10 Reasons You Might Have Failed the Environmental PE Exam

As someone who took the Environmental PE exam multiple times before passing, I understand how devastating it is to fail. You've told everyone you know about your exam - your loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Failing the exam after spending so much time and money preparing is embarrassing and disheartening.

Trying to figure out what went wrong? Here are ten reasons why you might have failed the Environmental PE exam.

Reasons Why You Fail Environmental PE Exam

1. You didn't study and underestimated the exam difficulty.

2. You're not familiar with the exam specifications.

3. You're studying, but not the right material.

4. You don't have a solid study plan.

5. You have work distractions/life commitments

6. The exam covers topics you do not have professional experience with.

7. You have test anxiety.

8. You have been out of school for a long time.

9. You didn't have the right prep materials.

10. Not being mentally prepared on the day of exam.

1. You didn't study and underestimated the exam difficulty.

Life happens. For whatever reason- work or personal- you didn't find time to study. The weekend before the exam, you grabbed your prep material and furiously flipped through the pages. You spent the week of the exam studying several hours after work, your heart pounding as you realized there was more material to cover than you thought. You tell yourself that the exam's reference handbook will help you with any problems you can't figure out. And if your coworker was able to pass with just a week of studying, you can too, right?

I made this same mistake on my first exam. I had started preparing about five weeks before the exam, thinking I could rely on my reference material to help me if I got stuck on a problem. What I didn't anticipate was how difficult the exam problems would be, and that the references wouldn't help me if I didn't understand the basic principles required to solve the problems in the first place.

2. You're not familiar with the exam specifications.

If you didn't understand the breakdown of topics covered on the exam, then passing the exam is not possible. Figuring out which topics are covered prior to exam day is vital so you have time to prepare. NCEES provides a breakdown of topics covered on the exam, down to the number of approximate questions for each topic. Review this exam specification to determine what areas you will need to focus for your next exam attempt. As a remediation engineer, I knew that I had to spend more time studying water and air, as these topics comprised a higher percentage of the exam questions than remediation.

3. You're studying, but not the right material.

It's easy to fall into the habit of skimming old college textbooks. Without having a dedicated study plan, it's hard to stay focused on studying the right material. Use the exam specifications and your diagnostic report to determine your weaknesses. Then focus on strengthening any weaknesses in those topics with your prep materials. Remember - the more problems you work, the more you strengthen your understanding of the topics.

4. You don't have a solid study plan.

My biggest weakness my first two exam attempts was studying aimlessly, sitting on my couch, and reading textbooks without working actual problems. For my third and successful attempt, I used my diagnostic report to figure out my biggest weaknesses (air and water) and scheduled study sessions at my kitchen table every night. Figure out how much study time you need for preparation and where you can study to maximize your study sessions (i.e., Do you focus better from a quiet spot or with ambient noise?) Aim for consistency by studying in small chunks having a solid study session for an hour is better than sitting at your chair for four hours and not being able to focus.

5. You have work distractions/life commitments.

We are all adults with jobs and commitments. Even if you prepare a study schedule, you may not be able to devote all the time you planned due to personal or work commitments. If you have an upcoming major life event, my advice is to postpone the exam until you are able to focus on studying. I was planning my wedding my first two exam attempts, making it difficult to focus on studying. Once I got married and no longer had to spend so much time and energy on planning my wedding, I was able to prepare for the exam. I passed the exam six months after my wedding.

6. The exam covers topics you do not have professional experience with.

My work involves environmental remediation-I assess contaminated sites, use analytical data to determine where the contamination is and at what levels, and what can be done to clean it up. I don't perform any water resources engineering or work with air pollution with my work, which are major components of the Environmental PE exam. According to my diagnostic reports, these two categories were my weakest. I took a prep course to deepen my understanding of the material and practiced as many problems as I could for my successful attempt.

Chances are, you are pretty comfortable tackling problems within your specific environmental discipline. I did not spend much time studying for remediation problems since I felt pretty comfortable with the topic. Instead, I focused the majority of my study in topics with which I was not as familiar. Figure out where your weaknesses are so you can focus on those during your study.

7. You have test anxiety.

The week leading up to the exam fills you with dread and you can hardly sleep the night before. On exam day, your heart is beating wildly, and you can barely focus. The questions swim in front of you as you struggle to discern what they are saying.

Test anxiety is not easy to deal with, especially if you've already failed before. You may not think you are good enough to take the exam and believe that failing again is inevitable. What can you do?

