to stack about a dozen point groups just so to make your drawing look right. A real house of cards. I've since designed my own system that avoids point group hierarchies altogether.

At my current employer the man nominally in charge of CAD, du jure, refuses to use any project management tool that C3d, or even AutoCAD, provides. Not even xrefs. His reasoning is that the CAD users do not have enough knowledge to use them properly. My counter is that he needs to train them better. That fellow is leaving us next month and once he does those three items that are listed above will be implemented.   I do anticipate a long and painful process.   

Sheet Set Manager

Yes, all the time makes printing larger drawing packages easier. Always having one .dwg file per sheet tends to keep file sizes smaller and job/project organization neater.

Data Shortcuts

Yes, where I work we use a C3D model just for the prelim survey, just the C3D objects (Design Surfaces, Pipe Networks, Feature Lines, etc.), and one for simple linework. It is daunting at first but having a model that isn't overcrowded is much easier to work with.

Usually the .dwg file that becomes the sheet is made up of overlaid XREFS and Data Shortcuts to keep actual data in it as small as possible.

I am with @norman-oklahoma on the point group hierarchy.  Its bloated, dumb and inefficient IMO.  Others use it successfully but we work just fine without it.

Data Shortcuts are an absolute must if you're part of an Engineering/Survey company.  Without it is like pushing you car down the road instead of driving it.

Sheet set manager is also an incredible time saver, anyone who says otherwise hasn't had to print a 100 page plan set spread across 25 different files.

Pipe Networks are finicky but very useful when used right on the engineering side of things.

I'd also highly recommend getting a firm grasp of the survey database and all it's functionality.  It's a bit overwhelming but has tremendous upside when used properly.

Posted by: @wa-id-surveyor

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I am with @norman-oklahoma on the point group hierarchy.  Its bloated, dumb and inefficient IMO.  Others use it successfully but we work just fine without it.

Sheet set manager is also an incredible time saver, anyone who says otherwise hasn't had to print a 100 page plan set spread across 25 different files.

Pipe Networks are finicky but very useful when used right on the engineering side of things.

Love point groups, hate the hierarchy.  I've set my description keys to assign points styles and labels based on the final presentation.  I use the point group over-rides for my inhouse needs only.

Pipe Networks is another story.  Unless I'm, along with google, is missing something, they are all but impossible to create data for layout without the help of third-party software.  I can see why engineers love them thought.  That being said, I rarely get a C3D design file that uses them.