The ORAM Coordination Team

It’s 8 a.m. on a Monday. The Operations Team, and especially the Coordination Team, which everyone at ORAM calls the “drawing team,” already has all hands on deck.

While one modeller puts the finishing touches on some engineering plans, another is drafting a request to a customer to make an architectural change for some pipework and drawing all the pipes needed to bring water to and from their building. Meanwhile, an admin is uploading plans to customers’ file sharing websites before preparing an insulation proposal and ordering steel plates.

This dance is choreographed by the project manager, who inspects the quality of the draftspersons’ work to make sure everything is as optimized as possible. She shares her experience and expertise to help her team learn.

Keeping multiple projects on track and on schedule without sacrificing accuracy is a constant challenge, but it’s also crucial for everyone involved.

How the Coordination Team drives the ORAM Experience

Without proper coordination, our customers would never receive the true ORAM Experience. Every department’s job, from procurement to operations, ties back to the Coordination Team, which is involved in multiple stages of the project life cycle.

Before a project even starts, the project manager contacts the architects, engineers, project coordinators, and job site superintendent to make sure the customer’s expectations are being met and determine a feasible planning timeline. Project managers work with modellers to coordinate the on-time completion of all deliverables.

The whole team plays a key role in optimizing plans before breaking ground. Plan optimization is essential for smooth plumbing installation and catching and fixing mistakes that could prevent successful project completion. This step also allows the team to suggest cost-saving measures to architects and engineers so customers can pay less.

The team also has to work in tandem with other trades (HVAC, fire protection, and electrical) at job sites to coordinate everything related to mechanical building systems. This helps minimize bumps and confusion for faster, smoother work.

How the ORAM Experience plays a key role in the team’s day-to-day work

When asked what keeps her team going during such intense workdays, team lead Alexandra Paquin said, “giving 110%,” driven by the ORAM Experience and ORAM’s culture.

Just like ORAM, the Coordination Team is continuously evolving—streamlining its processes and finding ways to innovate. Team members stay motivated by keeping up to date with the latest breakthroughs in plumbing and computer technology that can help them work smarter.

The Coordination Team is currently transitioning to a building information modelling software called Revit that includes 3D modelling, which provides clearer, more accurate plans for smoother on-site execution.

On a more personal level, by recognizing each team member’s potential, the entire team works like a well-oiled machine, fuelled by pride in their work and the desire to keep raising the bar. For example, draftspersons are trained and encouraged to help with design, instead of having to wait for directions from a project coordinator, engineer, or someone “more qualified.”

Alexandra also recognizes the role team spirit plays in motivating her group. By acknowledging the strengths of individual members and the team as a whole, she can easily maximize synergies.

“I’m so proud of this amazing, young, hard-working team. Our different personalities really jibe. We love being and working together, and it shows in our vibe at work and how everyone feels like they belong, both on our team and at the company.”

Proud of our success, built on innovation

Our first entirely 3D-modelled project will be the Maestria project, which we began in October 2020. We coordinated and completed the 2D and 3D plans for both 60-storey residential towers. It is our Coordination Team’s biggest project yet, and they are understandably very proud of it!