While preparing for the exam, be sure to set aside time to work through practice exams for multiple sessions. Work through the practice exam and simulate the test taking environment as much as you can - that means using only the Reference Guide to solve the problems, timing yourself as you work through the problems, and minimizing as many distractions as you can. We tend to feel anxious about situations that are unfamiliar to us. By simulating the test-taking environment in your home, you are able to both study for the exam and become more relaxed with what the test-taking experience feels like. Don't despair if you fail the practice exam (it happens to all of us, myself included) just figure out what mistakes you made and practice the problems you missed.

Make a list of things that will help you feel better about the exam. Listen to a playlist of good tunes to prepare. Figure out your test day plans (lunch, parking) to minimize stress. The day before the exam, treat yourself to a nice dinner and take the day off if you have the opportunity. Remind yourself of how far you have come in your life and how many obstacles you completed to become an engineer  engineering school, the FE exam, and interviewing for your job. You've already completed the hardest steps to get to this point. Just eight more hours stand between you and the license!

8. You have been out of school for a long time.

I passed. FE exam in 2007 but didn't take the PE exam for the first time until ten years later. As you can imagine, there was a lot of material I'd forgotten about. If you have been out of school for a long time, give yourself extra time to study and reacquaint yourself with the core concepts. Make sure you procure solid preparation materials to aid your study (see #9).

9. You didn't have the right prep materials.

If your study material consists solely of fifteen-year-old class notes, you will need to reassess your study strategy. You will want to procure materials that are aimed at preparing specifically for the exam - think practice exams, practice problem books, and prep courses. There's certainly nothing wrong with using class notes to study but be sure you are finding quality materials that consist of practice problems with a difficulty like what is covered on the exam.

I understand how expensive prep materials and classes are. If these materials are outside of your budget, don't worry - there are options! Ask coworkers if you can borrow their exam prep textbooks. Some employers will cover the cost of a prep course - see if yours will. If you're part of a professional organization like ASCE, those organizations might offer prep classes as well.

10. Not being mentally prepared on the day of exam.

Taking an eight-hour exam is mentally demanding since you are sitting and focusing on difficult problems all day long. Don't underestimate the care your body and mind need the day of the exam. If you are staying up late and studying until midnight, you are not going to feel at your best for exam day. My personal recommendation is not to study the week of the exam. You wouldn't want to run twenty miles the week of a marathon; similarly, you will want to give your body and mind time to rest for the exam by resting and not studying.

It can be difficult to sleep the night before, especially if you are retaking the exam. I had a challenging time sleeping the night before my passing attempt. I used advice that my old running coach had told me - if you get a good night's rest two days before a race, then that rest will cover any missed rest the night before a race. I'm not sure how true that actually is, but I used that advice to feel better about missing sleep the night before my test.

If you take your time to consider why you failed the exam, you can better prepare for your next exam attempt and pass the Environmental PE exam.

About the Author: Jennifer Stark

Jennifer Stark is an environmental engineer and is licensed in the state of Texas. She works from home in Indiana, where she lives with her husband and feisty dachshund/canine coworker. In her free time, she enjoys craft projects, playing music, and complaining about the cold weather.

Why We Do Not See a Licensed Automobile Engineer?

Background

The other day, a reader of my blog: Benefits of Obtaining PE Chemical License queried, "The NCEES¹ states that practicing engineering with an engineering license assures the protection of health, safety, and welfare of the public, so why has the NCEES not instituted a Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Examination for the automobile engineer (or the aerospace engineer)?"

This question stumped me and I decided to attempt to answer it through research of my own, rather than delegating it to the NCEES.

Blog Highlights:

1. NCEES List of Sixteen

2. What about the PE licensure for automobile engineer?

3. Exemptions to Engineering Licensing Laws...and What Can Happen?

4. Discussion

5. Conclusion

NCEES List of Sixteen

The NCEES has instituted the PE exam in the following sixteen engineering disciplines (Ref. 1):

Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Chemical, Civil, Control Systems, Electrical and Computer, Environmental, Fire Protection, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical, Metallurgical and Materials, Mining and Mineral Processing, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Nuclear, Petroleum, and Structural.

Thus, we have the traditional engineering disciplines (e.g., Civil), the newer engineering disciplines (e.g., Environmental) and niche disciplines (e.g., Agricultural and Biological), specialty disciplines that have branched out from the traditional (e.g., Petroleum), and disciplines that already have their own independent professional organization (e.g., Architectural Engineering).

