The Onsite Programmer
Jun 7, 2011 11:34 AM,
By Patrick Barron
Defining the role of the newest AV team member.
The role of the programmer onsite has become more prominent and important than ever before. Gone are the days of keeping the programmer in the back room secluded and isolated from the end-user. The programmer is a vital part of the overall system integration in the AV industry. The programmer is often asked to interact with the end-user to determine what functionality is needed from a system. At the conclusion of a job, the programmer may be tasked with verifying that everything is working properly. Identifying how the programmer is expected to interact with project team members at a jobsite is crucial.
Working with Customers
The first step is to determine how the programmer should represent himself or herself if they are not employees of the company implementing the system. The integration company should explain its expectations to the programmer in advance, so they can present themselves to the project team properly. Some integrators prefer that all parties involved in a project act as their direct employees. In this instance, the programmer should act the part and blend in as if they are a part of the company. The programmer may even be asked to wear a shirt identifying him or her as part of the integration company.
Before going onsite for the first time in a new job, the programmer should have an in-depth conversation with the project manager about their expectations on how to act on the jobsite. When a programmer is onsite dealing directly with the end-user, there should always be a clear hierarchy of personnel involved in every aspect of the job. There usually is a scope of work that has been previously defined, and this scope will be the guideline for what expectations the operation of the system should have. Deviations from this scope of work should follow the proper channels, and the programmer onsite should know where to direct questions from the end-user. The programmer should answer questions from the end-user cautiously because the he or she may be asking for things that are not in the scope of the bid in hopes that the programmer will go ahead and do it.
Final Acceptance
When onsite to verify the functionality of a system and attain the final acceptance, it is highly recommended to document the acceptance process while referencing the established scope of work. If everything is in writing, there is less potential for confusion or miscommunication at a later date. Any open items that need to be address should be clearly identified in writing. This will help to prevent any last-minute requests from the client that are not in the scope of work. The project manager should work with the programmer in this process, and all members involved should signoff on the final acceptance document. If the integration company does not provide a sign-off document with an itemized list of expectations, then the programmer should provide this to insure that all parties involved agree that the job is complete. This document serves as a demarcation point as well because any future requests can be treated as a change order with a separate scope of work. The sign-off process is important because it identifies that a job is complete since most payments are made only after the programming is complete.
Understanding the Job
The role of a programmer in the overall job process has also changed greatly in recent years. With the introduction of programmable audio processors, video, and lighting systems, many of the analog systems that used to be handled by video and audio engineers are now being brought into the domain of the control systems programmer. This is so prevalent that many companies and individuals have dropped the “control” moniker from their title and simply call themselves “system programmers.” A programmer now needs to wear many different hats to be able to handle all the aspects of the job. They are asked to understand and perform the tasks of a designer, installer, salesperson, audio engineer, and network specialist while still understanding all aspects of control system programming.
When a programmer is presented with a new project, one of the first tasks is to review the system drawings and formulate a plan for writing the control system. An important part of this process is to review the design to make sure that it actually will work. A control system is able to automate and make certain processes easier to accomplish, but it cannot make a system work that is fundamentally flawed. A modern programmer needs to understand enough about how a system works and how video and audio signals flow from the source to the destination to determine if the design is going to accomplish the desired task. If the system doesn’t work, the customer will not be able to sign off and accept a system even if the control system programming is written perfectly. And at this late stage of the process, it might be extremely difficult to change the design to correct the problem. It is much easier to make corrections in the system design at the beginning before the equipment has been ordered and installed. A wise programmer will want to make sure that a system design is fully functional before accepting work to complete the programming. Many problems can be avoided just by checking that the design
of the system is sound before proceeding with each step of the job.
The Onsite Programmer
Jun 7, 2011 11:34 AM,
By Patrick Barron
Defining the role of the newest AV team member.
A programmer may not be able to crimp a Cat-5 cable as quickly as a seasoned installer, and they might not be able to terminate BNC connectors with the same speed and efficiency, but they should still have a basic knowledge about installing a system. When a programmer is onsite, one of the most important tasks he or she has to accomplish is checking the functionality of a system after the software has been loaded. If there are problems and something doesn’t work right, typically the cause is one of two issues: It could be a software problem or it might be hardware or wiring issues. Of course the installer is always going to want to point the finger at software issues, but the programmer has to be able to look at the hardware and identify if the problem really is software or if there is a hardware issue. Without a solid understanding of all aspects of installation, the programmer and installer would end up at the jobsite just looking at each other and waiting for the other one to fix their problem. Having this knowledge will enable the programmer to work with the installer to identify all potential problems and complete the system.
A programmer needs to understand the role of a salesperson and should be able to act as a salesperson. The programmer should work with the salesperson in determining the cost involved for the system programming. Understanding the process the salesperson goes through will make interacting with this team member easier. When working with sales for the first time, it would be prudent to take the extra time to talk with the salesperson in depth to understand the process their company uses. Knowing the processes and policies of a company is necessary to quote a system accurately. Some jobs will require the lowest bid possible up front, but change orders can be created as necessary. Other jobs, particularly government projects, will require a fixed contract so all potential costs have to be allocated up front because in some cases no change orders are allowed. However a particular job is handled, the programmer should know the expectations of the sales side of the job in order to bid properly.
Emerging Trends
One of the biggest areas where a programmer is more involved now than in the past is dealing with audio systems. With the advances in digital audio processing, the line that divides control programming and audio system design has grown thin. Many integrators think of programming as anything that has to be configured or set up with a computer. There are programmers that know almost nothing about how an audio system works, yet they are given the task of designing and setting up the configuration of an open-architecture digital audio processor. To be a well-rounded and versatile programmer, knowledge of audio systems, and digital audio in particular, is more important now than ever before. Emerging trends in digital audio and video will take this convergence of control, audio, and video even further in the future. A programmer now can be found wearing the hat of an audio system engineer and designer almost as often as they can be found acting as a control system programmer.
As much as audio systems and control systems are converging, this type of convergence is never more evident than the conflux of technology between control systems and computer networks. The IT specialist used to be the only one that knew how to set up and configure equipment that would reside on a network.
Control methods today use the network to communicate just as often as RS-232, infrared, or any other traditional communication method. Knowledge of network configuration and setup is vital to any successful programmer. Not only is basic IP and network knowledge used in the normal course of writing a program, the network infrastructure and how pieces of equipment interact with each other on the network is a key component of a successful system. The programmer is relied on to provide this information to the rest of the project team. The programmer is also the key member in communicating with the client’s IT specialist to coordinate all issues relating to the network. It is important that the programmer have the necessary knowledge to communicate effectively with the client in order to avoid any problems that might arise with sharing the same network.
Certifications
There are many ways to get training in the areas outside of traditional programming. InfoComm International offers a vast number of training courses in all aspects of the project integration process. The InfoComm CTS (Certified
Technology Specialist) program awards a certification for well-rounded knowledge of all aspects of the audio video and project process. Many manufacturers offer courses that not only explain how their particular products work, but they also teach about general principles in the field associated with the product. A programmer should get as much training as possible in these fields to have the best chance to be successful. By understanding the role of other team members, a programmer will be able to perform their own task to a higher degree of success.
