Engineering Management Institute

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Good Engineers Practice: Skills to Advance Your Career

By

This is a guest post by Kyle K. Cheerangie, P.E.
Practice

As a younger engineer I occasionally spent time doing the wrong things. My eagerness caused me to accept tasks and work with unconfirmed assumptions. This lead to repeat work and disappointment from my mangers. My focus was on activity, not results.

Keeping a journal helped me learned that I was spending much of my time doing tasks that did not contribute to my team. The best engineers perform the necessary tasks and delegate or eliminate the unnecessary.

Practice

For example, spending weeks to create a report with multiple iterations for comments and changes, when a simple technical memorandum would suffice. Young engineers typically experience challenges like this one and most managers don’t have the heart to say, “No! This is not what I want.”

Learn and practice these skills to improve: 

[Read more…]

TCEP 104: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of Transportation

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Autonomous VehiclesIn episode 104 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I am taking you with me to the offices of AECOM to talk with Anthony Attanasio, B.A, Vice President and Senior Program Manager at AECOM. We’ll discuss his career which has spanned both the public and private sectors, and we also talk about connected and autonomous vehicles, and what to expect in the short and long terms.

Engineering Quotes:

Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous Vehicles

Here are some of the questions I ask Anthony Attanasio:

[Read more…]

Who Are Quantity Surveyors and Why Are They Important?

By

This is a guest post by Mike Johnston
Quantity Surveyors

Civil engineering is a discipline many people are not really familiar with. This is a real shame since civil engineering impacts our society so much. Namely, it comprises various professions, including structural, geotechnical, environmental, water resources, construction management, and transportation engineers.

One particularly interesting area is quantity surveying, a profession that blends engineering, construction, and economics. The emphasis is on the last part, albeit there are many other tasks that these experts perform.

Word up

To avoid any confusion, let us just provide a quick clarification of terminology.

Those who live in Canada or the US might have heard the term construction cost estimator.  On the other hand, a quantity surveyor is widely used in countries like UK and Australia. The roles of the two are more or less similar depending on the region. For instance, a construction cost estimator in the US is equivalent to a quantity surveyor in the UK, even though there are some extra requirements for each one.

Sometimes, the terms cost managers and cost consultants get thrown around. But, in this article, we are going to use only quantity surveyor, though in a broader sense that transcends local and project-to-project differences.

What do surveyors do?

[Read more…]

How to Use the PSI Framework to Sell Yourself in a Job Interview

By

How to Use the PSI Framework is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee
PSI

PSI stands for more than just “pounds per square inch” when inflating tires. It also stands for a meaningful way to enhance your value to a potential new or existing employer, especially during job interviews.

The PSI framework is also a great method you can use on the job to sell a project, product or idea to just about anyone. It’s an amazing tool to convince engineering leaders and managers that there is a problem needing to be addressed and that your solution is the best way to fix the issue.

P – Problem

[Read more…]

TECC 188: Taking Action – A Bike Ride for Sustainability

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Sustainability

In this episode, I speak with Professor Jim Tinjum, who is the Associate Chair of the Department of Engineering Professional Development at University of Wisconsin-Madison. We talk about his roughly 1300-mile, 14-day bike trip across the Upper Midwest and what made him decide to take this bike ride for sustainability.

Engineering Quotes:

Sustainability

Sustainability

Here are the top 10 reasons why Jim decided embark on a bike ride for sustainability:

[Read more…]

TCEP 103: A Field Trip to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Conference

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Port AuthorityIn episode 103 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I am bringing you with me to the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Conference where I will be talking with several guests to get their view on the state of Infrastructure, but also tools and strategies you can use on your projects.   From smart landscaping features that serves as safe barriers to things you should know about disaster recovery when designing your projects, and even a software that will help you ensure that all parties on your projects are looking at the latest version of the project plans.  The conference was presented by Engineering News-Record (ENR).

Here are some of the question I asked our guests at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Conference:

  • What should engineers be aware of in terms of new landscaping products for infrastructure projects?
  • Tell us what disaster recovery means for designers in the A/E/C industry?
  • What are some of the things you can do to alleviate the challenges behind project document coordination?
  • How can civil engineers and project managers work on their people skills?
  • What is your opinion of the importance people-management in project management?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Conference:

[Read more…]

TCEP 102: Why Civil Engineers Should Get Involved in Government Policy

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

PolicyIn episode 102 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I speak with Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, a Project Engineer focusing on water resources, specifically watershed management and coastal restoration. We discuss government policy and its importance in civil engineering, and why all civil engineers should in some way get involved in policy.

Engineering Quotes:

Policy

Policy

Here are some of the questions I ask Jennifer

[Read more…]

Have You Heard of the S.O.A.R Method?

By

Have You Heard of the S.O.A.R Method is a guest blog by Thomas Anderson, P.E.

S.O.A.R

How do you prepare for an interview? Do you read typical questions that the employer might ask? Do you practice artful responses? The S.O.A.R. Answer Method is helpful for preparing for interview questions and it keeps you focused on the discussion while you are answering.

This answer method works well on interview questions 11 and 15 on an article called Top 20 Interview Questions and How to Answer

The S.O.A.R. Method Explained:

[Read more…]

From Civil Engineer to Manager – Anthony Fasano Featured on Recent ASCE Interchange Video

By

Engineering Management Institute (EMI) President Anthony Fasano, P.E. was recently featured in an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Interchange Video entitled From Civil Engineer to Manager.  ASCE Interchange is a multi-part series of educational videos on important issues in the engineering community produced by ASCE.

In each monthly 6- to 7-minute segment, Casey Dinges, ASCE’s senior managing director of public affairs, membership, and marketing, engages experts and other leading voices in interviews from the studios of LAI Video in Washington, DC.

Here is Fasano’s full October 2018 ASCE Interchange video…

In this video Fasano answers the following questions:

  1. Civil engineers at most firms, usually early in their careers, must decide whether they want to take the technical path or the management path. How does an engineer decide or know which way they should go?
  2. If the civil engineer has decided they want to take the management path, what are some ways the engineer can show their boss they are ready to manage?
  3. What skills do you think a civil engineer must have to be a manager? Of those, which three skill do you think are the most important?
  4. If they don’t have these skills, how can they develop these skills?
  5. What’s the difference between a manager and a leader?
  6. Are there any good books or podcasts you’d recommend that provide more insight into managing?

This is Fasano’s second ASCE Interchange Video.  His first, which published in January of 2016 here, covered recruiting and hiring trends in civil engineering and has had over 11,000 views to date.

About Engineering Management Institute, Inc. – Engineering Management Institute, Inc. is a coaching and training company based in Ridgewood, New Jersey.  Founded in 2009, Engineering Management Institute has inspired thousands of engineers through its various content channels which include written articles, podcasts and videos.  The company and its founder has been cited on many major media outlets including CNN, Mashable, and mostly recently Forbes.

 

TECC 187: Goal Setting for Engineers Based on One Engineer’s Proven Process

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Goal Setting for EngineersIn this episode, I talk with Adam Zach, PE, a project engineer at an environmental engineering firm in Grand Forks, North Dakota. We talk about the importance of goal setting for engineers and how setting goals has greatly contributed to his success in his career, but even better Adam shares his process in this episode, so you can use it too!

Engineering Quotes:

Goal Setting for Engineers

Goal Setting for Engineers

Here are some of the key points discussed about goal setting for engineers:

[Read more…]