Execution is leadership

In this module Manufacturing & Production we want to offer some important ideas to help you find or develop the processes for projects of different scale

A built site is a do-ocracy, an organizational model where power and decision-making authority are held by those who do the work, rather than through elected officials or rigid hierarchies

Big art is not built by inspiration alone, it requires systems, people, environments and tooling 

As builders with experience in different weather conditions, timelines and budgets, we want to emphasize the importance of flexible leadership 

Leadership is not always delegating, it is listening to the experienced builders and ensuring their safety and comfort

Build Location

Your build site affects your outcome

Before cutting anything try to figure out where is it going to be built

The build location affects

• Budget

• Timeline

• Safety

• Morale

• Logistics

• Quality

If the environment is unstable the project will feel unstable, a remote location is going to require higher transportation costs

Size, weather and accessibility are the usual concerns; most locations don't have electricity or water, is good to know how to be prepared for that, with wireless tools, spare batteries, water gallons

Warehouse vs Outdoor Site

Where possible, it is better to have a warehouse, and some places require heating, a/c or additional amenities to support a long project and labor regulations; particularly working in civic commissions with union crews, it can eat a big part of the budget 

Most many regular artists will find space on their workshops, or local spaces where their membership allows them to store and work on their project; some storage unit rentals have weather control, be mindful when selecting that your materials are graded to survive the winters or summers

Outdoor locations are more common in some areas, where most houses have backyards or public spaces that can be commandeered, besides making sure that all the materials are capable of resisting the weather, is a good idea to have tarps underneath and above, and securely pack all tools and materials 

The safety of the build location is an important part of the artistic process, understood as preventing crew accidents, and loss of material

Warehouse Build

Pros

• Weather protection

• Stable power

• Secure tool storage

• Predictable working hours

• Better precision for fabrication

• Running water

Cons

• Rent

• Zoning restrictions

• Height limits

• Shared space politics

In the warehouse is comfortable to have desks, computers, boards; and iterate every process from CAD ideation to manufacturing; particularly with large tools like CNC routers, is preferable to share a membership in some maker space and have get the benefits for your project

Outdoor Build

Pros

• Lower cost

• More space

• Easier access for large components

• More visibility for community engagement

Cons

• Rain delays

• Heat exhaustion

• Wind

• Dust

• Tool security issues

Outdoor builds require

• Shade

• Water planning

• Daily setup and shutdown systems

• Clear safety culture

Building outside can work great for traveling and self contained projects, bus modifications, RVs, stages; having a good practice of tool storage, and organization is key to replicate processes for the crew

Zoning and Legal Use

Before committing to a site figure out

• Is fabrication allowed here

• Can you weld here

• Are there noise limits

• Are there fire restrictions

• Are you allowed to store materials

Getting shut down can be expensive and a huge nuance, check with the correct authorities just in case; renters specially as owners usually have more leeway; Again, is a good idea to partner with local existing initiatives to navigate any question with higher confidence, and find the best options at hand 

The building and deploying of the project usually happen in different places, like one of the architects in Bogota sends us CAD design, we spend weekends in New York cutting wood boards and gathering materials, ship them to the event location in the west coast, fly there, build, etc 

It is also possible to build all the materials at the final location after flying there, or ordering online to pick up if there is little preparation work needed

Insurance

If you have

• Volunteers

• Heavy tools

• Public access

• Large structures

You likely need insurance

Consider

• General liability

• Event insurance

• Volunteer coverage

• Equipment insurance

• Transport coverage

To have insurance is usually better to have an LLC, consider looking for a registered agent that can walk you through some options and find a solution that works; as you might need different kinds of insurance or permits in multiple states, and can be really expensive to get it wrong, is a topic where is good to listen to the experts

Local crews are likely to know well about the requirements, if you're planning to just do local events and some installations for now you might be able to get all the information you need in city hall

Infrastructure Basics

Most places where you're building won't have electricity, or will be generally limited in resources. Consider that even if they promised it, their production can have delays or issues where they're not capable of providing everything they committed to

