Engineers and Architects fight back: Part One

Sitting in the Slaughtered Lamb just round the corner from my destination for this evening. A debate organised by Building Futures.

This is an organisation who have come together to create space for open debates upon which questions surrounding the built environment and developments affecting big cities can be chewed over and documented. Great idea.

This evenings debate fundamentally asks the question, what is the future of Architects?'

This caught my eye obviously, but what is it that an Engineer might find interesting about this topic?

THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT 'CONTRACTORS' ARE THE ARCHITECTS OF THE FUTURE and ARE TRADITIONAL, INDEPENDENT ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES TO BECOME A THING OF THE PAST?



Team 1 [FOR THE MOTION] Peter Trebilcock – Director for Design @ Balfour Beatty Northern
Chris Boyce – Design Director @ Capita Symonds


Team 2 [AGAINST THE MOTION] Jane Duncan – Director @ Jane Duncan Architects / RIBA Vice President, Practice & Profession
Paul Morrell – Chief Construction Advisor to HM Government


Well apart from a great line up, the two opposing teams of successful Directors, Contractors and Architects are going to pitch arguments for and against the undeniable trend of Architectural services being marginalised and absorbed into the contractors duties. Some would say that the contractors are doing quite a good job of it too...

Tell me Engineers, does this at all sound familiar to you?

I think that you know where it is that I am going with this, and why I am intrigued as to what the arguments for and against this phenomenon may be.

Is this a last stand being mounted by the beleaguered Architects? Or a monumental coup which will set the scene for a creative come back? OR is this a great template strategy for gathering back our Engineering Mojo?

I'm here to find out, and It all starts in 1.5 hours. As long as I can stay sober that is - this beer is going down a bit too well!


Engine[er]

A very special club

Time to update you of my experiences with the ubiquitous networking group - the BNI. Givers Gain!

I have been enjoying watching others describe and present their businesses in the mornings. I also have found the time to research and present my own 60 second pitch, several times so far. I have my good mornings and my bad ones. I do however feel a lot better about the public speaking now though. Really happy about that.

My observations to date are that if you follow the rules, take on-board the training and listen to the advice given by the longer standing members and your mentor - then you won't go far wrong. After a few weeks or perhaps months, you should start to receive positive referrals from other members - as they begin to understand more about what it is that you do... and who you are.

The 'who you are' is a very important part of that equation. It is essential that you take time to communicate effectively with your network buddies. Why? My opinion is that the 'who' in the equation is the first thing which is called into question - especially when you begin to introduce the other members into your circle of friends and family.

In truth, an almost unanswerable question hangs over the act of 'selling' the services of other members to your friends and family; and this is never properly addressed. This 'not so minor' linchpin to being a successful referrer could well be causing some confusion for some new members. So how exactly do we resolve this rather important issue? Let me share with you my experience and the conclusions which I have drawn from them [please note! I am a beginner in the affairs of the BNI and do not believe that the more experienced members will suffer from the same confusion as someone like myself]:

The BNI approach [not a unified approach from what I have seen]
The advice given to me was this - trust is an important factor when you begin referring out your networking colleagues, without so much as a "hey" or "how you doing". It would appear on the face of it, the current system means that you may need to recommend others services before you feel 100% comfortable. Therefore you must blindly have faith that the BNI system works, and that everyone in the chapter are true to their words. Business men and women of substance.

My Interpretation  [from experience and joining several dots]
I do not believe that this is how the BNI wishes you to proceed AND most importantly, I do not believe that this is how things are carried out [in the most part]. The reason being is that quite simply this behaviour would not be sustainable. Word would quickly get out that anyone who is a member of the BNI gives poor referrals - and this creates severe problems for everyone involved.

Now, just because I don't think that it happens, it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen! My eyes are cast towards the newer members of chapters. How do we know when we are not crossing that blurry line by referring our BNI colleagues without fully understanding them? It is a serious business when a friend or family member asks you to refer to them a trusted service provider.

Another quite interesting connotation here is this; if you had invested a lot of time and energy into a network group, you wouldn't want new members throwing scrappy introductions your way or indeed, giving referrals to those of us who may have been so unavoidably busy, that they cannot respond in a timely fashion - thus shaking confidence. This kind of behaviour, if left to run rampant and unchecked could very well rock the foundations of a quality networking team. Bad news for every person involved.

