Engineering Management Institute

Productivity

TEQC 010: The Hidden Cost of Copy and Paste in Structural Engineering

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Copy and PasteIn this episode of The Engineering Quality Control podcast, we talk to Jason McCool, P.E., licensed professional engineering and project engineer at Robbins Engineering, PLLC, about the hidden cost of copy and paste and how it can negatively affect your productivity at work.

Engineering Quotes:

Copy and Paste

Copy and Paste

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Wayne:

  • For the past several months, you have had articles featured in Structure Magazine that outlined nine things you have noted in your career that could be categorized as a lot of things but many relate specifically to the finished quality of the design drawings. Can you give our listeners an overview of these concepts?
    1. Jason McCool’s professional career overview
    2. Reusing past work
    3. Inapplicable details
    4. Contradictory specifications
    5. “Just get something on paper!”
    6. Incomplete connection information
    7. Vague drawings
    8. Misuse of AISC tables
    9. Uncoordinated details
  • What do you think we as engineers need to do to be better to not fall trap to these things?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About The Hidden Cost of Copy and Paste in Structural Engineering:

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Should Engineers Work From Home More?

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This is a guest post by Dr. Rae Taylor

No, really, I’m asking. I’m on the fence on this one.

I understand there are many jobs that can’t be done from home. One of them being civil engineer. I used to be a microscopist. I can’t imagine even asking for “work from home day”’ in that job. But there are definite aspects of being an engineer that can be done from home. And I would strongly argue that they can be done better that way. Having a day at home once a week, without interruption, to get some planning done, catch up on paperwork, write reports, or design in peace would certainly be useful. On the flip side, what about all the potential interruptions?

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The Ways Technology Maintains Productivity of Teams That Work Remotely

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This is a guest blog by Brian T.

TechnologyWondering how advanced technology can assist businesses in making their teams productive? In this article, I will discuss several ways how technology has already optimized the work of remote employees! 

Last year, businesses witnessed a fundamental transformation of the traditional office due to the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in a kind of “remote-work economy,” which is presumably to be a foundation even after the pandemic is long since passed. 

The above-mentioned became a new issue for businesses as well as staff because remote work has become a common practice. However, the growing access of super-fast internet, side-by-side with the development of cloud computing, has enriched present businesses with the infrastructure that is necessary to promptly adjust to multiple remote work challenges. 

As a result, according to Statista, small and medium-sized enterprises are expected to invest more than $100 billion on teamwork tools, cloud-based apps, cybersecurity platforms, and many other remote digital services during 2021-2023. Online business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces like Engre are also gaining momentum. This innovative technology has turned out to be an integral part of business daily routines. Offices, educational establishments, and even hospitals count on contemporary tech to guarantee that business processes function as usual. 

Nowadays, people are free to work from anywhere, partner with each other seamlessly, optimize client care, and gain new skills and competencies online. Let’s explore how technology maintains the productivity of employees who work remotely. 

Technology Reconsiders Remote Work Culture 

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TECC 253: Four Ways to Increase Efficiency in Your Engineering Business

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Four Ways to Increase Efficiency in Your Engineering Business

In this episode, we talk to Andrea Dallan, an engineer, an entrepreneur, and CEO of Dallan Spa, an Italian family business about efficiency and sustainability in manufacturing. Andrea will list four specific aspects that you can implement in your firm to improve efficiency in your engineering business.  The strategies can be applied in one’s career as well.

Engineering Quotes:

efficiency - Andrea Dallan Tweet This

efficiency - Jeff Perry Tweet this

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed on How to Increase Efficiency in Your Engineering Business:

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Become a Feedback Superstar

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Remember when you were in school and you turned in a paper that you had worked hard on and were proud of? Then you got the paper back.

Right at the top in bright red ink — or was it blood? — your teacher or professor had scrawled, “See me!” What did that message, always written in red, do to you?

What you got was a harsh version of feedback — one that’s painful, bewildering, embarrassing, and leaving you at a loss for words.

The fact that a red pen was used just made it worse. Studies have found that the color red is associated with “warning, prohibition, caution, anger, embarrassment and being wrong.”

