Developing Program Management Competencies to Excel in Your Engineering Career
Over my career I’ve amassed knowledge and skills, and the experience, to manage large programs. This took years. I didn’t step into my first infrastructure program management role until my 12th year as a practicing engineer, managing a housing program in the Air Force. A few years later that program became a nearly $1 billion […]
Relying on Courage to Bridge the Experience Gap
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 […]
The Civil Engineering Compilation Episode – Ep 050
In episode 50 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, we have prepared a special compilation episode to reinforce some of the career tips given in the first 50 episodes of The Civil Engineering Podcast (wow — can’t believe we’re at 50). Engineering Quotes Here are the key points discussed in the compilation episode:
How to Go from Managing to Leading a Team of Engineers
Effectively managing any group of employees can be a difficult proposition, but providing leadership for an engineering team or department typically entails a number of unique challenges. Simply managing the efforts of an engineering staff may not always be sufficient. Managers who are able to provide clear direction, ensure that their group is able to […]
Don’t Let Lack of Experience Keep You From Speaking With Authority as an Engineer
This is Part I of a six-part series on debunking misconceptions about leadership and speaking with authority for engineers preparing for their first professional leadership role. Starting out in any endeavor you lack experience. In business, in relationships, in your technical pursuits – doesn’t matter. You enter into everything you do for the first time without […]
Looking Back on 2016: How Multitasking Negatively Impacted Engineers’ Productivity
Science has done its due diligence, and the research speaks for itself; multitasking is officially out as a productivity tool. In fact, the latest data shows that multitasking can actually decrease productivity. Clearly, as a busy engineer, a decrease in productivity is the last thing you want and need. In this post, I’ll show you […]
Designing Sustainability into your Engineering Career
Whether you like the “s” word or not, sustainability is here; it’s all around us. As engineer’s, many of the actions we take every day are about managing the myriad of project issues that arise now, today; and managing issues to shape future outcomes and when everything goes right, delivering planned benefits at the end of […]
Process Optimization for Engineers: How to Simplify Processes Instead of Multitasking
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 […]
What Every Engineer and Project Manager should know about the Scope of Work (SOW) on Engineering Projects
The following is an excerpt from John Lowe’s book entitled A Guide to Managing Engineering and Architectural Design Services Contracts. The post was published with permission from the author and the audiobook will be available through Engineering Management Institute website in November 2016. The Scope of Work (SOW) on a project is an important aspect […]
Building Project Management into your Engineering Career – Ep 132
Image of our-team on Freepik 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: […]