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From Tech Transfer Newsletter, Spring 2006 » printer-friendly

Good Engineering Isn't Enough Anymore

By Nabil Hissen, PE

There may have been a time when project managers were able to manage projects by simply applying long-established principles of engineering: designing a roadway based on the most effective route, or constructing a structure based on economic constraints and budgets. There may have been a time when engineers could focus on the job of getting projects done without worrying about environmental concerns, public criticism, and ever shrinking funding. There may have been a time when support for projects was overwhelming and public projects were seen for their pure societal benefit. However, if there ever was such a time, it has passed.

The days when "true engineers" managed projects were full of tense relationships, projects that were delivered late and over budget, and projects that were doomed to failure due to infighting, sabotage, and inaction. Traditionally, engineers who managed public works projects had excellent engineering skills rather than project management abilities. Today, however, engineering skills alone are not enough to successfully manage a project.

Engineers and project managers in today's environment must be both highly skilled and well-rounded. Technical expertise and engineering knowledge are as important as ever, and a good engineer must also keep up with state of the art techniques and methods, and be willing to search for and incorporate new materials and products. Engineers who manage projects must be expert accountants, schedulers, and administrators as well as cutting edge designers and constructors.

An engineer who manages projects today must also be an excellent leader, communicator and negotiator. She must be able to bring a group of opposing interests together and cobble a team with one focus: finish the project. On time and within budget would be nice, too.

It is not enough to train our engineers and project managers in the wonderful realities of applied physics. We need engineers with leadership skills who can communicate a vision, a goal and a direction. Our project managers must be trained in the fine art of negotiation and the intricacies of team building. Technical expertise is no longer enough. In addition to engineering our projects, we must now engineer our project relationships.

An engineer/project manager with highly developed interpersonal abilities can turn a public works project around. Infighting diminishes, and project meetings become productive exercises instead of opportunities to get back at the "opposition." One project manager with the right skill set can deliver a project ahead of schedule and below budget, and make everyone feel proud of her contributions.

To learn how to turn your projects around, please join Hazem Mobarak and myself on our journey to decipher the intricacies of project management in today's environment. We will be exploring this topic and many others during Fundamentals of Project Management for Transportation Engineers (PD-05), offered on June 6 and 7, 2006 in Richmond, California.

For a course outline and to register, visit www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/training.

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