Utility Coordinator Skills

1. Utility CoordinationOBJECT FOR THIS MODULE: Learning how soft sills contributes to a successful Utility Coordinator.

2. Utility Coordinator Skills • Becoming a competent and effective utility coordinator takes technical skill and soft skills. • While soft skills tend to come from life experience, they are something you can learn and are not always inherent. It is important to develop your social and soft skills, combined with experience and knowledge, to propel your abilities in becoming a successful utility coordinator. In this module, you will be taught several soft skills that are important to utility coordination. • For this training, listed below are the soft skills that are going to be discussed. • Leadership • Teamwork • Communication • Problem Solving • Work Ethics • Flexibility

3. Leadership and Teamwork • The utility coordinator establishes a clear vision or path; stays in contact with partners, project managers, and the Utility Oversight Agent. Shares the vision with everyone, providing the information and knowledge. • Takes on a leadership role. • In order to have a successful project, every element must work together effectively. • Staying involved from the beginning to the end of the project is critical. From Discussing ROW staking and clearing, discussing special provisions to the post-letting utility coordination.

4. Effective Communication Who is your customer? Is it the Project Manager, designer, Right-of-Way, utility? What is important to them? How can you, as a utility coordinator, help them succeed?

5. Communication--Writing Writing: As a technical skill, writers prepare instructions, maps, and designs. As important as a technical skills, writing is also a soft skills. Writing communicates the tone. How you approach your writing skills is also as important. Writing addresses goals, explains in clear terms what you expect. Using simple language and not cliché’s or jargons; keeping sentences simple, short, and concise. The written tone is as important as the information.

6. Effective Communication • Methods for staying in contact depend on the situation • e-mail is a good form of communication, but picking up the phone and talking can resolve an issue quicker and more effective. • E-mail for recapping a conversation, providing lists or dates • Meetings can be best way to communicate when needing to share a lot of information and/or a group of people. • (examples: 1) Kickoff meeting; 2) Coordination between multiple affected utilities • professionalism in meetings – determine who takes the leadership role, build the relationship, find common goals • Agenda—have an agenda prepared and stay on track. Send minutes. Stay in contact Many ways to do so – email, meetings, and yes, even by phone!

7. Utility Coordination—Customer Service Customer service--Communication • Treat the utility companies as business partners from the planningof and initial development of every project so that the mostcost-effective approach can be delivered for the public interest!

8. Effective Communication Ask questions…the more information you have, the better the project will be. You will be able to coordinate better if you understand what is happening with the project, with each utility, with ROW, etc. What is scenarios…ask about that too Ask questions – make sure you understand the project specifics. If unsure, ask; chances are others are wondering the same thing.

9. Effective Communication Clarify – “You need utilities moved by x date” “You will talk to the DM to see if the drainage can be adjusted to avoid the water main” You need to know where the gas company is relocating to before you can determine your relocation plan

10. Utility Coordination—Process for Problem Solving • Live interaction. Go talk to the person. Work it out. • Not email! Face to face meetings! Pick up a phone! Do not assume. • Identifying an issue; understanding the issue; evaluating options. • Don’t procrastinate and miss deadlines. • Understand what is important to each of our partners with their facilities! • Understanding the process increases safety, manages costs effectively, and allows for a more productive and effective utility relocation.

11. Problem Solve--Perspective • If you, the team, and your stakeholders do not have the same understanding of the project, problems will present themselves which introduces unnecessary risk. • Not everyone gets it. You will need to problem solve. Not everyone sees the same. You have to be willing to be the one to present the big picture.

12. Work Ethics—Your work affects others. Be responsive – Very aggravating if PM tries to contact you and you are not available and do not respond in a timely manner. Try to return calls same day. Reply to e-mails (do not ignore). Even state “I received this, but I need some time to look into it and will get back with you soon” Auto reply, if you are out for a lengthy time and forward emails or alternative contacts. Demonstrating Respect…respect given is respect earned. Listen first. Don’t assume you know all the answers. Complaints, problems, or request need to be understood first. Practice accountability. Be that model of excellence. You behave the way you want others to behave. To inspire people to give their best, they must see you walk your talk. Everyone is held accountable to their roles. Have a great worth ethic is something you chose to do. You want the project to succeed….you must be responsive, respective, listen, and be accountable.

13. Flexible…and Attitude • Customer Focused • Positive • Solutions Minded • Responsiveness • Follow Through • Timely • Ready to resolve office or field situations Be the go-to person, available, ready to respond, use your skills and abilities to respond to both office and field situations. Treat your PM as your customer Have a positive attitude, especially when others don’t Be willing to think there could be solutions to a given problem. Be open-minded. Be willing to roll when things don’t roll. No idea is wrong…so think outside the box. Responsiveness, follow through and timely are all connected; one implies the other. Be ready to respond.

14. Flexibility— Adaptability • A multi-tasking requirement • Different utility companies • Project schedule • Project design elements • Files • Documentation • To-do Lists • Status reports • Utility schedules • Utility Coordinators are multi-taskers…you must juggle multiple utility companies for every project; communicating with different representatives regarding various stages of coordination. Learn to be flexible. • Organize e-mails in Archive folders like you would hard copy files; a separate folder for each project and separate sub-folders for each utility. So that it is easy to go back and find an e-mail. • Keep hard copy documents organized and filed away in easy to access file cabinets located nearby. • Create to-do lists or use the Task feature in Outlook so you keep track of the many activities and ensure nothing gets overlooked. • Create status reports that help you track the process and report back to the PM. Can also be used to measure the process. • Agreement tracking • Work Plan process from time it is submitted by the utility to the time the work plan approval letter is sent to the utility company. • Staying flexible and organized.

15. Summary While soft skills tend to come from life experience, they are something you can learn and are not always inherent. Managing the process with excellence is important, but being a great leader is essential. Utility coordination has many moving parts and each customer has differing needs, personalities, work styles, and talents; therefore, utility coordinators must be consistent and diligent on the soft skill discussed in this module.

16. Knowledge Check • Soft skills are generally inherent and do not need to be learned? True or False? 2. The utility coordinator establishes a clear vision or path. Coordination include which of the following? • ROW staking and clearing • Post letting coordination • Engaging partners and activities with the Utility Oversight Agent, Project Manager, and Consultants. • All of the above.