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Most project managers in AEC firms learn project management the hard way. They get handed a job. They figure it out. Some do well. Some don’t. And the hope is that whatever lessons were learned

Some of my earliest lessons in project planning and prioritization didn’t come from engineering school or a project management course. They came from working for my dad. My dad was an electrician, and by the

I still remember the exact moment I stopped being just an engineer and started becoming a leader. It wasn’t during a performance review or a management training seminar. It was standing in a workshop, watching

As a longtime fan of the TV Series “The West Wing,” I often go back and watch reruns of it when they appear on one streaming service or another. Recently, the series was being replayed

Introduction A couple of years ago, in Houston, an inspection of an entire roof perfectly exemplified why aerial analytics for engineers is such a potent tool in the AEC industry. The task was to check

Balancing career growth with life outside of work isn’t just a challenge, it’s an ongoing experiment. As a father of five, I like to say having a kid is like treading water. You get good

In the AEC industry, project management skill gaps and people skills deficiencies are a significant driver of operational delays, as project success depends on effective communication, coordination, and control across complex, multi-stakeholder environments. Weak leadership,

Engineering firms rely heavily on technical expertise. High performers are often promoted into leadership roles because of their deep knowledge, problem-solving ability, and project success. While this approach rewards performance, it also introduces a common

In the AEC industry, relationships drive opportunity. It’s a “shaking hands and kissing babies” business — people work with those they know, like, and trust.  But still…it’s hard for someone who hasn’t worked with you

“I’m not tired from work, I’m tired from carrying everyone’s stress,” an engineering manager said to me in a coaching call a while back. He wasn’t dramatic, he was calm, almost resigned, but you could

“You can have it all, but not all at once.” ~Oprah Winfrey In the world of engineering leadership, where the pace is fast, the challenges are ever changing, and innovation demands your best, creating a

It’s been said many times that  “we all have the same 24 hours in the day.” Okay, that’s true, yet we all have different demands on that time – work, education, family responsibilities, etc. Heaven

When our marketing team asked me to write an article on project closeout best practices, my first question was, “Do you mean winning new projects or closing out existing ones?” It didn’t take long to

The beauty of the Learning and Development Track at this year’s AEC PM Connect was in its intimacy and small group setting, where every voice was heard. Yes, we had slides and structured sessions, but

The Familiar Frustration Every engineer has faced it: you’re in the middle of drafting a report and think, “I’m sure we’ve solved this before, but where?” The answer usually exists. It’s in a Phase I

I’ll never forget the smell of burnt PCB on a Friday afternoon. We were two weeks away from shipping our first major production run of a new industrial sensor -the mood was electric. Then, a