Lets touch on field Audits-

[USIC1]

Lets start off with how the audit issue has now blossomed into an audit of the auditor...

Whats the old saying- "If I need to go behind you then I dont need you..."???

Well if going behind someone is going to exist then why doesnt it get prioritized to going behind and physically checking HP tickets if thats the case???

Does anyone have any verification that there auditor even gets out of a vehicle and checks locates with a locator ??? What type of quality audit is based on how it looks???

Maybe if auditor gets there and has the ability to double check a few things it would improve damage ratios and create a worthwhile cause....

And what are all these trainers doing now with hiring being nil??? Guess thats another reason for managing our goals with high frequency locators...


Many of these things exist yet go unaddressed....

Now we have been advised of a new step of auditing- #s of pictures required...

If I m lucky my camera may capture the number of pictures required but 50% may get lost in the upload and/or carried over to another ticket... I never can tell...Half the time my computer crashes during the upload and I get a white out... Kind of like giving a caveman a lightbulb, without a place to screw it in...

Alot of pictures are all over the place, the sky, the ground, if I cant hear the camera activate, all I can do is point, click, and pray, while moving at a reasonable enough rate to reach the daily production quotas...


Well, the show must go on... Isnt that a famous circus line???

[yahoo]

my sup told me recently that i was going to have to go thru a class on how to take effective locate pics.......i thought he was joking!!!

[underground quester]

I can say with all sincerity that we have a GREAT auditor in our area, who does actually get out of his truck and re-check locates.

If when auditing, he finds something serious like a mislocated line or unlocated line, he calls you back to the site and shows you what is wrong and teaches you how to improve. He does not sweat the small stuff.
No threats, yelling, demeaning...just helpful input.

I have nothing but great respect for this guy!

[Mke]

I was kinda in QC for a bit with one company, even though they didn't say I was. Every time we had a complaint about a locate they sent me out to see what the issue was. They understood I would give them a fair understanding of what was going on.

I went to one site and it was a large private school and by the time I got there we sent 3 different locators out on site. I did a site walk and listened to the complaints from the maintenance guy. I didn't even whip out any equipment. Sometimes you can tell when a job is half a$$ed.

My point is, you dont' neccisarily have to pull out your equipment to tell someone did a horrible job, and you don't need to be a prick and point out every 6" varience from the signal you get and the signal that was originally marked. QC should be for Rookies in their first couple of months on their own, and high damage areas/people.

mke

[USIC1]

I was kinda in QC for a bit with one company, even though they didn't say I was. Every time we had a complaint about a locate they sent me out to see what the issue was. They understood I would give them a fair understanding of what was going on.

I went to one site and it was a large private school and by the time I got there we sent 3 different locators out on site. I did a site walk and listened to the complaints from the maintenance guy. I didn't even whip out any equipment. Sometimes you can tell when a job is half a$$ed.

My point is, you dont' neccisarily have to pull out your equipment to tell someone did a horrible job, and you don't need to be a prick and point out every 6" varience from the signal you get and the signal that was originally marked. QC should be for Rookies in their first couple of months on their own, and high damage areas/people.

mke

So I take this example of exactly my point... Essentially you were a waste of Co. money, since any of the 3 other locators could have done your task and corrected any hose job...

Thanks for your clarity...

[RD_Wrangler]

I'm thinking somebody musta got tagged with a bad audit recently.

Stop radio sweeping and power moding and you won't get tagged USUC!

[Mke]

So I take this example of exactly my point... Essentially you were a waste of Co. money, since any of the 3 other locators could have done your task and corrected any hose job...

Thanks for your clarity...

You make no sense. why would you send the same 3 ass mucnches out to the job when they were the dill weeds that marked it wrong in the first place?
I can not pick who my co-workers are, but when he needed to make it right with the client, he sent me out to make things right.

When your marking public utilities you have 2ft rules and gray areas in state law to cover your a$$. (if you don't have Roll over dave in your claims department) When your doing Private locates competeing with several other Private locating companies you can't afford to lose a large contract.

Its nice to know in your world with lavender skies and unicorns that there is no need for quality since everyone has government funded X-ray goggles to see all, including the utilities under the ground.

Work for it.

mke

[RoadMap]

Of course there is the GPS they have installed in some of our trucks. And low and behold their productivity has dropped. And they can not figure out why. Well let me tell you why. Now these locators are actually going by each and every locate. Every time it is called in. Update or not. It requires another trip. Because billing time will not match route if you do not got to site. Plus everyone is looking over their shoulders looking for big brother. And they are taking their time. So if they would just leave us alone and let us do our jobs, we would make allot more money as a company!!!

[nuffsenuff]

Of course there is the GPS they have installed in some of our trucks. And low and behold their productivity has dropped. And they can not figure out why. Well let me tell you why. Now these locators are actually going by each and every locate. Every time it is called in. Update or not. It requires another trip. Because billing time will not match route if you do not got to site. Plus everyone is looking over their shoulders looking for big brother. And they are taking their time. So if they would just leave us alone and let us do our jobs, we would make allot more money as a company!!!

HELLS YAH!!! try to tell that to management!! When they think something should work and it doesnt it's not their fault its some peons below them!!! NO if they threaten your job for farting the wrong way your going to cover your ass in every way and yes there are no shortcuts from now on for those ppl...and unmentionable lost revenue due to the tremendous slowdown and locators not soliciting contractors to renew or call in the gravy tickets to cover their numbers or ass... but that's what micromanageing ppl to death gets you..

[sprayandpray]

They have fired 5 Locators in the DFW area this past week for Poor Quality an'or damages. The word is out that we are to do everything "by the book". Well, I did that yesterday and my production was down approximately 1/3. I can't wait to see what happens in the next few weeks. (Hello OT!)

[USIC1]

They have fired 5 Locators in the DFW area this past week for Poor Quality an'or damages. The word is out that we are to do everything "by the book". Well, I did that yesterday and my production was down approximately 1/3. I can't wait to see what happens in the next few weeks. (Hello OT!)

Maybe Mr Stayton will have to send some highly praised management team down there to straighten you all out...

Im not naming names on those so recently praised and how they should be more widely used as assets throughout the company...



Let me move on to another forum or two where I am expanding on my reputation!!!

[FiosKing]

audits are not reqired at ALL unless a locator is taking damages or billing incorrectly

[scap]

I can say with all sincerity that we have a GREAT auditor in our area, who does actually get out of his truck and re-check locates.

If when auditing, he finds something serious like a mislocated line or unlocated line, he calls you back to the site and shows you what is wrong and teaches you how to improve. He does not sweat the small stuff.
No threats, yelling, demeaning...just helpful input.

I have nothing but great respect for this guy!

I know where you're coming from...

[scap]

Our auditor makes chuck norris look like an infant.