De-mining Operations Management Activities

The core objectives for operations remain:

Land Release; and

Productivity

Survey capacity will be applied to ‘re-survey’ existing data in order to reduce the scale of the mine/UXO problem. Area reduction and cancellations will further accelerate the Land Release process.

Clearance operations will be machine heavy – it is likely that the bulk of the Manual capacity will be working in direct support of the machines.

The program will aim to release land for entire communities rather than tackle the work in a piecemeal fashion. All DA's will therefore be addressed within these wider boundaries. The following project areas have been identified:

· Jonglei (JS)

· Bele / Bungu, Juba County, CEQ

· Loka Payam, Lainya County, CEQ

· Kenyi, Lainya County, CEQ

· Yei County, CEQ

· Morobo County, CEQ

That means most of the operations is concentrated in Central Equatoria

Land Release

As stated above - the success of the program will be judged by the routine handover of cleared land, subsequently proven to have had a positive impact in terms of recovery and development in South Sudan.

Efforts will be made by Program and Operational Management to ensure that this remains the emphasis of the program.

Productivity

It is accepted that Manual productivity is down in the past – this is a reflection of the reduced number of barrier minefields and the constraints of National Technical Guidelines safety distances. Team re-organization is therefore being applied and is explained below. The mechanical productivity is almost as high as 200 which is significant achievement bearing in mind the NPA Mine Wolf was on task in Rwanda in the second half of the year. Fortunately, UNMAO requested NPA to work in partnership with the UNMAO Mine Wolf during the months of heavy rains on July to October

During 2009 the program is aiming to land release.

Mechanical operations

Mechanical operations are the cornerstone of program productivity. The program currently has two machines: one Mine Wolf 370 (flail/tiller) and one Bagger (armored excavator with tiller). A Mini Mine Wolf will arrive into the program thin this year.

The Casspir and Rhino Mine-Protected Vehicles (MPVs) will be employed in 4 different activities: 1. Route Survey; 2. Site access / Site preparation. 3. General Survey; 4. Support to Mine Wolf assets – observation and standby recovery/evacuation.

Manual De-mining

The Manual capacity is being re-organized into an 8 team structure. Each team will be staffed by a Team Leader, one 2IC and six de-miners. The manual de-miners are likely to be largely engaged with machine visual follow-up, clearance of those areas that have a confirmed presence of mines and lastly, verification. These operations raise the need for Site Managers in order to achieve the best integration between machines and Manual Teams.

A number of tasks have been identified where the Manual Teams can operate independently but this is dependent on high quality survey information including SAF minefield records.

Survey

The Survey teams will engage in General Survey activities – including Re-Survey – Route Survey and Task Impact Assessment.

EOD capacity will be deployed with Survey Teams wherever possible – or in relative proximity.

Battle Area Clearance and EOD

As with the Manual capacity, the BAC team will be re-organized into two smaller units. The newly-established teams will be staffed by a Team Leader, one 2IC and six operators.

The two EOD teams will work in support of Survey and Clearance operations. In addition they will work on AXO and stockpile tasks as required. A third EOD team will be established as of June 2009.

Learning Practice

My name is Batali Gabriel Modi, I work for Norwegian People's Aid Mine Action Program as an Operations Manager and I'm writing the text to tell the readers about the happenings and how do the program progress in terms of its operations of making the country free from mine so that the area can be safe for settling the displaced/returnees and continue with their agricultural/developmental activities.

To describe my practice in the field of mine action, I have to do the following;

• Assessment of the risks through survey and
  
• sensitization of the community on the dangers and effects of mines in a particular location through mine Risk Education
  
• Possible doing clearance of the danger areas for the safety of the community
• Management of the personnel involved in MRE/Clearance of Mines and UXO's

Improvement of my practice is by working as a group

• understanding our goals/objectives,
  
• respect of individual values,
  
• religion and gender sensitivity etc;

Plan for the finance/logistics and the deployment of the assets for the different tasks.
In general I have to be good in planning the activities on the daily/weekly/monthly and annual basis and good in interpersonal relationship with the communities I'm working in.

