Arch - Standards Reflection Document – Infrastructure Technician

Apprentice Name: Daniel Concannon

Description of work:

In this project I will be detailing the procedure and tasks required to complete a full Evolution Voice
install. The physical aspect of the install lasted two weeks, with around another two weeks for the
prebuild. The install location was Marriott Marbella beach resort in Spain and I was tasked with the
programming and installation of the new cloud-based phone system.

Supporting Evidence:

I have provided an evidence folder with this project. Each is labelled ‘Evidence x’ and will be referred
to on these competencies.

Guidance: Remember to achieve pass, merit and distinction grades you need to reflect on the
standards with a focus on what you have done, how you have done it and with whom. Please use
the guidance in C1 for the how and with whom and apply it to the remaining competencies and
behaviours. The scope for this is provided in the tables in the appendix of this document.

Reflection on how standards have been met:

C1: Communication: works both independently and as part of a team and following the
organisations standards; competently demonstrating an ability to communicate both in writing
and orally at all levels, using a range of tools and demonstrating strong interpersonal skills and
cultural awareness when dealing with colleagues, customers and clients during all tasks.

You should be able to use a minimum of 3 tools to communicate

• Oral

• Face-to-face

• Remote

• Diagrammatic

You should be able to demonstrate and compile three different forms of written professional
correspondence and be able to explain 3 types of communication styles to ensure cultural
awareness and appropriateness for customer is taken into account.

Communication with customers, guests and colleagues. Different levels of communication are
required based on who you are speaking to and the platform you are speaking on.

On the first morning we made our introductions to the management and let him know an
overview of what would be going on. When speaking to the manager I ensured to be polite and
courteous, to inform him what our plan of action was, the time scale, and our predictions for
interruptions to service or anything that would affect him and his job and the running of the hotel.
I also had to be sure to not be too technical when speaking, knowing the manager didn’t and
didn’t need to know how everything works, just the details that would affect him.
Arch - Standards Reflection Document – Infrastructure Technician

We then met the hotels IT team, these were the IT managers for the vacation club brand and
would be assisting us in ensuring everything on the network side was configured correctly, as we
did not have access. Speaking to the IT team I knew I had to approach this in a different manner to
speaking to the manager. The IT team were technically involved and therefore I could go into
technical detail about everything we would be doing, what we needed them to do on their part of
the system to allow our equipment to work. It is important to remain polite, but I did not need to
be as formal as with the manager as we would be working with the IT team day in and out, so it is
possible to build a working friendship; however, it is important to understand they are still
customers and need to be treated as such.

On reflection, I believe I could’ve communicated with the manager more throughout the install to
keep him up to date. We did provide updates when we ran into him or something that would have
effect on operation would happen, but it may have been beneficial to actively seek out the
manager and let him know what was happening and where we were up to more times that I did.
(see Evidence 1)

Another form of communication that was important in this install, as well as in my day to day
work is email. Email is important for several reasons. It leaves a trail of evidence that you cannot
get from a phone call. Sometimes a customer will request something and if they don’t like it will
claim they never asked for it. When making changes or adding things that aren’t easily changed
back, or cost them money, it is important to always get email confirmation, so you have evidence
of the request. Email is also important it is easy to keep the customer up to date and informed of
progress. You can send screenshots, lists of completed objectives, and you can CC everyone in the
email who is involved in the project, meaning you do not have to make multiple phone calls to
update everyone. An example of this is me sending an updated testing sheet to my installation
colleagues and project manager so everyone was up to date on what had been tested and what
was left to test. (See Evidence 2)

C2: IT Security: Demonstrates the necessary skills and behaviours to securely operate across all
platforms and areas of responsibilities in line with organisational guidance, legislation.

You must be able to demonstrate how you comply with organisational security processes and
how they would recognised and escalate issues and to locate and follow policies and legislation.

To be able to access the communications room at the hotel where all the network and phone
system was set up and stored, we had to sign out a key every morning at the security hut and had
to sign it back in every day after we were finished using the room. We also had to ensure the
communications room door was always locked, whether we were in or out of the room. This was
to keep in line with the security policies of the hotel.

It was also imperative to ensure my laptop is always locked when I am not using it, especially
whilst on an install. My laptop contains sensitive information that needs to be kept secure in line
with our company guide lines, as well as data protection laws, as I have applications open that
may contain hotel guest data.

