| If your company has experienced complications and | | | | over 1,540 sites, the National Contractor selected two |
| hardship trying to roll out new technologies to several | | | | experienced Project Managers (PMs) to supervise the |
| locations across the country, you may benefit from | | | | job from start to finish. Once the scope of work was |
| this article. As you would likely agree, communication | | | | established, the Project Managers searched in its large |
| and constant attention to detail are vital aspects to a | | | | database for qualified technicians near each location |
| successful roll-out. Problems can arise at any moment | | | | who were experienced in infrastructure cabling |
| during a nationwide roll-out with obstacles at each | | | | installation for similar marketplace buildings. The National |
| unique location and difficulty coordinating each step of | | | | Contractor also calculated optimum driving routes for |
| the process. | | | | the techs to minimize travel time and be more |
| A Global Provider specializing in "customer driven | | | | cost-efficient with the installations. |
| marketing" for international grocery, drug and mass | | | | Another challenge with this point of sales printer |
| merchandiser stores, was in need of an organized and | | | | project was that the Customer did not want the |
| meticulous management team to complete a project | | | | stores or its customers to be affected by the cabling |
| requiring service at over 1,500 different site locations. | | | | installation. Thus, the Project Managers confirmed with |
| This Provider/Customer distributes printed coupon | | | | the selected technicians that they were willing to work |
| advertisements at point-of-sale checkout counters in | | | | after-hours to do the job to maintain activity in the |
| over 23,000 grocery, mass merchandise, and | | | | stores. The National Contractor was able to |
| pharmacy stores nationwide. The Customer was | | | | accommodate the after-hours request, and |
| looking to upgrade their point of sale hardware in | | | | corresponded with the Customer's on-site |
| various stores from black & white to high-speed point | | | | representatives to ensure access to the stores at |
| of sale color printers. | | | | night. The store managers also had input in this planning |
| The job required installation of upgraded infrastructure | | | | and The National Contractor adjusted its time schedule |
| cabling in over 8,000 lanes at stores owned by 11 large | | | | around the busier days for the store such as blackout |
| supermarket chains. The Customer needed to ensure | | | | dates (i.e. double coupon promotions). This flexibility of |
| that the new data cabling, which would accommodate | | | | work hours made it convenient for the Customer to |
| incoming point of sale color printers, was properly | | | | upgrade its systems while the stores remained open. |
| installed and functional before distributing the new | | | | A common cause for costly delays at the beginning of |
| printers to the respective locations. The project was | | | | a large rollout is the absence of supplies that the |
| expected to be costly and complicated because of | | | | technicians need to install the cables. To avoid this |
| the vast number of unique locations. | | | | problem, The National Contractor's PMs ordered bulk |
| Multiple challenges were identified for the customer in | | | | materials to help save the Customer money and |
| this case, but with no clear way to solve them | | | | followed a strict schedule to have all necessary |
| simultaneously. | | | | installation materials available before the techs arrived |
| 1. Customer needed custom cabling designs for multiple | | | | at the locations. While some companies suffer from |
| locations due to the different layouts of the stores. | | | | the confusion of task scheduling with multiple sites, this |
| 2. Customer needed a way to coordinate and | | | | National Contractor uses its signature management |
| organize the on-going activity and installation at each | | | | tool, Advantage®, to monitor and update the activity |
| individual site. | | | | occurring at each site on a daily basis. Using the |
| 3. Customer needed to find contractors at each | | | | Advantage® System, the PMs were able to keep |
| location who were qualified to complete the installation, | | | | track of where installations were occurring every |
| without detracting from the quality of service provided | | | | single day. |
| by each contractor. | | | | During the installation, the Customer did not want the |
| 4. Customer had to ensure that the cabling installations | | | | in-place coupon printers to be inactive so The National |
| would not cause the stores to close for installation nor | | | | Contractor devised a plan where the technicians |
| would it be bothersome to the shoppers. | | | | installed the new cables before removing the old ones. |
| 5. Customer had to verify that the work was | | | | Thus, the printers were always online and operating |
| completed in a timely and high-quality fashion with the | | | | during the installation period, until the new cables were |
| system being fully ready for implementation with the | | | | installed and ready for use. This type of quality |
| new printers. | | | | assurance demonstrates this National Contractor's |
| With all of these evident challenges to the job, this | | | | ability to customize its plans to the requests of the |
| Global Provider chose to enlist A National Project | | | | customer on any given job. |
| Management and Cabling Contractor to complete the | | | | The Customer's initial apprehension about the quality of |
| multifaceted project. | | | | work was put to rest when The National Contractor |
