The Lead Technician

The Lead Technician is, without a doubt, one of the most important Key Players in the Industry. The hiring of a new Lead Tech, or Promoting a Junior tech into the Lead position is a step that should be taken very seriously, after all, the Lead Tech with be the one responsible to Building a “Reality” from a “Concept”.

This is just a short summary of what the main role of an AV Lead Technician is really about. Both, in-house, and after the truck leaves the warehouse.

In-House:

First and foremost; A Pre-Installation Meeting is needed so all the parties involved are on the same page. The Engineer of the project, along with the Project Manager will explain the Scope of Work to the Lead Technician. Is the only way the “Guess” factor can be effectively eliminated from the installation process.

Then, all rack-mounted equipment should be taken to the Staging Area where the AV system is built. Rack building techniques are not easy and they take years to develop. Choose carefully who will be in charge of wiring your racks...! This can make all the difference.

A good Lead Tech is responsible for making sure that all AV Racks are properly wired and labeled to Industry Standards, tested and debugged. This includes but is not limited to, loading the control system program, programming and calibration of audio DSP’s, Setting-Up of the Videoconference Codecs, Video Matrixes, Scalers, audio levels in all recording devices, etc. System must perform flawlessly before is sent to the job site.

Lead Techs are also in charge of making sure they are taking with them all the equipment, parts, accessories, connectors, and tools needed to finish the job.

On the Job Site:

Once on site, he/she is in charge of connecting the racks to the rest of the system (that has been previously installed by another group of installers and supervised and approved by the Project Manager.) Testing the complete Audio, Video and Control system, the Set-up and calibration of video projectors and other displays, setting the limits on screens and lifts, and making sure that the Lighting presets are working properly.

In case there is a discrepancy between the Scope of Work and the Drawings, if there is a last minute change needed or if there is anything else missing or needed, like an IP Drop, power outlet for the projector, etc the Lead Tech must inform the Project Manager in a timely manner so it can be taken care of without affecting the overall timeline of the installation process.

Like this was not enough, one of the most important duties of the Lead Tech is to become a mentor, is to teach the “AV Best Practices” to the less experienced members of the Installation crew. He/she is responsible to teach the new generation, the way their company operates.

Infocomm Academmy developed very good training courses for Technicians (On-Line and Hands-On) that can only work to your company’s advantage by raising the bar as far as quality goes. Their current Top certification in Installation is the CTS-I (Certified Technology Specialist in Installation) I personally think that all Lead Techs should be CTS-I certified.

This is by far, one of the Positions in the AV Industry with the most responsibilities, but also, it could be a lot of fun!

Alex Rodriguez, CTS-I

The importance of the Scope of Work (S.O.W.)

I am sure most of you have cooked something at some point, right? Well, the S.O.W is like the recipe the Cook receives from the Chef that makes possible the preparation of a fine dessert. It is the equivalent to the Script on a movie and the set of instructions that the Director gives to the Editor so he can deliver what the Director had in mind.

In the AV industry, a well written scope of work will provide to all your key players the same set of instructions and goals; reducing the amount of time that you will need to spend on the job site at the end of the job fixing all the "misunderstandings". It could be the difference between coming under-budget or highly over it; and eventually it could be the difference between a happy customer or a very unhappy one.

There are different approaches when it comes to write a S.O.W.. For some people is nothing but a description of where the displays are going to be installed and for others is as simple as "See Customer..." and this normally creates a lot of chaos and discomfort among all the parties involved. The Installer -who has never talked to the client about this project- has a different point of view than the Programmer, or the Engineer, or the Sales Rep, about how the system suppose to work.

In order to make a valuable and useful S.O.W. you need to give as much detail as possible; from the physical location of the displays to a full explanation in how the control system suppose to work, including passwords that the client may have requested, or any particular way that the Video Conference Codec needs to be configured. Sometimes, a fully documented and detailed S.O.W could be many pages long.

There's an old image that represents very well how everybody has a different appreciation about how the project should be put together.

But, who should be responsible for writing the S.O.W. when there is not consultant involved in the project?

The answer is not very simple, the person who understand the system the most is normally the “Engineer” and he/she is more than capable to write it, however, it is a process that may require the input from the customer, the Sales rep and even the Control System Programmer. This is specially difficult when you have clients with unrealistic expectations and Sales Reps that will do or say anything just to get the sale (sounds familiar, uh?)

Is up to the engineer to come up with a System that will satisfy the client’s expectations -functionality and budget- and to write an Scope of Work with all the characteristics listed in previous paragraphs.

The Scope of Work is the document that will help us understand the project, that will guide us, and protect us in the end.

Alex Rodriguez, CTS-I

Welcome

Welcome to AV Consultant!

My name is Alejandro (Alex) Rodriguez and I am an AV Design Engineer. I will be posting short notes, tips and ideas about basic AV system.

Right now the idea is very vague, let's see where this road takes me (and the blog, of course). The idea behind this blog is to help raise the level of consciousness about the importance of a good AV system.

We will be covering topics that will range from conception to completion, and from installation to calibration and commission.

If you have any questions, or if you would like me to write about any specific topic... let me know; let me improve by reading your comments.

thanks,

Alex Rodriguez, CTS-I