Ian Sumner Email & Phone Number

Uk Wide

Home Based

Providing support for field teams, during the actual on site works. Resolving issues, or escalating as appropriate, as they happen.Providing multiple daily progress updates to the customer, Ericsson

Manchaster, London, Home Based

Helped to clear backlog of site access requests for Site Upgrades.

Helped a friend with the design and production of several home and lifestyle products for their small business. Restored a 1958 Rover P4, that had been off the road for around 20 years, to be used for publicity purposes.

North Devon

I ensured the HOPs were submitted to a satisfactory standard to Vodafone’s auditors. This included a significant degree of training of both Rigging and I & C staff, along with providing regular forecasts and updates to the client.

London, United Kingdom

Various overlapping roles:1) Vodafone London, Fault Rectification. Working direct to Vodafone. My role included ensuring the contractors that we used, understood the scope of each specific job. This included a combination of fault investigation (mostly PIM issues), RET activation, and an antenna system configuration audit.I provided ‘on the day support’, and ensured the HOPs were submitted to a satisfactory standard to Vodafone.This project lasted just over a year.2) Vodafone Project Metropolis London. Working through Ericsson.HOP controller. My role included ensuring the HOPs created by both our own staff, and our contractors, were submitted to a satisfactory standard to Vodafone’s auditors.This included clearing an initial backlog of around 70 HOPs, plus ongoing BAU HOPs.This project lasted around two years.3) Vodafone Metro London third party HOP recovery. Working through Ericsson.Where Commscope took over a large number of sites from other suppliers, my role was to ensure the field staff understand the scope of the original job, and what is expected of them as their specific part of the ‘HOP recovery’.I also provided ‘on the day support’ and ensured the HOPs were submitted to a satisfactory standard to Vodafone’s auditors.This project lasted around 9 months.

Bristol

Health and Safety Lead, evolving into a HSQE role for project Beacon and other work.Delighted the customer (Huawei) over the Quality of our H & S documentation and reporting, in less than two months. 100% satisfaction in second month, after previously being typically between zero and 25%.

Supplied Quality orientated services to UK mobile phone networks and their suppliers.Customers included Airwave, O2 / Telefonica, Vodafone and ‘3’.Took TripleQ Ltd from ‘idea stage’, to a single team, to multiple on site teams, with clerical and management support. Managed all practical and financial aspects of the company.Defined and implemented our own Health and Safety policy, standards, and Risk Assessments, whilst respecting and working in conjunction with those of the customers and third party landlords. Landlords ranged from individuals to Multinational Corporations.Determined specific needs and implemented staff training, that included Working at Height, and Radiation Awareness; Making use of third party and internal training as appropriate.Ensured all work projects were profitable, delivered on time, and to a high standard.Won various auditing contracts; Defined and prioritised audit elements and Quality standards where requested, whilst following specific customer requirements where laid down. Auditing of contractors and subcontractors. Work covered all aspects from physical performance, to Radio Frequency performance, to staff and third party risks. Created and presented reports to the Network Operator, their contractors, and subcontractors.Created and implemented training courses for Network Operators, their contractors and subcontractors, both management and field staff, around new products.Personally requested by three different Network Operators, to provide management and audit process consultancy, where contractors, subcontractors and / or processes appeared to be underperforming.Won other contracts including major decommissioning program. Competitors for the contract included Arqiva and BT, who owned many of the sites involved, as well as smaller companies that were major suppliers to the Network Operator.Successfully troubleshooted fault conditions where other contractors had failed.

Based on more than 25 years experience in the mobile telecoms industry, and a few years before that working in fixed-line telecoms, I have authored two books on the subject of implementing Quality systems and processes. My first book ‘Awaken YOUR Quality culture’ is based on ‘common sense’ principles that are can be understood by anyone in an organisation. It is based on the premise that ‘Deep down, almost everyone wants to do a great job… In return, the main thing they want, is to feel appreciated for doing it…’ My second book ‘You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel…’, is intended to provide further support to those tasked with creating a business’s unique Quality systems. It aims to give a good review, and the relative merits of the recognised Quality tools and systems available. The current situationOver the last few years, Quality has become more and more ‘managed’, more and more specifications and requirements, more and more ‘boxes to tick’, and more and more KPIs! And less and less fun!How many man-hours are spent creating Quality, safety or other processes that are fundamentally ignored by those carrying the work, especially when the ‘boss’ or supervisor isn’t around?What use is a ‘process’ that is not adhered to? When a process is ignored or bypassed, is it the person in the wrong, or is it the process itself? Does there even need to be a formal process? Would guidelines or ‘limits’ be sufficient to allow staff to work more efficiently? And safely?The only other way to ensure that standards are maintained is by having someone permanently over seeing the work, and criticising when there is just one small deviation from the 'Rule Book'.The opportunityDoes Quality ‘Management’ have to be complicated? In many cases, I believe not. Is there an easier, more cost effective, and ultimately more rewarding alternative to achieving higher Quality? An alternative that also has other potentially enormous ‘side effects’?I believe there is...

Leading to nationwide responsibility for improving the Quality of antenna installations on all new sites and all upgrades, on both 2G and 3G Networks. Led team of five other Quality Engineers.Improved Quality and Safety in numerous ways with both immediate and long-term benefit. Improvements included increasing antenna alignment accuracy from 1% to 70% of installations with correct alignment. Further improvement was only impeded by the Company’s other priorities.Introduced regular face-to-face meetings (one-to-ones) and regular telephone communication with all external contractor Team Leaders and their teams – this involved a high turnover of approximately 150 individuals from around one dozen companies at any one time. Championed the cause that high Quality communication with any individual will raise the Quality of their workmanship. Clear communication is essential to create the opportunity to: ‘Get it right first time’. Prepared and presented practical installation issues and documentation requirements at various Quality seminars to Network Operator employees and to contractors. (Both managers and front line staff.)Primary role in defining the standards, methodologies and documentation for the installation, commissioning and auditing of the antenna systems. This was a continuous process under constant review as technical requirements and products were continually revised and updated.Instigated and prepared statistics for middle and senior management regarding contractor performance.Advised external contractors, consultants and internal engineers with regard antenna system maintenance related issues. Provided feedback and design assistance for Central Office specified products. For example: Towers and cabins.

Various

Various roles including:External Planning Statistics Group Extensive use of various computer packages including Excel, Supercalc and Informix (database coding Language) to create customised reports. Internal Works ControlSole responsibility for placing equipment orders for 90 Telephone Exchanges in South London during the mass rollout of Digital. (Typically ordering in excess of £100,000 of equipment per day.) This role included maintaining warehouse stock and controlling the movements of the local stores delivery driver. Telephone Exchange ConstructionControl of the MDF (Main Distribution Frame) records at Weybridge Telephone Exchange during the changeover to System X. Telephone Exchange MaintenanceRoutine testing, equipment maintenance, new-line provision, and liaising with numerous external staff.

South London

Completed full 3 year Telecommunication apprenticeship.

Hnc, Telecoms

Education record

12 ‘O’ Levels including Maths, English, Physics, Economics and Commerce

Education record