| After receiving the contract from the Customer, the | | | | explained the steps that each technician would take |
| National Contractor initiated its standard procedures, as | | | | with the installation. Upon arrival, the selected tech |
| follows: | | | | would administer a "Pre-Installation Survey" to verify |
| 1. Identified the scope of work. | | | | that all the printers were up and functioning properly. |
| 2. Met with the customer to discuss the criteria of the | | | | Then, the tech would confirm with the Project |
| job and the specifications of the installations | | | | Manager which installation option to use at the site and |
| 3. Visited a pilot site location to obtain a visual | | | | install the new CAT5 data cables from the lanes to |
| understanding of the project. | | | | the Communications Room. For a typical contractor, |
| 4. Met with a subcontractor who was familiar with the | | | | this would be considered a completed job and the |
| typical grocery store layouts to gain an outside | | | | technician would leave, sometimes without notice, |
| perspective on the best pathways to use for the | | | | assuming that everything was working fine. This |
| cabling. | | | | National Contractor, insists on active communication |
| Following this diagnostic process, the Internal Team | | | | between the Customer, technician, and Project |
| collaborated to establish two viable options for the | | | | Manager to assure the techs sign-in and sign-out with |
| cabling installation, to overcome the issue of various | | | | the store manager each day on site. |
| store layouts at the site locations. This solves the first | | | | As the customer, it can be very frustrating and often |
| challenge mentioned above because the National | | | | costly for an installation to be completed without |
| Contractor produced custom designed methods for | | | | checking to make sure everything is working as |
| the cabling to be installed. | | | | expected. The National Contractor's quality assurance |
| The actual work to be completed was the removal of | | | | program includes that technicians at every store |
| old cabling from the stores' infrastructure and the | | | | conduct a "Post-Installation Survey" where the new |
| installation of new CAT5 data cables at each | | | | CAT5 cables were connected to the current printers |
| checkout lane in every store. The National Contractor | | | | and tested to make sure it was working. The |
| produced two options for the installation depending on | | | | Customer's plan was to install the new point of sale |
| the layout of the store. If the pathway allowed for it, | | | | color printers after the cabling was completed and The |
| the "Homerun" option consisted of running cables from | | | | National Contractor made this much easier by |
| each of the lanes directly to the Communications | | | | providing cabling that was tested and functional, so that |
| Room. If there were space limitations in the pathway, a | | | | the new printers simply needed to be shipped to the |
| second solution was created in which the cables | | | | locations and plugged in. |
| would be condensed at a midpoint and then two new | | | | The new printers rollout consisting of 1,540 store |
| backbone cables (a primary and a backup) would be | | | | installations for the Global Provider was completed in |
| run to the Communications Room. One of these two | | | | approximately nine months, within the estimated time |
| options would be suitable for every location and The | | | | frame. All challenges identified by the Customer, |
| National Contractor began checking the floor plans of | | | | including quality assurance of installation and supervision |
| each site to determine which option should be used. | | | | with each store location, were completed in an |
| As mentioned previously, some of the concerns about | | | | organized and efficient effort by The National |
| executing a multi-site technical roll-out are the | | | | Contractor team. Accomplishing a project of this |
| uncertainty about the quality of work that you will | | | | magnitude can often be costly and complicated which |
| receive from each individual technician and whether or | | | | is why The National Contractor can benefit companies |
| not they are qualified to do the job. Without any prior | | | | by providing ease of mind that the desired outcome |
| experience, you never know exactly what kind of | | | | will be achieved in a methodical and cost-effective |
| service you will get from the various contractors. Thus, | | | | way. For this Global Provider, The National Contractor |
| an established National Contractor has an in-depth | | | | was able to offer a more competitive price by |
| procedure for selecting and qualifying technicians as | | | | supplying bulk materials at a lower average cost and |
| well as a comprehensive process to ensure that your | | | | with a more efficient Management Team. The decision |
| installation is performed in a professional and | | | | process for selecting a suitable, yet competent |
| customer-friendly manner. | | | | contractor can be hectic and time-consuming. The |
| Labeling oneself as professional is one of the most | | | | National Contractor team strived to make the entire |
| typical ways a company can project an image of | | | | duration of a project as painless as possible for the |
| qualification. As the customer, you don't want to | | | | Customer with the belief that through efficient |
| discover after-the-fact that the contractor you hired is | | | | management and by utilizing the right tools, any job can |
| not only careless, but difficult to work with. With this | | | | accomplished at a superior level. |
| Global Provider facing a project with coordination of | | | | |