Project Manager

80% Done Beats Perfect

June 14, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

Have you been in this situation? You’re up against a tight budget and tight timelines on a project. You get the bulk of the work done, but then you just can’t seem to power through to the finish line.

You know your work is really good. If only I could find that one missing piece, you think. Then it would be perfect.

No. It won’t.

“No one is perfect … that’s why pencils have erasers.” ~ Author Unknown

Project manager Chris assigned Joel, a staff engineer, to work on the new roadway project. She told him what she expected and that he should get the work done in three hours.

A day went by without Joel checking back in with Chris. She called him a day later.

Relying on Courage to Bridge the Experience Gap

February 6, 2017 By EMI

This is Part II of a six-part series about leadership for engineers preparing for their first professional leadership role.

It was the first day as project manager and Ed was sweating the moment he got into his car for the fifteen-minute drive to the office. This wasn’t just any sweat. It was the sweat that comes from fear. Ed figured that he had a lot be fearful about. Selected a month earlier to fill the role as project manager for his first major construction project, he had spent the intervening time with his head buried in the project specifics: the expected technical challenges, special design considerations, the schedule and resource plans.

Then a week ago his mentor and champion, Cindy, asked him how it was going with his team. Had it been assembled? Had he met with them? What did he know about them? What strengths and challenges did he foresee with the members? All good questions, except Ed lacked answers. Sure, the team had been assembled and he’d met with them. But his focus had been entirely on the project’s technical aspects. He hadn’t a clue about their strengths or the challenges that might arise. Although he knew their names and what expertise they were bringing to the team, he had no idea about who they were. Besides, was that really necessary? He was being paid to get a project designed and built, not hold hands.

Yet for some reason, Ed’s anxiety level was increasing the closer he got to the office. Although he thought he had a good grip on the project, he seriously questioned whether he really did after his talk Cindy last week. This morning he was bringing his team together in an attempt to get them more involved in the project as the start date approached and to get to know them personally. But he was stressing big time about this. Were his efforts too little and too late? Worse, would the team see his efforts as genuine? What if they figured out that he was scared about delivering success on his first run as a project manager?

Process Optimization for Engineers: How to Simplify Processes Instead of Multitasking

November 14, 2016 By EMI

This is a guest blog post by Carol Evenson

Innovative engineers are deploying business process management (BPM) streamlining to increase organizational productivity. The technology is trending among corporate leaders, because it helps enterprises streamline and connect their operational processes. BPM implementation begins with evaluating corporate requirements. Based on these requirements, managers can develop a deployment strategy. Firms must select the right team members for successful implementation. As BPM technology grows more mobile and functional, more executives turn to the tool to improve enterprise performance.

The Rise of Business Process Management

TECC 134: Understanding what it takes to Succeed as an Engineer

November 4, 2016 By EMI

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In this episode of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, I am going to answer questions from our listeners about career challenges they are facing and choices that they have to make to succeed as an Engineer.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are the summary of questions and answers I discuss in this session: