The alignment of a 20,000 lbs. generator, in three dimensions, to tolerances of three hundredths of an inch, is incredibly demanding, physically, mentally, and technically. It requires heavy and fine tool skills, the ability to operate class II lasers, and experience to use the supporting computers, consoles, and software. Prior to having this process documented, it could take two years for a technician to learn to even attempt this task.
This work is performed in all weather conditions, in a wind turbine nacelle box at the top of ladders from 300-600 feet off the ground. I spent an entire day uptower with the technicians, taking the notes and photographs to research this process.
Once drafted, the procedure had to be approved by members of the Engineering, Field Operations, and Health and Safety departments, with revisions all through the process. It can take as many as twenty people to fully approve a document of this type, and every single one is an exercise in cross-functional project management. 450 of these were moved through this process by me and writers I trained and led during my tenure with this company, then published through proprietary software I designed and product managed.
This sample includes selected pages from the procedure only, and not the complete process, which runs to over 70 pages of heavy tooling instructions, software steps, and safety information. These low-resolution images are optimized for quick access, and do not represent the actual delivery quality.
