Category: Staff Memos

Staff memos are memos to staff.
Purpose to annonce company policies, Process and procedures.
Emphasis is mainly on the process to follow

  • Maximise your Screen Real Estate

    I’ve seen people struggle with many windows overwhelming their work space. This will hurt your productivity, especially if you are in the detailing profession. You could employ virtual desktops, in addition to a tiling manager.

    1. Please follow this tutorial on virtual desktops.
    2. If you want to use a windows tiling manager consider AquaSnap. If you really like it I would not be opposed to getting a commercial site-wide license.
  • Staff Memos: Long Term Goals

    I have not been clear in specifying overall objectives.

    I want to dramatically increase the reputation of our firm, to boost your remuneration, and to expand our offering(s).

    This is the plan:

    1. Satisfy the Client

    • The client pays the bills.
    • In order to satisfy our clients, we must first understand our clients.
    • When we speak to our clients, then we can uncover problems which need to be fixed.
    • The more problems we fix, the better our reputation, and our desirability will be. This will translate into more favourable remuneration to the firm, just as it translate into a more favourable proposition for our clients to hire Tek1 – given the benefits our client receives.

    2. Work Hard

    • When we work hard: we dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s”, this affords us an opportunity to solve difficult problems through innovating.
    • Your task  / job is to identify potential sources of innovation and either: (i) innovate yourself, or (ii) communicate this to your superiors so that it may be implemented.

    3. Favourable Remuneration

    • This is a firm that firmly rewards good work, through progression.
    • This is a firm which seeks to educate and promote your as fast as possible.
    1. By delivering outstanding quality work to clients, we will be able to attract premium clients, at better rates,
    2. when we do so, we will be able to better remunerate our staff.

    However I need cooperation from staff:

     

    Marketing:

    • Please post all your project(s) related blogs. On the Tek1 site. Use this platform to promote your name.
    • Please market your projects on social media.
    • The better we market, the better we’ll rank on Google etc.

     

    Education and Training

    • Make every effort to be constantly improving in your craft, constantly learning. If you’re not learning, then you’re not progressing.
    • Improve your English:
      • I wish to build the design / review market, but I cannot do so, until some of you improve your English!
    • Train your detailers as much as possible. Use our Tek1 Competencies as a general guide.
    • Documentation of Training / Learning:
      • I want training / learning to be documented as much as possible, (through memos or through Youtube videos). This allows anyone who is willing to  learn, to do so, it makes training cheaper / easier / faster for us and also for recruits.
      • Read ALL the standards we are required to read, take our Moodle exercises.
      • Develop better Moodle exercises.
    • All staff should read our firm memos. There is nothing worse than repeating a mistake which could have been avoided.
    • Test recruits according to our competencies.

    Innovation

    • If you work hard, and talk to your clients, the places you need to improve should be very clear.
    • Most improvements can be done through technology. With better technology, this allows the firm to deliver better value to clients, which will impact your remuneration. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen.

     

    Client Focus:

    1. Update your client on the status of your projects.
    2. Call your client (to push outstanding items)
    3. Call to find out any other problems they are facing.
    4. Suggest solutions for your client(s)
    5. Improve your English.

     

  • Galvanizing requirements

    Galvanizing requirements

    When you are adding Galvanizing holes please use this document

    Download PDF

  • When Drawing go on Hold for whatever Reason

    When Drawing go on Hold for whatever Reason

    When issued for Fabrication drawings go on Hold for whatever reason.

     

    Things to note.

    • Drawings issued for fabrication will be in a work flow. We have no control on where all these drawings have gone.
    • The only thing we can do is introduce a new revision for the drawing into the work flow with a new Revision No – DO NOT FABRICATE – DRAWING ON HOLD
    • Put a STAMP across the drawing. DRAWING ON HOLD
    • In the revision col, the revision discription should “Do Not Fabricate”
    • Take a drawing List report which has the revision Mark and Revision description. (Do Not Fabricate)
  • When clients puts pressure on for Delivery

    When clients puts pressure on for Delivery

    When clients put a lot of pressure.

    No urgent delivery is delivery if full processes cannot be completed.

    In spite of who puts the pressure on – All processes must be completed.
    Do not plan to complete any job by doing a 12-hour shift. It will not go well.

    Most urgent jobs, when has not gone through processes which it must go through, turn out to be

    1. Wrong
    2. Client is Not happy
    3. Hurts everyone in the business.

    Lesson to be learned.

    Pressures come in this job
    But it is up to the Team Lead to assess whether a job can be delivered PROPERLY at a certain time.

    If the answer is no. Then you MUST GIVE A FIRM NO. That way everyone is happier.

  • Memo #23 – How to write blog posts

    I wish to move this firm towards a more decentralised model: where our success, your success, and your team’s success will ultimately be decided by the client.

    The client will be your God. Serve him well.

    Build your own brand!

    Going forward, you will be responsible for your own marketing, not myself. If you market yourself well – then your name / reputation will correspondingly increase. With that comes opportunity for yourself and this firm:

    • Clients will specifically ask for you to be on their job, and the firm will have no choice but to oblige them.
    • However, I do not want to force anyone to do anything they do not want to. I do not want to nag anyone. If you don’t want to do it: fine, don’t do it. Those who do, will suffer the benefits and the costs of doing so.

