Area Assignments

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 21st, 2010, 01:06 PM

Areas

One of the much maligned concepts in locating is that of a locator being assigned an area.

I have found numerous managers who “do not like areas” and never keep their locators in the same service area or not for very long.

The idea is that a “good locator can locate anywhere” which is well founded. The issue before us is not that a good locator can locate just as well in any area, it is about where the locator can locate the most profitably.

When a locator is first assigned an area they do not know the geography of that area. They may know the general route for where some towns are but they cannot recognize where individual streets are without looking almost all of them up. Depending on area size and workload it can take several months to learn an area will enough to start routing work with little time spend finding locations on a map. This can cut the time for routing work easily in half giving more time to production.

It has been argued that mapping software eliminates the need for a locator to be familiar with an area, this is remarkably incorrect as explained in the three paragraphs.

Once an area has been generally learned then the fine points of area knowledge is developed.

The first fine point of knowledge acquired is the time best to do work in the various locations. Some parts of the area will have rush hour traffic blocking the work area. There are various factors that make the time of day to be on site important from access to appointments.

A great factor in some areas is recent or new construction that is not on any maps either printed or software. Knowledge of these areas is critical for productivity. It may take 10 or 20 minutes to find some of these streets the first time. If locators are rotated into other areas this time must be spent each time costing productivity.

Knowledge of locations of utilities comes next. This is of greatest importance with sites that present some problems getting them marked. Some sites take an hour or more to figure out where the utility is. The next time that locator gets a ticket there, months later when all the marks are gone, they can do the job in 10 to 20 minutes. If locators are rotated in and out then the hour or more process must be repeated each time costing productivity.

The strict adherence to keeping a locator in only there area can be a problem, but I use the word ‘ strict’. Locators who are capable of completing their work need not be moved to cover work in another area just because they have 10 or 30 minutes free. The limited time they have to work in another area can be matched by travel time alone which makes hourly production rates low. Once in another locator’s area there is the occurrence of an emergency locate in their own area and they have to travel back. Too much travel time to keep the rate of production above the cost of overhead. Instead have the locator do future due tickets in their area so they will have much less work the next day. This leaves a reasonable block of time open the next day to give them work in another locators’ area. This work is put in their workload the night before so the next morning they can route and schedule their work to the best efficiency.

If a locator has constant need of other locators coming into their area to pick up slack very careful attention must be paid to why this is happening. If it is a surge in tickets there is no problem. If the locator is new then there is no problem because it takes time to build up speed. If the locator is dragging their feet there is a problem. The other locators will get tired of picking up the other person’s slack, doing their work for them, and will begin to slow down the rate of production in their own areas. This way there will not be time to send them to another area or if they are sent they will get overtime. Corrections must be made to the locator who is dragging their feet.

Area assignments are not about what a locators should be able to do, it is about how to make the most possible money out of a locator. Unless a locator wants a new area as a general rule a locator should not be given a new area until their cold dead bodies have to be pried out of their trucks.

**Locator5000** · March 21st, 2010, 02:52 PM

Very well put, indeed. I've stressed this with supervisors in the past, and it is part of the reason I normally don't volunteer to help in an area I'm unfamiliar with, simply because I won't be productive enough to justify the hours.

When I started in my area, it would take me sometimes up to 45 minutes to do a "house" ticket, or single address, and longer for a 0 address ticket. Now I can finish a simple house ticket in about 20 minutes, and when it comes to 0 address tickets, I know what's there before pulling prints. Definitely helps productivity.

This is true also for knowing streets that aren't on the map yet. I have a few other locators in my area that aren't as familiar, and they're constantly calling me to ask where these streets are. In addition, I'm able to route my tickets, and usually go all day without looking at a map.

There are many benefits of assigned areas like you said, it would just be nice if everyone was able to have one.

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 21st, 2010, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Locator5000

Very well put, indeed. I've stressed this with supervisors in the past, and it is part of the reason I normally don't volunteer to help in an area I'm unfamiliar with, simply because I won't be productive enough to justify the hours.

