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Engineering your future : the non-technical side of professional practice in engineering and other technical fields /

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Walesh, Stuart G.
Corporate Author: Ebook Library
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Reston, VA : American Society of Civil Engineers, 2000.
Edition:2nd ed.
Subjects:
Engineering.
Project management.
Electronic books.
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Table of Contents:
  • Definitions of Engineering 1
  • Definitions of Management 4
  • Similarity of Engineering and Management 4
  • Definition of Engineering Management 5
  • Steps of Engineering Management 5
  • Leadership, Management, and Production: Deciding, Directing, and Doing 5
  • Leadership, Management, and Production Defined 7
  • Traditional Pyramidal, Segregated Organizational Model 7
  • Shared Responsibility Organizational Model 12
  • Focus of This Book: Management 12
  • Engineer as Builder 14
  • Common Sense and Common Practice 15
  • Chapter 2 Management of Self 25
  • New Work Environment: Culture Shock? 25
  • No Partial Credit 25
  • Little Tolerance for Tardiness 27
  • Assignments Are Not Graded 27
  • Schedules Are More Complicated 27
  • Higher Grooming and Dress Expectations 27
  • Teamwork Is Standard Operating Procedure 28
  • Expect and Embrace Change 28
  • Employment or Graduate School? 28
  • Full-Time Graduate Study 30
  • Full-Time Employment 30
  • Learn From Potential Employers 31
  • Time Management 31
  • Time Is a Resource 31
  • Roles, Goals and Then, and only Then, Time Management 32
  • Time Management: The Great Equalizer 32
  • Time Management Tips 33
  • A Time Management System 45
  • Key Ideas About Management 45
  • First Few Months: Make or Break Time 45
  • Recognize and Draw on Generic Qualities and Characteristics 45
  • Never Compromise Personal Reputation 47
  • Learn and Respect Administrative Procedures and Structure 48
  • Do All Assignments Well in Accordance with Expectations 48
  • Get Things Done 49
  • Trim Your Hedges 49
  • Keep Your Supervisor Informed 50
  • Speak Up 50
  • Dress Appropriately 50
  • Seek Opportunities To Develop Communication Skills 51
  • Seize Opportunities for You and Your Organization 53
  • Choose To Be a Winner 53
  • Summing It Up 55
  • Managing Personal Professional Assets: Building Individual Equity 55
  • Personal Professional Assets 55
  • Annual Accounting 55
  • Careful Management of Personal Professional Equity 56
  • Continuing Education 56
  • Involvement in Professional Organizations: Taking and Giving 57
  • Licensing 59
  • Licensing Process 59
  • Thoughts on Taking the Fundamentals Examination While in Engineering School 62
  • Comity 62
  • License Renewal 63
  • Chapter 3 Communicating To Make Things Happen 65
  • Listening 69
  • Be Attentive 70
  • Verify Understanding 70
  • Use What Is Learned 71
  • Three Distinctions Between Writing and Speaking 71
  • Single-Channel vs. Multi-Channel 71
  • One-Directional vs. Two-Directional 71
  • Conveying vs. Convincing 73
  • Report Writing Tips: A Chance To Shine 73
  • Define and Write to Likely Audience or Audiences 73
  • Ask About Written Report-Writing Guidelines and Standards 74
  • Start Writing on Day 1 76
  • Outline and Incubate 76
  • Retain Some of the Outline in the Report 77
  • Write "Easy" Parts First 77
  • Write in Third Person 77
  • Employ a Gender-Neutral Style 78
  • Write in an Active, Direct Manner Rather Than a Passive, Indirect Manner 78
  • Use Rhetorical Techniques 78
  • Avoid Tin Ear 78
  • Adopt a Flexible Format for Identifying Tables, Figures, and References 79
  • Use Lists 79
  • Design a Standard Base Map or Diagram 80
  • Use Format Writing 80
  • Establish Report Milestones 81
  • Produce an Attractive and Appealing Report 81
  • Cite All Sources 81
  • Read One More Time 82
  • Speaking Tips: How To Make an Effective Presentation 82
  • Conquer Reluctance to Speak 83
  • Define the Audience and the Setting 83
  • Prepare the Script 84
  • Prepare the Graphics 84
  • Practice Out Loud 86
  • Arrange For and Verify Audio-Visual Equipment 88
  • Suggest a Proper Introduction 90
  • Deliver the Speech 90
  • Prompt Post-Speech Questions and Answers 91
  • Follow-Up 92
  • Take Extra Care with International Audiences 92
  • Body Language 93
  • Chapter 4 Management of Relationships with Others 95
  • Types of People 97
  • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 98
  • Theories X and Y 100
  • Perspective 101
  • Applications of Theory X and Theory Y Knowledge 101
  • Probable Dominance of Theory Ys 102
  • Delegating 102
  • Reasons To Practice Effective Delegation 103
  • Reluctance To Delegate 103
  • Delegation Isn't Always Down 104
  • Delegation Tips 105
  • Three Possible Outcomes 106
  • Managing Meetings 106
  • Reasons To Meet 108
  • When Not To Call a Meeting 108
  • A Dozen Tips for Successful Meetings 109
  • Dealing with Difficult People and Situations at Meetings 114
  • Miscellaneous Thoughts 116
