INTEGRATION OF ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS & SCIENTIST IN OPERATION & MAINTENANCE @ GEORGIA TECH

Synopsis Integration of Engineers, Architects & Scientist in Operation & Maintenance: Georgia Tech has repeatedly restructured it’s Operations & Maintenance department to add & increase a strong technical group focused on working side by side with maintenance & operation to meet the growing demands from more & more technology dependent sophisticated systems & buildings. Included are: Examples of facilities services requiring technological support A structure for such an organization Need for work criteria /assignments & tasking Opposition to the concept of dedicated technical support Keys & obstacles to success

Michael Leasure Georgia Institute of Technology 404-385-0654 michael.leasure@facilities.gatech.edu

15 YEARS AGO

Infrastructure Manager

I was soon to be laid off and desperately interviewing for jobs, (1) in France…I was not asking many questions, just trying to get an offer… I won’t make that mistake again. What they told me I would be doing: Electrical distribution Chilled Water plant & distribution Steam plant & distribution

What they didn’t tell me I would be doing: Natural Gas Propane Water & Sewer Steam in the buildings Satellite Boilers & Chillers/Cooling Towers Utility Management Roof Exteriors Steps Windows

Elevators Fire alarms Emergency Generators Building Automation Controls Pet Control MRR FCA

THE PLAN OR A PLAN, SOME PLANNING, ANY PLAN!!

Observation:

I don’t know who or why, but someone wanted an engineer as the Infrastructure Manager. I’m not sure the plan went beyond that!!!

Plans: We rarely have the chance to start planning with a blank sheet of paper, but even if you do, I’m not sure it’s easier How plans are developed: Most times we figure out what we think we want

Take what we have and see how close you can get.

Beyond that, we eye a point on the Horizon and try to move towards it in the most direct manner. How plans are executed: A plan course usually looks like some zigzag illogical wonderings of someone driven insane by the desert heat.

In reality, it is a re-aligning of the course, when & where you could. Hopefully in a forward direct!!!!

Few realize, as you learn more, the point on the horizon moves.

“We know what we know, we know what we don't know,…but we don’t know, what we don’t know” -”Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld”

CHRONOLOGY THIS WAS NOT A PLAN, BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN -

This was an evolution of need: 1.) Infrastructure Manager (1) 2.) Electrical Engineer (2)

Reorganization 3.) Utilities Manager (3) 4.) PM Contract Manager (4) 5.) Compliance Engineer (5) 6.) Utilities & Energy Manager (6) 7.) Utility Engineers (3) – (7-9) 8.) IT Professional (10)

9.) Mechanical Engineer I (11) 10.) Architecture (12)

Reorganization (2 staff moved) 11.) Conservation Manager (11) 12.) Electrical Engineer II (12) 13.) Mechanical Engineer III (13) 14.) Energy Conservation Coordinator (14) 15.) Controls Engineer I (15)

Note: I didn’t always decide we needed the positions, but I made sure they were engineers and architects.

(#1 & #2) INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER & ELECTRICAL ENGINEER NOTE: I’M NOT SURE WHO WAS HIRED FIRST, BUT WE STARTED THE SAME DAY AND I WAS HIS BOSS. HE WAS THE SON OF ONE OF THE TOP HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICIANS (WHO ALSO WORKED FOR ME) AND HAD GROWN-UP ON THE CAMPUS. ALTHOUGH AN EXCELLENT ENGINEER, MANAGING THE SITUATION WAS DIFFICULT AT BEST.