When I started in my area, it would take me sometimes up to 45 minutes to do a "house" ticket, or single address, and longer for a 0 address ticket. Now I can finish a simple house ticket in about 20 minutes, and when it comes to 0 address tickets, I know what's there before pulling prints. Definitely helps productivity.

This is true also for knowing streets that aren't on the map yet. I have a few other locators in my area that aren't as familiar, and they're constantly calling me to ask where these streets are. In addition, I'm able to route my tickets, and usually go all day without looking at a map.

There are many benefits of assigned areas like you said, it would just be nice if everyone was able to have one.

An assigned area and being kept in it for years is indeed good for everybody. The company makes more money and if productivity is rewarded so does the locator, the lion share goes to the company.

It would be nice if everyone could have an assigned area but sometimes this cannot happen. Things like needing "floaters" who cover large projects, fios comes to mind, and provided extra manpower in assigned areas which suddenly get a heavy workload prevent this.

If I were king, er boss that is, assigned areas go to those that earn them. To have an assigned area a locator has to be in it so no high level or absenteeism or coming in late. They have to work at the production level of the area and not just enough to get by. If tickets are heavy they make the extra effort. If a person does not work their assigned area it gets assigned to somebody that will.

I know of one shop where the general manager does not believe in assigned areas. Some people get them of course but they are not kept there for long. I have repeatably seen him shift locator A to locator B's area, then B to C's area and C into A's area. He does this with all locators. I suspect he was doing to to reduce productivity so he could justify a lower rate of pay for the locators.

**yahoo** · March 21st, 2010, 08:36 PM

you are speaking greek to me dude..........everyone here has assigned areas! but it all is good theory what you said!

**alamo** · March 21st, 2010, 08:55 PM

there will always be someone to drag there feet! and the stange thing is they never get caught just keep one doing what they do and the whole company goes south looking for ways to fix the problem. that one problem of 1 guy dragging his or her feet.

Originally Posted by ProfessionalLocator

Areas

One of the much maligned concepts in locating is that of a locator being assigned an area.

I have found numerous managers who “do not like areas” and never keep their locators in the same service area or not for very long.

The idea is that a “good locator can locate anywhere” which is well founded. The issue before us is not that a good locator can locate just as well in any area, it is about where the locator can locate the most profitably.

When a locator is first assigned an area they do not know the geography of that area. They may know the general route for where some towns are but they cannot recognize where individual streets are without looking almost all of them up. Depending on area size and workload it can take several months to learn an area will enough to start routing work with little time spend finding locations on a map. This can cut the time for routing work easily in half giving more time to production.

It has been argued that mapping software eliminates the need for a locator to be familiar with an area, this is remarkably incorrect as explained in the three paragraphs.

Once an area has been generally learned then the fine points of area knowledge is developed.

The first fine point of knowledge acquired is the time best to do work in the various locations. Some parts of the area will have rush hour traffic blocking the work area. There are various factors that make the time of day to be on site important from access to appointments.

A great factor in some areas is recent or new construction that is not on any maps either printed or software. Knowledge of these areas is critical for productivity. It may take 10 or 20 minutes to find some of these streets the first time. If locators are rotated into other areas this time must be spent each time costing productivity.

Knowledge of locations of utilities comes next. This is of greatest importance with sites that present some problems getting them marked. Some sites take an hour or more to figure out where the utility is. The next time that locator gets a ticket there, months later when all the marks are gone, they can do the job in 10 to 20 minutes. If locators are rotated in and out then the hour or more process must be repeated each time costing productivity.

