OUR SERVICES
Powerful Distribution Designer Development
1X1 Designer Coaching
We offer one-on-one designer development coaching and training. We will work with you in person, on a call, and video conference. Our 6-month program will set a designer up with the fundamentals for developing a successful career.
There are many benefits to working 1×1. We can customize a plan of attack together, and alter things as we go because there’s just one student to consider. It’s easier to set goals, work on trouble areas, and break up training into smaller, customized chunks and adjust the speed of instruction to suit the student’s learning style and needs.
Small Group Education
Our designer development group program may be ideal for teams who have 2-4 new designers. A reduced student-instructor ratio allows us to connect with individuals, reinforce concepts and assess comprehension.
Benefits of Small-Group Instruction
- Individualized Learning – Allows the instructor to evaluate students’ learning strengths and tailor lessons to them.
- Confidence – The 1×1 attention received from small-group instruction activities can boost the confidence of students who may otherwise have a hard time joining the conversation.
- Opportunity for feedback – There is more time for students to ask questions, and it promotes feedback that may not be possible in a large class setting.
- Collaboration – Small group activities encourage teamwork and inclusivity. Everyone participates and is working toward the same goal.
Powerful Quality Assurance
Behind every great designer, is a great Quality Assurance & Quality Control program supporting them. Civetta offers professional, efficient QAQC services for electric distribution designs and construction work order packages.
Our QAQC program philosophy is a bit different than most. We like to use quality check comments and markups for positive teaching opportunities, instead of, “Here are my markups, in red ink, that shows all of the mistakes you made.”
There is research that suggests that the use of a red pen may convey unintentional negative emotions. So, for starters, we use blue or green for our design markups. A meaningful explanation and clear direction should also accompany every quality design check that goes back to a new designer.
Powerful Design Team Development
The Growing Need For Distribution Teams
SDG&E is projected to contract out a very large amount of distribution design work over the next several years, and they need qualified contract design resources to get it all done.
Civetta is the only experienced distribution consulting firm in San Diego offering custom services to innovative companies looking to invest in design team development. Do you have an existing team you’d like to start developing to offer distribution design services? Are you looking to start up a new distribution group to help meet SDG&E’s needs?
Design Team Development Planning Phases
- DISCOVERY & EVALUATION – Client Q&A discovery meetings, team skill set & capability assessment, time investment preferences & commitments, learning styles & preferences, create an action plan for next steps. Learn More
- MINI BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT – Based on discovery & evaluation phase; develop a team structure with responsibilities, an education plan for overall distribution process & procedures for all team members, determine the appropriate design training program & duration, short and long term goal setting. Recurring planning meetings.
- DEVELOPMENT PLAN PRESENTATION – Present and discuss a documented plan with the client, make revisions as necessary. Incorporate client’s goals and decisions from the plan development stage. Education plan – 1×1 coaching? Small group training? Online training? How often? 2 times per week? How many hours per session? Length of program – On-going limits? 6-months? 12-months?
- MATERIALS & DOCUMENTATION – Document final development plan. Provide additional process and procedures documentation guidance, provide other design training materials and documentation as required.
- ENGAGEMENT, IMPLEMENTATION & TRAINING – Share final development plan with the team. Implement a schedule for distribution process & procedures and design training and begin coaching and training program!
OUR VALUES
1. We value the coaching process.
Yes, Civetta was formed to provide electric distribution design training and guidance for navigating SDG&E’s many ambiguous contract design processes. But, we believe the coaching process is how you support and empower designers to fully reach their goals. Being completely present and by asking meaningful questions, a designer can uncover their true strengths and challenges and realize how much they already know. Coaching can help shift a designer’s perspective and help them discover different approaches to solve problems and accomplish goals. This process helps build confidence.
2. We believe in honesty.
We are authentic, real (laid back) distribution design nerds. We’re less about suits, ties and business speak and more about getting down to business and speaking the truth about the industry, best practices and how to navigate SDG&E’s contract design program. Oh and honestly, I swear a lot. Like a truck driver. Just telling it like it is.
We believe being real with yourself about your current skill set will get you further faster. Designers progress more quickly when they don’t pretend to know more than they really do. It’s common for people to want to impress their instructor or boss by demonstrating they “know things”, but that isn’t beneficial to real progress. If you decide to invest in your career growth by working with a coach, you’ll need to check your ego at the door. Here’s why: We’re willing to take the necessary time to understand your strengths and challenges and meet you exactly where you are in your design career … without judgment. We want you to feel secure in conversation and when asking any and all questions. Trust is a must.
3. We value quality.
When a design team leader prioritizes the number of projects they take on over the actual ability to produce quality work, they risk A LOT. Team members tend to unravel when under unreasonable, unnecessary pressure, especially designers who haven’t had enough training and mentoring. When asked and expected to produce an unreasonable quantity of work that they don’t know how to do, novice designers can experience stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, contempt and of course unhappiness. And guess what? If that goes on too long – those employees will find a new place to work, likely a competitor who values employee development and quality work. Yes, those companies are out there.
Investing in quality is where it’s at! This is key to the success of a designer and their team.
We believe the “quality vs. quantity” model should be understood and valued. Design team leads should prioritize the investment in the development of their employee’s skill set if they want their team to be productive, happy and respected. Designers are happier and more motivated when they are confident in their abilities and know they bring value. Skilled designers want to take on more work, continue learning AND provide a quality product to their client.
Unlock Your Potential
Civetta wants to help you unlock your potential and be awesome! (not that you’re not awesome already, but don’t you want to be an awesome designer too)?
We want you to have confidence in your work and definitely want you to be happy doing it. We can show you how to provide a quality product, meet a demanding schedule, be a valuable teammate, get respect from your boss and clients and earn that raise!