CMIC 2012
www.fultonhogan.com
How an Evolving Approach to
Introductory Quarry Rotations for
Graduate Engineers Can Assist
Similar Program Development
Across the Wider Industry
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
www.fultonhogan.com
Written & Presented By:
Dru Oxley
Fulton Hogan
National Quality & IMS Advisor
www.fultonhogan.com
Presentation Overview
Introduction
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Improving the Delivery Method
Application in a Wider Context
www.fultonhogan.com
Presentation Overview
Introduction
• Presentation
Overview
Quarry Rotation:
The Early
Years
• About the Author
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Improving the Delivery Method
Application in a Wider Context
www.fultonhogan.com
Presentation Overview
Introduction
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
• Rotation
Program
Background
Changing
the Rotation’s
Focus
• Rotation Approach
Improving the Delivery Method
Application in a Wider Context
www.fultonhogan.com
Presentation Overview
Introduction
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
• What Direction to Adapt Towards
Improving the Delivery Method
• Change by Degrees
Application in a Wider Context
www.fultonhogan.com
Presentation Overview
Introduction
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Improving the Delivery Method
• The Worksheet Approach
Application in a Wider Context
• How? Why? And What?
www.fultonhogan.com
Presentation Overview
Introduction
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Improving the Delivery Method
Application in a Wider Context
www.fultonhogan.com
Introduction
About the Author
• Civil Engineering at University
• Joined Fulton Hogan (FRH at the time) as part of the Graduate
Rotation Program in 2007
• Joined Tynong Quarry as the Quarry Engineer in 2008
• Managed Graduates at Tynong until 2012
www.fultonhogan.com
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
www.fultonhogan.com
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
Graduate Engineer Rotation Program Background
• 12 Month Program
• Graduates rotate through all aspects of Fulton Hogan
- Construction
- Quarries
- Asphalt Production
- Asphalt Laying
- Pipelines
- Landscaping
www.fultonhogan.com
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
Graduate Engineer Rotation Program Background
• Graduates have learning goals in each area
• Late in the year the Graduates nominate areas they would like
to continue in full-time
• Graduate management is largely left to an individual
Manager’s discretion
www.fultonhogan.com
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
The Priority Activity Approach
• Manager sets a task for the Graduate to complete
• Graduate completes tasks mostly one-at-a-time
www.fultonhogan.com
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
The Priority Activity Approach
• Priority Activity Benefits
- Multiple individuals can set Graduate tasks
- Graduate tasks can change to suit situation, taking
advantage of unique learning opportunities
- Graduate offers direct support to operations
- Tasks can be set to Graduate’s experience level
www.fultonhogan.com
Quarry Rotation: The Early Years
The Priority Activity Approach
• Priority Activity Drawbacks
- Activities can include busywork or menial tasks
- Operational need is often dependent on season
- Often poor consistency of rotational experience
among different Graduates
- Management of Graduate may be an ill-defined
responsibility
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Undesirable Elements to Address from PA Approach
• Inconsistent experience and technical learning outcomes
• Frustrating Graduate enthusiasm
• May burden Managers with Graduate to supervise
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Desirable Facets to Keep from PA Approach
• Flexibility to take advantage of unique learning opportunities
• Structure allowing various staff members to supervise Graduates
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
Other Key Objectives for Modified Approach
• Focus on desirable learning outcomes defined by operations
• Flexible structure to account for varying rotation lengths
• Structure built on tangible, practical elements
•Structure encourages self-driven learning and working
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
The Task Duration Hurdle Approach
• Places more rigid framework onto PA approach
• Rotation task requirements defined as spending a set amount of
time at a set location
- Lab
- Primary Crusher Operator’s Station
- Secondary Crushing Plant Operator’s Station
- Dump Truck
- Weighbridge
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
The Task Duration Hurdle Approach - Positives
• Improved ability to leave Graduates alone but they could stay
productive
• Allowed Graduates to self-manage to a greater extent
•Facilitated Graduate interaction with whole team on site
www.fultonhogan.com
Changing the Rotation’s Focus
The Task Duration Hurdle Approach - Negatives
• Lacked structure to provide true consistency of learning
outcomes
• Lacked concrete deliverables
• Overestimated explicit benefit of ‘spending time with the boys’
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Why didn’t the previous change fix all the issues?
