You may know them: the staredowns at boxing matches. Nobody wants to show their weakness, but once in the ring, sooner or later it turns out whether someone is well trained. The Walkdowns that ET Management and Advice is currently doing at W3 (Level 3) on the large Microsoft complex are no different and yet they are. This means that the imposing buildings look strong, but they will never automatically reveal any weaknesses a few days later. It takes months, if not years. The ET Management and Advice Walkdowns are therefore far from staredowns. On the contrary, the eyes are constantly moving in search of possible weaknesses and the ears are also alert to detect abnormal sounds.
The quality controls (QCs), which are an important part of the commissioning work at Microsoft’s server buildings, are versatile and comprehensive. The latter is partly because the complex is about fifteen hectares. Commissioning takes place per level to maintain concentration and to thoroughly inspect all facets of a building. This means from a structural inspection to checking electrical installations and from ventilation systems and the water supply to the control of raw materials, intermediate products and end products. Previously, ET Management and Advice completed all the checking and testing work for the W1 and W2.
By doing the Walkdowns in this way, limited and with repetition, deadlines are met – and that may sound contradictory but it is still true. During the realization phase, these quality rounds (Walkdowns) ultimately result in fewer failure costs.