Assembling Your Production System Project Team - The Calibrator

Part 6  |  The Calibrator 

Now that you’ve found your Visionary, Connector, Implementer and Definer you’re nearly ready to start your project. What your team still lacks is the person responsible for external research and communication. They know where to go, which questions to ask and have the resources and diligence to get the job done.

This week we discuss the Calibrator.

Calibrator Overview

Once you have the project work outlined and the rest of your team set, the person responsible for finding the answers from sources outside of the building is the Calibrator. They breathe life into the new ideas put forth by the team and support the other roles by offering solutions beyond the scheduled meetings.

When there are questions about permissions, access or regulatory concerns your Calibrator will take ownership of finding the answers before your next scheduled meeting. They save your team from over-investing time on unrealistic paths and keep important details from slipping through the cracks.

Read last week's blog to learn how to identify your team's Definer

Personality Traits

The best person for this role is ambitious and curious. They need to be trusted to get work done and the information they relay needs to be complete. Their work leaves the internal project manager free to manage the schedule and integrate the Calibrator's answers into the overarching vision.

When seeking out your Calibrator consider the following traits:

Tenacious

Your Calibrator will often need to access and understand information that may only be known to a handful of agencies or employees. Getting those resources to align with the deadlines of your project team can be difficult. The only way to guarantee your team consistently has the information they need to move forward is for your Calibrator to be persistent.

Your Calibrator should be unwilling to take ‘no’ for an answer. If they fall behind, the project either stalls or runs the risk of moving forward in the wrong direction. An unlikely candidate to consider for this role may be part of your sales team.

Organized

This role requires collecting lengthy and complex documents covering a variety of topics. The best Calibrators keep the important information organized and accessible. You can’t afford to waste the limited time you have in project meetings flipping through paperwork hoping to find the solution. 

This team member likely keeps a clean desk or work station. They understand that efficiency is as much about working smart as it is working hard.

Intelligent

The variety in information your Calibrator will be seeking makes it impossible for them to be a master of all topics. They will need to work through chains of command, identify what is the most valuable data and report it back to the team in a way that both makes sense and stresses the appropriate level of urgency.

A base understanding of complex requirements and intricate systems is valuable, but the ability to learn quickly is critical.

Detail-Oriented

It’s the small things that slip through the cracks and derail projects. Your Calibrator is there to both provide critical information and keep track of its ability to be executed. If a regulatory element is overlooked early it could mean thousands of dollars in rework later.

Who do you trust to be vigilant in execution and follow through on their responsibilities? Look for a team member you can count on because your Calibrator will ultimately own some of the most vital aspects of your project.

Learn how to identify your Production System Team

Your Next Steps

Check back next week to continue your education on assembling your next manufacturing system project team. For more on selecting the right production control system for your industry, connect with a CIMx Expert today to map out your requirements, organize your priorities and get to work on increasing productivity throughout production with Quantum.