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