OK, this is from my post onWireless Deployment Efficiencieswhere I wrote about ways to make you deployment as efficient as possible by thinking about your deployment plan.
Comment: You are so right, I’ve been a PM for over ten years and you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve said these same things. Great Post!!!
Response: Thank you! I know that becoming efficient is something you need to work at to cut costs and raise profit. It will also make you more competitive. However, you need to know how to become more efficient without hurting the essentials like safety and worker morale. Being efficient will often come from a good idea someone has in the field that everyone can adopt. However, being efficient doesn’t mean taking shortcuts, it means finding a better way to do a task.
From LinkedIn I got this response which I wanted to share:
Wade: I don’t know if you are fully aware of what happened in his case. Ray was called in to erect a self-supporting tower in Nebraska after the general contractors Erector announced they didn’t have the men that could erect the tower with a crane. But they didn’t inform the general until they had completely assembled the tower, a 300′ SST, and the crane had arrived. Ray took the deal without a schedule extension, but only because the crane was there and waiting. The first day he and his crew arrived, they corrected the previous crew’s assembly mistakes and stacked 240′ of steel before dark. The next morning when they arrived, the crane company was tearing down the crane for removal. They had a guaranteed commitment on another job The general contractor offered Ray $3,000.00 in addition to their original contract to finish the job with a hoist and pole, which they would furnish, however Ray would have to go pick the equipment up, and also, the general contractor would not slip the scheduled completion date. Ray took another man with him and drove all day and night to San Antonio, and then over to Houston and back to the job site near Omaha in 54 hours. Upon his arrival at the job site in early afternoon, the crew rigged the tower with the gin-pole in a “Chicago Boom” fashion and disassembled the sections because they would have to assemble them in the air. Their first pick was a single leg with step bolts. As they were setting the leg, they called the operator to raise the load a few inches but a step bolt was fouled in the pole. Ray climbed up on the pole and pushed the leg out and called for the operator to come up a few inches, but instead of pulling back on the load drum lever, the operator pulled back on the jump line lever. The jump line broke causing the pole to fall 240′ down through the inside of the tower with Ray attached to it. It’s a miracle he survived. But the reason I call this to your attention is to give you an example of how the owners and general contractors, the brains of the operation, bully the workers and chisel them into unfair and dangerous situations and then gloat about how good they handle problems. RB
Response: Sometime trying to be too efficient can be a hazard, especially when you rush to make something happen without having the time to plan it out. Planning should include not only the best way to deploy but also the safest way to work. It really makes sense to take your time to plan out the steps. Being efficient doesn’t mean skipping very important steps like hazard assessment, tailgate meetings, and making the plan with your team! Think and pay attention to what is going on!