According to Larry Jacobsen of NSPE², four categories of industries: pharmaceuticals, bioengineered food, deep-water oil and gas drilling, and nuclear power generation pose dangers that are not contained by an event. The danger attributed to an engineering error can perpetuate without end (Ref. 2). Therefore, we see NCEES has PE licensure in the niche discipline like Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and specialized disciplines like Nuclear Engineering and Petroleum Engineering.

But, as observed by my reader, we do not see the specialty discipline of automobile engineering in the NCEES' list of sixteen.

What about the PE license for automobile engineering?

Going back to the history of licensure as documented in my blog Professional Engineering Licensure - History and Evolution (schoolofpe.com), since the 1920s, the state (if in the US) assumes the authority to formally grant the permission to an individual to offer professional engineering services by issuing him or her the Professional Engineering (PE) license. With each state board taking up the reins of registering its engineers and to resolve the issue of the out-of-state acceptance of engineer registrations, the state boards standardized the inter-state registration of engineers, either by comity or reciprocity through the NCEES.

An automobile engineer will use his or her skill set in the design and manufacture of automobiles, which are sold and driven across state lines and international boundaries. The automobile engineer may practice his or her discipline in Detroit, Michigan (as an example) but is responsible for a consumer product (i.e., an automobile) that can impact "health, safety, and welfare of the public" outside of the location where the engineer practices. It is impractical for the US automobile engineer to be registered across all the 50 states of the USA (and for that matter, internationally). Therefore, the specialty discipline of automobile engineering does not require PE licensure by "industry exemption." This means that when exact rules vary between states, the industry exemption relieves work performed within a manufacturing plant from the necessity of complying with state engineering licensing laws, when its products cross state lines (and by extension the international boundaries).

Exemptions to Engineering Licensing Laws...What Can Happen?

Every state in the USA that grants the PE licensure also grants industry, manufacturing, and governmental exemptions to engineering licensure laws. Many states' engineering laws also contain additional exemptions for certain types of functions and activities and can be subject to interpretation by the state's attorney general or the court.

The NSPE, since its founding in 1934, has sought to address exemptions in state and territorial engineering licensure laws defined under the NCEES Model Law and Rules. A state-by-state survey of the exemptions is found in a 2016 report by the NSPE (Ref. 3).

Utilities is one of the industries in some states that does not require PE seals on its engineering documents, even though a public utilities company will have civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers in its ranks.

On September 13, 2018 in the city of Lawrence, MA, a natural gas explosion and subsequent fire resulted in one fatality and hospitalization of 21 people. It also caused the destruction of five homes and 131 structures affecting as many as 1,000 people.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who investigated the incident, consulted with the NSPE and found that the utility company's "industry exemption" for PE licensure of its design and construction documents was partly to blame for the tragic incident. A constructability review, which outlines any deficiencies that are identified, resolved, and approved by a licensed PE in many jurisdictions, was not conducted for the project at Lawrence, MA.

The NTSB report "...recommended that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts end the PE license exemption for utility work and require a PE's seal on public utility engineering drawings." This recommendation was immediately followed and on Dec. 18, 2018, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed emergency legislation that requires a licensed PE to approve plans for the construction, operation, and maintenance of natural gas infrastructure (Ref. 4).

Discussion

The rigorous quality assurance and quality control in the engineering design and industry-scale manufacture of automobiles combined with the continuous improvements implemented in the automobile manufacturing processes is widely understood to compensate for the delivery of a safe and quality consumer product (automobile) that conforms to the prevailing guidelines for protecting "health, safety, and welfare of the public." The prompt, well-advertised, and diligent product recall process in the USA mitigates any potential negative impacts from a consumer product that is out for public use.

However, within less than a decade, Apple, Google, Daimler, Uber, and Lyft are inevitably trending towards driverless automobiles, expected to be a $2 trillion market worldwide. We in the engineering community need to decide where to put the checks and balances on the use and dependance on Automation and Artificial Intelligence-based driving. Is a traditional, time-tested PE the answer, or is another approach warranted to ensure public safety?

Conclusion

We do not find automobile engineering as a discipline in the NCEES list of sixteen engineering disciplines for the PE because this discipline/industry is covered under the "industry exemption". As stated by Larry Jacobsen of NSPE "...while lots of licensed professional engineers design all manner of instrumentalities for exempt industries, they don't have to go so far to take personal responsibility, as they would if they had to sign and seal the documents with the registration number issued to them by a state licensing board." (Ref. 2).

An automobile engineer, however, can qualify him or herself to be a PE in any of the applicable PE divisions, like mechanical/electrical and computer/controls systems.

