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Leadership/Management

Adaptive Project Management with Scrum Techniques (Part 1)

March 20, 2023 By EMI

This is a guest post by Tevis Holzer, P.E.

Scrum Techniques

As the quantity and complexity of projects continue to rise across the industry, improving the efficiency for engineering teams is critical to meet demand. When current project demands already over-utilize staff, embracing the growth mindset required to provide career opportunities to staff can also be difficult. Efficiency gains relieve the pressure from current demands and open the doors to new markets and clients, which then provide career growth opportunities. Engineering teams have several buckets of resources to dip into to create efficiency, including People, Processes, and Tools.

A blend of these three resources is likely required to adapt and evolve with the industry. And as engineers, we are attracted to solving problems with Processes and Tools. Processes aid in streamlining tasks for similar projects but require significant effort to establish and maintain. Tools (e.g., innovative technology and software) often allow us to perform tasks faster but also require specialized staff and training. At first glance, we think of filling the People bucket by hiring more people. However, a trickling workforce pipeline and time-consuming onboarding for new hires can make this option unrealistic. This article series will focus on an often-overlooked portion of the People resource bucket: Team Collaboration. More specifically, this series explores how an approach to project management using Scrum techniques can create efficiencies and even reduce workplace stress.

Before digging into Scrum techniques of project management and how they promote collaboration, let’s establish some keys to fostering a collaborative environment. These keys seem obvious, but the consequences of their absence are detrimental. Like the three legs of a stool, these three keys are interdependent: collaboration will not occur without each of them.

1. Team

[Read more…] about Adaptive Project Management with Scrum Techniques (Part 1)

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Adaptive Engineering Project Management, Deploying your team’s “Superheroes, Project Management with Scrum Techniques, Tevis Holzer

The Four Major ‘Shifts’ Changing Everything About Leadership and Firm Success

February 15, 2023 By EMI

This is a guest post by Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

ShiftsLike most large-scale systemic events, March 2020 gave “official birth” to a new era of work and life — one with new rules, new ways of thinking, and lots of big change.

Among the change we’ve all seen and experienced for several years now, there have been a number of major “shifts.”

These shifts have already altered the workplace, marketplace, and recruiting space.

These shifts have also fundamentally changed the way we must lead and develop our teams and organizations if we want to sustainably grow and prosper in this new era — and do so making a real difference and not burning out. All of which is possible, should we choose to design for it.

“These shifts have fundamentally changed the way we must lead and develop our teams and organizations if we want to sustainably grow and prosper in this new era.”— Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

The four major shifts are listed here, and each is described further below:

  1. The redefinition of winning
  2. The shift of work from “place” to “space”
  3. The shift to what I call the “third way”
  4. The shift of performance from manager to teams and team success

The first two are more societal shifts and the second two are strategic and tactical shifts that we must make in response as leaders and organizations.

Shift #1: The Redefinition of Winning

[Read more…] about The Four Major ‘Shifts’ Changing Everything About Leadership and Firm Success

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Better spaces for real dialogue, Major ‘Shifts’ in Leadership and Firm Success, Making a difference and having a positive impact, Peter Atherton

The Most Important Equation for Engineers When It Comes to Learning

January 23, 2023 By EMI

important equationIn this article, I want to highlight a critically important equation that every engineering executive, leader and HR professional must be aware of to avoid wasting a lot of time and money and to best develop their most important resource: their people.

The Formula for Results

A colleague recently shared a white paper with me entitled “A Brief Introduction to Ensuring Learning Transfer” by Pollock and Jefferson.

While I am always interested in learning about learning, as an engineer, this white paper hit home because the authors present an equation to ensure that learning is transferred and that real results are achieved.

This is very important to me because I remember attending an all-day project management bootcamp once per year when I was a young engineer. I was barraged with new terms and concepts and then given a binder full of them to go back to my office. Well, I took it back to my office, put it on my shelf, and never looked at the binder again. Never ever, for a multitude of reasons — the main ones being that I was just too busy, and I forgot about it for long stretches of time.

What I realize now is that I was missing a key component in this critical equation presented in the white paper:

No Transfer, No Results — Period

If you look at this equation, everyone participating in training will possess the learning component, which is the actual training, whether it’s an in-person seminar, a live webinar, or even an on-demand recorded course. However, a large percentage of people (more than 50% according to the white paper referenced) won’t get results from the training because they are missing the transfer component.

The transfer component of the equation could be several different things, including reminders of the concepts presented in the training, reflection, accountability, coaching, collaborative components of the training, etc.

So, if the transfer component is zero, then the result of the equation is zero. In other words, the time and money spent on training did not yield the desired results.

Incorporate the Transfer Component for Results

At the Engineering Management Institute (EMI), we incorporate transfer into every one of our programs, usually through a combination of different items depending on the client or what worked in our previously successful programs.

The bottom line here is that as you plan and prepare for the training programs you intend to purchase or design for your team in 2023, consider the formula outlined above. Unless you include both learning and transfer, you won’t get the results you’re paying for. The equation guarantees you won’t.

If you’re looking for people management or project management training for engineering professionals, we offer live/interactive recurring programs throughout the year, as well as custom and on-demand options that can be built into your learning management systems and processes.

Our next live sessions start on January 26th (People Skills) and April 11th (Project Management Skills). If you’re interested in enrolling some of your managers or aspiring managers, or having someone audit the course to start, please contact our office at 800-920-4007.

We also offer our Engineering Management Training Needs Assessment as an inexpensive first step in deciding how to maximize your training spend and your people.

This article was originally posted on LinkedIn here.

Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below on the most important equation for engineers when it comes to learning.

  • If you enjoyed this post, please consider downloading our free list of 33 Productivity Routines of Top Engineering Executives. Click the button below to download.

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Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Incorporate the Transfer Component for Results, learning about learning, The Most Important Equation for Engineers

9 Top Tips from Leading Engineering Project Managers

January 16, 2023 By EMI

Project ManagersTo be successful project managers, you must be communicative and solution-focused. Juggling a multitude of tasks every day while being present in many different places is the daily norm. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to ensure project management success, but here are a few powerful tips from leading engineering project managers that have been featured on The Engineering Project Management Podcast. Implementing just one of these tips can have a tremendous impact on the projects you work on.

1. Start with Scope

Episode 1: Mike Lozanoff, P.E.

Owner, Lozanoff Consulting Services, LLC & PM Instructor for EMI

Project ManagersA project always starts with the scope, which is the building block of the project. Understanding what work needs to be done will help you know how long each aspect of the project will take. Knowing how long each aspect will take will, in turn, help you to build the budget. Also knowing these factors will help you to then put the project schedule together. But by only focusing on one aspect of a project, you will lose control over the other two aspects very quickly. Additionally, ensure that you are only doing the work in the project that you are supposed to be doing and see if it is still within the time frames of the schedule. The project scope, schedule, and budget are known as the three-legged stool. If one of the legs of the stool breaks, you are going to fall.

2. Harness Technology

[Read more…] about 9 Top Tips from Leading Engineering Project Managers

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Have a tremendous impact on the projects you work on, To be successful project managers, Top tips from leading project managers

The Challenges and Opportunities of the Great Resignation (for Engineering Leaders)

January 9, 2023 By Angelique Burns

This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

Great ResignationThe last few years have brought a lot of commotion and shakeup in the employment world. From mass layoffs to record unemployment and everything in between, “volatility” is certainly the word that comes to mind. One phenomenon that was coined during this time was the “Great Resignation.” 2021 saw the highest levels of quitting and resignations in decades, and they stayed relatively high in 2022 as well.

This created challenges for many employers and leaders, but it also presents opportunities as we move into this new year.

The Opportunity of the Great Resignation

“To some, the pandemic exposed how much work had become like adult daycare. Everyone is expected to be in at a certain time. They’re expected to stay till a certain time. And it’s best to look busy in between.” ~ Russ Hill

One question to ask is: WHY have so many people been quitting their jobs, while at the same time levels of overall employment remain high?

[Read more…] about The Challenges and Opportunities of the Great Resignation (for Engineering Leaders)

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Challenges and Opportunities of the Great Resignation, Jeff Perry, Lure and retain good employees, People are looking for MORE

How Engineering Companies Can Facilitate the Transition from Engineer to Manager

January 2, 2023 By EMI

Engineer to ManagerEngineering companies are great at developing engineers. But what about the often natural transition of an engineer to an engineering manager? How can the organization help the engineer transition from the technical aspects of engineering to the soft aspects of management: the overall management of the project and the project team members, both internal and external?

Without a career path plan, the right organizational structure, training, and support from management, the young, aspiring engineering professional will most probably fail in his new managerial position(s).

In this article, I discuss the life cycle of an engineering manager and how engineering organizations can avoid stunting this cycle. I also provide five strategies that organizations can use to ensure they are setting up their engineering professionals to become the best engineering managers they can be.

“Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yourself. After you become a leader, success is about growing others.” ~ Jack Welch

The Life Cycle of an Engineering Manager

Most engineering professionals begin their careers learning the technical side of their specific discipline. They spend most of their time doing calculations through complex spreadsheets or intricate software packages.

