Tech Manager—Find; Fix; Finish
When all things fail, you are called. But what happens when no one calls you? There are many times when things break, and you are not informed. Folks just figure out a workaround and keep going. Sometimes things break and no one notices. Sometimes things break suddenly and other times they just degrade slowly. The things that slowly and imperceptibly degrade, then stop working or go off the rails is what I want to focus on. If it is hardware, it usually is easier to spot. When it is software, or processes, it may be tough to spot. When it is a deviation from the standard, it may grow without your noticing for a while.
Find; Fix; Finish
When problems go unreported, you need to ferret them out, get them fixed and finish up. This is a cycle that repeats itself over and over. It is what you do when something seems out of place, incorrectly done, or slightly off kilter but no one tells you. This will be a multi-part series of articles. Step one is finding things. Let’s start there.
There are four escalation points that you uncover during the Find phase. Depending on if it is hardware, software or process related, the spread may take on differing characteristics.
Notice Becomes Awareness
You notice that something is awry. It is just not right. It catches your eye, or you hear it in passing and it raises a flag. You make a note of it mentally. It might happen again, or it might not. Some strange things just happen randomly and then go away.
But if it happens again, you become aware of it. Awareness means you hold it in your mind or in your journal (you do journal – right?). It is now marked as something that you are aware of, and you look for it to repeat. You now start observing that this occurrence is repeating. It may be another project on the other side of the building, but you see it repeatedly. It might be two or three times, or more. You are now aware of something that might cause concern. Now is when you begin the investigation.
Then Becomes a Concern
What you are aware of needs to be addressed. The pattern has repeated itself over and over. You can now start predicting when it might occur. It seems to be spreading, but not out of control yet. You may be able to cause it to happen. You may have identified what you think could be causing it.
Turns into an Issue
You are now moving from the Find phase to the Fix phase. The concern has an expanding impact. It is now predictable, repeatable and spreading. You see it popping up in areas where it was not before. It moves from project to project. You have got to warn others and work on fixing it.
Finally – It is a Failure
The issue has caused delay or derailment. It is now impacting client deliverables, schedules and progress. It has failed. A fix is demanded and imperative. It has to be done NOW.
Investigation
During the Find Phase, sometime between Awareness and Concern, the investigation begins. Addressing things that you become aware of always starts with investigation. Some investigation can be done on your own without telling anyone about your awareness, but investigation always includes conversation. I usually try to frame my discussions with people when something comes up that I want to address. I do not want to cause overdue alarm. I start any conversation with some purposeful phrasing. Each phrase is planned to introduce or escalate the conversation. This wording tries to avoid the feeling that my investigation is really an interrogation. You want to put them at ease and get them talking.
- I am aware of …
- I am concerned about…
- We have an issue with…
- There is a failure.
I am Aware of…
A CAD/BIM/Tech Manager needs to be aware of things all around them. The noises that hardware makes, the rhythm of the office workflow and the signs of software failures. I notice new or different noises in my car that lead to investigations and correction by me or a mechanic. People know the natural rhythm of their bodies and become aware or changes in those patters or new aches or pains that lead to a doctor’s visit. Parents know the din of the kids playing and when it gets too quiet or too noisy, they notice and soon check to see what’s up.
At work, when you detect a pattern of deviation that might impair the progress of a project, you need to bring it up to someone. Maybe progress is happening too slow, and you need to see what is causing the delays. Maybe progress is happening too fast and critical steps are being missed. It may just be a feeling, subtle and felt in your Spidey senses, or a disruption in The Force, but you feel something. When this happens, there needs to be a conversation related to what you are sensing or seeing so that it can be addressed, if needed, and alleviated.
I start the conversation with, “I am aware of...” and complete the sentence with the things I have noticed. Then I ask, “Have you noticed this?” or, “Can you tell me what you have seen?” This hopefully will get them talking and sharing what they have seen. Do not be accusative.
I am Concerned About…
This is the next conversation that happens. Some conversations may start at this level. Things escalate quickly and there is a very short awareness phase that quickly jumps to concern. I try to not use the term “concern” when I am not yet at that point. When you start a conversation using the term “concerned” people tend to think you are pointing a finger, or that the problem is bigger than it is. When I am concerned, it usually means that I need to act on something or want others to take action. The action just may be elevating the conversations or do some hands-on testing. But if I have a concern, I need to address it. I have been bitten a few times by concerns that have gone unaddressed too long and could have been corrected before they became issues.
We Have an Issue with…
When concerns continue without being investigated, addressed or corrected, they become “Issues”. Issues should be easy to identify because you have escalated it, or someone let you know about it. Issues are trouble spots that have impacted workflow and endanger the big “3Ds” - Deliverables, Dollars or Deadlines. If someone brings you an issue, your processes start here. You go straight to the Fix Phase. News about issues travels fast. Get out in front of the conversation and let folks know you are working on it.
Notice I started the conversation with “We”. The problem is now impacting things and it is a collective impact on more than one file, model, person or project. We are in this together. I am taking action, and you should also.
There is a Failure.
Issues that are brought to you must be addressed. Problems can corrupt files, cripple models, break down progress and ruin projects. This is not a good thing. Issues must be dealt with when they arise. Better yet – tackle them when they are just concerns before they become failures.
Notice the statement ends with a period. Once issues cause a failure, the communication become notification based. You are not investigating, you are notifying. It is broke and everyone needs to know it. Something needs to be avoided. Something was corrupted.
Something went very wrong. In space flight terms, it is a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”. You move to recovery, correction and restoration. Do whatever you can to get things back on track. Personally take charge of the situation. Let everyone know you are focused on only this and getting things back to normal. Everything else is pushed aside and you are focused.
Finding problems before they happen is what folks want you to be doing. Address them as early in the flow as you can. We have covered the beginnings of the Find; Fix; Finish process and will continue next month.