It is noted that the use of industry, manufacturing, and governmental exemptions is a serious matter and quickly devolve into a slippery slope. Therefore, the NSPE recommends a re-visit (and potential phasing out) of industry exemptions in the state licensing laws, (Ref. 5). We will hear more on this topic in the coming years-stay tuned.

References

1. Engineering Licensure - NCEES.

2. Industrial Exemption or Exclusion? Larry Jacobsen; NSPE, PE Magazine, May 2011.

3. Exemptions to Engineering Licensure Laws: A State-by-State Summary, NSPE, August 2016.

4. Massachusetts Ends Licensing Exemption After Explosion, Danielle Boykin; FBPE, April 2019.

5. IndustrialExemptionFINAL2017.pdf (nspe.org)

About the Author: Surajit Amrit

Surajit Amrit has a 30+ year career as a practicing engineer at Engineering News Record (ENR)-ranked engineering firms. He has a bachelor's degree from Indian Institute of Technology and a master's degree from Vanderbilt University. He is a licensed PE, Certified Energy Manager (CEM^®) and LEED^® AP. He is currently pursuing his CVS certification (Value Engineering - SAVE International). In his spare-time he enjoys reading books, listening to political satire, trail walking, and dabbling in trivia, jigsaw puzzles and numismatics.

Consider Challenging Yourself by Becoming a Civil Engineer

Civil engineering offers one of the most unique opportunities and career paths for aspiring engineers. Many of the world's largest projects involve civil engineers and their expertise. Additionally, there are limitless avenues one can pursue within the world of civil engineering. This post covers nine of the best reasons you should consider challenging yourself by becoming a civil engineer.

You should choose to be a Civil Engineer if

1. You Want to Solve Big Problems

2. You Want to Make a Difference

3. You Don't Like Doing the Same Thing Twice

4. You are a Planner

5. You Want to Join a Global Community

6. You Like Being Creative

7. You Like Working in Teams

8. You Don't Want Just Another Office Job

9. You Want to Join a Valued and Respected Profession

1. You Want to Solve Big Problems

Like anyone else who decides to pursue an engineering field, problem solving is the name of the game. For most, it is what drives and motivates individuals within engineering-the end goal. Civil engineering is no different. Some of the world's biggest challenges have been or will be solved by civil engineers. This includes developing infrastructure that connects society, providing clean access to drinking water for billions of people, building the next tallest building in the world, creating sustainable solutions to fight global climate change, and much more.

The list goes on and on, but civil engineers have, for centuries, been the go-to source for societal improvements. (It is, after all, one of the oldest engineering disciplines on the planet.) The ever-increasing rate of change we see globally across the world to locally within our own neighborhoods demands continued improvements of the natural and physical world around us. This is at the heart of civil engineering. How we as people interact, design, construct, and maintain the physical environment around us is the simplest definition of what civil engineers are responsible for. The world will continue to evolve and have a need to harness the natural world around us-that is where civil engineering comes into play. If you want to pursue a profession that engages daily issues society faces within the natural environment, there is even a branch of civil engineering for you.

You can challenge yourself in civil engineering by pursing big projects of your own, whether they are projects that will be well known or well used or projects that are just well needed. Civil engineering offers the chance to take on large-scale programs and projects that will affect societies as a whole.

2. You Want to Make a Difference

Civil engineering is all about helping people. It is primarily focused on improving the world for the betterment of society, and can be through environmental sustainability, transportation infrastructure, or water resource management to name a few. Civil engineers must not only be enthusiastic about problem solving, but also passionate about helping their fellow humans. Unlike many other engineering professions, civil engineers see the tangible outcomes of their work in projects that are used by billions of people around the world every day.

As a minor example, let's say you design a portion of a highway to improve traffic flow and capacity. While seemingly mundane, both this design and project could affect millions of commuters each year through saving time. Instead of wasting time waiting in traffic, they will have more time to be productive at work or spend a few extra minutes with their loved ones. Throughout the lifetime of many civil engineering projects, millions of peoples' lives have been affected for the better. While people might not notice these impacts, the results are still there, which can be one of the most rewarding aspects of civil engineering.

Challenge yourself in civil engineering by tackling problems that continue to persist in our society today, including access to clean drinking water and reliable food, access to effective broadband, and sustainability within our consumerist society. Each of these issues is significant and worthy of being solved by a civil engineer. You can be that unique perspective!