C3: Remote Infrastructure: Effectively operates a range of mobile devices and securely add
them to a network in accordance with organisations policies and procedures.
Arch - Standards Reflection Document – Infrastructure Technician

You must demonstrate how to securely connect a minimum of two different types of devices
(e.g. laptop/mobile) to access the organisation’s network services (e.g. email, files,
applications).

To gain access to our equipment remotely once we have left site, or whilst on site but not
connected to the network, we need to ensure our Marriott VPN and Remote desktop was
configured to allow us to browse to reach our equipment. To do this I needed to allow it on the
Marriott multi-layer protocol switches firewall to allow access through the Marriott remote
desktop servers as a company we do not have access to this, so we had to ask Marriott to
configure it for us. Once this was confirmed I could connect to our devices to make changes and
fix problems remotely. To connect using this method I first needed to open the VPN client. Once
the correct details were inserted into the configuration side of the client, such as the IP address,
user name and password of the VPN, which are provided by Marriott, I was then able to securely
connect to a host server using a remote desktop connection.

To connect to the host server, I needed to open the remote desktop connection and input the IP
address of the server or host computer. I was then be prompted for a username and password.
Once these are inserted I was connected to the server and was able use this remote desktop to
browse to our equipment, using the documented information we have about the IP address,
username and password of our own equipment. These are standardised by us for each install (see
Evidence 4)

C4: Data: effectively records, analyses and communicates data at the appropriate level using the
organisation’s standard tools and processes and to all stakeholders within the responsibility of
the position.

You must be able to select and securely use three appropriate tools when working with and
analysing data.

On every installation we do, there is a template ‘Master Document’. This is an excel sheet that
contains tabs on every aspect of the install. This document is uploaded to the sites specific folder
on SharePoint, which allowed us to consistently keep it up to date as we went on. As the excel
document is uploaded to an online platform, it means that any changes made are live, and the
document is updated for everyone. This is a very useful feature as it meant everyone had up to
date information. An example of this would be the ‘New Hardware IP Details’ tab. This tab
contains information on what hardware is installed (not including the phones themselves), IP
addresses of the equipment, usernames, passwords, and locations. Having this information live
updated as it was configured meant that all engineers could retrieve the information and connect
to the equipment no matter where they were on site, helping resolve issues and re-configure as
needed. (see evidence 5)

A tool I used to analyse if a phone was registered, diagnose and troubleshoot issues and gather
call flow and IP information is ‘Palladion’. Palladion is an operations monitoring tool created by
Oracle that allows me to monitor all phones connected to the server our phones use to register.
There are two of these servers, one for Europe and one for America. The tool uses wireshark
(packet analyser) and port mirroring and puts into a clean user-friendly client, allowing me to
filter out what I need.
Arch - Standards Reflection Document – Infrastructure Technician

One example of me using this whilst on the installation was to see why a phone was registered
and could make calls, but no sound could be heard. I used to the tools ‘user tracking’ tool to get
more information on the device. I then put the users sip profile name into the search bar, knowing
that the phone was registered as it could make call I knew it would be visible through the tool.
The tool then shows me information such as IP address, WAN IP address, device type etc. Using
this information, I was able to determine that the phone was in the wrong VLAN, one not meant
for VOIP phones, which meant the voice packets couldn’t reach the other phones it was making
calls to and therefore no sound was produced. I knew the VLAN was incorrect as I was aware if
the IP addressing scheme this brand of Marriott uses, and this device was in the wrong subnet
based on this. After diagnosing the issue, I informed the Marriott IT technician to tag the port in
the correct VLAN for VOIP phones which then resolved the problem (see evidence 7)

C5: Problem solving: applies structured techniques to common and non-routine problems,
testing methodologies and troubleshooting and analyses problems by selecting the digital
appropriate tools and techniques in line with organisation guidance and to obtain the relevant
logistical support as required.

You must be able to select and use three appropriate tools for testing, troubleshooting and
analysing problems, and be able to demonstrate compliance with organisational guidance.
Finally you should demonstrate processes and practices for obtaining logistical support.

Not all phones worked the way they were supposed to, and throughout the task there were
different reasons as to why this was, and it required troubleshooting to work out and then fix.
Some ports the phones weren’t patched into the switch. It was easy to notice this because the
phones would not boot up from POE. To combat this, I got the keys for the communications room
in that part of the resort, found the patch panel the port went back to, and patched it into a free
port on the switch. The phone would then boot up, however I then had to ask the IT team to
ensure the port was configured in the VOIP VLAN to allow the phone to collect the correct IP
address and be able to register.

