Three Things I’ve Learned After 30 More Days at GMI

It’s hard to believe another month has gone by since joining GMI Automation and the #DoneRightNotEasy crew. After learning so much in my first month here, I could already tell that it was a place I would continue to learn and grow on an almost daily basis. Here are a three more things I’ve learned in the past 30 days about what it takes to deliver Crestron automation systems at the highest level.

1) The Ins and Outs of Crestron Lighting Control

One of the many things that separate GMI from other automation company is our constant quest to cross-train all of our engineers in every aspect of home automation. As I mentioned in my previous entry, my background was largely in networking and audio/video, which are only two of the many factors that go into complete automation. Now, thanks to the appropriate cross training, I was recently able to take care of the nuts and bolts of a lighting takeover for a client, including wiring, panel placement, and programming. Our best practices for proper documentation were instrumental in this task and allowed me to properly match up serial numbers and gateways for a fully functional system. It was a point of pride to be able to replace the original non-functioning system with a properly programmed finished product.

2) The Big Picture

This blog has discussed many times the need for proper wire management and of course documenting system architecture. What has started to ‘click’ for me in the last month was the big picture look at all of our jobs and how that translated into the way we physically install the systems. This allows us to design out an entire system for efficiency, looking at the project as a whole and making decisions about how to run wires and place racks, as opposed to designing on a component by component basis.

3) Becoming Part of the Team

There’s no denying that the #DoneRightNotEasy crew is a tight knit unit. Many of my fellow team members have been working together for many years and it is not always easy to integrate yourself into such a family-like environment. In the past 30 days, I have really begun to feel at home, meshing myself fully into the team and the GMI culture, building relationships and learning how to apply my strengths into the team environment. I’ve gained the confidence to step and make suggestions for a new process or how to solve a troubling problem without the natural fear of ridicule.

Between cross training for new skills, understanding the big picture design of our complex systems and gaining the confidence to let my own unique skills shine, my last 30 days with the #DoneRightNotEasy crew have been almost as big of a learning experience as my first 30.