In this episode of The Engineering Quality Control podcast, I give an overview of a Five-Part Framework for Quality Control and discuss the second part of this framework in detail, which is known as Review.
Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Quality Control for Engineering Professionals:
- Recap of Part One: Gather is more than likely second nature for many experienced professionals. It is the phase that emphasizes determining the expectations for the deliverables:
- Federal, state, and local regulations
- Client expectations, preferences, and specific goals for the project
- Firm standards that all of your projects should include
- Engineering and architectural principles, standards, and ethics
- Review
- Rubber meets the road: All the technical errors must be found when a quality control review is done. Spelling mistakes and calculation errors will also be looked for. Legibility, drafting, and all the information shown on the plans must be technically correct. Taking everything in the project into account, you must strive for the perfection of the final deliverable.
- Technical errors: The quality control review focuses on finding the technical errors and starting a path of correcting them.
- So much more: Leverage your experience, perspectives, and knowledge to improve the solution to the given problem. Every engineering project is a problem that you must present the best solution for to your client in the form of a deliverable.
3 Steps to Solving a Problem:
- Find a solution: Find a viable solution for the problem, even if it seems crazy, expensive, or impossible to do. You do not have a project until you have a solution that accommodates all the expectations and goals of the project. You must find at least one solution.
- Improve upon the previous solution: Now that you have something that works, you can make it better.
- Repeat step 2: Continue to improve upon the solution until you get to the best solution. You may concede on some aspects of a project to meet all the other expectations by finding the best possible solution.
More Details in This Episode…
In the Power of Experience segment, I discuss how the skeletons of your past create the mindset you have today.
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
About Brian Wagner, P.E.
Brian Wagner, P.E., is an engineer who specializes in civil site design and plan implementation. In addition to a career spanning nearly two decades of civil engineering, he has experience in Emergency 911 Communications, law enforcement corrections, and fire/rescue services, including K9 Search and Rescue. This different and diverse range of experiences has not only prepared Brian for his career, but also positioned him to be an excellent speaker with a wide range of valuable experiences. He strives to motivate others to change their world and wants to do the same for you.
We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you can share on quality control for engineering professionals.