By the end of their first few years, they can often run calculations in their sleep and are well versed in the guidelines or processes for the technical aspects of their projects. They may even have obtained a master’s degree on the same topics over those first few years as well.

As they progress, their company sees this technical expertise and gives them more technical responsibilities and, ultimately, one project to manage. Congratulations — you are now a project manager! That may mean different things in different organizations, but nonetheless, this individual now has responsibilities in addition to those calculations and other technical responsibilities.

Fast forward a few years and the same engineer, who is now managing multiple projects, gets promoted to engineering manager and is now managing a team of engineers and other technical professionals. Now things really get interesting. Not only does the engineer have to juggle different projects, but they now have to deal with the most variable organizational component of all — PEOPLE!

Where they go from here is a direct reflection of how their organization prepared them for this transition. Rewinding for a moment, there were actually two key transitions that I mentioned through this life cycle:

Transition #1: Project engineer to project manager (managing projects)

Transition #2: Project manager to engineering manager (managing people)

The ability for engineering professionals to excel through these transitions, in my opinion, is directly related to how well their companies have prepared them for each transition.

Here Are 5 Actions Your Organization Can Take to Help Engineering Professionals Handle Management Transitions and Become Great Managers and Powerful Leaders

  1. Provide your younger professionals with a mentor, but not just any mentor — one who is a leader in the protege’s field and who can provide the right type of guidance. This mentor should already be an effective manager or leader in the same field that the younger engineer is aspiring to manage; in this way, the younger engineer can seek very specific management advice from the mentor. Otherwise, you may be wasting both parties’ time as management in different engineering fields can require vastly different responsibilities.
  2. Have them present or engage in real-life project situations for managers that matter. Think about the things that an engineering manager has to do on a regular basis and put your aspiring managers in positions to do those things as often as possible. There is no better way than learning on the job.
  3. Ask your new and aspiring managers what managerial skills they feel they need to improve on. You might even do an assessment or survey to find out which skills they are weak in. Assess as many new or aspiring managers in your firm as possible. Then, and only then, should you provide them with the training needed. This will ensure that the organization gains the best return on the training investment and properly cultivates effective managers and leaders in the long run.
  4. Provide both project management and soft skills (people skills, communication, building relationships, engaging people) training that will transfer back to the job. Very few engineering organizations do this effectively. When delivering training to engineers, provide them with a framework that they can use to apply what they’ve learned on the job. Otherwise, they will go to said training, be given a ton of information, and not have the time or tools to integrate the new content/skills into their job responsibilities. (Trust me on this — I can’t tell you how many project management training binders I put on my shelf as an engineer, only to never open them again after the training.)
  5. Have them shadow their own managers as much as possible when you are getting ready to promote them. Whether it be meetings or important phone calls, have these aspiring engineering managers listen, observe, take notes, and determine strategies that might work for them, so when it’s their turn, they are ready! There is no excuse not to have your professionals perform this shadowing exercise. While it may cost you some of their time, the lessons they learn will be invaluable and will greatly increase their odds of success as managers.

Please share any experiences or strategies in the comments below on strategies you can add to these five that have been helpful in your organization’s leadership development practices.

At the Engineering Management Institute, we help engineering companies cultivate well-rounded managers and leaders through effective professional development programs. Our Engineering Management Accelerator and Project Management Accelerator online interactive workshops provide project and people management skills training in a very accountable way for engineering professionals. Our next sessions are in Q1 2023 that you can check out here.

If you’re interested in enrolling some of your managers or aspiring managers, please contact our office at 800 920 4007. We also offer our Engineering Management Training Needs Assessment as an inexpensive first step in deciding on how to maximize your training spend and your people.

This article was originally posted on LinkedIn here.

Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below on strategies that have been helpful in your organization’s leadership development practices.

  • If you enjoyed this post, please consider downloading our free list of 33 Productivity Routines of Top Engineering Executives. Click the button below to download.

    Download the Productivity Routines

Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Anthony Fasano, Become Great Managers and Powerful Leaders, Help Engineering Professionals Handle Management Transitions, The Transition from Engineer to Manager

3 Keys to Effective Communication for Successful Engineers

December 12, 2022 By EMI

This is a guest post by Jeff Perry, MBA

effective communication

“The art of communication is the language of leadership” ~ James Humes

Are you an effective communicator?

Pause a moment before you answer that.

If your instinct is to say “yes,” let me ask another question: Do those you work with believe you are an effective communicator?

It might be worth asking them! If they are honest with you, even if you are doing well they will share opportunities for you to improve your communication approach.

