ABOUT ENGINEERING

Are you thinking of majoring in engineering, but you don't know what engineers do? Maybe you are already majoring in engineering and wondering how all your questioning will be used.

Choosing a major can be a tiring task. Deciding what to do for the rest of your life can be stressful. It can however be overwhelming when you don't really comprehend what you are getting into.

You need not worry because you are not alone. So many engineering students have the same concerns, as I also did. With each passing year of my school, I was hoping for clarity. Unfortunately, I didn't have an understanding of what engineers did until I started working. Engineers don't just sit at a desk by themselves all day doing calculations!

What do engineers do? we can break this into; process, people, and product.

1. PROCESS

Engineers must follow processes for all the tasks that they carry out. They must follow these instructions to complete a particular assignment fully. This aids in ensuring quality, safety, and consistency in how the company conducts its business.

What are the processes that engineers follow?

• Standard operating procedures
• New product development process
• Test methods
• Work instructions
• Contracts
• Environmental health and safety(EH&S)
• Purchasing

Part of the procedure for a new engineer is learning how a company operates.  To get everything done, you must be aware of the relevant processes to get everything done. As you gain more experience, the more guidance documents you'll be exposed to. Learning new processes is continuous, but you will learn the most when you first start a company

Some critical processes require you to be trained before you can execute your work. For example, if you want to use a lab, you will need to complete training before you are granted access. On the other hand, if you want to order a material or a chemical, you will follow the EH&S. These procedures will educate you on how to handle and store the material safely.

PROCESS RELATED TASKS

What are some of the common processes-related tasks an engineer may need to conduct?

1. Solve process problems

• Managing logistics of a project
• Planning a project and understanding what processes can run in parallel or series
• Creating a timeline to account for procedures that need to be followed.

2. complete training

• Train on all relevant procedures before performing the task
• Write procedures to train others

3. Improve inefficiencies

• Review process guidance documents and identify improvements

4. Maintain document management systems

• Complete the documentation required to support the project
• Store documents in the correct location
• Maintain a lab notebook by the company's policies

2. People 

Engineers interact with several different people daily.

Some of these people are internal or work at the same company. It may include engineering peers, the cross-functional team, management, operators, and technicians. Others work externally or at different companies, like companies and vendors.

PEOPLE RELATED TASKS

What are some of the common people-related tasks an engineer may need to conduct?

1. Solve people's problems

• Work with challenging and unmotivated team members
• Resolve differences in opinions between co-workers
• Determine resources for a project

2. Attend, lead, and present at meetings such as:

• Weekly team project meeting
• Staff meeting with your boss and others that work for them
• Technical review meeting
• Upper management meeting
• Meeting with customers or vendors
• One-on-one meetings

3. Travel to various locations including but not limited to:

• Visit a different site within the company
• Meet with a supplier
• Attend a trade show or conference
• Complete off-site training
• Collaborate with customers

4. Training

• Attend training in a large group or one on one
• Network with attendees and instructor
• Identify subject matter experts to reach out to for help in future

 

3. PRODUCT

 A Product is what comes to people's minds when they hear about engineering. A product is an item that a customer is going to use.

Engineers develop and sustain products, which include components, systems, final products, and processes to help society.

For instance, if you are an industrial engineer, it might be a system to make a process more efficient, if you are a civil engineer, it might be a bridge, etc.

Even though the end products are very different, the way engineers get to that end goal is pretty similar.

This is where some of what you learn in school will be used. College makes engineers aware of all the different types of equations and theories, while in practice use this to make judgments. However, most of the time engineers still need data to back up the theory, which is mostly stressed in college.

PRODUCT RELATED TASKS

A large percentage of an engineer's job is dedicated to creating or maintaining a product. Most companies follow the New Product Development Process.

Which are some of the higher-level tasks associated with this process?

• Estimating the cost to make the product
• Conducting background research and completing competitor analysis
• Creating a timeline for all the engineering deliverables that fit into the overall timeline
• Translating the user needs into technical requirements
• Brainstorming solutions and choosing the most viable options to prototype
• Building, testing, and redesigning prototypes
• Maintaining a design notebook
• Finding vendors to source materials and components for the prototypes
• Using relevant software for tasks such as analysis, statistics, and Computer Aided Programs (CAD)
• Creating drawings and Bill Of Materials (BOM)
• Writing test methods, test procedures, work instructions, and technical reports
• Executing all test methods for the final design and recording the data
• Performing statistical analysis
• Documenting any failures that occur and investigating what happened
• Finding solutions to failures, potentially re-build and re-testing when necessary
• Reviewing and approving all relevant documentation needed to launch the product
• Sustaining the product after launching