Infrastructure Manager – See slide II Electrical Engineer (I) Electrical distribution support & maintenance support

Hands on engineering support for HV distribution Building electrical engineering support (plant engineering) Infrastructure support

Repair contracting System repairs Infrastructure PM contracting

Current Engineer – is the 5th engineer to hold this position in 15 years

(#3) UTILITIES MANAGER Utilities Management originally under staffed / 50% of my work load in first 4 years

Initially assigned (1) analysis and myself / Pre-reorganization done with Electrical Engineer and Accounting Support Person

Assumed several of my duties:

Allocating cost to non-RI functions (utilities, labor, material, contracts, etc…)

eventually, capital investment recovery

Validation of all utility bills (about 500) at peek, city of Atlanta had 40% of 200 bills in dispute monthly

All service connection & disconnection

Utility budget tracking and forecasting

Added part time student team…grew from 1 to 6 students

(#4) PM CONTRACT MANAGER

PM Contract Management expanded service to off set 50% of shortfall in house staffing Initially (2) contracts about $300,000, currently about (40) contracts about $1.3 million assigned

Assumed my expanded duties

Specification development

Contract bidding, evaluation, selection and management

Verification and approval of work

- (Work ranges from pest control to elevators to high voltage switchgear testing)

Current Engineer – is the 3rd engineer to hold this position in 12 years. During reorganization

position was moved and no longer reporting to me.

(#5) COMPLIANCE ENGINEER Air Emissions, an Opportunity…more work no compensation Previously reported emissions with utilities, but should have been EH&S

Atlanta area had allowances cut 50% due to no attainment

Added duties:

GT went from Synthetic minor to title V permit (increased reporting & new equipment requirements)

Resolve permitting issues (several new projects)

Asbestos, an Opportunity…more work no compensation Previously handled by EH&S or D&C

Added duties: Insure compliance on all capital projects

Improve record keeping

(MANAGER) (#6) UTILITY & ENERGY SUPER-INTENDENT

Little or no structured PM or maintenance program existed

Managed repair for: Electrical distribution (20 kV) system Some utility systems Some building system

Added duties: PM & maintenance of existing systems and expanded systems.

Natural Gas & Propane Water/Sewer Central plants All utility systems Life safety systems Building plant & control systems

Current Engineer – is the 2nd engineer to hold this position in 10 years. During reorganization position was

raised and no longer reporting to me.

(#7 - #9) UTILITY ENGINEERS

Current positions are called utility analyst, but currently working to change title to Utility

Engineer II as should have been done, when created.

Improved utilities management Staffed to transition from manual / spreadsheet system to semi-automated

database system Expanded analytical abilities Shifted to campus wide thinking Added continuity to process Improved accuracy & reliability

Currently, the 3 Engineers are the 1st generation, replacing 6 part time engineer students with permanent employees.

(#10) IT SPECIALIST

Computer Guru – computers, communication, software, data, databases, tech.

Added data acquisition, collections, mining & improved utilities

management Supports our servers – JCI, metering & cost management Supports databases for the same Supports user software Supports metering

(#11) MECHANICAL ENGINEER I

Mechanical Engineer (I) eventually

Assumed several of my duties: Central mechanical (steam, chilled water, gas, etc.) generation & distribution

support & maintenance support

Hands on engineering support Building mechanical engineering support (plant engineering) Infrastructure support

Repair contracting System repairs Infrastructure PM contracting

Current Engineer – is the 1st engineer to hold this position replacing a retired project manager/designer and the position was frozen.

(#12) ARCHITECT (I)

Architect (I) eventually Building Structure Support & Maintenance programming Building structure support Manage FCA program & MRR program

Repair contracting System repairs Infrastructure PM contracting

Current Architect – is the 1st architect to hold this position replacing a retired project manager and the position was frozen for a time.