So again, I must ask a question for you. What can be done? Well, luck has smiled sweetly upon you, I am an Engineer with a crazy bag of tricks. One of my favourite tricks is ideas generation. Try these on for size;

Problem: new members are to hit the ground running and produce results as if they were a seasoned BNIer. This possibly leads on to poor quality leads, and potentially shake the confidence of those outside of the networking group. It's like an invisible rot.
Answer: remove certain networking responsibilities from newbies, until they have been properly trained or even until they have given their 4 minute launchpad presentation. I found the Member Success Training incredibly helpful, but even after that, I would have been grateful for a few weeks of respite. Just so that I could sign up for some more training and chase some essential 1-2-1 meetings with certain members of my chapter; before I began giving referrals. [if the truth be told... I couldn't wait to get started actually ;-)]
Likely Effect: this could slow the transition from newbie to productive member of the group. During the transition, it could also become painfully obvious that some new members may not up to the challenge and will probably drop-out rather than pass-out.
Answer: ask new applicants to only pay the start-up fee and training fees up front. Then pay the yearly membership once they have passed onto member status. This keeps the member quality high and creates a feeling of ascension to something special...

Now, the above suggestions may result in a slower take up of applicants ascending to full membership - but it does demonstrate quite a reassuring set of standards to those outside and inside of the BNI fold. I suspect that you may see more guests willing to take a punt at the membership if they felt that they had only a modest deposit to make, and in turn they gathered up a few new connections and a chance at becoming a member of a very special club.

Finally I would like to add that new members may wish to partake in a very mindful strategy of only referring those who they have managed to have 1-2-1 conversations with OR keep the referrals very small to begin with. My advice is to choose a few smaller, less expensive service providers, and go to town on them until you have found your confidence.

Happy to be part of the BNI.


Engine[er]

Engineering Perfectionism

It has been a great week for 'sticky' discussions on the LinkedIn engineering forums.

One topic in particular topic attracted quite a diverse and interesting following. It was started on a fresh new group - The GradEng Network.
[A group dedicated to building relationships between graduates, and sharing job search opportunities]

7 Reasons Why Perfectionism is a Barrier to Success.

I have my own interpretation of the key points made;

1. Unrealistic Expectations. No. Perfect does not equal millionaire! Who believes that? We live in a world where being perfect gets you a mediocre life. Investments of time, emotion, and money are made in imperfect people. People who have potential. Graduates need not be perfect... they need to have aspirations and demonstrate that they can grow as individuals and Engineers.

2. Make no Mistake. We all do. Think about this. If you are required to push a design to its limits, then you need professional back up. These checks help you sleep at night, and ensure the public are safe too. Dealing with domestic projects day in day out, I concentrate on buildability. There is no point in me designing a beam into a singularity if installing becomes impossible. Level the playing field, by accepting that their are potentially hundreds of ways of solving same design problem. None are wrong, and mistakes are easily rectified. Give it a try.

3. Seek no help. No man, woman or Engineer is an Island. I took great confidence from the fact that one day I was asked personally to help out a very experienced Engineer. He was stuck for ideas, and decided to enquire as to my strategy on a quirky problem. We both learned an awful amount that day I'm sure. From that day on I never felt embarrassed to ask questions, even off of newly qualified graduates. The beauty of design is that imagination and experience combined leads to so many cool possibilities... embrace that fact.

4. Planning. The process of planning is critical. Trust me, life never turns out exactly as planned BUT... without a plan you can't readjust your bearings and set you course back on track. An air-plane spends [apparently] 85% of its flight time off course. But, it always reaches its intended destination.

5. No Change. Quite the opposite. To be successful, we all have to accept that change is afoot. Constantly. Seems counter intuitive right? Once you accept that iterative failure is your only way to achieving a good result, life and learning becomes spontaneous and.... well, fun.

6. Future Focus. Now, I do not wholly agree with this point. You got to have a vision! That's your end game! Organise it in you mind then put it to one side. Once you got a plan, then build a strategy to reach it, piece meal style.

7. Lost in Detail. OK, let's get one thing straight, getting lost in the detail does not result in total failure!! It may inhibit future growth if you constantly return to that default setting, but failure it is not. On the contrary, it is those of us who fail to pick up on the nuances of the details in front of us who come to a sticky end. There is a time for laser like focus. There is a time to evaluate the surrounding environment. Balancing those points of views is critical to success.


