CESA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FORUM – GAUTENG CHAPTER

HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT YOUNG ENGINEER 28 JULY 2011 Presented by: Clint G. Koopman Chief Executive Officer ILISO Consulting (Pty) Ltd

DEFINITIONS

Effectiveness: Adequate to accomplish a purpose; produce the intent or expected result.

Effectiveness is about doing the right things with no regard for how it is done, how long it has taken and what process was followed.

DEFINITIONS

Efficiency: Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.

DEFINITIONS

Engineer: A person who uses the power of curiosity , mainly driven by the application of science, to address the needs of society sense, engineering is often an applied and practical application of science.

. In this       Artist Mathematician / Scientist Social Worker Contract Lawyer Accountant Health worker

DEFINITIONS

Engineers, by the very nature of their work, have a responsibility to society. In this role, they have extensive professional responsibilities and they have to address ethical dimensions of engineering problems, designs and interactions.

SOCIAL CHALLENGES

PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES

 Communication gap  Cultural differences        Productivity and Profitability Uninformed clients bodies Work load Poor to no mentoring Peer pressure Lack of continuity Reward systems

FINDING THE BALANCE

EFFECTIVITY + EFFICIENCY = ENGINEERING Achieve the objective by applying a process

CONSEQUENCES

GOALS

Personal

Happy family Lots of money Beautiful house in good suburb Fancy cars Social interaction Community Participation

Professional

Work on significant projects Manage large teams National and International recognition MSc or PhD Director or Owner of own firm

Professional code of conduct

     apply our knowledge and skill in the interests of humanity and the environment; execute our work with integrity, sincerity and in accordance with generally accepted norms of professional conduct; respect the interests of our fellow beings and honour the standing of the profession; continuously improve our professional skills and those of our subordinates; encourage excellence within the engineering profession.

HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT ENGINEER

       Set realistic goals and be humble and patient.

Be prepared to learn from your superiors and peers and absorb as much as possible early in your career.

Set high professional standards for yourself and never compromise on those. You can afford to be a little more effective than efficient at this stage of your career.

Take pride in your work and in your profession.

Uphold the code of professional ethics at all times.

Personal goals (self interest) should not over-shaddow professional growth and responsibility.

Prioritize and focus on those priorities.

    

HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT ENGINEER

Never be afraid to ask for and take advise.

Never hide a problem and always share experiences.

Treat all people with respect and communicate effectively.

Understand how business works and the economic climate.

Think Plan Think Execute Assess Apply

HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT ENGINEER

    Take responsibility for your own career development.

Invest in professional relationships.

Efficiency comes with experience and experience will teach that shortcuts do not exist in Engineering. The more experience you have, the easier it gets to do things right the first time.

Professional Ethics

     The bulk of Governments expenditure is spent on infrastructure.

This is why corruption has become synonymous with the Construction industry.

Engineers prepare the designs and contract documents, adjudicate tenders, process certificates and is called on to approve the quality of material and workmanship.

Engineers influence government on where to spend their budget.

With this power goes responsibility.

Set high standards

 South Africa has some of the best Engineers in the world. This country sets the benchmark for Engineers, but we also have lots to learn from our peers from the first world countries.

  We have a responsibility to uphold this proud reputation and set even higher standards for our industry and ourselves to improve.

As young Engineers we must challenge solutions developed in the past and respond to current priorities.

Experience

     What is better – Specialists or Generalist It takes a person at least 6 – 12 months to settle into new employment.

Making mistakes cannot be part of an Engineers career path and experience record.

Mentorship by experienced Engineers will breed good quality Engineers.

Interaction and participation with peers who share experiences is essential.

Be a sponge

     Surround yourself with knowledgeable people.

Absorb their knowledge by being inquisitive.

Filter the information and hold onto the best practice.

Share experiences with others.

Stay long enough to absorb as much as possible,

Humility and Patience

  Patience is something that you are appreciating in the driver behind you but what you hate from the driver in front of you.

Humility is a quality of being courteously respectful of others. It is the opposite of aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity.

Take pride in and responsibility for your work

 Like artists, we paint a picture but a flaw on a picture is only that, but a flaw on the Engineers picture have far reaching implications.

Career development

    Every young engineer or technologist must take responsibility for his / her own career development.

There is no reason why you as young engineer can’t demand a well defined, structured career development programme.

Decide what you want to do and where you want to be and work towards these goals.

Do not be afraid to change course along the way, but be decisive.

    

Priorities

Professional vs. Social vs. Family vs. Community Juggling between these could have disastrous implications. Design requires diligence and undivided attention. Life is not only about work. You need to find the right balance.

Plan, plan, plan.

Professional relationships

    Unlike most other professions, Engineers have other Engineers as Clients.

Colleagues today become competitors tomorrow and clients the day after.

Business is about relationships.

Move in the right circles and make the right noises to become a significant player.

Communication

Typical professional team Client Project Manager Architect Engineers Quantity Surveyor Environmental Scientists Geologist etc.

Typical project team Project Director Senior Design Engineer Engineer / Technologist Technician CAD Operators Administrators

TOO MUCH COMMUNICATION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN TOO LITTLE COMMUNICATION

Respect

    The role of Engineers in society is totally underestimated.

Engineers need to understand their value and be proud of the profession.

Engineers need to respect each other and recognize each others works.

Only if we respect each other will others respect us.

Understand business

       Income Statements Balance sheets Profitability Cashflow Charge-out rates Multipliers Forecasting

Effort = Reward.