Engineering Management Institute

How to Become a Better Engineering Leader

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This is a guest post by Steve Armstrong

Engineering LeaderBeing an engineering leader is about understanding what is going on around you.

In the military, it is called “Situational Awareness.” Often, the people with the most pertinent and relevant information about the situation are those working for you.

Questions are powerful tools, and knowing how to ask them is key to becoming a better engineering leader.

How to Ask Questions

How do you ask the right questions in the right way?

  1. Ask your questions like you care and want to know the answers. You’re not reading from a script — ask with sincerity.
  2. You asked, so be prepared to hear answers that you may not like, and be sure to take the time to truly listen.
  3. The answer you need may not come forth the first time you ask. But if you ask sincerely and humbly, you will build trust and confidence. So, ask regularly, and the quality of the information you gather will improve.

Engineering Leader

Read about the six things you need to communicate.

What Questions to Ask

These are the five questions to ask your team members every month, as well as why you should ask them:

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TEQC 12: All You Need to Know About Quality Control on Transportation Projects

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Transportation ProjectsIn this episode, we talk to Steven M. Rienks, P.E., PMP, Director of Engineering at American Surveying & Engineering, about quality control on transportation projects and some of the challenges you might have to deal with on large transportation projects.

Engineering Quotes:

Transportation Projects

Transportation Projects

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Steven:

  • What do quality control and quality management for engineering documents mean to you?
  • What challenges have large transportation projects presented as it relates to quality control?
  • As director of engineering, what systems have you implemented for producing high-quality documents? How have your systems evolved and where do you see things going?
  • What advice do you have for someone working towards becoming a “director of engineering” for a company?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Quality Control on Transportation Projects:

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The Importance and Benefits of Getting Involved in Your Community

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This is a guest blog by Jon Savage

Getting Involved

Volunteer work and philanthropic efforts have been an integral part of Pennoni’s core values since 1966. And even prior to joining the firm in 2005, I’ve always valued the importance of them in both business and personal life.

“Getting Involved” With Your Community

“Getting involved” with your community is straightforward, and fun in many ways, but also involves your day-to-day routines, church, children, and other activities. My interests include improving local conditions and applying my expertise to my volunteer efforts. Most importantly, I’ve always had a sense of giving back to individuals and organizations that have helped me. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that’s really the best message I can relay to folks who do want to get involved in their communities.

getting involved

At the beginning of my career, after receiving my degree from Penn State and attempting to apply the expertise I had learned gaining a geography degree, I thought it might be useful to apply my planning skills to my local community where I grew up. As it turned out, there was a need on the local planning board for someone of my capabilities, even though I had just graduated with limited planning experience. While my tenure on the local planning board was about a year in length, I did learn many insights into local politics, and was able to contribute to objectives that the board was attempting to carry out and other areas of concern.

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Technology’s Role in Civil Engineering Inspection — Autonomous Drafting

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This is a guest blog by Nick Heim, P.E.

Autonomous DraftingCivil engineers are designers and builders of everything related to infrastructure: roads, bridges, dams, ports, and many others. While new construction of any asset gets a lot of attention for several reasons, that asset must be maintained over its lifespan — and civil engineers play a critical role in the inspection of it. As the third in a multipart series on technology’s role in civil engineering, I would like to talk about autonomous drafting and how it can improve your civil engineering inspections.

Note: The examples used in this month’s article relate to parking structures, because that is what the author specializes in. The author’s intent is that the technology showcased through these specific examples can be applied broadly to other civil engineering projects.

1. Inspection Drawing Creation

One of the first steps in any inspection is creating an accurate set of plans. Often, requests for existing drawings are not fulfilled, leaving us to create our own. This process is often very tedious and time-consuming due to the scale and repetitive nature of the tasks required.

To remove as much of this manual and laborious effort from your workflow as possible, consider use of software such as Airworks. Given inputs in the form of aerial imagery (Airworks also accepts three-dimensional data, but my experience was limited to 2D imagery), Airworks uses artificial intelligence to identify and autonomously draft common features of civil engineering projects.