    This firm gives you an opportunity unlike any other in the world: you can market your own name within this firm. Yes, there is a risk of poaching, but I am relying on staff satisfaction, competitive remuneration, and most importantly: the freedom and opportunity for your own self advancement, that I would argue, is unlike any other firm in the world. If something is broken: you have the opportunity to fix it, without fighting through 10 layers of bureaucracy.

    How to write a blog post:

  • You will need to tell me your username / email so I can register you.

  • Log in here:

  • Follow these instructions as on youtube.

  • (A) What type of things to blog?

    (1) Project Related Blog Posts

    1. Add photos:
      1. Model photos.
      2. Site photos – this will provide more definitive proof that you actually did the job.
    1. Include on the photos:
      1. Your name
      2. Firm logo
      3. Project name
      4. Project reference number.
      5. A link to the project from our app.
      6. If possible a link to the IFC viewer.

    Explain:

    (a) Problems you faced on the project and

    (b) how you solved them, in particular: how you save your clients time / money.

    In doing so, you will prove to clients that you know what you are talking about, which gives a lot of confidence in them giving you work.

    (2) Tuition Related Blog Posts

    These blog posts are used to TEACH our internal staff and also external detailers. The general idea is what Tek1 will build a brand over time to be THE HUB and LEARNING centre on steel detailing across the world.

    How to Embed Videos

    Do not upload videos directly – I will remove them. You will need to send them to me (or upload them yourselves) and then EMBED those videos on the site.

  • Memo #22: How to update clients on quote requests

    1. It is a material advantage to quote early, and accurately.
    2. Clients will then have an option of: (a) committing early and locking in a quote, or (b) to continue searching. If you deliver a quote late, then you may lose the opportunity to secure an earlier tender – perhaps someone who did quote early, won the job.
    3. Clients need to know when the quote is coming. I also need to know. They are anxious about completing their tender. You must constantly update them. Here is the perfect example.

    (1) ETA for the member count: e.g.

    Material Take off report – ETA: Tuesday 21st March close of business AEST.

    Member Count off report – ETA: Tuesday 21st March close of business AEST.

    (2) A note for when it was started:

    Material Takeoff Started on Friday 17th March, 9:00 PM AEST

    (3) A note for when it was finished:

    Preliminary Drafting for Material Takeoff Completed on 20th March 1:35AM AEST

    And then Sushil will add in when it was finally delivered.

  • Memo #21 – DWG to be included with PDFs for drilling, column, erection layouts

    For “Structural Steel Shop Drawings”, This is a client requirement. The clients would like to have the “steel erection drawings” in DWG format as well.

    Why do they need them? Surveyors require the DWG format for the erection drawings because they use them to mark the locations for anchors and determine the precise placement of columns, among other purposes. How do they do this?:

    The more sophisticated surveyors use Total Station Surveys. Look through some videos on this:

    Be warned: there is a risk that surveyors may use outdated or obsolete files in order to mark out column locations, drilling points. (I have a software solution for this problem, which will come shortly). Till that time, remain vigilant in ensuring your clients have the latest Anchor bolt and Steel shop drawings. drawings.

    On a related point: it is critical that we do not miss any dimensions. If we miss a dimension, we will get a call from the construction site, or the factory floor: the time wasted, and the costs are astronomical.

    TeklaStructures do a good job on producing the model and the shop drawings. As steel detailers, it is our job to make use of the tool properly

  • Memo #20 – A Stable Foundation

    Most things worth doing take time. It takes investment, and patience, and hard work. Things don’t come from thin-air, like magic. It is much the same when building a firm: it takes time. I will document in which direction I intend to push this firm re:remuneration model, and why our remuneration model is superior to that of other firms:

    Our remuneration is not guaranteed – here’s why:

    • We are a service firm, bidding on projects from week to week; month to month. Head office wins work: it does marketing, billing, taxes, PF, wages, software, licensing, and provides the capital to make it happen, provides a platform for you, provides training.
    • We are not a government department. We win work from clients, who come to us voluntarily in private markets. And it is the client who pays your wages and bonuses. Sorry guys, but I don’t have a pot of gold at my feet. If we don’t provide EXCEPTIONAL quality work to clients, then clients will not come back to us. If we do good work, then clients will return, and will pay premium for our services. I have always been a proponent of sharing success and promoting on merit. Unfortunately, the corollary also applies. That’s just how the world works.
    • I am going to push this firm towards a model where client satisfaction will determine the quality of our remuneration. This will push us all towards working out how to DELIGHT OUR CLIENTS. This is our job! Call your clients, listen to their complaints, cater to their whims.
    • While FryingPanGulf may have a different remuneration policy: super high guaranteed wages, high increments etc – this is not the direction which will work for us in the long term. If guarnteed money today is the only thing that matters, then absolutely, FryingPanGulf might be a great option for you. But if you can see tomorrow’s vision, I believe our remuneration strategy, and our innovation (I need your help with this), our own satisfaction, and the reputation which comes with our brand will inevitably follow. Have faith, but it will take time, and your own hard work as well as mine.

    The way forward:

    • Delight your customers.
    • Innovate for your customer. Help me do this!
    • Let our remuneration be tied to customer satisfaction.

    By doing this above, far from having an uncertain remuneration, you will have guaranteed it, and that of your client’s as well. Have faith and stay focused.