OperationsOperations manager, company in an older building2 min read
About the business
I run operations for a small company in an older building. We put access control on eleven doors.
The problem
The date slipped and the cost grew. Ours was the usual story.
What we did
Five mistakes, and what we do now.
- Rushed survey. One glass door had no frame for a strike. Now: we survey every door with a sheet.
- Undersized controller. There was no room to add the store room later. Now: we ask about spare capacity up front.
- Voltage drop. A reader far from power, on thin cable, worked badly. Now: we size cable and power for the distance.
- Wiring mix-up. One door was wired fail-safe instead of fail-secure. Now: we write the power-failure rule for every door and test it.
- Old doors. Frames needed parts the quote didn't include. Now: we ask the installer which doors worry them.
The result
Phase two still had surprises. But they were smaller, and they came earlier.
I didn't measure the time we saved, so I won't claim a number.
Mistake four deserves its own story: what happened when a clinic cut the power to test its doors.
Planning an install, or halfway through one that's slipping? Tell us where you are. We'll point out which of these five is most likely to bite you next.
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