Performance management and incentive design for Telecom infrastructure firms: right first time, not only fast
The operator's acceptance check is the real appraisal of a telecom team. Measures that reward accepted sites, not only sites finished, improve quality and stop rework.
Not sure what you need? Tell us about your business in six short steps and we will come to the first meeting prepared.
Share your requirementsWhy performance management and incentive design matters in telecom infrastructure firms
Telecom crews are often paid or praised for the number of sites completed. It encourages speed, and sometimes shortcuts. A tower site finished in two days and rejected at inspection costs far more than one finished in three days and passed. The team returns, the operator gets irritated and the coordinator has to explain.
A better measure combines speed with first-time acceptance, safety record and reliability. It is applied to teams as well as individuals, because most work is done together. Incentives, where used, should reward sites accepted the first time, not simply sites started. Feedback should come soon after inspection, while the team still remembers what was done.
How to set it up
1. Choose three measures for a team
Sites completed, share accepted at first inspection and safety record. Add reliability, such as turning up when called. Keep it to a few, so everyone can remember them.
2. Share inspection results quickly
As soon as a site is accepted or rejected, the coordinator tells the team lead the reason in a line. Send a photo if useful. Learning is best while memory is fresh.
3. Review each team monthly
The coordinator and team lead look at the month's sites, discuss two accepted and two rejected, and agree one thing to improve. Keep it brief and fair.
4. Design the incentive carefully
If you pay for output, add a condition on acceptance. Test the rule on last quarter's data before you announce it, to see who gains and who loses. The performance management process page covers how reviews are set.
5. Recognise good teams in public
Name the team with the best acceptance record at the next gathering, and let others learn from them. Recognition costs little and lifts pride in the work.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Pull the last quarter's acceptance results by team and note the spread.
- Ask a team lead how soon he hears of a rejection.
- Check whether any incentive paid in the last quarter went to a team with many rejections.
- Ask two climbers what they believe the firm values most, speed or quality.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach performance management and incentive design in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Mostly to the team, because sites are built together. You can still recognise individual contributions through grades and appraisals. A team incentive reduces blame and encourages people to correct each other.
Include first-time acceptance in the measure, give teams time for a final check and let the coordinator decline an unsafe shortcut. If speed alone is rewarded, quality will pay for it.
Monthly is usually enough, with quick feedback after each inspection. A review that is short, specific and fair works better than a long annual discussion that few remember.