Engine[er]

Tapping into Talent. Building Trust

"When you ask people what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than themselves, of being connected, of being generative. It becomes quite clear that, for many, their experiences as part of truly great teams stand out as singular periods of life lived to the fullest." - Peter Senge

My thoughts on our extended engineering fraternity up until recently was one of considerable confusion. Finite amounts of construction developments meant that those of us who didn't find enough projects to keep us busy, were destined to have hard times. Conversely those of us who have found the time and energy to engage the interest of developers, or Architects have found more than their fair share. This is the situation which I see before me.

Those 'without' suffer by not having enough work, and those 'with', suffer from exhaustion or by disappointing their clients.

In addition to the problems above, comes the time spent trying to finely tune and 'tee up' a healthy vein of work for the future, leading to further waste. So why not take a leap into the unknown, and share?

Indeed. To that end I have launched a group on LinkedIn to allow free communication between engineers so that we can redistribute our work loads - as and when we need. As the group grows, the future promises that this community will become an essential route to reliable engineering resources with the opportunity to share business ideas and 'time' with one another. Building trust.

To add another dimension, we will also consider allowing a number of supportive non-engineering construction professionals [i.e. Architects, contractors, QS's, business advisers] to contribute to maintaining a productive and lively group, for all it's members.

Every business has its own plans for the future. Some of us would like to remain small and work as sole traders, giving our clients value by keeping overheads low. Well, you can! I personally would also love to be part of something BIG, yet retain some of my independence and reserve my option to take on work as I see fit.

I also have a dream of introducing graduates into collaborative groups. Seating them at the heart of a incredibly confident and experienced localised team of engineers. Thus giving them a wonderful springboard into their professional career, and giving Engineers a solid opportunity to mentor the next generation of talent.

If you are an Engineer, and this idea appeals to you, then drop us an email or hunt out our brand new group on LinkedIn - The Collaborative Engineering Community

Tapping into Talent. Building Trust.


Engine[er]

One Million Pounds

"So why do we feel the need to 'bribe' people to get them into engineering these days?" Channel 4 Interviewer on the announced one million pound prize for engineering. [video here]

This week, Lord Browne [President of the Royal Academy of Engineering], with the backing from the Prime Minister amongst others announced on behalf of the Queen, that there was to be a new worldwide prize for engineering. The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

The hope is that this prize will stimulate growth and innovation within the engineering industry, the world over. It has also been debated for many years as to why engineering has not had a prestigious Nobel Prize award to aspire to like many other scientific, medical and artistic professions have. Unofficially, the Royal Academy of Engineering - had hoped that our UK based engineering prize, the MacRobert Award would fill that particular gap. For the last 43 years, many accomplished and diverse engineering companies have been nominated for and won the 'Gold Medal', including Microsoft Research in Cambridge for creating what essentially became a biometrics systems which led to the invention of X-Box 360's Kinect. The MacRobert Award may not have become the worldwide Nobel Prize which it was hoped for, but it has delivered to the UK engineering a supreme level of excellence to shoot for. [much cap doffing]

Now, you will be excused for not knowing much at all about those awards, or even the 10 other  prizes which are awarded each year to promote engineering in the UK and worldwide. That is of course unless you have been employed at a managerial level in a large engineering firm, or brushed shoulders with some of the industries elite in the UK - then you may have not considered winning one of theses awards as an achievable goal in your life-time.

So why have them?

For our Channel 4 interviewer mentioned already, this would have been a very pertinent [but stupid] question. Why are we creating a new prize just so that the UK can bribe people into becoming engineers? What's that about?

I do not believe this is why we need these awards. It is important to establish a competitive field amongst our engineering elite. They can then strive to push each other hard, and provide a platform from which we all can celebrate in their innovative success.

It's imperative that we continue to raise awareness of the advances in engineering made by our own country, so that we can go on and inspire students to take up engineering. It is an enormous and everlasting crusade, made even harder by the indigenous cynical press and the low profile of our industries footsoldiers. It goes without saying that if graduates were only to measure a successful career by the size of a salary upon retirement age, then the truth is, we stand to lose quite a number of our most talented young hopefuls to the likes of Goldman Sachs etc. If money is your thing, then chase it. If the thought of building a prosperous future for us all and our following generations gets you up in the morning... then keep reading please.

"It's broken" Seth Godin.

Yes it is. All of this is broken. The UK exports in the region of £1.5 billion pounds worth of engineering  expertise every year. Yet we only really get to hear about the escapades of the hard hitting international engineering giants such as Arup, WSP Atkins and Buro Happold, although this is a wilful stretch of the imagination. If I were to take the question to the city streets - "Have you heard of Buro Happold?" or "Do you know what Arup does?", then I would stake a large portion of my monthly income that I would see more blank faces than not.

