As a utility project manager, you have a difficult job. It doesn't matter whether you are working for a gas and electric company, an electric utility company, or other general utility companies. You still have the large responsibility of overseeing every part of a utility project and ensuring its long-term success.
You are also expected to be energy efficient and not create a huge utility bill for the cost of your project.
This is no easy task. Aside from reducing energy bills with your focus on energy saving, you have to continually problem-solve as your project encounters difficulties.
But we want to make your job a little easier. We have some tips that you can use to help streamline your next utility project.
Keep reading for helpful tips for your next utility project!
Use a Centralized Communication System
There are often many parties involved in your utility project, whether they are contractors, engineers, natural gas experts, developers, or other stakeholders. All these stakeholders need to be updated on the utility project’s progress. But it is incredibly time-consuming for you to contact each of these parties individually with updates.
A centralized communication system can help. You can use one system that will send out your important updates to all the stakeholders. These instant alerts can go directly to the stakeholder’s email, so they are always informed of the project’s status. Some systems also allow you to store documents, photos, and calendars where everyone can access them.
Manage your Time
You have a lot of things to balance as the project manager, from coordinating staffing, analyzing risks, reducing energy costs, and directing project activities. With so much to do, your time is one of the most valuable assets you have—something you need to manage carefully.
So, you should use a database for asset management, which will help reduce the time you spend recording asset data. You also need to prioritize your tasks to ensure that you have enough time to complete the critical things each day. Try using a calendar to plan what you are going to do during each part of your day. That will help you divide your time wisely.
Prioritize your Employees' Safety
With utility projects, there are lots of risks that could endanger your employees’ safety. One slip-up could result in severe injury or even death.
Your team will be safer if you start the project by establishing safety protocols. You can assess the jobs that you will need to do during the project and determine what safety protocols apply to those jobs. You could also adapt some protocols so they match your precise situation.
Safety protocols help enhance the safety of your team, but the protocols will do nothing if your team members are not committed to following them. You need to develop a commitment to safety in each of your employees. To do this, you can ask each team member’s opinion on how the project safety can improve. You should give them time to make suggestions, so they feel personally invested in the safety procedures and committed to following them.
Hire the Right Pole Hauling Company
As the utility project manager, you also have to consider what utility hauling company you are going to use to transport the utility poles. You should not hire just any utility pole transport company because they may not have sufficient experience to haul your poles safely.
Not all utility pole transport companies provide the services you need for your project either. For example, not all transportation companies will unload your utility poles. They make you work harder and rent expensive equipment to get the poles out of the truck. Not only does this cost more money, but it wastes more of your time.
To receive reliable transportation services, you should look for a company with self-unloading services. Your project will run much smoother when you can rely on them to transport and unload your utility poles. You should also look for a company that has experience hauling the type of utility poles you’re using for the project. This company should also be asset-based, dedicated to safety, and provide excellent customer service.
Blackwood Resources Professional Utility Hauling
To streamline the transportation during your utility project, you should consider Blackwood Resources.
Founded in 2017, we are an asset-based hauling company that can provide the professional hauling services that you need. We have trucks specially equipped with cranes for unloading so you can save money and time on the unloading process. We can also use those cranes for transloading from railcars, which will streamline the transportation process even more and reduce your energy usage.
We have experience hauling over 100,000 tons of materials for the utility industry, and we can haul your wood, steel, or concrete utility poles, as well as utility transformers and other bulky supplies.
Our team of professional haulers is ready to help you with your next utility project. Contact us at 812-676-8770 or jamie@blackwoodresources.com to learn more about our professional hauling services.
