After 3+ hours of H.R. on-boarding procedures, we, the new refresh team, headed down to LMR’s warehouse facility for technical training with our new fearless leader guiding the way.
This is where I was impressed! I’ve been in I.T. Refresh for a while, and usually, “us technicians” aren’t given much ‘formal training’ before being thrown into the project. Here at LMR, they had systems set up for hands-on lab experience along with the instructional checklist, and all of them took turns to get in front of the ‘classroom’ to instruct. I was very impressed! I had gotten used to getting the checklist emailed or being handed the document in person and being told to go to town on ‘this many’ systems per day. I’m not complaining about that procedure, but I am saying that I felt a little ‘spoiled’ by this training LMR provided. Not that the training was completely a piece of cake. But LMR showed us what an excellent training provider they are over that weekend and throughout the course of the project.
Having some project coordination and team lead experience, it didn’t take me long to figure out there was a strategic system needing to be in place to show daily progress on the upgrades performed. I think it’s just in my blood to see and put together what’s needed to accomplish a refresh project. So when it was mentioned that a single lead POC was needed, I did step up to that plate, and everything I learned at that Site Survey during that 2nd interview came to the forefront and proved beneficial in assessing what needed to be targeted and how. Then, when excerpt copies of the Statement of Work were handed out, it was like second nature to make 2 + 2 = 4. My only issue was – transportation. I had to return the rental car, so I coordinated transportation with one of the team members. Later on…and I have no idea exactly how I gained this privilege…I was gracefully offered a reliable ride to and from the Springfield Metro by fellow LMR employees by means of the company car both mornings and evenings. Thank you, LMR! :-)
Shortly after the project progressed, I was made Assistant Site Lead. Of course, with that, came daily and weekly management reporting duties. Nothing I hadn't done before. But, some reports would get vague in reporting progress numbers due to the other physical warehouse contents where we performed the upgrades in. Other times the numbers would get vague due to a lack of prior accurate inventory control on the client end. But I found our biggest slow-downs were in physical hardware issues and dealing with RMA’s. Sometimes we would have issues with the laptops we used to upgrade the software/firmware, other times it was network cross-over cables. Nothing untypical though. The hardest part was performing the upgrades to these Transit Case Groups that were 50+ lbs each and getting them above my shoulders stacked on a pallet. I got creative sometimes, and thankfully, lost a lot of weight in the process.
The other hard part was “following” sometimes. Although I was made #1 to my Program Manager, I had to follow the lead of the Site Lead. I still question myself as to how ‘hard’ that is…I mean you’re given direction…all you have to do is follow the direction. I grapple with this in memory thereof. But these were all military guys. These people are trained to and used to knowing when to follow and when to lead. So, although I still reflect on that grappling, it was one of the most important personal development experiences in my career so far. I’m highly appreciative of the “handbrake” that was pulled once again. These are lessons you just don’t get out of a text book or class. I will always remember them well…the lessons and the people who taught them.
My main focus during this refresh project was to make sure that the customer had a successful experience. The customer as far as Savi, and the customer as far as the U.S. Army. So, while I may have had the ‘handbrake’ pulled on me a couple of times, I did have the ability to refocus where else I could be of value other than just upgrading equipment (again…this is something that’s in my blood). I did find it through coordinating the RMA’s.
Though I dreaded the day this contract would end, the day I received my scheduled “good job” letter, I walked through that warehouse in awe of the job accomplished and how much sweat and passion our refresh team put into it. It was moving. I remember standing by the loading dock, the last of the pallet loads ready to go, and tears welling up out of pride.
This contract was probably the most rewarding personally and professionally throughout all of my 2009 contracts. And it didn’t go unnoticed. I received a very unexpected financial bonus from LMR, and a Certificate of Achievement that stated the following:
Lisa Wicklein is hereby commended for her exceptional contribution as a Systems
Technician and Assistant Site Lead for the Savi PM-Tis Dual Mode Upgrade
project. Ms. Wicklein’s in-depth knowledge of the Software/Firmware
Dual Mode (ANSI/ISO) Upgrade process for the 751G Hand Held and the 650 SMR
Reader to make them compatible with the new ISO 18000-7 RFID standard was
instrumental in the great success of the SAVI PM-TIS project, thereby exceeding
all expectations for job performance. Her professionalism and dedication
was critical to LMR’s overall success for this effort at the PM-TIS warehouse in
Springfield, VA. Ms. Wicklein’s positive attitude, initiative and
expertise epitomize the exceptionally talented multi-functional employees that
LMR hires.
It was never about the refresh project for me with this company. It was always about the high quality of people I got to ‘serve’ within this company, while representing them, and while in their presence. I hope that someday our paths cross again and that they assign me another “mission”.
But...I swiped the DVI connector and hooked it up and get way better monitor graphics now, and I was actually able to watch an entire episode of Numb3rs without it skipping or freezing ONCE! So, it got me thinking in a "Troubleshooting Tree" sense about hardware, software, networks, and hacking, and how all that relates to how we live our lives.