In an interesting article comparing
the use of a triage approach in disaster recovery to that of an IT systems
manager, author Mike Talon notes that:
Modern military, relief, and medical organizations have
practiced a workflow management technique known as triage for nearly a century
now. The idea is that the appropriate amount of effort should be put forth for
each situation, but before that can happen, the situation must be defined and
classified to ensure it receives the proper treatment. Triage is the process of
placing situations into those classifications, and the practice of triage can
be quite valuable in planning out Disaster Recovery operations as well.
He lays out various stages of his
approach. I would expand the final stages of Talon’s triage designation beyond
simply addressing the current problem to include the period of rebuilding and
planning. His comment that Tier 5
requires “careful consideration of future events that are likely to occur at
any moment,” is particularly important here.
At one point in my career, I was
worked with a major university as a project manager. Faced with a massive
deferred maintenance backlog, I was tasked with helping our Board make informed
decisions in terms of using our finite resources to make the highest priority
repairs first, thereby preserving as much function as possible from the
buildings we had. Typically, this meant first repairing the building “envelope”
(such things as roofs, windows, walls, etc.) to reduce the impact of weather
and water infiltration. Only then, once
a building was watertight and structurally sound, we would make repairs to
systems and interiors without fear of further damage.
One project involved a historic
theater facility that had deteriorated badly over the years. As our budget was limited, we set about
establishing a scope of work for an initial phase to repair a seriously leaking
roof, securing windows and doors, and repointing the masonry walls to preserve
the structural integrity of the facility.
A second phase would include interior reconfiguration and improvements
that included accommodating the requirements of the newly established Americans
with Disabilities Act. Finally, the interior would be refurbished and
refinished with new seating, etc.
Shortly before work was to begin, a
visitor to the theater threatened a lawsuit related to the new ADA law, citing
the difficulty in accessing the more desired seating in the facility by the
disabled. The university took the
complaint very seriously and worked through the complaint successfully. In
the interim, however, we were directed to cease work on the facility until the
complaint could be resolved. Ultimately,
the work did commence, but not until after significant additional funding had
been secured so the accessibility improvements could be made as part of the
same contract.
Ironically, the logical progression
of construction still required the exterior envelope improvements be made
first. Unfortunately for the theater,
however, the delay made the whole project more costly, as the leaky roof
continued to damage the interior for an additional year.
Which reminds of of another excellent example that comes from
a mold removal and remediation project we undertook over the last few months in
the archives in the basement of our administration building. The facility is notorious for its water
infiltration problems and multiple corrective actions have been taken over the
years. None have worked, though a
radical rebuilding of the exterior wall and adjacent plaza drainage system is
in the works and planned for this summer. The constant barrage of
storm-generated water through the foundation and into the archives room had
rendered the space uninhabitable.
Thus, it was a significant effort,
taken at great expense, to document and secure the contents of the room, survey
them for mold contamination, remove and treat them, and then send in crews to
remove all traces of the hazardous substance from walls and floors. Following a few months of planning and
execution, the space was finally clean and dry.
Then it rained. And water dripped from newly replaced ceiling
tiles and scraped concrete walls, and puddled on the floor. Facility managers have maintained drying fans
and dehumidifiers in the now vacant space, hoping that the upcoming project
will correct the water infiltration problem once-and-for-all. Until then, it’s an all-out effort to keep
the mold problem at bay so we're not required to do this all over again.
The point here isn’t that accessibility
or life safety improvements aren’t critically important, but that sometimes a slight
reshuffling of priorities makes a lot more sense.
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