In this episode, we talk to Kenneth James Taylor Jr., PE, a licensed Professional Engineer and a Senior Project Manager/Civil Engineering Group Leader at Verdantas about quality control for young professionals and how engineering managers can ensure their staff uses the correct quality control procedures in their projects.
Engineering Quotes:
Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Kenneth:
- As a young engineering leader, why is quality control important to you in your career?
- What is the outlook of a young professional on quality control?
- How has your involvement with professional associations helped grow your engineering career?
- Verdantas was created as a part of private equity acquisitions and they used a different approach to develop their quality control procedures. Can you tell us more about that and the procedure you use for quality control?
- What technology are you using across your team to assist with quality control?
- How can engineering managers ensure that young professionals are using the correct quality control procedures in their projects?
- What suggestions would you have for someone who would be considering a career similar to yours?
- What is the best way to connect with you should someone want to get in touch or learn more about what you are doing in your career?
Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Quality Control For Young Engineering Professionals:
- Young engineers do not know what quality control soon after they graduate. As an engineer, we are called to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. It is why quality control is important because it is making sure you are doing your job correctly. Young engineers must ensure that quality control is one of the first things that they must learn about when they start their careers.
- Young engineers must understand that they need to know quality control and why it is important. They must look at learning quality control as a way to grow in their career. Getting someone else to look at your work is a way to iron out problems, and maybe even come up with different, more efficient ways to do things.
- Involvement with professional associations can help grow your engineering career because having piers outside your company that challenge you can help to push you forward in your career. Volunteering to help out in the associations will open many opportunities for you to take advantage of and gain more experience by working with many other professionals. It will help you to build a diverse network of people that you can lean on.
- Verdantas’ goal is to be experts in the environment and its supporting infrastructure and to be committed to the people in the company. It is a group of companies that consolidated into one large company which involved putting all their different procedures and processes together. It took many different kinds of professionals from different areas to pull together and make their unique quality control procedures that can be followed throughout the company.
- A company’s quality control software must be adapted to suit what is happening in the company at any given time. Utilizing software like Bluebeam and Microsoft Teams can help to do things digitally and reduce the number of emails being sent back and forth. It can streamline efficiency from a quality control perspective.
- Leaders can ensure that younger engineers are using the correct quality control procedures by having many check-in meetings with them throughout the project. They must lead the young engineers and work with them to solve problem areas. The more leaders show what procedures they are following and how they do it, the better the younger engineers will get at what they do.
- If you are considering a career in engineering or land development, do it. You can make an impact and make a difference in many things because of your work. If you are looking for an organization to join, find one that will fit you best, and be an active member in it. Build a network that you can call on if you need help with some things.
More Details in This Episode…
In the Power of Experience segment, Kenneth talks about taking advantage of every opportunity presented to you.
About the Guest: Kenneth James Taylor Jr., PE
James Taylor, Jr., PE, is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Senior Project Manager/Civil Engineering Group Leader at Verdantas, an emerging environmental, engineering, and technical consulting company with a green, sustainable, and people-first approach in the foreground. James has over 10 years of experience in civil engineering in the land development and municipal fields. Land Development services include the design of subdivisions and site plans for compliance with local codes and ordinances, civil/site engineering, stormwater management, road design, and utility design.
James was selected as the 2021 Young Engineer of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Delaware Section. James serves as the President of the Delaware Engineering Society and also as the New Professionals Director on the NSPE Board of Directors from 2021-2023.
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.
Sources/References:
Verdantas
Professional Engineers Conference
American Society of Civil Engineers – Delaware
NSPE
Bluebeam Software
Connect with Kenneth James Taylor Jr., PE, on LinkedIn
We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you can share on quality control explained for young engineering professionals.
