Retrotec USACE - Manual (Page 50)

28 ENERGY & PROCESS ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL
4.1 Project Management
The energy assessment scheme has a manager who (with his assistants) defi nes
the goals and general guidelines for the assessment activity and coordinates the
budgeting, scheduling, and monitoring of the scheme.
For each individual energy assessment, the assessment team has a leader,
or project manager, who coordinates the assessment on that specifi c site. The
main tasks of the project manager are information and public relations (PR),
both incoming and outgoing. He or she is the main coordinator for site visits
and reporting. The project manager is responsible for schedules (site visits and
reporting activity) and for quality control issues in that specifi c assessment.
If there are several members in the assessment team, it is essential that the
project manager make sure every member knows what is expected from him
or her and what the critical deadlines are.
Information management is one of the most important issues for a suc-
cessful energy assessment. The project manager must make sure that all pre-
liminary data are available before the site visit, that all information needs are
identifi ed during the assessment, and that all information from the assessment
team is included in the report.
The project manager may have assistants for data collection or report com-
pilation, but must personally take all responsibility for incoming and outgoing
information.
4.2 Site Staff
The staff on site (energy managers, operation and maintenance, etc.) should have
adequate information before the assessment about what is expected of them.
They should also be informed of the report schedule and when the results of the
assessments will be made available for their budgeting and long-term planning.
The site staff must be aware in advance of the site visit schedule, what kind
of resources will be needed to assist the assessment team, and what kind of
information will be needed before the site visits. Providing this information
in the kick-off meeting on the fi rst day of the assessment will not lead to good
results. Commitment from the site staff is needed well before the visit, prefer-
ably at the stage when the site is selected for assessment.
During the site visit, the assessment team needs assistance from people
who know the buildings and their energy-using systems and who can answer
technical questions. Having someone with keys to the mechanical rooms is not
enough. It is important to have a competent guide for each area to provide in-
depth information and to answer questions.
The hectic schedule of the site visit is sometimes a problem. Several teams
or several experts will likely be working on site simultaneously, each of them
needing assistance or information.