No Detail Too Small
Eyes on Every Last Screw
On an initial install, we asked our customer what type of screws and cage nuts they wanted used in the server racks of their new, state-of-the-art data center. While we did not recommend one over the other, we did suggest consistency across the data center, and preferably the entire organization. If a variety of nuts and screws are used rather than conforming to a single type, it can create problems down the road when upgrades or equipment removals become necessary. These problems can range from simple time delays in execution to the need to uninstall and reinstall the entire equipment enclave. In short, it is inefficient and can create extra costs. This was not something that had been brought up to the customer before, and it resonated with them. An organizational standard was almost immediately formed.
Fast forward ten years, and we were on site at one of this customer’s data centers. An OEM technician had just finished an install, and all servers were racked and stacked. When the customer came in for acceptance testing, he asked the technician what type of screws were used. Long story short, the technician was required to completely redo his install as he did not conform to the customer’s organizational standard. Why did he not conform? It did not occur to him, as it is not standard practice, to ask if the customer had a preference. Not everyone takes the time to fully understand a customer’s environment. We do.