Giving feedback should not produce those emotions.

Why Give Feedback

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15 Minutes of Preparation Can Save Hours for Your Engineering Team

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Our next live Civil Engineering Collective training session will focus on maximizing engagement and effectiveness through virtual interactions.  Something that must be top of mind for all professionals today, especially those in the civil engineering world, who work on complex projects with many moving parts.

Let’s be honest, we’re not getting away from remote work any time soon, and most likely, we’ll never go back to as much office time as we used to have pre-COVID-19.  With most great teams, when the rules of the game change, they adjust and continue in their winning ways.  One way that your team members can adjust is to become superstars in terms of their virtual work productivity.

One of the biggest areas for improvement in this arena is virtual meeting productivity.  I’ve been involved in many virtual meetings over the past six months, and it is clear to me that the person leading the meeting has the most impact on the productivity of that meeting.  More specifically, their preparation prior to the meeting, which I believe has the most impact on meeting productivity.

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How to Navigate the Challenges of Managing Remote Work

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This is a guest blog by Trilby Lawless, BigTime Software

Remote Work

Over the last 10 years, remote work has grown in popularity by 91%. Even though the current pandemic has given businesses no other option but to move to remote work, many have seen it as a silver lining. The benefits for employees are clear: flexible work structures, improvement to work-life balance, job satisfaction, and productivity.   

But as leaders and managers, you may think: It’s great for individuals, but how do I make it great for the business? 

After all, you need to keep goals and projects moving forward, but managing teams and your firm’s operations simply looks different outside of the office. A new set of challenges can arise.  

The good news is that with the right tools in place, it is now easier than ever to make this happen and to make it happen efficiently. In this post, we’ll explore the three most common challenges of managing a remote or hybrid office for engineering firms, and the strategies you need to navigate them successfully.  

The goal is to have a new management outlook for remote work, so your firm can find its groove outside of the office and empower your team to be productive and grow.  

Let’s get into it.  

Challenge 1: Lacking an Operational Process That Fosters Communication and Insight Into Progress and Staff Utilization

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TECC 202: How to Use Deadlines as Productivity Tools in Your Engineering Career and Life

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In this episode, I talk about the importance of deadlines in your engineering career and life, and how you can use deadlines as productivity tools. This episode was inspired by a chapter of the book called The Business of Engineering: A New Mindset for the Engineer of the Future by Matthew K. Loos, P.E. that we are running a Kickstarter campaign for at the moment.

Engineering Quotes:

Deadlines

 

Here Are 4 Guidelines for Using Deadlines Effectively as Productivity Tools in Your Engineering Career and Life:

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TCEP 116: The Business of Engineering: A New Mindset for the Engineer of the Future

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The Business of Engineering

In episode 116 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I visit with Matthew K. Loos, PE, LEED AP, a licensed professional engineer who wrote a book called The Business of Engineering: A New Mindset for the Engineer of the Future. Matt realized that what helped engineering professionals to be successful up to today, will not work going forward with complex projects and fast-changing technology, and I strongly agree and believe that this book and mindset will change the way engineers think about their careers forever.

Engineering Quotes:

The Business of Engineering

The Business of Engineering

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Matt:

  • What does The Business of Engineering mean to you?
  • What prompted you to write this book?
  • Where did all the experience you wrote about in your book come from?
  • Talk about the topic of “identifying the problem” that you talk about in your book.
  • What is your goal with this book?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About The Business of Engineering:

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The Benefits of Scheduling Software for Engineering Professionals

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The Benefits of Scheduling Software for Engineering Professionals is a guest blog by Jim Hughes

Scheduling SoftwareWith the influx of new technologies, the engineering field has become more dynamic than ever. The expanding role of modern engineers, the increasing volatility of their work, the growing needs for engineering staffing and the rising need for engineering talent – all of these make project management and employee management challenging for engineers. Thankfully, there are tools that can make things easier for engineers, and one of the most essential is scheduling software. [Read more…] about The Benefits of Scheduling Software for Engineering Professionals