At the beginning of the Covid-19 Lockdown it seemed that I will have a lot of additional time resulting from time usually spent on outside activities. At the end, I found out that in the process of transferring my work activities to their online version, I spent a lot of time learning and mastering the new way of doing things. Therefore, at least in my case, I had to skip some of the roadtests I would be interested in because I knew I would not be able to provide the report before the deadline. In one case, the Eaton PLC, I wrote almost the entire roadtest application, it remained only to write another two or three sentences detailing some steps of the road test but, because of other tasks, I missed the submision deadline.
Well, it hasn't been all negative for me. For one, with working from home arrangements, the time I save in commuting does provide some extra free time to use for testing and reviewing. The shipping of RoadTest items has been a bit affected, but other than that, the pandemic has not really had much of a negative impact on my participation.
To a certain extend getting parts for projects is getting more difficult, because demands have shifted (and manufacturing being impeded in some places does not help). For me its also that I have less time - shifting priorities at work mean I have more stress here, kid being at home during school times means I need to have a look now and then, and the whole situation is more stressful as such. OTOH doing a road test or other projects are a welcome distraction.
I agree - material procurement has become a major factor for me. The way I do road tests usually involves purchasing extra material beyond the supplied kit. I often order material before even knowing if I have been selected for the road test, but this tactic is expensive and still not enough to meet the schedule sometimes. So then you need backup plans. Ordering material in advance of being selected requires more than just an elevated interest in the product. You also have to be pretty sure that your proposal will be selected, which requires a lot of work.
COVID-19 has made the schedule for getting technology supplies rather difficult. I have a big concern when applying for RoadTests, that I will have the necessary supplies on hand to perform the review. If I require something then it is a wait and see game of when the stuff will arrive. Yeah the sites give you a timeline but I have personally not had much success on their dates.
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