A lot of this is to do with the public's perceived value of our primary function as an engineer. It is agreed that earning a degree in engineering is one of the more demanding academic achievements [slightly biased opinion]. Yet we are no closer to the remuneration package of a Lawyer or Doctor, than say a plumber or electrician. No offence meant by that last remark, but I am basing the disparage upon the inherent disparate levels of public responsibility... and that you need a masters in civil engineering to become a Chartered Engineer too.

I digress. My conclusion? My advice to our industry leaders? Stop chasing the dream. We cannot compete for a higher profile than of an Architect, or the social standing of a Doctor, or the wealth of a financier or indeed the respect of a Lawyer - LOL! Sorry I had to get that last one in... we cannot compete with the power given to a Lawyer.

So if we cannot and never will be able to compare, then the answer is quite simple, don't try. I accept that there will be a few of us who may climb high enough in our industry, that we may become managing directors of one of the engineering giants, but this job commands a different kind of respect. You are no longer measurable as an Engineer, who works the coal face of practical design implication and management - in the public's eyes. Harsh realities, or my personal opinion? You choose. 

I wish to throw in an potential opportunity to those of us left to lead the way out of the trenches. A new way of thinking that the newly enlisted talent may not find too palatable at first. Re-brand the Engineer - sensibly. This could be a broadly unpopular proposal, and I am bracing for the backlash.

We are thought of as a steady 'trade' profession by the public. Not flashy, a shade conservative, reliable, with a sensible and plod along career path. So why not take this on board finally and play with that?

Showcase the small consultancies. Represent an underlying sense of humour to the proceedings known as 'engineering for the masses'. Demonstrate how the advanced mathematics are used in real life examples - on small scale works. Toy with the idea that we are the public's go-to guys and girls and best positioned to help bring projects safely in on time and on budget. Be the centre of constructions universe.

The reason why I say all this is because aren't we setting the bar too high? Surely throwing us all into the premier league may just be too difficult for the majority of us to live with? How about uncovering a little of the truth behind our talented free-lancers who eventually settle down, open an office and employ graduates direct from universities. Giving them a launch pad to take their careers as high as they can imagine. This strategy may seem a little bit backwards at first, and I do accept that we need something to aspire to, but aspiring to owning your own business is good right? Aspiring to being personally responsible for a new graduates initial, formative years in a design office is important right? So let's show it.

I'll leave you with a brief exchange of dialogue between the Channel 4 interviewer and Paul Westbury of Buro Happold. It is quite entertaining...

Interviewer: "Paul Westbury, how do we prevent graduate engineering students from being poached by Channel 4 news or companies like Goldmansachs?"


Paul: "We can start by challenging your language!", "You talk about taking a million pounds back to your factory? Or Goldman Sachs luring engineers away from making lawnmower parts. That's the kind of stuff that we have got to change!"

Interviewer: "but money is a problem isn't it? You can't compete with the city salaries can you?"

Paul: "Of course you can't for some people, but actually for a large number of people you can"

Really?

Let's not get drawn into a debate where we always find ourselves wanting. Better yet is to ignore the 'so called' competition for the attention of our graduates. Concentrate on what we have right now and what we are good at. Training graduates, solving problems, building better futures, protecting society and most of all - doing it because we absolutely love to. You cannot argue with these points. By all means though - you can give it a go.

This has been another exercise in problem solving. Talk to me.

Engine[er]

Teach Yourself How to Run: Part Seven [Dream a little]

Is there a good time to work, and a good time to play so that you get the most out of the effort that you put in? I thought there was.

I consider myself very lucky. I have been able to identify time and time again what it is that drives me to do certain things... and therefore repeat or decide not to repeat as necessary. Failure is an integral part of that equation, and as I have stated before, physically failing is not your only route to failure here. You can learn from others mistakes too.

THIS REALISATION WILL NOT MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO ADAPT. It makes for an interesting internal dialogue though.

Out running this morning, I found the going tough. I don't like mornings. Even whilst doing something I love.

Recently a friend of mine said she had read that having high or low energy levels during certain times of the day are a myth. It was suggested that we are capable of being mindful and changing our habits at will.

So I am testing this theory with my running. I like to run in the late afternoon. Morning is poison to me. Therefore I initiated a change which will hopefully prove or disprove the theory.