3. You Don't Like Doing the Same Thing Twice

Some people like patterns and routines and some people don't. Engineering, and specifically civil engineering, are not for those who like repeated routines. Civil engineering projects often present as unique opportunities that will likely never be explicitly repeated. During my near decade-long experience so far as a; civil engineer, I have never conducted the same project twice. This is one of my favorite aspects about my job; very project presents unique challenges and requires a fresh approach and perspective to address.

Challenge yourself by constantly working on new projects and problems. You will never stop learning in this field and will almost always discover something new each day.

4. You are a Planner

If you are like me, you like to be organized and plan out your days/weeks/months/years/ (more depending on how far you want to go here, ha)! Being an engineer requires you to be organized and plan in advance, which is generally true for most engineering professions. With civil engineering, planning can be a part of your job as well if you want! Civil engineers spend considerable amounts of time working with municipalities or other agencies planning future projects. Given the complexity of the projects at hand, they often require years of advance planning and thought from a technical expert.

Challenge yourself by engaging with local stakeholders and agencies to help plan changes coming to your community.

5. You Want to Join a Global Community

Civil engineering is a universal profession. Every country around the world benefits from having civil engineers and requires them to develop their education further. There are countless associations and organizations that are comprised entirely of civil engineers that gather and share knowledge with one another. This community has local and global groups that regularly push for the progress of civil engineering technologies and the civil engineering profession.

Try joining one of these organizations and getting involved! Even better, take a position within the organization and take on some responsibilities oriented at making progress!

6. You Like Being Creative

Creativity is a must for a civil engineer. As I've already stated, civil engineering projects are all unique, which means the solutions to these problems are also unique. There are many opportunities here to be creative and express yourself in your work in new and innovative ways. Civil engineers also often work alongside architects and get to have input on the outcomes of a collaborative project.

Use your creative traits to design and implement unique solutions to unique projects. 

7. You Like Working in Teams 

If you are a team player and like working with groups of people, civil engineering could be a very good fit for you. Not only do you have to work with agencies and organizations to meet their demands, you also typically work on design teams. Civil engineering projects are not completed by a single person, nor should they be. Providing and receiving team feedback is something that every good engineer should take advantage of.

Collaborating with fellow engineers to solve civil problems at hand is a challenge for civil engineers, but one that is important to overcome. Work with stakeholders and clients to meet their needs and learn to better engage communities to address their concerns. 

8. You Don't Want Just Another Office Job

Some engineering jobs are white collar positions that surround you with four walls inside a cubicle. Civil engineering offers the chance to break that mold and get out into the world that you are designing. Given the nature of civil engineering, projects are often heavily dependent on the local environment and outside factors that require site visits and inspection efforts. Some issues that arise during construction of civil engineering projects often require in-person assessments and evaluations to solve. Civil engineering allows for you to get out of the office and collect real data or observe actual projects coming to life in real time.

Challenge yourself here in civil engineering by taking on jobs that require travel and allow for you to see and touch what you are designing. Compare the reality of the project to what is shown on paper in the plans or in your computer model. Gaining this perspective is invaluable to your career as a civil engineer.

9. You Want to Join a Valued and Respected Profession

Lastly, civil engineering is a highly respected and desirable career path. Civil engineers have existed for centuries and will continue to have a key role in establishing higher quality and more efficient systems that will improve the lives of millions. We will never stop engaging with the world around us-in fact, humanity will continue to evolve and require problem solving skills that civil engineers will be able to provide.

If any of these challenges interest you, you should consider civil engineering. It truly is a unique profession in which you can find true value and satisfaction.

Having trouble passing PE Civil Engineering? Nobody should have to study for years to pass the PE Civil Exam. School of PE will help you pass your exam on your first try!

About the Author: John Holmes

John Holmes is a professional civil engineer who works on airport infrastructure including runways, taxiways, aprons, and terminals. He was born and raised in North Carolina and still lives there where he obtained both his BSCE and MCE from North Carolina State University. In his spare times, John loves spending time with his wife and son. He also enjoys tending to his growing farm and garden, including chickens, turkeys, and goats. 

Why Is It Important for an Engineer to Have a PMP Certification?

This article goes beyond any monetary rewards that a person will obtain with the certificate itself and will focus on the tools that engineers will learn when preparing for the PMP exam

Table of Contents

1. ISSUES ARE UNIVERSAL

2. LESSONS LEARNED

3. RISK MANAGEMENT

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE VS QUALITY CONTROL

5. PROCESSES

1. ISSUES ARE UNIVERSAL

Ask any engineer: do your projects run smoothly all the time? Or how about... never? Projects always have roadblocks. The PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) calls these events issues. There are many types of issues but let us think specifically about events that affect our schedule, our cost, our quality, or even our reputation.

