Effective communication is the backbone of successful fabrication. At Staff Electric, we ensure alignment between teams at every stage, from design to installation, by maintaining structured communication channels that prevent rework and keep projects on track.
The communication structure in fabrication relies on a series of regular meetings to ensure alignment between teams, track progress, and address potential issues. Weekly Fabrication Meetings bring together the field team, modeling leads, Fab Design Leads (FDLs), and production personnel to review site changes, discuss upcoming work, identify information gaps, and gather feedback to improve workflows. Additionally, Weekly Internal Workload & Target Review Meetings between modeling leads, FDLs, and production personnel focus on hitting project targets, balancing workloads, identifying bottlenecks, and ensuring production schedules align with modeling and detailing progress. To maintain alignment between fabrication and field teams, Design Intent Meetings are held between FDLs and field teams to ensure that orders going to production meet onsite needs, match the desired installation intent, and account for any field constraints. These structured touchpoints create a continuous feedback loop, preventing misalignment, reducing rework, and keeping projects on schedule.
Fabrication scheduling is based on a combination of project milestones and site readiness, ensuring production aligns with both construction timelines and real-time onsite conditions. The Fabrication Production Planner is responsible for maintaining and adjusting the schedule.
Scheduling is managed in one of two ways:
Installation success depends on early communication, thorough planning, and real-time feedback between fabrication and the field. Coordination begins in Design Intent Meetings, where Fab Design Leads (FDLs) and the field team align on installation paths, site restrictions, and mobilization needs to ensure that fabrication accounts for sizing constraints and any required equipment for unloading and installation. A strong emphasis is placed on first-of-their-kind builds for each project, ensuring that all required specifications are clarified, the best installation methods are vetted with the field, and fabrication is optimized to efficiently move through the shop. This process also includes implementing QA/QC measures to maintain quality and repeatability. To further support the installation process, fabrication representatives are sent onsite for the first installs, assisting with field questions, gathering real-time feedback, and ensuring smooth integration of fabricated components. This proactive approach creates a continuous feedback loop that improves efficiency and reduces rework.
Issues are identified through site visits, weekly meetings, and routine communication channels such as phone and email. When a problem arises, the first step is to determine the core issue, ensuring that the root cause—not just the symptom—is addressed. Once identified, the necessary teams are brought into the discussion to determine the best course of action. Whether the resolution involves process improvements, design modifications, or immediate field adjustments, communication is key to ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned. Any changes or lessons learned are shared across teams to prevent recurring issues and continuously refine workflows for future projects.