• Operational staff not trained to train
• No guarantee that an hour between a graduate and an operator is
going to lead to learning
• Lack of context prevents holistic approach to topic
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
The Subject-Learning Hurdle Approach
• Builds on placing graduate in a set location/role
• Instead of time requirement, worksheets present questions / tasks
that must be completed
• Questions developed by Quarry Engineer based on 3 years of
asking questions about ‘stuff’
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Worksheets developed for the rotation:
• Primary Crusher
• Crushing Plant
• Lab
• Stock
• Accounts and Weighbridge
• Fulton Hogan IT Systems
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• What’s the target production for the jaw?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• What’s the target production for the jaw?
• Sketch the crusher plates and double toggle mechanism.
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• What’s the target production for the jaw?
• Sketch the crusher plates and double toggle mechanism.
• What are the crushing plant crusher models?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• What’s the target production for the jaw?
• Sketch the crusher plates and double toggle mechanism.
• What are the crushing plant crusher models?
• Describe the lockout procedure and when would it be used?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• What’s the target production for the jaw?
• Sketch the crusher plates and double toggle mechanism.
• What are the crushing plant crusher models?
• Describe the lockout procedure and when would it be used?
• What does PI physically say about a product?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• How do the surveyors calculate volumes?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• How do the surveyors calculate volumes?
• Describe the end-of-month Stock Movement process.
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• How do the surveyors calculate volumes?
• Describe the end-of-month Stock Movement process.
• Who last serviced and calibrated the weighbridge and when?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Example Prompts:
• How do the surveyors calculate volumes?
• Describe the end-of-month Stock Movement process.
• Who last serviced and calibrated the weighbridge and when?
• Calculate the cheapest cash sale price to deliver 65T of 20CL3 WM
to Brunton Avenue, Richmond.
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
How did this approach work?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
How did this approach work?
• Very positive feedback by graduates
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
How did this approach work?
• Very positive feedback by graduates
• High quality of work produced
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
How did this approach work?
• Very positive feedback by graduates
• High quality of work produced
• High level of self-motivation by graduates
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
How did this approach work?
• Very positive feedback by graduates
• High quality of work produced
• High level of self-motivation by graduates
• Very positive level of interaction between graduates and
operational staff
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Why did this approach work?
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Why did this approach work?
• Aligns to ‘university assignment’ style, very familiar to graduate
engineers
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Why did this approach work?
• Aligns to ‘university assignment’ style, very familiar to graduate
engineers
• Gives graduates an excuse to engage with operation staff
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Why did this approach work?
• Aligns to ‘university assignment’ style, very familiar to graduate
engineers
• Gives graduates an excuse to engage with operation staff
• Structures coverage of knowledge to achieve ‘whole of operation’
view every time
www.fultonhogan.com
Improving the Delivery
Why did this approach work?
• Aligns to ‘university assignment’ style, very familiar to graduate
engineers
• Gives graduates an excuse to engage with operation staff
• Structures coverage of knowledge to achieve ‘whole of operation’
view every time
• Provides graduates with something to take ownership of
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Time availability of the teacher
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Time availability of the teacher
• Time availability of the student
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Time availability of the teacher
• Time availability of the student
• Type of material to be covered
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Time availability of the teacher
• Time availability of the student
• Type of material to be covered
• Amount of material to be covered
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Time availability of the teacher
• Time availability of the student
• Type of material to be covered
• Amount of material to be covered
• Competence / Skill Level required after training
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Frequency of the subject to be learned
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Frequency of the subject to be learned
• Starting point of the student
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Frequency of the subject to be learned
• Starting point of the student
• Interest level of the student
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Frequency of the subject to be learned
• Starting point of the student
• Interest level of the student
• Interest level of the teacher
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
Constraints on the Rotation Program:
• Frequency of the subject to be learned
• Starting point of the student
• Interest level of the student
• Interest level of the teacher
• Available resources
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
It is crucial to understand and communicate:
• The fundamental learning objective
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
It is crucial to understand and communicate:
• The fundamental learning objective
• The reason that objective is important
www.fultonhogan.com
Application in a Wider Context
It is crucial to understand and communicate:
• The fundamental learning objective
• The reason that objective is important
• The wider benefit of achieving that objective
www.fultonhogan.com
Thank You
www.fultonhogan.com