Like I said, today was tough. So tough that I wanted to cut the run short. I didn't, but it was internally considered with extreme prejudice. As it turns out I ran incredibly slow and laboured lots. I was confused and upset that my will wasn't strong enough to snap me out of the funk. I dug deep and considered that I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. This was not doing my confidence any good...

As my mind continually broke the experience down further, a particular music track began to play on my MP3 player.... and my legs became lighter. I ran around a corner to be faced with a powerful symbol of why running has meant so much to me over the years. The reason why I do what I do. It was there hung in the sky, orangey blue.

The view of the sun was magnificent. It just edged over a silhouetted house. My body and legs were energised and the music kept me trotting along nicely.

OK, the sun was only a symbol. The real reason for the energy boost was that I am visual and rhythm orientated. Running has been great way to view awesome sunsets and sunrises with my favourite tunes playing in my ears. It occurred to me that maybe we are all pretty similar. Visual learners.

The ability to visualise our challenges and think our way past them is very powerful indeed. To learn a lesson in high definition must also be a great advantage to students too.

To that end I will share with you a secret of mine.

I visualise my path ahead in unison with the music which is played in my ears during a run. I draw lines of comparison to the beats I hear and connect them with the life trials I face. This helps me see patterns and plan a strategy to move forward. Remotely.

The closest 'popular' example of this which I can think of is imagining that YOU are James Bond when you have just seen one of his feature films. For a short time after the cinema experience, you are James Bond. Every car you see drive by contains a spy who wants to learn your secrets... It takes all your willpower just to stop yourself from hiding round corners with a hand shaped Walther PPK. I'm pretty sure that these kinds of thoughts occur to most of us. But we do little with them.

What I was hoping to do for you today was to perhaps inspire a little change in you. Whether it is simply pulling on a pair of running shoes, going for a run and drinking up your creativity with an awesome self stylised soundtrack beating in your ears. Or making you realise that there are many hidden benefits to simply having dreams, and making them happen.

Learning lessons is of no use to anyone unless you can decipher their essence and relay it to others who also need the support.


Engine[er]

Films to watch out for

Over the last few weeks, I have unofficially researched and curiously paid interest to what our industry has to offer on video platforms such as Vimeo and YouTube.

I am referring to of course online structural engineering videos which have been 'set free' over the web during the last 5 years or so. The assumptions are that these videos have been attentively shot, edited and uploaded in order to inform prospective graduates, graduates, the public at large, and our very own structural engineers upon what it is that our industry is currently up to. Added benefits could also include answering questions like, why we are best positioned to carry out construction project management and design, and to ultimately celebrate in our successes.

WHY VIDEO? 
The current thinking is that the search engine optimising benefits which have been pervasively touted by SEO marketers and advisers the world over, are not the only benefits to be gained from a well executed video campaign. Of the many advantages which have been highlighted are increased brand awareness, credibility, and extra opportunities to advertise on searchable ranking websites - like YouTube. Also, we must recognise as a general rule of thumb, that we prefer to watch videos rather than read long essays.

With this in mind, I set about hunting out some easily searchable examples to review. I used the following keywords on Vimeo and YouTube; IStructE, structural engineering, and structural design. I deliberately restricted the keywords to these. My wish was to emulate the searches of a person who is interested in what our industry might be doing.

THE AUDIENCE
We have already touched upon who we might be communicating to through our video submissions. The types of questions which could very well be on the mind of someone searching for more information are as follows;

1. What exactly does a Structural Engineer do? On a day to day basis.
2. Do I have what it takes to be an Engineer?
3. How interesting or fun might a career in Engineering be?
4. Are Engineers widely respected?.. and are they paid well?
5. Where can I find an Engineer near to me?

The questions above are only a taster of possible lines of enquiry. I feel that without understanding the 'why' part of why someone may search out knowledge of our industry, then reviewing these videos may lose most of its meaning. Box ticked.

SO... WHAT DID WE FIND?

This is it. I typed in the keywords and let the video platforms do their thing, then chose my guinea pigs from the first page of results only. I reviewed and marked them on Presentation, Information, Interest and Call-to-action. Presentation - this includes editing quality, music & audio quality. Information - how well do they answer the questions which may have brought you to the video in the first place? Interest - does the video hold your interest and convey the engineering 'spirit'? Call-to-Action - Is there an under lying message and how inspirational was it?


