My Blog-Updates

I'm getting settled in after the first full pay period back in our building, and my first full week in my new office. Having the additional space to store books, field gear, and such has been great at making my office space feel less cluttered and messy. I am also enjoying the layout where I sit facing the office door. However, I am also finding that I feel a bit disconnected from my team. They aren't far away, but my office is no longer on the path between them and the restroom and kitchen; I only see folks when they purposely come to talk to me. I may have to spend a few minutes each day crusing through the hallways to say hello.

This week was a little short; I took Friday off to help my wife with her work. The first three bullets are repeats from last week. I imagine I'll continue to use those items for the future as they are such a core part of my job. I'll elaborate a bit more on the last two bullets below.

Provided timely, policy compliant, and technically sound technical assistance to field staff on multiple active construction projects.
Provided timely, policy compliant, and technically sound review of design deliverables.
Utilized innovation to improve quality of project design.
Provided technical leadership to team to provide recommendations that meet partner goals and deliver quality products.
Contributed to teambuilding by sharing best practices, lessons learned, and improving internal processes.

Bullet 4 summarizes my role as the primary reviewer and technical resource for my team. In this case, I worked closely with one team member to evaluate an proposed retaining wall that would support a bridge abutment. It's not something that either of us have done, but we were able to work through the guidance documents and piece together an appropriate analysis for the particulars of our project.

Bullet 5 relates a peer exchange session that we held this past week about use of helical piles. Our division office has used these foundation elements for only a few projects to date, but we've learned a lot about how they can be applied to our projects. Their applicability is limited to some special cases for us where we have lightly load structures with limited equipment access and suitable ground conditions. However, they have been efficient in the cases where appropriate.

This upcoming week is a bit short for me again. I'm using the last of my award leave and compensatory time to take Monday off and then have my regular day off on Friday. I'm sure I'll still have 5 bullets to send in next week. Until then, have a good week.

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