Power

• Battery, grid or generator

• Amperage capacity

• Cable safety

• Backup plan

Water

• Drinking water

• Heat management

• Cleaning

• Dust control

Waste

• Scrap separation

• Recycling

• Hazard disposal

• Daily cleanup system

Staying organized with your basics ensures that everything else can happen; a dirty worksite, heatstrokes, drills with no battery are some of the many circumstances that becomes excuses to stop all work and create delays 

Large Scale Reality

The more your team grows you stop being a fun group of friends and become a professional production, it is very important to spend time empowering people to lead different departments and ensure their activities are on schedule

It is impossible to manage all of this on your own, the only way to fully disengage is by paying someone for being the artist; which fine, many friends work super hard for their favorite events, and hire some whatever production company for the family vacation rave

Food Systems

In small team is easier to expect everyone to manage their own food, but past a certain size it's actually cheaper and much better to have a kitchen team; depending on the budget there are many fun upgrades to keep the kitchen colder, and incentives for volunteers to participate

• A food lead

• Meal schedule

• Grocery coordination

• Dietary awareness

• Refrigeration

• Freezer capacity

• Ice management

• Cleanup rotation

We have rented refrigerated trucks, driven across states for bulk supplies, coordinated communal kitchens; food is really part of the infrastructure 

Food safety is another important consideration, your personal style at home might be more lax, but when you're feeding strangers is super important to consider how temperature, local critters, your coolers, can create unsanitary conditions that harm the people you're trying to nurture

In some cases, like art projects that are feeding people, or when you rent a warehouse and plan to have a bar, you need to get a liquor or food safety permit; consult with the correct authorities and make sure to apply with ample time, or you might lose on an important revenue avenue

Showers and Hygiene

For multi day builds plan for

• Shower access

• Portable systems

• Hygiene stations

• Shade

• Greywater management

Fatigue plus heat equals accidents; plan for the kind of equipment your crew is bringing, and book the servicing of rentals ahead of time; in most cases the rental companies find additional fees to charge when needing additional cleaning, miles or gas

Travel and Containers

Having standardized packing containers and systems helps your crew a lot, particularly when:

• Driving across states

• Flying collaborators in

• Shipping containers

• Coordinating caravans

This requires

• Transport schedules

• Backup tools

• Spare hardware

• Arrival coordination

• Camp layout planning

• Fuel planning

• Equipment tracking

Each additional person increases complexity, paperwork and coordination. So being able to identify quickly via the labels, the boxes with the important tools is a blessing 

Leadership Focus

You can have perfect engineering, and still fail because morale collapses

Strong production includes

• Clear shift schedules

• Defined roles

• Communication channels

• Hydration reminders

• Rest periods

• Conflict mediation

• Gratitude

Good productions often include

• Artist support teams

• People checking hydration

• Someone responsible for team wellbeing

• Calm problem solvers

• Clear chain of command

Leadership is emotional steadiness, if you panic the team feels it, if you stay grounded the system stabilizes

The Dream Is Not Scary

Yes you may

• Store materials in multiple locations

• Drive long distances

• Fly team members in

• Ship a container

• Coordinate hundreds of volunteers

This is not chaos, it is layered planning; when roles are clear and communication is strong; when food and water are handled

and rest is respected, the same principles will apply to any size

The goal is to create a repeatable process that becomes your artistic culture

Reflection

• Do I know what environment my team needs to succeed

• Is my build site safe and realistic

• Have I planned food water and waste

• Who protects morale

• What happens if weather shifts

• What happens if fewer volunteers arrive than expected

Execution is not accidental

Execution is designed

Santo Cabrón Challenge

Imagine you're building a sculpture in a remote location, you have a comfortable budget, for you and 5 friends to travel there in two pickup trucks with all the materials, and spend a week working in location to install the piece

For the challenge, picture what location is this, a beach? mountain? and draw a production map that describes the size, location of your tents, trucks, materials and build location