On reflection I think I could have asked the customer to ensure all ports were patched in prior to
me putting the phones out, avoiding the issue entirely. As this was my first install it was a good to
learn from and keep in mind for future projects.

I was tasked with adding a few new bases to a true Ascom Dect system (as opposed to WiFi DECT).
Neither myself or my colleagues were familiar with this system, but having dealt with similar
systems in the past, I took it upon myself to try and figure it out. See Evidence 8 for the process I
went through.

C6: Workflow management: works flexibly and demonstrates the ability to work under pressure
to progress allocated tasks in accordance with the organisation’s reporting and quality systems.

You must be able to demonstrate the ability to prioritise workflow and manage allocated tasks
and be able to record tasks and comply with organisations quality processes.

During this installation, I was able to demonstrate my ability to work flexibility and under pressure
by agreeing to work overtime when necessary. This included spending most of my Saturday
continuing working on the installation to ensure everything was ready for the cutover point of the
new system on the upcoming Monday. (See evidence 6)
Arch - Standards Reflection Document – Infrastructure Technician

C7: Health and Safety: Interprets and follows IT legislation to securely and professional work
productively in the work environment.

You must be able to demonstrate their interpretation and secure working practices in
accordance with IT legislation and demonstrate an understanding and apply Health & Safety
policies to every day work.

As Part of my company’s health and safety procedures, a risk assessment is made by the Project
Manager and the relevant clothing is required based on this. As I was working on site and handling
equipment, I was allocated a high visibility vest, ear plugs, and goggles. I myself only needed to
use the goggles to ensure dust didn’t get in my eye whilst moving around in small, cramped dusty
areas were the krone strips were located. See Evidence 11

C8: Performance: Optimises the performance of hardware, software and Network Systems and
services in line with business requirements.

You must be able to demonstrate how to configure a minimum of three pieces of hardware and
configure three different types of software in line with business requirements.

During the prebuild and on the install, I was given the opportunity to configure various types of
hardware and software. I will list a few of these below and provide evidence in my evidence folder
of how I was able to configure each one.

MDF (main distribution frame) - Some installs conduct the tapping out of the old system before
the install begins. In this install it was to be conducted on site. To do this we set up a phone in the
communications room; this is the room containing all the network and phone equipment, and
where our new equipment would be being set up. I spent a large portion of the two weeks in this
room. To access this room, we had to fulfil a security procedure by visiting the guard hut, signing
out the key and then signing it back in at the end of the day. We also had to ensure the
communications door was locked when no one was inside. Once the phone is set up, we used a
butt phone, insert it into each pair on a krone strip, check for dial tone, and if there is, call the
phone in comms room and see what number comes up. We then detail this out on an excel
document for the entirety of the krone strips, and we can then program our Vega in the correct
order. – see evidence 12
Once the tap out is completed, we connected the old krone panel to our new one, and then
attached each pair from our Amphenol cable to the panel in the order of 1-50. There are 50 pairs
on an Amphenol cable and 50 ports on a Vega so once this is reached, you start with a new
Amphenol cable and a new Vega until all bedrooms are wired. We can then plug the other end of
the Amphenol cable into our Vega’s (once programmed) and the bedroom phones will work,
providing the Vega is registered. This is based on the Vega configuration being correct and the
network details on the Vega being correct based on the network set up. This whole process alone
took around 4 days as there were around 400 bedrooms. I jumpered about half of these wires
until I was given the task of starting to put out the admin phones.

Ascom DECT system (hardware) – Within C5 (evidence 8)

EV one client (software) - The EV one client is an Mobile phone application that allows you to sign
in with your user account. This meant that the users who bought this were able to make internal
calls from their mobile, have calls charged to the hotel and have people contact their mobile
phone via a work DDI; it is the same has having a desk phone, but it is located on your mobile
device. It can also be linked to a desk phone so that they will ring at the same time. See Evidence
Arch - Standards Reflection Document – Infrastructure Technician

9 for how I configured this whilst on the installation. I took it upon myself to program these as I
normally work on the tech support desk and had a lot of knowledge on how these work and how
they are programmed, whereas the other engineers were unfamiliar.