Obtaining aerial imagery of your project site can be done in multiple ways, including:

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TSEC 83: Innovative Ways to Design and Build With Concrete

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Build With Concrete

In this episode, we talk to Luke Pinkerton, PE (ME), who is the President, Chief Technology Officer, and founder of Helix Steel about better ways to design and build with concrete by using advanced analysis, materials, and methods to design plain concrete in structural ground-supported slabs.

Engineering Quotes:

Build With Concrete

Build With Concrete

Build With Concrete

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Luke:

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TCEP 216: The Biggest Challenges Facing the Construction Industry Today

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Biggest ChallengesIn this episode, I talk with Aaron Witt and Dan Briscoe about some of the biggest challenges and mistakes construction business owners make and how you can avoid making those same mistakes.

Engineering Quotes:

Biggest Challenges

Biggest Challenges

Biggest Challenges

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Aaron and Dan:

  • Why the mission “Make the Dirt World a Better Place”? How does having a mission help your business?
  • How do you work together to lead the company? What about the board and the leadership team?
  • What are some of the biggest challenges you have experienced in the construction industry and what would you say are the biggest challenges facing the construction industry today?
  • What’s the biggest mistake you see small and large construction business owners making, and do you have any tips you can give the listeners for avoiding these mistakes?
  • What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made and lessons learned in the past four years as a startup?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About the Biggest Challenges Facing the Construction Industry Today:

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The Benefits of Conflict Resolution for Engineers

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This is a guest post by Tiffani Teachey

Conflict Resolution

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ~ Marie Curie

Conflict resolution is an essential skill for any engineer. When disputes arise, it is crucial to have the ability to calmly and effectively communicate with all parties involved. By using conflict resolution techniques, engineers can resolve disagreements quickly and efficiently while maintaining positive relationships with coworkers. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of conflict resolution for engineers. We will also provide tips on how to effectively resolve conflicts. Let’s get started!

Engineers can effectively resolve conflicts through the following tips:

  1. Stay calm
  2. Listen attentively
  3. Be respectful

Conflict Resolution

Stay Calm

When engineers are faced with a conflict, they should stay calm and try to understand the other party’s point of view. They can do this by using empathy or stepping back from their emotions so that cooler heads prevail! Show that you’re not angry or upset by keeping your voice calm and repeating back to them what their point is. This will help diffuse the situation quickly, without anyone getting too worked up about it! The best way to handle a conflict is by staying calm and following these three steps:

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TGEP 55: The Design of Sustainable Deep Foundation Systems in Dubai Sedimentary Rock

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Deep Foundation SystemsIn this episode, we talk to Dr. Marwan Alzaylaie about the design of sustainable deep foundation systems and some of the challenges he has experienced with designing in Dubai sedimentary rock.

Engineering Quotes:

Deep Foundation Systems

Deep Foundation Systems

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Marwan:

  • What is a deep foundation system?
  • What types of deep foundation systems do you work with?
  • What are the design considerations of a good foundation?
  • What are the advantages of a deep foundation?
  • What are some of the challenges you have experienced with designing in Dubai sedimentary rock?
  • What is it like being a part-time lecturer at Heriot-Watt University Dubai and Abu Dhabi University, and how did it benefit your engineering career?
  • What advice would you like to give to our young engineers?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the Design of Sustainable Deep Foundation Systems in Dubai Sedimentary Rock:

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Not Enough Hours in the Day? These Tips Can Help You Out

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This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

enough hoursTime. It seems no one has enough of it, even though we all have the same 24/7.

Here I sit on a Friday morning with — get ready for it — free time!

This email came in late yesterday afternoon. “Pam, I hate to do this, but I’ve got to reschedule our call.” I’m glad that client couldn’t hear me cheering. Yes! Scheduled time has been freed! Now what?

If I had my druthers, I’d be out in the sunroom, immersed in a novel I’m reading. Instead, I’m writing this blog because it’s due next week, and I want to get it done now.

If you wrestle to get control of how you spend your time, check out these resources.

50 Questions That Focus on Your Relationship With Time

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TEQC 011: Producing High-Quality Engineering Project Proposals

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Project ProposalsIn this episode, we talk to Raymond Gradwell, P.E., PMP, about quality control and management of project proposals, contracts, and specifications. Raymond also provides some great tips on producing high-quality project proposals.

Engineering Quotes:

Project Proposals

Project Proposals

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Raymond:

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