project management

TCEP 121: From Engineer to CEO and Everything In-Between

July 3, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

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In episode 121 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be bringing you with me to visit with William T. Thomsen, PE, who is the President and CEO of Urban Engineers of New York, DPC. We will be talking about his career journey and what has factored into his success and progression from engineer to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He’ll also talk about how his Engineering Management degree has helped him in his career.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Bill Thomsen, PE:

Take us through your career progression from engineer to CEO?
At what point in your career did you become part of the executive leadership team?
What does it take to manage large scale projects like the ones you have managed?
Your father was the President of a construction company, how did his career influence your career?
You have a degree in Engineering Management, how has that degree helped you?
What worries you about the Civil Engineering industry right now?
Is it possible to have work-life balance as an engineering executive?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Going from Engineer to CEO:

TCEP 117: The Importance of Staying Calm, Cool, and Collected as a Civil Engineering Professional

May 8, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

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In episode 117 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I visit with Tracy Bratton, PE. who is the Land Development Division Manager at Doucet & Associates, based in Austin Texas. We talk about the importance of staying calm, cool, and collected as a civil engineering professional. We also talk about the role that sound technical experience plays in an engineer’s confidence level as well as the ability to manage projects.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Tracy:

Tell us about your career journey.
Tell us about the time you spend in Venezuela.
When you started working in Land Development, was it something that you initially liked doing?
Talk about the importance of having sound technical knowledge in your field in order to become a successful manager.
What are some of the things you learned about managing teams in different locations?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Staying Calm, Cool, and Collected as a Civil Engineering Professional:

TCEP 112: Managing Mega Civil Engineering Projects and Staying Calm in the Process

February 27, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

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In episode 112 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I’m taking you with me to the offices of Louis Berger where I will be speaking with the Department Manager, Muzamil Husain, PE. We talk about the importance of managing mega civil engineering projects and how to stay calm during stressful situations.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Muzamil Husain:

In terms of project management, what would you say are some things that you have done that made you successful?
How do you determine what tasks to work on each day?
Can you describe the Magnetic Levitation project?
As a project manager you need to get good at understanding your resources and deploying them in the right areas. How does one get good at that?
What do you do to improve the culture on your team?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about managing mega civil engineering projects:

BIM as an Effective Tool in Project Management

September 5, 2018 By Anthony Fasano

BIM as an Effective Tool in Project Management is a guest post by Shakti Prasad

BIM (Building Information Modeling) has been revolutionizing the AEC industry in terms of economic and technical viability, over the past few years. The advantages of the long-term application of BIM can be leveraged most efficiently in the field of project management. The need for management of an asset is a continuous process; from inception to demolition, a true cradle to grave cycle which involves handling large volumes of data, handling a lot of responsibilities, and so on for which BIM is the one-stop solution. Project managers need to embrace Building Information Modeling, interrogate the BIM information and reap the maximum benefits out of it for effective project management.

How Building Information Modeling (BIM) facilitates effective project management?

There are 2 broad aspects of Building Information Modeling which enables it in facilitating project management:

[Read more…] about BIM as an Effective Tool in Project Management

TECC 132: Building Project Management into your Engineering Career

October 18, 2016 By Anthony Fasano

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In this episode, Chris Knutson, PE will answer some questions from listeners and give advice on why engineers should consider studying and learning about project management. He will also expand on why project management will be good for your engineering career, as well as your engineering organization.

Engineering Success quotes:

Here are the key points from this episode on Project Management for Engineers:

Learn about Project Management to Enhance Your Engineering Career

October 3, 2016 By Christian Knutson, PE, PgMP, PMP

Whether you want to become a project manager or not, you’ll be running a project at some point in your life and in one of your capacities. It might be in the role you hold at your firm, or in the role you occupy in a technical or professional organization, or even a role you fill in a community group. The point is, many of activities we undertake are projects. That is, they are what Project Management International (PMI) defines as a, temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources. A project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal.

So the question is, do you want to approach your management of these projects in life half-assed, or with a framework that will make your management of the project more efficient?

