WORKLOAD
AND
AVAILABILITY
OF
RESOURCES
At
present (May 2000) we have a large but variable workload, due primarily to
lengthy Planning Appeals and late decisions by Clients against anticipated
workloads. This workload
inevitably ebbs and flows as one waits for decisions from various Authorities; Granting of Planning Permission or Fire Certificates;
legal delays over sites; and
general bureaucratic delays which cause many Projects to stop and go.
It
is thus possible to manage a considerable workload because most Projects can be
slotted in between other Projects which are “on hold” for a time. If a really large Project was introduced to the
Practice, dedicated staff would be allocated to it and our associated offices in
Dublin and London could be asked to assist.
Thus any deadline can be met without much difficulty and almost all
Clients requests can be easily met.
PERSONNEL
AND AVAILIBILITY
Apart
from Company directors and the Senior staff already detailed, the Technical
staff consist of draughtspersons and administrative staff.
Some have been trained in our own offices over the years and are
competent in their own professional skills, particularly in CAD systems.
The
administrative staff, some of whom have been with the practice for 20 years, are
well versed in procedures and practices – CI/SfB filing systems, etc., dealing
with the requirements of various Government Department and in particular the
practical procedures of EU funded Projects.
MANAGEMENT
STRUCTURES
A
clear structure has been in place in the Practice for many years which has
proved successful and practical. Every
Project is directly handled by one of the partners.
Mary
O’Carroll,
with many years experience in healthcare and commercial Projects is in charge of
all design and technical matters relating to such Projects and has met the
demanding requirements of many Clients over the years with remarkable
efficiency.
Anna
O’Carroll,
with considerable overseas experience from France, deals with the Leisure and
Sporting Projects and works closely with Mary O’Carroll at all levels.
Owen
O’Carroll
specialises in conceptual designs and has won many awards in Ireland, the UK
and overseas for his imaginitive work which has been illustrated in technical
journals the world over and hung in the Royal Academy.
Owen contributes to all the works of the Practice.
Owen has charge of the London offices.
Luan
O’Carroll
a software engineer, ensures that technical breakdowns or downtimes are
minimised and keeps abreast of all technical developments in computers and
software.
Brian
F O’Carroll
manages the financial and bureaucratic requirements of the day-to-day
operations of the OCA Practice dealing with fees, budgets, pension schemes,
etc.
Management
and staff meetings reviewing progress on all Projects are held monthly and
feed-back from all Clients is carefully and regularly reviewed.
CAD
RESOURCES
Overseas
work demanded that the OCA Practice keep abreast of all technical developments
and this has brought about a greater efficiency in all works undertaken.
PC’s and Macs are used and all systems are interchangable, though there
is an architectural preference for the use of Macs. See
next section of this submission.
E-mail
and being on-line has been of importance in the rapid exchange of technical
information while a substantial library has been maintained at all times.
O'Carroll Associates 