Should we avoid having any issues? Maybe, but a project without issues is unrealistic. What you want to avoid is repeating issues ("fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me"!) Have you ever had the same type of issue more than once? How about the same issue, but in other projects? The PMBOK introduces the concept of an ISSUE LOG, which is a place where issues are recorded. This is one of the sacred rules of project management: registering; leaving a trace. This way it is easy for a person to register issues, and another person or team can be assigned to resolve them. So, the first practice is to acknowledge that issues are common in projects, and that projects shall always have an ISSUE LOG to keep track of open and closed issues, and most importantly, a place where these events are stored so that people in organizations can LEARN from them.

2. LESSONS LEARNED

Projects have many phases: initiation, planning, execution, control, and close. Issues may occur in any of these phases. The most important part of transitioning one phase to the next is the LESSONS LEARNED. It is not very savvy to wait until the end of a project to discuss what was learned in each phase. Think about a construction project: engineers may work on design, and then leave the installation portion to other parties or other companies. More so, even if a project engineer oversees a project from beginning to end, a project may take years to finish. So, between phases, there should always be a GATE CHECK. In a gate check, it is good practice to go over the issue log and discuss how issues were resolved. In many cases, there will be resolutions of issues that made a process better and the team wants to make sure that the new process is done from now on in new projects. These is when these new practices are added into the BEST-KNOWN WAY REPOSITORY. This is an exceptionally good method to learn from our mistakes.

3. RISK MANAGEMENT

How do we approach new projects or new phases? If we have good issue management, then issues that have been identified in previous projects automatically become RISKS on new projects. These types of risks are called risks from historical performance or historical data ("I will not let that issue happen again on my watch!). Of course, you can identify risks without having gone through an issue once before. This is when expert insight, or expert judgement is so important: we need subject matter experts to help us understand where any project can go wrong.

The way we record risks is on a RISK REGISTER. To assess risks, the expert or the data should help us understand how likely the event is to occur, and if it does, how damaging it can be to the project cost, the schedule, or the quality of the project. Identifying risks is not easy, but it does become easier if engineers practice recording issues and lessons learned meetings. Once risks have been identified, the next is to think of risk controls: we can mitigate risks (which basically means to have an action plan), transfer risks (i.e. hire someone), avoid risks (i.e., if your risk is related to winter problems, then work during summer!), and accept risks (this is when it is deemed that taking any action is more costly than letting the risk become an actual issue in the project). Lastly, there should always be a risk owner that is able to execute the controls.

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE VS QUALITY CONTROL

The PMP is highly effective in reminding us that we should always have a quality control plan, for all phases of our projects. We might be incredibly good engineers; some of us have a strong stance that everything we produce is of high quality. But let us think about quality control when a third party performs it: if you participate in doing a task, then someone else comes and reviews it, and a quality control plan will provide the parameters to compare. For example, engineers might be familiar with the 15%, 30%, 60%, 90%, and 100% milestones that are typical of design phases and design submittals. A quality control plan will explain what is expected to be produced in each phase, and what the quality control person is expected to check and compare against scope and against quality control standards of the company.

Another concept very frequently missed is Quality Assurance. This is not related to artifacts or deliverables, rather than to the processes. An effective way to make sure processes are being maintained is by performing QUALITY AUDITS. These are typically done unannounced: an auditor will make sure that at a certain point of a project the processes have been respected. This applies to everything: even things as banal as project folder structures: does your folder in one project look different from the project folder structure of another? You might want to revisit the processes in your organization. Standardization is important in successful companies, and you may want to be a pioneer in setting quality audits to make sure your business unit is aligned with quality objectives of your enterprise!

5. PROCESSES

If you think about everything as a process, then you will be able to find ways to improve them. The most important think about any process is FEEDBACK, because this is when outputs are verified, and how processes just keep getting better.

About the Author: Alejandro Uribe

Alejandro Uribe got his strong process approach from Industrial Engineering (B.A.), his vocation in Construction Management (M.S. from NYU), and his real passion in Fire Protection (P.E.), where he continues to provide complex solutions to Fortune 500 Companies and critical federal projects. Alejandro is currently an engineering manager at M.C. Dean, a prime contractor, where is the supervisor and technical lead for a team of over 12 engineers, and is responsible for creating and maintaining processes, including knowledge management and project management foundations.