Before I dive into one possible answer to this question (the option I’ll suggest is one worth following!), I’m not advocating earning a credential, certificate or degree in project management. I don’t believe a practicing engineering professional must earn one of these to be proficient in applying project management concepts to efficiently bring about intended benefits to the customers and clients they serve. What I do believe, is that one cannot leave development of a methodology of project management to on-the-job training or simple observation.

Learning about project management by osmosis might make you proficient, however, I doubt it. Relying on casual observation to learn, internalize, and then apply knowledge in a fashion that enhances ones proficiency in any topic is a path that’s fraught with long lead-time. Simply put, you’re going to get a better return on investment of time if you actively study project management methodology and know the basic concepts.

So how is knowing project management concepts going to make you a better engineer?

TCEP 022: Working Effectively on Multidisciplinary Projects as a Civil Engineer with Todd Hay of Pennoni Associates

January 6, 2016 By Anthony Fasano

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In episode 022 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, Todd Hay, who has 23 years as a civil engineer working on multidisciplinary firms, talks about cross marketing, communicating effectively, working on proposals for multidisciplinary projects, and more.

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

Communication: understand how other disciplines works and when you need to get help. Understanding the key roles of other disciplines is critical to an engineer as he/she grows in his/her profession; get a better handle on what each discipline does. [Read more…] about TCEP 022: Working Effectively on Multidisciplinary Projects as a Civil Engineer with Todd Hay of Pennoni Associates

TCEP 021: Leading Change in Your Civil Engineering Career

December 23, 2015 By Christian Knutson, PE, PgMP, PMP

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In episode 021 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, Jon Weinstein, President of Line-of-Sight Consulting, talks about change management, what it is and why it is important to understand it in the context of an engineer involved in projects as well as management and leadership of people.

Here are some key points discussed in this episode: [Read more…] about TCEP 021: Leading Change in Your Civil Engineering Career

TECC 74: Four Key Insights To Earning $100,000 Per Year in Your Engineering Career – The Engineering Career Coach Podcast

August 25, 2015 By Anthony Fasano

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In this session of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, Chris Knutson interviews Bruce Harpham and discusses career planning, increasing your ability to generate more income, and lifelong learning and certifications.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning

In the Take Action Today segment of the show, Bruce gives some advice on how to position yourself for an increase in responsibility and compensation and how to become more fulfilled in your life.

Bruce is the founder of Project Management Hacks, a career development resource for project managers. Bruce’s project experience includes leading projects at banks and universities. Bruce earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Toronto. Bruce’s writing on project management, careers and technology has appeared at ProjectManagement.com, CIO.com, Lifehack.org and many other leading websites.

Listen to this session and learn how to earn your way to a six-figure income as a project manager. Here are some valuable tips from Bruce:

5 Things You Can Do To Increase Focus in Your Engineering Career

July 13, 2015 By Christian Knutson, PE, PgMP, PMP

One of the challenges I hear about from a lot of engineers is how to stay focused when there are so many distractions vying for their bandwidth. I can relate, the same problem exists for me! I think that any engineering professional today is going to have to come up with ways to protect their “space” so that they can generate quality focus time on the tasks before them. This is really important for doing work that requires the minds full engagement. I remember doing design work early in my engineering career and how frustrated I would become when I was interrupted by a phone call or someone stopping by to chat. It became even worse when later in my career when I sat in a cubicle farm. Trying to concentrate on writing a report or putting a presentation together with ringing phones, conversations all around and unfettered access to anyone walking by nearly drove me insane. So how do you create the space necessary to be focused?

Before I get into the five things you can do to increase focus in your engineering career I have to ask: do you want to increase your focus? I ask this because some of these suggestions will require you to not be immediately responsive to another person’s desire to communicate with you. You may also have to learn how to tell people “no” when they want to stop by to chat. And you will also need to train yourself to be focused on single tasks. If you’re willing and able, then here are the five things you can do to increase focus in your engineering career: [Read more…] about 5 Things You Can Do To Increase Focus in Your Engineering Career