  • Appreciating and Working with Support Personnel 116
  • Essential Members of the Organization 117
  • Challenges Unique to Working with Support Personnel 117
  • Tips for the Entry-Level Technical Professional 119
  • Selecting Co-Workers and Managing Your Boss 121
  • Carefully Select Co-Workers and Your Boss 121
  • Seek a Mutually Beneficial Relationship 121
  • Avoid Being a Yes Man/Woman 123
  • Caring Isn't Coddling 124
  • Coaching 125
  • Coaching Defined 125
  • Coaching Tips 125
  • Team Playing 126
  • Effective Conference Attendance 127
  • Learning About the Conference 127
  • Before the Conference 128
  • At the Conference 129
  • After the Conference 132
  • Looking Ahead 132
  • Chapter 5 Project Management 133
  • Broad Definition of Project 133
  • Project Management Defined 134
  • All Things Are Created Twice 135
  • Centrality of Project Management 139
  • Relevance of Project Management to the Entry-Level Technical Professional 142
  • Project Time and Task Management 142
  • Chronological List 144
  • Gantt (Bar) Chart 145
  • Critical Path Method 145
  • Review of Earlier Questions 156
  • Key Ideas 157
  • Project Management Software 157
  • Project Plan 158
  • Project Team Kickoff Meeting 158
  • Client Kickoff Meeting 159
  • Project Plan Format 159
  • Project Plan Avoidance Syndrome 160
  • Project Monitoring and Control 160
  • Project Post-Mortem 162
  • Client Input 162
  • Team Meeting 163
  • Closure: Common Sense and Self Discipline? 163
  • Chapter 6 Total Quality Management 169
  • Quality Defined 170
  • Quality as Opulence 170
  • Quality as Excellence or Superiority 170
  • Quality as Meeting Requirements 171
  • Stakeholders 172
  • Total Quality Management Defined 173
  • Principles of Total Quality Management 175
  • Comments on Some of Deming's "14 Points for Management" 178
  • Tools and Techniques 180
  • Metrics 181
  • Written Guidelines 182
  • Flow Charting 184
  • Fishbone Diagrams 185
  • Pareto Analysis 185
  • Brainstorming Sessions 185
  • Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Process 188
  • Benchmarking 188
  • Partnering 190
  • Stakeholder Input 192
  • Results of Total Quality Management 192
  • Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award 193
  • Closing Thoughts 193
  • Chapter 7 Design 195
  • Design Function 195
  • Interaction 197
  • "Back-of-Envelope" Sketches and Calculations 197
  • Contrasting Planning and Design 198
  • Hard and Soft Results 198
  • Disproportionate Impact of the Design Function 198
  • Design in Terms of Deliverables 200
  • Drawings 201
  • Technical Specifications 201
  • Non-Technical Provisions 201
  • Design as Risky Business 205
  • Design as a Creative, Satisfying Process 206
  • Creating a Creative Atmosphere 207
  • Word "Engineer" and Creativity 207
  • Concluding Statement 208
  • Chapter 8 Decision Economics 209
  • Broad Applicability of Decision Economics Tools 211
  • Distinction Between Economic Analysis and Financial Analysis 211
  • Steps in the Decision Economics Process 212
  • Step 1 Determine Physical and Economic Lives of Project Components 212
  • Step 2 Diagram Revenue and Construction, Manufacturing, Replacement, and Operation and Maintenancee Expenditures 215
  • Step 3 Select Interest Rate 219
  • Step 4 Put Costs and Benefits on a Comparable Basis and Calculate Benefit-Cost Ratio or at Least Cost 220
  • Step 5 Consider Intangible Benefits and Costs 220
  • Step 6 Recommend Best Alternative 220
  • Discounting Factors 220
  • Single-Payment Simple-Interest Factor 221
  • Single-Payment Compound-Amount Factor 223
  • Single-Payment Present-Worth Factor 226
  • Series Compound-Amount Factor 228
  • Series Sinking-Fund
  • Factor 231
  • Series Present-Worth Factor 231
  • Capital-Recovery Factor 234
  • Gradient-Series Present-Worth Factor 236
  • Summary of Discounting Factors 240
  • Benefit-Cost Analysis 240
  • Alternatives with Variable Costs but Identical Benefits 240
  • Alternatives with Variable Costs and Benefits 243
  • Alternatives With Variable Costs and Benefits and with Significant Intangibles 246
  • Sensitivity of B/C to Interest Rate 246
  • Sensitivity of B/C to Economic Life 256
  • Sensitivity of Costs to Load, Capacity, or Other Measures of Service 257
  • Analytic and Empirical Approach 259
  • Computer Simulation Approach 260
  • Empirical Approach 263
  • Concluding Statement 263
  • Rate of Return or Return on Investment 263
  • Life Cycle Analysis 266
  • Chapter 9 Organization of Organizations 277
  • Concept of a Team 278
  • Legal Forms of Business Ownership 280
  • Sole Proprietorship 280
  • Partnership 280
  • Corporation 281
  • Organizational Structures 281
  • Functional Organizational Structure 282
  • Regional Organizational Structure 285
  • Client Organizational Structure 287
  • Matrix Organizational Structure 288
  • Neat on Paper, Messy in Practice 292
  • To Reorganize or not To Reorganize: That Is the Question 293
  • Single vs. Dual Ladder Advancement Systems 293
  • Virtual Teams 300
  • Chapter 10 Business Accounting Methods 305
  • Why Do Accounting? 305