(#11) CONSERVATION MANAGER

Utilities Conservation & Maintenance support

Added utilities conservation

Expanded maintenance support

Expanded maintenance contracting

(#12) ELECTRICAL ENGINEER II

Electrical Energy Conservation

Building Conservation projects

Building Audits

Metering

Expanded Maintenance Contracting

(#13) MECHANICAL ENGINEER III

Assumed some of my duties

Mechanical Systems Energy Conservation

Central system conservation projects

Building Conservation projects

Building Audits

Plant maintenance support

(#14) ENERGY CONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR

Assumed some of my duties

Promotes Georgia Tech’s Conservation efforts on and off Campus

Develops Energy Related Policies

Manages Georgia Tech’s Conservation Website & all Conservation

Content & Records

Seek out grants, competitions, and/or promotional opportunities

(#15) UTILITIES (CONTROLS FOCUS) ENGINEER (I)

Assumed some of my duties

Energy Conservation

Central system conservation projects

Building conservation projects

Building audits

Plant maintenance support

STRUCTURES

STRUCTURES

“simply”

What our organization does “Provide reliable and efficient utilities” – we fix things and sometimes that requires design

changes to make it safer, more reliable, more robust, more efficient, etc.

We are not dedicated resources We have primary responsibilities and secondary responsibilities.

Priorities are key to undedicated resources – Give everyone the same priorities

1) Keep the campus running

2) Finish our projects as quickly as possible, make sure it works right, and at the minimal cost

3) Whatever else you want to do

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Management responsibilities Keep your resources marketable (you owe it to them)

No one wants to feel pigeon holed in a dead-end job No one wants to feel like they can’t get another job

Assignments should give people diverse experience I like a team structure where the team needs them and they need the team

Education - Support them with development opportunities Build an organization structure with growth

THINGS I NEED TO SAY AS PREP FOR THE NEXT SLIDE

Everyone wants to be acknowledge and rewarded

I try to do this for others, but for myself I try to remember: As long as I am here; I will give the best I’ve got, but how I am treated may

determine how long I stay. (per Mike Leasure)

Humility is to no one’s self worth and I try not to depend on other’s praise to

determine it. (per my sister)

There is no limit to what you can accomplish, if you don’t care who gets the

credit. (per Warren page, this was on president Regan's desk)

THINGS I NEED TO SAY AS PREP FOR THE NEXT SLIDE

ARE THEY KEYS TO SUCCESS OR OBSTACLES TO FAILURE TO AVOID?

Fear of Risk!!! Fear you:

Will fail Will make them look bad Take their job Be more important then them Build an empire

Money:

To all these I say: Prove it and then ask for something Take no credit, give it all away (hopefully to those who deserve) Focus on solving the problem not the cause of it Treat all things as important and worth doing

“I really enjoy fixing things and leaving something better than I found it. Try to hire and surround your self with people who feel the same.”

Remember, without the problems they don’t need us.

ARE THEY KEYS TO SUCCESS OR OBSTACLES TO FAILURE TO AVOID?

I APOLOGIZE

I APOLOGIZE I was suppose to talk about this:

Integration of Engineers, Architects & Scientist in Operation & Maintenance:

Georgia Tech has repeatedly restructured it’s Operations & Maintenance department to add & increase a strong technical group focused on working side by side with maintenance & operation to meet the growing demands from more & more technology dependent sophisticated systems & buildings.

The key learning's were suppose to be these:

How to properly task the team to insure success.

What type of projects work and why.

What are the greatest challenges to a successful program.

The key learning's changed to these:

Examples of facilities services requiring technological support

A structure for such an organization

Need for work criteria/assignments and tasking

Opposition to the concept of dedicated technical support

Keys & obstacles to success I don’t think I did any of these well?

IN CLOSING, I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THIS…

If you think you need help in managing the technology in your systems: 1. You probably do, it’s not going to get easier.

2. Make a plan.

3. Remember it’s just a plan, change it as needed. The point on the horizon is not a destination, just a direction. As you learn more, it will change or your plan will change.

4. It’s all just a journey, have fun along the way…

5. Don’t worry!!!!

ROTTEN FRUIT, ROCK OR KINDLING (QUESTIONS & COMMENTS ARE ALSO OK)

Michael Leasure Georgia Institute of Technology 404-385-0654 michael.leasure@facilities.gatech.edu