DON’T GET PERSONAL

In office politics, you’ll get angry with people. It happens. There will be times when you feel the urge to give that person a piece of your mind and teach him a lesson. Don’t.

People tend to remember moments when they were humiliated or insulted. Even if you win this argument and get to feel really good about it for now, you’ll pay the price later when you need help from this person. What goes around comes around, especially at the work place.

To win in the office, you’ll want to build a network of allies which you can tap into. The last thing you want during a crisis or an opportunity is to have someone screw you up because they harbor ill-intentions towards you - all because you’d enjoyed a brief moment of emotional outburst at their expense.

Another reason to hold back your temper is your career advancement. Increasingly, organizations are using 360 degree reviews to promote someone.

Even if you are a star performer, your boss will have to fight a
political uphill battle if other managers or peers see you as someone who is difficult to work with. The last thing you’ll want is to make it difficult for your boss to champion you for a promotion.

Our Learning group

Our group consist of Nsubuga Darius (R) working in carpentry dept NPA Vocational Training Center Yei, Me as the Operations Manager NPA Mine Action, Kenyi of NPA Agriculture Yei and our only lady in the group Ms Nasra Rejoice Hillary (L) being the Exams Secretary NPA Yei Vocational Training Center.
We had fruitful discussion in our learning group dialogue and came up by knowing each other, brainstorming together on how to improve our practice, challenges we face in our field of operations, influence of environment to the learning system and individual, planning as tool for success.

Also we discussed the way forward of facilitating the learning for our New Generation issue

Lastly I would like to thank all those with whom we participated together to continue the spirit of togetherness to build our country - Sudan. Wish you all the best in your different locations

Cheers

What do I want to Improve My Practice as Mine Action Operations Manager in south Sudan

As a mine action Operations Manager I need to establish myself to be familiar with the following

• More experience in mine action clearance activities
• Experience from Mine Clearance
• experience as trainer
• Profound knowledge of international standards and regulations for Mine Action
• A realistic and objective approach to new technologies and methodologies
• Good understanding of the inter cultural challenges in an international working environment
• Excellent cooperating ability, both with national and international personnel
• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to meet deadlines and work calmly under pressure
• I have to understand the day to day responsibility for implementation and priority setting of the mine action operations
• Take more responsibility for producing and updating the operational plan (survey and clearance)
• Produce Implementation Plans before operations start
• Implement the NPA Land Release and Task Impact Assessment methodologies in Sudan
• I have to make sure that the priorities set in the work plan is followed, and otherwise practice a sound evaluation of priorities on emerging tasks
• Ensure efficient coordination of work and resources internally through chairing regular operational meetings
• Contribute to, ensure and appreciate that capacity building and sharing of knowledge remains a high priority
• Aim to better target resources and work towards an enhancement of the effective planning process, so that mine- and UXO clearance is carried out as effectively and safely as possible

FOCUS ON YOUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

At work, there are often issues which we have very little control over.
It’s not uncommon to find corporate policies, client demands or boss mandates which affects your personal interests. Bitching and complaining are common responses to these events that we cannot control. But think about it, other than that short term emotional outlet, what tangible results does bitching really accomplish? In most instances, none.

Instead of feeling victimized and angry about the situation, focus on the things that you can do to influence the situation - your circle of influence. This is a very empowering technique to overcome the feeling of helplessness. It removes the victimized feeling and also allows others to see you as someone who knows how to operate within given constraints. You may not be able to change or decide on the eventual outcome, but you can walk away knowing that you have done the best within the given circumstances.

Constraints are all around in the workplace; with this approach, your boss will also come to appreciate you as someone who is understanding and positive.

My Personal Information

Name: Batali Gabriel Modi
Age: 42 years
Occupation: Operations Manager
Organisation: NPA Mine Action