The strict adherence to keeping a locator in only there area can be a problem, but I use the word ‘ strict’. Locators who are capable of completing their work need not be moved to cover work in another area just because they have 10 or 30 minutes free. The limited time they have to work in another area can be matched by travel time alone which makes hourly production rates low. Once in another locator’s area there is the occurrence of an emergency locate in their own area and they have to travel back. Too much travel time to keep the rate of production above the cost of overhead. Instead have the locator do future due tickets in their area so they will have much less work the next day. This leaves a reasonable block of time open the next day to give them work in another locators’ area. This work is put in their workload the night before so the next morning they can route and schedule their work to the best efficiency.

If a locator has constant need of other locators coming into their area to pick up slack very careful attention must be paid to why this is happening. If it is a surge in tickets there is no problem. If the locator is new then there is no problem because it takes time to build up speed. If the locator is dragging their feet there is a problem. The other locators will get tired of picking up the other person’s slack, doing their work for them, and will begin to slow down the rate of production in their own areas. This way there will not be time to send them to another area or if they are sent they will get overtime. Corrections must be made to the locator who is dragging their feet.

Area assignments are not about what a locators should be able to do, it is about how to make the most possible money out of a locator. Unless a locator wants a new area as a general rule a locator should not be given a new area until their cold dead bodies have to be pried out of their trucks.

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 21st, 2010, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by alamo

there will always be someone to drag there feet! and the stange thing is they never get caught just keep one doing what they do and the whole company goes south looking for ways to fix the problem. that one problem of 1 guy dragging his or her feet.

In the context I was writing if someone is "dragging their feet" their foreman gives their area to someone who will work it. That person who was not willing to really work their are gets to be a floater. It does not require the whole company to get involved.

Some foremen have so few locators they do not have floaters and in this case the one 'dragging their feet' can find themselves being a floater in another group. They can also be reassigned to an area that does not require much work which with pay based upon productivity is like being floater an eventual pay cut.

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 21st, 2010, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by yahoo

you are speaking greek to me dude..........everyone here has assigned areas! but it all is good theory what you said!

There are shops where people do not have a solidly assigned area or the areas are frequently rotated. It happens.

**Mke** · March 22nd, 2010, 09:29 AM

I agree with you PL, there should be assigned areas. The only thing I would mention is that the changing of areas, usually comes down to covering up high damaged areas. When I was doing publics, I was in what the deemed as a Low damaged area. According to the company, this wasn't due to me, it was the area. So, the took the locator from the "high damage" area, and sent them over to mine, and sent me over to his. And wouldn't you know it? The damages started to go down in the "high damage" area, and Up in the "low damage" area. They, then move that guy to another area, and instead of puting me back to my area, they moved me once again to a High damage area.

For some reason, some people can't see its the slack A$$es they hire that pull down production and increase damages.

Another benefit that comes with having a assigned area, is the connection a locator gets with that area. After a while, the locator will start to care more for their area and actively protect their utilities. I remember stopping on more then one occasion on a excavation and toss out a couple of Oregon one-call law books. Usually I would call the gas locator, since he had more pull then I did, he could whip the excavators into shape, and have them call a ticket in.

mke

**6feetunder** · March 24th, 2010, 10:40 PM

You must be an office guy with all this free time to write these long posts.

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 24th, 2010, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by 6feetunder

You must be an office guy with all this free time to write these long posts.

Lunch time and a word processor. Then again at night, most TV today sucks. And I do not use a company computer to write or post with, my own laptop.
I think this forum is worth the investment of some of my time.

Plus since I got rid of the wife I got a lot more time to myself.

**AULupstate** · March 25th, 2010, 11:40 AM

Back when (it seems like forever ago) I had my own area, it was FANTASTIC!!!!!! I worked where I grew up. I knew EVERY road, EVERY town. I knew where there was aerial and buried, I knew when I HAD to go and when I didn't. 5 mile road jobs in the middle of B.F.E. (you should know what that means), all aerial with NO drops, site visit, CLEAR!!!!!

I hated working in 'new' areas. Alot of wasted time getting to something that was clear. I was never one of those people who went by 'prints', if I didn't KNOW the area was clear I would go to verify.

I was a thousand times more profitable in 'MY' area.