In many ways, effective communication is a HUGE key to your personal and professional success. So let me share three keys to effective communication that can help you in your career!

1. Simplify Communication

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” ~ Albert Einstein

Engineers work on remarkably complex products, processes, and systems. Many go deep into learning and applying specialized technical knowledge. They need to learn new programming languages, understand complicated technical details, and put it together into something that is great for end users.

[Read more…] about 3 Keys to Effective Communication for Successful Engineers

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Ask a better question, Effective Communication for Successful Engineers, Jeff Perry, Simplify your communication

Don’t Commit This Cardinal Sin of Delegation Like I Almost Did (Until My Son Helped Me Avoid It)

November 29, 2022 By EMI

Cardinal Sin of DelegationI had a long day of coaching, training, and podcasting and I was looking forward to unwinding at home that evening, believe it or not, by getting out and doing some yard work. Immediately after dinner, I told my wife and three kids, “I am going outside to mow the lawn.”

I changed into my yard work outfit, put my headphones in, fired up some Alan Jackson and started with some tree clipping. I was deep into it, sweating hard, and feeling very productive.

Then, my wife sent my 10-year-old son out to help me. I immediately felt a sinking feeling in my stomach…

“Now what,” I thought to myself. “I have to stop what I’m doing to get him involved? I am being so productive right now, this is going to really set me back.”

So, I ignored my son for a while. He went into the garage and fumbled with the weight set. Finally, it hit me. At the Engineering Management Institute, I spend a lot of my time coaching and training engineers on how to be more productive by delegating effectively. The biggest barrier that engineers and other professionals have when it comes to delegating is holding on to the tasks for too long. They take on the mentality of, “It will take me longer to show him or her how to do it. It will be faster if I just do it myself.”

cardinal sin of delegation

You can get away with that mentality for a little while in your career, but if you really want to develop professionally and climb the ranks in your firm, you will have to let go of that philosophy and rigorously delegate every task that you shouldn’t be doing.

[Read more…] about Don’t Commit This Cardinal Sin of Delegation Like I Almost Did (Until My Son Helped Me Avoid It)

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Anthony Fasano, develop professionally and climb the ranks, how to be more productive by delegating effectively, The Cardinal Sin of Delegation

Engineers Leave Companies When Their Career Paths Are Unclear

November 15, 2022 By EMI

career pathsHiring and training new employees is one of your biggest expenses, and it is costing you a lot more than money. In this post, I would like to provide strategies for improving your firm’s retention rate, regardless of how good (or bad) it may be.

The Cost to Replace a Highly Trained Employee Can Exceed 200% of Their Annual Salary. 

Many engineering companies are aware of this expense, yet they hold back on investing in initiatives that can reduce this expense by greatly improving retention and also making it easier to recruit when the time comes.

At EMI, we have surveyed and provided career coaching to thousands of engineers, and they continue to tell us that the most important thing to them in their careers is the opportunity to grow. Therefore, before anything else, including salary increases and promotions to new positions, you should consider how you can provide your employees with growth opportunities. That should be your number one focus.

One great way to do this is to chart out clear career paths for your staff. People really like to see the full length of the career paths they are traveling on as opposed to just the next one-hundred feet.

career paths

According to Willis Towers Watson, 76% of employees who fall into the “high-retention-risk” category are itching to leave because they have nowhere else to go on their current organization’s career ladder.

So, give then somewhere to go and offer professional training and development to help them get there.

Two Engineering Firms That Are Getting This Right

[Read more…] about Engineers Leave Companies When Their Career Paths Are Unclear

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Anthony Fasano, Hiring and training new employees, provide your employees with growth opportunities, The Cost to Replace a Highly Trained Employee

How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (And Why You Should Do It)

November 14, 2022 By EMI

This is a guest blog post by Pamela A. Scott

This piece is on delegation, why you should do it, and how to do it right. First, though, check out how to do it badly.

My husband and adult daughter were both working from home, as was I. I kept hearing them shout from the other room: “Is the internet down?” “Why does the web keep crashing?” “What’s wrong with our wireless?”

Then the suggestions started coming in.

“You (me) should call ACME and tell them their service sucks.”

“My friend found a different jiggambob that speeded up his service. You (me) should call him.”

“I think it would work better if you (me) turned the refrigerator upside down.”

I was on deadline; I didn’t have time for their problems. That’s when I actually said the following. I can’t believe I said it, but I did.

“Bring me solutions, not problems,” I barked.

[Read more…] about How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (And Why You Should Do It)

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: Delegate Tasks Effectively, Great Leaders Perfect the Art of Delegation, learn how to delegate, Pamela A. Scott

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