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Flexibility is a principle of war…..
So first day back in to work today after paternity leave to find my desk stripped out, someone else sat there and being told that I’ve been moved projects. A happy start at 0530!
I am now a project engineer on the MOF project doing a direct swap with one of the graduate engineers so that I can get some on-site experience. Not an issue and hopefully beneficial for my DOs.
I will now be running the concrete works which is abutments, capping beams and pile caps. Good stuff with lots of reinforcement detailing to get my head into. Transition period of 2-3 weeks as we hand over responsibilities and get up to speed. If only there was someone on here that was sharing their lessons on RC….
More to follow once I have a clue what’s going on as there appears to have been little planning conducted so far.
WRT the desk issue I have now turfed out the individual sat there, reclaimed it and am beavering away once again!
Steady away..
EDC SOLARWALL
As everyone is on time codes around here, they get protective over them and I had to kick the authorising office to release funding for our ConRep here on site to book his time to. I get a distinct feeling that if this had not happened then we would find ourselves locking horns further down the line trying to justify the hours. Thankfully HRH The Queen has not asked for a time code and my time remains free of charge to USACE unless I can come up with a cunning plan to make some money out here…..
During the weekly meeting I enquired about the findings of the investigation of the existing wall construction and the contractor made an almighty slip up in blabbing about extra costs and the conversation quickly turned into a regain when they realised the Client was listening in. The phrase – “please stop talking you’re scaring scaring the government” really made my day. The contractor was invited to consolidate his (collective) thoughts on how best to approach us with cost variations instead of just banding ideas around in an open forum. Have heard nothing back as yet, but having reviewed the documentation it looks like the cost will be materials based. This highlights the beauty of the ‘option’ system of bidding within a government environment. It allows a bid price to be put in with several options, meaning that whatever level is actually approved can be spent and in instances such as this, the options can be tweaked to make sure you still get the best value for money without the whole project falling through.
I have also been coordinating potentially useful information for the contractor to use when compiling his method statements (de-conflicting site specifics and coordinating with facility managers and trying to pre-empt what they will need.) This is in the hope that subsequent submittals will be approved without the need for further comment and keep the timeline on track.
Reviewed design submittals – approved with comments back to contractor.
ECIP Project – Bldg 732 / 760
Attended kick off meeting for the installation of Solarwall on 2 other buildings on the depot. These are in concept phase and Rob Duke is involved from the E&M side of life.
School Visits
Have volunteered to take part in the outreach programme to go and promote science and engineering in the local schools. My first assignment is a careers day at a Baltimore Middle School – 12 – 14 yr olds, due to take place on 1 June. Further events will be planned provided I don’t get arrested at the first event.
Ashley Reservist Centre
Undertook further investigation and data collection for use in TMR1. Suicide level increasing.
And in other news….
This feature is temporarily cancelled due to lack of interest….
McFry – Out.
Week 6 7th 1 11th May 2012
Week 6. 7th – 11th May 2012
Bank Holiday weekend – well, I took the Monday morning off (recovery from a 125 mile bike ride in the snow, and a 20 mile run up some mountains), so that was nice!
But what else, I hear you say? Well, the week was very much focussed around my Runcorn study into Distributed Engineering which has changed with time as my research developed. What began with an investigation into methods of Cost Reporting and Cost Estimates – these being the much heralded excuse for delays from PSN’s Runcorn Design House, my recommendations came back saying that:
- Communications between Project Managers is excellent
- Current Cost Reporting methods are suitable; delays are inevitable and this can be relieved by a few more Cost Engineers in Runcorn
But more surprisingly (and damningly),
- The leadership from the PSN Aberdeen Delivery Manager and his Delivery Focal Points is weak
- The Delivery Manager in Runcorn needs to play his part as a leader better, and get himself a Project Services team ASAP
- If they don’t start working on morale, and make the (Runcorn) team feel like part of the Focus Project, they’re going to lose them, fast!
We sometimes forget how good people management is in the Army (compared with PSN, anyway!)
Some context… BP contract most of their design work to Wood Group PSN (abbreviated to PSN), who work alongside us (BP’s Projects and Mods Team) in Aberdeen as part of the Focus Project (fully integrated etc etc). Because there is such a huge demand for work, they have a ‘third floor’ of the building situated in Runcorn, Cheshire, which currently employ 72 staff (compared to ~130 in Aberdeen). A bunch of us from BP and PSN visited for a conference on Tuesday and frankly I was shocked. The BP staff all got there on the red-eye flight, met the PSN guys in their office and put faces to the voices we’d been dealing with on the phone; really good stuff and great for cementing relationships that you can’t do by email. The PSN guys rocked up late for the meeting, and didn’t even meet the main part of the team in their office, just the key management in the conference room. And then were all out of there the next day at lunch, cutting a meeting short to do so! We (BP) were there til mid-Wednesday afternoon and so could chat through all the bits and pieces; or use the wireless to crack on with routine work otherwise. With this being the first conference of its type in Runcorn (the office was established in June 2011), most of the PSN (ABZ) contingent had never been there and seen the offices.
So one of my Programme Managers asked me my opinion, and I told it was all pretty piss-poor and bad mannered really; we’re all supposed to be the Focus Team, but PSN (ABZ) clearly didn’t give a flying fook about their staff in the South, who it transpired were kept massively in the dark on the big picture and thought it was all doom and gloom on the forecast (it’s not, its booming and they’ll be expanding!). And clearly, that’s no way to run a team. I continued to say that unless they bucked their ideas up they’d be haemorrhaging staff when better options come along (which is likely as there’s a big engineering boom around there). Oh, and also that the presentations were pretty lame, there was no clear aims of agenda, the IT broke down (at one point their Plans man was talking with an A3 graph held up in front of his face) and they should be embarrassed. So guess who gets to lead the next one! Me and my big mouth…
The weekend – TMR writing and a bit of open water swimming at Loch Morlich – bloody freezing, but good training for the CELTMAN!!!! See www.justgiving.com/chriswarner for more information 🙂
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 