Engineering Management Institute

planning

TGEP 35: Exploring Deep Foundations in Geotechnical Engineering

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In this episode of The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast, we talk to Maurice Diong, P.E. an engineer at Skanska, USA about deep foundations in geotechnical engineering, the importance of getting out on the field, and using the most effective solutions on the field.


Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Maurice in This Episode:

  • What are deep foundations and what kind of deep foundations do you work on?
  • What are some of the different construction techniques for deep foundations that geotechnical engineers should be aware of?
  • Tell us about a deep foundation project that you have been involved in and how it benefited your engineering career.
  • The focus on getting things right sometimes becomes an obsession with obtaining perfection. How do you resolve this?
  • What final piece of advice would you like to give engineers out there?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Deep Foundations in Geotechnical Engineering:

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How to Create Your Most Productive Day in 30 Minutes

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This is a guest blog by Matthew Gaddy

productive day

Would you believe me if I told you the only thing between you and the most productive day you’ve had is 30 minutes? 

Thirty minutes is all it takes to transition from feeling overwhelmed and stressed out to an engineer who has a plan to be productive and conquer their day.  

Keep reading to find out how you can take control over your day, get your most important priorities accomplished, and stay productive. 

1. Get to Your Workstation 30 Minutes Early (30 Minutes Till Work)

I know you may have stress about going to work because you feel like you have so much to do and don’t know where to begin, and that’s OK! Prepare yourself before the actual work starts by getting to your workstation 30 minutes early.  

This will allow you time to plan out your day without being rushed. By planning your day, you can schedule your success. Creating a plan before work begins allows you to be proactive with productivity instead of simply reacting to outside influences. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  

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Chief Engineer = Professional Engineer + Manager

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Chief Engineer = Professional Engineer + Manager is a guest blog
by Justin OsborneChief Engineer

Nowadays, the engineering market has become more and more demanding and competitive. It’s not enough to get your degree; you need to constantly learn and develop new skills to stand out from the other engineers and work on exciting projects. Therefore, keep on reading to discover what skills are necessary to become a chief engineer and how to acquire them. [Read more…] about Chief Engineer = Professional Engineer + Manager

Focus on Your Planning to Be Productive in Your Engineering Career

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Productive

Most engineers I know are interested in achieving a relatively high level of productivity in their professional and work activities.  Since most are working long hours, they aren’t interested in spending time on none-value added activities.  Those who are successful in optimizing their productive time, do so through focusing on developing a plan of action.

Productivity is associated with creating value.  While you can feel productive attending project meetings, reviewing designs, or obtaining closure on a long-standing issue, it may or may not result in value beyond making you feel productive.  In my mind, productivity (a.k.a. creating value) comes only in achieving movement towards the accomplishment of a defined goal.

With this concept in mind, let’s unpack how to get from focus to productivity in your engineering career.

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TECC 182: Using Your Military Experience to Become a Project Management Leader

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Using Your Military Experience to Become a Project Management Leader

In this episode, I talk with Eric Wright, Ph.D., PMP, CPD about the benefits of earning the project management professional certification (PMP) for military members transitioning out of the service looking to become a project management leader. Eric gives some great tips on planning, leading, organizing, control, actions impact, and also explains the importance of soft skills and creating future value not only for yourself, but for clients as well.

Engineering Quotes:

Project Management Leader

Project Management Leader

Here are some of the key points discussed in today’s episode on becoming a project management leader:

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Analyzing Your Objectives by Applying SWOT

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Analyzing Your Objectives by Applying SWOT

A great strategic planning tool used in business for analyzing an environment for a new project is the SWOT analysis:  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  Business planners know that in order for a project to be successful, they need to scope the playing field to determine what resources to allocate, what challenges will be faced, and what outside support is going to be required.

Although the SWOT analysis is generally associated with business, you can apply it in nearly every endeavor you undertake.  From strategic planning in your organization to determining what new projects your son’s Boy Scout Pack will undertake to analyzing your personal-professional aspirations.  The reason the tool is so effective is that it focuses your thinking on the key factors that spell success for any project.  Doing this highlights the internal (strengths, weaknesses) and external (opportunities, threats) factors involved and in so doing, eliminates risk through awareness.

As shown above you can employ the SWOT analysis on your objectives by: [Read more…] about Analyzing Your Objectives by Applying SWOT