I haven't been on in a while, good to read the replies though.
We have 2 and 3 man crews, we have a couple electric over hydro diggers where the controls are stationary to the truck and 3 remote diggers. So sometimes we have enough people for one to operate controls and 2 to plumb, but if you do it the way I say you only need 2 for stationary controls and 1 for remote.
I love the remotes because then I can stand where I want and work the controls at the same time. I'd love if everyone found something else to do while I'm setting poles, but it rarely works out that way. Everyone is standing around and everyone has their own opinion of what should be happening and most are higher in seniority than me. Today I worked with two crew leaders on one crew. One knows linework, the other does not. Broken pole and I had it in the claws to bring it up straight when one tells me to put a chain around it and let it out of the claws then I had to fumble **** around with it to get it somewhat straight. Half way up the other in-charge (the good one) is asking what we're doing and why isn't it in the claws. Great question. Just following orders.
Anyway... I'm really glad the company isn't stringent at all when it comes to these things (honestly I don't think they care if it's quality work.) We don't have to record who plumbed the pole and we don't have surveyors leaving markers that we have to be so close too.
If you plumb a pole any other way than in line with boom and 90 then any move you make one direction will have an affect on the other direction as well. It's simple geometry. Say you're at 45s to the boom... standing at point A you want some sting out that will be 50% efficient for what you want, but it will also throw the other plumb off by 50%. 45 is half of 90... 90=100%, so 45=50%.
Now I'm off to get some barrels and fill them with water to put on all the trucks. ;-)