1. Structural Engineering - produced by the Yorkshire Branch [254views]

Presentation:2/5 Information: 4/5 Interest: 2/5 CTA:1/5 TOTAL = 9/20

[click here]

It is a shame that the first minute of this film had to be plagued with an annoying sound track. Further investigation has led me to believe that the music may be some kind of unofficial IStructE theme tune. My advice would be this. Lose the music. Do it now. I did love the 'stupid street' style interviews and the presenter was quite... well... well presented. I did not feel inspired, but would have felt educated [if I didn't know most of what was coming anyway]. Good start, but lots to improve upon if we are really serious about inspiring students and Engineers to surpass their wildest dreams. Hit the snooze button on this one.

2. Structural Engineer - produced by CBIA Videos [16,858 views]

Presentation:1/5 Information: 3/5 Interest: 2/5 CTA:1/5 TOTAL = 7/20

[click here]

Again quite a low score. A self titled 'day in the life of an Engineer'. What has always been a bug bear of mine, is people not being able to describe what it is we do without using the word Architect in the sentence. There is nothing interesting about this video, yet it has landed 16,858 views. Go figure. Perhaps it was more to do with the attractive looking Engineer and her rather impractical site boots? Please let me know if you see the more to this video than I. Less said about the music the better. Grrrrrr......

3. Civil and Structural Engineering, the ICE - produced by the University of Bradford SoEDT [7,024views]

Presentation:3/5 Information: 4/5 Interest: 3/5 CTA:3/5 TOTAL = 13/20

[click here]

This is the first video to make double figures and has a quite healthy viewer count too. All in all I enjoyed it and felt that they have managed to build into the film a feeling of pride and awe at what the featured Engineers have accomplished thus far in their careers. A great touch was the interview and pithy one liners from Dan Cruikshank "it is the Engineer, at the end of the day who is the heart of every building project". 

4. What is Structural Engineering? - produced by the University of Strathclyde, Architecture [82 views]

Presentation:3/5 Information: 5/5 Interest: 2/5 CTA:2/5 TOTAL = 12/20

[click here]

What I most liked about this video is that it did exactly what the title promised, and guess what - it managed to describe what we do with razor like precision, WITHOUT having to evoke the relationship between Engineer and Architect. I felt that my time hadn't been wasted by watching it [unlike most of the earlier films] - and would recommend that it is reviewed by those who are looking to understand what it is that we do. Just goes to show that if you keep to a plan, you may well achieve a desirable result.

5. Wildcard films [210,000 approx views between them]

I decided to research a few other films which were recommended to me, or found through accident. All of them are related to Engineering and therefore should be considered. You need to watch each and every one of these films, they are incredible.

i] Chartered Engineers - by Engineers Ireland. Presentation:5/5 Information: 3/5 Interest: 5/5 CTA:5/5 TOTAL = 18/20. Simply gorgeous film.

ii] 'Engineers are Cool' - by Arup. Presentation:5/5 Information: 3/5 Interest: 5/5 CTA:5/5 TOTAL = 18/20. Very clever and energising. Inspirational.

iii] 'The Knack' - by Dilbert. Presentation:4/5 Information: 2/5 Interest: 5/5 CTA:3/5 TOTAL = 14/20. Random but has a great message. Pokes fun at Engineers. Very very funny.

iv] 'Hi I'm an Engineer' - by Create Film Festival. Worth a look! 

The wild card films featured above for all intents and purposes fulfilled  the need to be creative and deliver an awe inspiring message. They advertised our potential and celebrated our successes as Engineers. Albeit from a more holistic point of view.  The first four films do not seem to be able to exact the same response. Never has the theory behind selling the sizzle, rather than the sausage itself ever been more pertinent. 

It goes without saying that the viewing figures for the final three films are astronomical when compared to the initial four examples.

Conclusions? Yes - we have a long way to go before the use of film can be accepted as one of the strings to our marketing bow. All the first four films sent my non-engineering test subjects to sleep before the message had been delivered. The remaining three films both delighted and intrigued the audience. 

The question remaining is. Do we want to engage potential engineering students and the public or not? 

Engine[er]

Engineering a safe existence

UPDATED 12/11/11 - Links checked etc.

I have decided to dedicate this weeks post to the unfortunate victims of the earthquakes which have plagued Turkey recently. My initial response as an Engineer is that some of these losses were avoidable. Massive condolences to those more personally affected than I. A gut wrenching loss of life.

"earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do" 

There are organisations such as 'Build Change' who are proactive in their approach and will save many lives due to their efforts. A completely awesome engineering resource and charity [cap doffing]. For this post, I do not wish to debate whether there are adequate amounts of volunteered expertise ready and waiting to help mitigate these kinds of problems. For example, the ones faced by developed countries sitting on a convergence of destructive fault lines. Like Turkey.

Neither am I planning to dive into technical requirements for buildings in earthquake zones, or teaching locals how to build and engineer a safer home. However. I would like to put forward a suggestion as to why we engineers are the way we are. I hope that this will help you understand the thoughts and processes which have contributed to an engineers 'misconceived' conservativeness.

As Structural Engineers, we [predominantly] exist in a state of knowledge limbo. We aim to utilise our experience and carry out our designs as economically as possible, but what does that really mean? It means that we attempt to be as confident as we can, and by aiming at a 90-95% utilisation of the strength of the materials that we design with. This figure does not include for the mandatory factors of safety which we are obligated to adhere to either. These essential factors of safety average out another 30-35% of under utilisation due to inconsistencies in material strength, and inaccuracies in construction and loading assessments. If we consider that their ultimate load bearing capacities are only using 60% of their strength... then this results in an over design of approximately two thirds! Guilty as charged. In our defence though, the above calculations are rather more complicated in reality and I have neglected to mention permissible stresses, load combinations and various clauses and sub-clauses, all of which are used to help us economise on design. Trust me, the above statement has been extensively rationalised so that I could attempt to come up with figure for you.

No wonder we are viewed with suspicion when from time to time we are able to 'magic' up additional capacity where once there was none, using nothing but our Engineering judgement.

I was out running a few weeks ago, and I run through quite a busy golf course. At times I have had to take refuge behind trees or protect my head as I sprinted past a golfers tee. This one time, I ran over the crown of some dense grassland and happened upon an excellent view of a 90 yard par 3 hole. This part of the course looked like it had been designed as a training hole, to allow golfers to hit an entire bucket of balls undisturbed.

The green was peppered with tiny white balls. They were also everywhere else too! On the fringe, in the rough, in the bunker, right next to the flag... and my immediate thought was, WOW. This guy is destined to do well with all that practice. He will try and try and try, and eventually he will stumble upon that perfect swing, which will then go on to become his most consistent. For golfers, the amount of practice is directly proportionate to their level of consistency and success... as with most things in life.

Not in engineering though.

Mistakes, failures and testing costs time and money, sometimes it costs lives. When we step up to the tee, as an engineer - we only have one ball, one hole. So we have to settle ourselves that our judgement is correct. Safety takes presidence.

OK, so we test in laboratories, but these are laboratories - and not building sites We also proverbially increase the diameter of the hole somewhat, because we are better equipped to break down and therefore understand the problems facing us. Most of the 'edge' which we have comes from the pervasive application of factors of safety... driven by the fact that the repercussions of our failure are horrendous.

I hope that I have given you a better idea as to why we are keen to maintain control of what is carried out during construction, and are infact best placed to aide project managers and contractors build with more efficiency and confidence than anyone other single member of the design team.

We have pride, safety, connectivity, and are educated, motivated, hard working, creative.... and altruistic. Every construction project needs an Engineer on board*.


Engine[er]

*I would however draw a line at asking an Engineer to say design your garden decking or specify the foundations of a dwarf garden wall which passes near tree roots. You may not like the answers that you get. Certain small building projects perhaps need the touch of an experienced builder rather than an Engineer who invokes the protection from their indemnity insurances...

Scales of Engineering and Feel Good Friday

Would you employ a Structural Engineer who has spent the last 15 years designing concrete bridges, for a single storey house extension?... Would you even bother talking to a local one-man-band-engineer who is advertising loft conversion design services, when you need a 30 storey tower in Dubai built...?

As with many professions, there is an economy of scale... and when I say that - I mean that your chosen consultant will have more design experience in one field over another [i.e. a specialism] and hence be able to provide an enhanced service for the same fee as a lesser prepared pier. I hasten to add that reduced fees and cutting costs do not help anyone. BUT increased levels of customer care and positive communication DOES!

Bear that in mind when you are thinking about your next marketing campaign. Narrowing the field of play could net you a very appreciative and loyal set of clients. I'm excited just thinking about the potential of uncovering a niche market...

OK time to very quickly discuss the avenues available to us as engineers when we finally decide where to market ourselves.

