Professional Update: RAMP completion
RAMP is completed and now tested. This month's schedule update was generally a breeze and the schedule did exactly as it was supposed to do. RAMP = Rail Activation Management Plan - the schedule of all activities that Metro has to do outside of construction. This includes
- all the Marketing materials,
- the schedule planning for the bus routes etc.,
- New fare vending machines,
- Training for new train and bus operators,
- any Real Estate acquisitions,
- all the Safety testing and Certifications,
- the Facility, Light Rail Vehicle and Systems maintenance plans, training and contracts,
- Ambassador training programs for special events like Opening day,
- Grand Opening day and VIP parties,
- New Security procedures
- Permanent and temporary signage
etc. etc. etc.
In April, I made my first post on this project. I was panicking - it seemed so large. A few days later, I was more in control, but there was still a lot to learn. By October / November, I had released the "beta" version and I figured it would be till about March or so to get it completely operational and usable in total. Turns out that yesterday and today, 2 months earlier than I had hoped, the schedule is fully operational, now tested and running smoothly. I guess this is akin to my own personal product release for Metro.
I will take a few more months to see how much more juice I can squeeze out of this schedule and see what kind of reports I can get it to show me based on the activities. It's a 5xx activity schedule, small by construction schedule standards, but complex because it isn't truly a critical path schedule. It instead has very dynamic and soft logic, pliable sequences and durations - a dynamic document. Large openings of any infrastructure, or large changes in any organization will require a similar type of schedule. Already in the United States, there is another DoT (Dept of Transportation) who knows about my work on this and is looking to use my expertise on an upcoming project for them. Looking back on what was created for the opening of St. Clair, I think I've done an excellent job and tightened up many things and gotten people coordinated.
One of the things I've imbibed is the quintessentially American attitude to take anything in one's stride. The people who helped me get my hands around the project all worked with the idea that this was just a small task (the simple problem) and nothing was too overwhelming to do. I enjoy working in the United States.
I am looking forward to some new responsibilities as people on the construction side begin to leave and the project starts to look towards the end. Especially sitting in my suit coat and "professional" attire, having just come back from a meeting downtown in the large and impressive board room (overlooking the river), I feel quite grand. I enjoy the image of myself as a skilled professional, especially as an urban foreign woman walking with the big dogs. Sadly, I like the image more than some of the work I do, but I am pleased to be good at it anyway.
For those of you that have satisfying jobs and are rewarded at the end of each day with the feeling of having been useful, busy and productive - don't take it for granted.
- all the Marketing materials,
- the schedule planning for the bus routes etc.,
- New fare vending machines,
- Training for new train and bus operators,
- any Real Estate acquisitions,
- all the Safety testing and Certifications,
- the Facility, Light Rail Vehicle and Systems maintenance plans, training and contracts,
- Ambassador training programs for special events like Opening day,
- Grand Opening day and VIP parties,
- New Security procedures
- Permanent and temporary signage
etc. etc. etc.
In April, I made my first post on this project. I was panicking - it seemed so large. A few days later, I was more in control, but there was still a lot to learn. By October / November, I had released the "beta" version and I figured it would be till about March or so to get it completely operational and usable in total. Turns out that yesterday and today, 2 months earlier than I had hoped, the schedule is fully operational, now tested and running smoothly. I guess this is akin to my own personal product release for Metro.
I will take a few more months to see how much more juice I can squeeze out of this schedule and see what kind of reports I can get it to show me based on the activities. It's a 5xx activity schedule, small by construction schedule standards, but complex because it isn't truly a critical path schedule. It instead has very dynamic and soft logic, pliable sequences and durations - a dynamic document. Large openings of any infrastructure, or large changes in any organization will require a similar type of schedule. Already in the United States, there is another DoT (Dept of Transportation) who knows about my work on this and is looking to use my expertise on an upcoming project for them. Looking back on what was created for the opening of St. Clair, I think I've done an excellent job and tightened up many things and gotten people coordinated.
One of the things I've imbibed is the quintessentially American attitude to take anything in one's stride. The people who helped me get my hands around the project all worked with the idea that this was just a small task (the simple problem) and nothing was too overwhelming to do. I enjoy working in the United States.
I am looking forward to some new responsibilities as people on the construction side begin to leave and the project starts to look towards the end. Especially sitting in my suit coat and "professional" attire, having just come back from a meeting downtown in the large and impressive board room (overlooking the river), I feel quite grand. I enjoy the image of myself as a skilled professional, especially as an urban foreign woman walking with the big dogs. Sadly, I like the image more than some of the work I do, but I am pleased to be good at it anyway.
For those of you that have satisfying jobs and are rewarded at the end of each day with the feeling of having been useful, busy and productive - don't take it for granted.