Having A Plan - Pavement Preservation

A proactive plan to pavement management starts with a pavement condition survey (PCS).  A PCS conducted by USI’s experienced staff provides an agency with an unbiased, objective, and non-political pavement condition rating (PCR) which:

• Raises pavement condition awareness,
• Helps stretch maintenance funds,
• Builds a defensible case for additional program funding,
• Provides a prioritized repair program with estimated costs and maintenance activities, and
• Is the backbone of an effective pavement maintenance program!

 Once the condition of the roadway assets is known based on a rating system that is used by most municipalities in North Carolina, a municipality is able to compare their PCR to other municipalities or to prior surveys.  This allows a municipality to see if their pavement maintenance program is effective or if additional funding is necessary to keep these assets.

Delegation

     

A utility company superintendent took two crews into the field to install poles.  He gave each foreman his assignment and then left to attend to other duties.  Upon his return, he asked one foreman how many poles his crew had installed.  The first foreman replied, “Twelve.”

After inspecting the work, the superintendent went to the second foreman to make the same inquiry.  The super was surprised to learn the second crew had only installed two.  Naturally, the super asked the second foreman, “Why just two when the other crew installed twelve?”  “I know,” said the second foreman, “but look how much they left sticking out of the ground.”

Certainly, there can be pitfalls to delegating.  Yet many successful business people learn the power of leveraging your workforce through delegation.  The benefits of delegation include:

• Saving time for other pressing work.
• Increasing effectiveness by matching the right job and the right worker.
• Providing on-the-job growth opportunities for workers.

Here are a few ideas to increase your effectiveness when delegating:

• Choose people who will take responsibility-Demonstrate trust and faith in others.
• Match assignments to people’s skills - Delegate to people’s strengths, skills, and experience.
• Communicate expectations, not procedures - Provide guidance as needed or requested.
• Don’t expect perfection - Accept that your way is not the only way and weigh the differences.
• Allow for creativity - They may find a better way to do it.