1. Working direct for consumers [private clients]. Please take a step into a world where most of your clients are people who do not know what it is that you are doing for them. I am of course referring to small scale residential clients. They will be able to see where the time was spent...a small parcel of calculations and sketch drawings will be testament to that fact. This however will not stop them from feeling confused and maybe even 'slightly' robbed. The question on their quivering lips is why was your input required in the first place! This is why they employ builders right? To build? Answer: EDUCATE BUILDERS & CONSUMERS. Build trust and take every opportunity to inform them... but not lecture them. Be a great diplomat and advocate for safe sustainable design. Everything the Institute asks of you and more.

2. Work for the construction professional [Architects, testing engineers, builders, project managers, Surveyors]. Without trying to hurt your feelings, our construction contacts may well pick and choose us based upon past project experiences and our 'apparent' specialities. There are also other factors like work load and insurances too, but you may well get first dibs on projects from your most avid supporters. Answer: If you have a good working relationship with these contacts, then they are less likely to muddy the waters by giving your competition a chance. Therefore build in extra value and take time to understand how you can help them best serve their clients. Be the best advocate for their company that you can. Respect is paramount.

3. Partnering Professionals. These contacts will seek you out every time they get sniff of a project. They will require constant help and advice. If you have negotiated a monthly retainer fee then you are one of the lucky ones. Weldone and please share with us your secrets! Potentially these clients [partners] will advertise your services alongside their own. For example, design and build contractors or multidisciplinary design offices. Answer: Getting an invite to join a well established party of hard hitting construction junkies is what I would call the 'golden' opportunity. I would describe a 'silver' opportunity as when two or three established firms collaborate in a consortium style arrangement. All partners bringing to the table a wealth of happy clients to share. Finally the 'bronze' or 'rusty' approach. Two or more non-established companies decide to huddle together for comfort and to share the good times with the bad. A potential slow burning partnership, promises lots... with no proven track record. Buyers beware.

More often than not, your ability to exhibit your infectious personality with your ability to make your clients problems vanish is what gets you chances in the business world.

How do you do that? It takes time, experience, persistence, excellence, knowing when to listen and when to speak, to give, learn, teach, run [had to shoe horn that in], exposure to the unknown, to explore. Please add some more in the comments box below.


Engine[er]

[Blog On The Run] Keeping it together

I always did feel nervous when about to present a speech to strangers, or when asked to talk about myself and my future plans. Did I say nervous? I meant petrified.

Mastery of my jitters had always been a particularly difficult personal challenge.

I once interviewed for a place on the new series of ITVs Kyrpton Factor. It went fine, and I managed to ace the intelligence test, but found myself in trouble when a rolling camera was turned towards me. From behind the camera came the words... "so, let's hear about you Glen"... I swallowed hard and then quite simply fell apart. This became a huge lesson to me. I had failed miserably.

Afterwards I was acutely aware that if I was ever going to do well in my career and surpass my goals - I had to be able to articulate my own story, AND hold it together. The valuable skill of self promotion, and selling myself to a wider audience got written into my business plan. My first step? I joined the BNI.

After 4weeks, I still struggle with it all, even though I have plenty to say! The feelings of self consciousness remain, and I wish it would just go away.

Today, I met with two astute and friendly engineering examiners at the headquarters of the Institute of Structural Engineers. The professional review was very engaging, and I haven't sweated so much since I presented a financial planning topic to an auditorium of 40 students at university. My interviewers handled the process very professionally and asked some searching questions. It turned out that I was their first associate member looking to take the exam for full membership. An upgrade? Not necessarily... but that's a post for another week.

My favourite question which was put to me by the interviewers was this; "now that you are working for yourself, how are you finding working on your own as a soletrader?"


Good question. Very good.



My answer was this; "I have never felt alone, both personally and professionally. I have a wealth of experienced Engineers to turn to and discuss my work and planned decisions with. I contribute to discussions on LinkedIn forums, and as a result I feel like I am part of a large organisation of helpful work colleagues. There are people who are looking out for me and I am forging new relationships all the time". Being alone only exists if you choose to cut yourself off. I do not intend to hide myself away, and nor should the members of our Institution or our graduate members. Life is an open forum, stake your claim.

I will be seeking help for my 'stage fright', and hunting out public speaking opportunities to test myself on. Maybe one day I will be as confident talking to strangers in person, as I am writing about my experiences.

How do you cope with talking to strangers?


Engine[er]