Akixi reporting (software) – As part of the installation, the call center required call reporting so
that they could monitor details of calls, to ensure the best customer service. For this, the software
needed to be configured. See Evidence 10 for how I did this.

C9: Can explain the correct processes associated with WEEE (the Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment Directive).

You must be able to explain how to comply when required with WEEE and the implications of
data protection during disposal.

What: Explain what you did and how you believe it demonstrated the standard.

How:

With whom:

Reflection: Was the outcome as expected? What would you do differently?

Summary of how you showed underpinning skills knowledge and behaviours when completing

Practical work for the competencies above.

B1: Logical and creative thinking skills – C5

B2: Analytical and problem-solving skills – C4 + C5 evidence

B3: Ability to work independently and to take responsibility- C1

B4: Can use own initiative: C5 Evidence

B5: A thorough and organised approach – C4 evidence

B6: Ability to work with a range of internal and external people - C1 Evidence

B7: Ability to communicate effectively in a variety of situations – C1 Evidence

B8: Maintain productive, professional and secure working environment -

Appendix: Achieving merit and distinction grades

Merit and distinction

Apprentices are further measured by What, How and With Whom

- The What: what the apprentice has shown they can do

- The How: the way in which the work has been done

- The with whom: the personal and interpersonal qualities the apprentice has brought to all their
work relationships

The Grading Decision

The purpose of grading is to differentiate between those apprentices whose work is at the expected
level of quality against the totality of the skills, knowledge and behaviours specified in the standard
and those whose work is significantly above this expected level.
- For a pass, each of the three sets of criteria must demonstrate at least the expected
(minimum requirement) level of quality
- For a merit, the What has to be significantly above the level of quality and one of either the
How or the With Whom has to be significantly above the level of quality expected
- For a distinction, each of the three sets of criteria must be significantly above the expected
level of quality
The assessor takes a holistic judgement of whether or not their assessments demonstrate that the
apprentice is “significantly above the expected level of quality” in each of these three areas and can
then determine which grade should be awarded

The what: breadth, depth and complexity

Dimension Description of what significantly above the

expected level of quality looks like
Breadth – the range of tools and methods Understands and applies a wide range of tools
understand and applied and methods

Accurately and appropriately applies and

effectively implements the right tools and
methods in a variety of different situations

Depth – the level to which these tools and A sophisticated user - fully exploits the
methods are understood and applied functionality/capability of the tools and
methods

Extensive and deep understanding of different

tools and methods and how and why they can
be applied in different contexts

Complexity – the extent and prevalence of Deals confidently and capably with interrelated
inter-related and interdependent factors in the and interdependent factors in their work
work and how well the apprentice has dealt
with these

Continued on next page…

Appendix: Achieving merit and distinction grades
The how: how the work has been done, responsibility, initiative and delivery focus
Dimension
Responsibility – the scope of responsibility and
level of accountability demonstrated in the
apprentices work
Initiative
Delivery focus – the extent to which the
apprentice has shown they can grasp the
problems, identify solutions and make them
happen to meet client needs
Continued on next page…
Description of what significantly above the
expected level of quality looks like
Undertakes work that is more complex, more
critical or more difficult
Works independently and takes high level of
responsibility
Independently demonstrates an ability to
extend or enhance their approach to work and
the quality of outcomes
Doesn’t just solve the problem but explores
creative or innovative options to do it better,
more efficiently, more elegantly or to better
meet customer needs
Shows good project management skills, in
defining problem, identifying solutions and
making them happen
Demonstrates a disciplined approach to
execution, harnessing resources effectively
Drives solutions – with a strong goal focused
and appropriate level of urgency
Appendix: Achieving merit and distinction grades
The with whom: with whom the work has been done, scope and appropriateness, reliability and
being a role model
Dimension
Scope and appropriateness – the range of
internal and external people and situations that
the apprentice has engaged appropriately and
effectively with
Reliability – the extent to which they perform
and behave professionally
A role model and exemplar to others
END OF DOCUMENT.
Description of what significantly above the
expected level of quality looks like
Internally – works alone, 1:1, in a team and
with colleagues at all levels
Externally – works with customers, suppliers
and partners in a variety of situations
Reads situations, adapts behaviours, and
communicates appropriately for the situation
and the audience
Can be trusted to deliver, perform and behave
professionally, manages and delivers against
expectations, proactively updates colleagues
and behaves in line with the highest values and
business ethics
Actively inspires and leads others, takes others
with them, leads by example