Skip to content

Engineering Your Future The Professional Practice of Engineering

Best in textbook rentals since 2012!

ISBN-10: 047090044X

ISBN-13: 9780470900444

Edition: 3rd 2012

Authors: Stuart G. Walesh

List price: $82.95
Shipping box This item qualifies for FREE shipping.
Blue ribbon 30 day, 100% satisfaction guarantee!

Rental notice: supplementary materials (access codes, CDs, etc.) are not guaranteed with rental orders.

what's this?
Rush Rewards U
Members Receive:
Carrot Coin icon
XP icon
You have reached 400 XP and carrot coins. That is the daily max!

Description:

Engineering Your Future focuses on the non-technical aspects of professional practice and is designed to be a valuable textbook for engineering and other technical program students, as well as a practical reference book for young technical professionals. With respect to students, this book supports the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)s Engineering Criteria 2000, as well as ASCE's current BoK and ASME and AIChE's work on their own BoK's. This updated edition includes new coverage of presentation methods, marketing skills, team building exercises, business accounting, and quality control/quality assurance.
Customers also bought

Book details

List price: $82.95
Edition: 3rd
Copyright year: 2012
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Limited
Publication date: 3/6/2012
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 512
Size: 7.40" wide x 9.10" long x 1.20" tall
Weight: 2.2
Language: English

Preface to the Third Edition
Technical Competency: Necessary but Not Sufficient
Audiences: Students and Practitioners
Organization and Content
Additions and Improvements
This Book and ABET Engineering Accreditation Criteria
This Book and the Body of Knowledge Movement
Acknowledgments
Cited Sources
List of Abbreviations
Introduction: Engineering and the Engineer
The Playing Field
Definitions of Engineering
Leading, Managing, and Producing: Deciding, Directing, and Doing
Leading, Managing, and Producing Defined
The Traditional Pyramidal, Segregated Organizational Model
The Shared Responsibility Organizational Model
The Focus of This Book: Managing and Leading
Leading Misconceptions
The Seven Qualities of Effective Leaders
Honesty and Integrity
Vision: Reach and Teach
Strategies and Tactics to Achieve the Vision
Always a Student
Courageous
Calm in a Crisis and Chaos
Creative, Innovative, Collaborative, and Synergistic
The Engineer as Builder
Concluding Thoughts: Common Sense, Common Practice, and Good Habits
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Leading and Managing: Getting Your Personal House in Order
Start with You
Time Management: But First Roles and Goals
Time is a Resource
Roles, Goals, and Then, and Only Then, Time Management
Time Management: The Great Equalizer
Time Management Tips: The ABCs
A Time Management System
Key Ideas about Time Management
Employment or Graduate School?
Full-Time Graduate Study
Full-Time Employment
Learn From Potential Employers
The New Work Environment: Culture Shock?
No Partial Credit
Little Tolerance for Tardiness
Assignments are Not Graded
Schedules are More Complicated
Higher Grooming and Dress Expectations
Teamwork is Standard Operating Procedure
Expect and Embrace Change
The First Few Months of Practice: Make or Break Time
Recognize and Draw on Generic Qualities
Guard Your Reputation
Learn and Respect Administrative Procedures and Structure
Complete Assignments in Accordance with Expectations
Get Things Done
Trim Your Hedges
Keep Your Supervisor Informed
Speak Up and Speak Positively
Dress Appropriately
Hone Communication Ability
Seize Opportunities for You and Your Organization
Choose To Be a Winner
Summing it Up
Managing Personal Professional Assets: Building Individual Equity
Personal Professional Assets
Annual Accounting
Careful Management of Personal Professional Equity
Continuing Education
Involvement in Professional Organizations: Taking and Giving
Licensing
Concluding Thoughts: Getting Your Personal House in Order
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Communicating to Make Things Happen
Five Forms of Communication
Three Distinctions between Writing and Speaking
Single-Channel versus Multi-Channel
One-Directional versus Two-Directional
Conveying versus Convincing
Listening: Using Ears and Eyes
Be Attentive
The Value of Facts and Feelings
Body Language: The Silent Messenger
Verify Understanding
Use What Is Learned
Writing Tips: How to Write to Make Things Happen
Define the Purpose
Profile the Audience
Structure the Document to Reflect the Audience Profile
Ask About Document-Writing Guidelines
Start Writing on "Day 1"
Get Started: Overcome Writer's Block
Avoid Tin Ear
Retain Some of the Outline in the Document
Write Major Documents in Third Person: Mostly
Employ a Gender-Neutral Style
Write in an Active, Direct Manner Rather Than a Passive, Indirect Manner
Recognize that Less Is More
Apply Rhetorical Techniques
Adopt a Flexible Format for Identifying Tables, Figures, and Sources
Use Lists
Design a Standard Base Map or Diagram
Compose Informative Titles
Establish Milestones
Produce an Attractive and Appealing Document
Cite All Sources
Read One More Time
Speaking Tips: How to Speak to Make Things Happen
Conquer Reluctance to Speak: Commit to Competence
Prepare the Presentation
Deliver the Presentation
Follow-Up the Presentation
Concluding Thoughts about Writing and Speaking
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Developing Relationships
Taking the Next Career Step
Personality Profiles
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
The Hierarchy
Application
Theories X and Y
Definitions
Applications of Theory X and Theory Y Knowledge
Dominance of Theory Ys
Delegation: Why Put Off Until Tomorrow What Someone Else Can Do Today?
Reasons to Delegate
Reluctance to Delegate
Delegation Isn't Always Down
Delegation Tips
Three Possible Outcomes
Orchestrating Meetings
Reasons to Meet
When Not To Call a Meeting
Tips for Successful Meetings
Additional Meeting Thoughts
Working with Technologists, Technicians, and Other Team Members
Essential Members of the Organization
Challenges Unique to Working with Varied Team Members
A Dozen Tips for the Entry-Level Technical Person
Selecting Co-Workers and "Managing Your Boss"
Carefully Select Your "Boss" and Co-workers
Seek a Mutually-Beneficial Relationship
Avoid Being a "Yes" Man/Woman
Caring Isn't Coddling
Coaching
Coaching Tips
Concluding Thought
Teamwork
Three Teamwork Essentials
Creating a Team
The Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing Process
Closing Thoughts about Teams
Effective Professional Meeting and Conference Attendance
Learning about the Conference
Before the Conference
At the Conference
After the Conference
Looking Ahead
Concluding Thoughts about Developing Relationships
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Project Management: Planning, Executing, and Closing
Project Broadly Defined
Project Management Defined
The Centrality of Project Management
Relevance of Project Management to the Student and Entry-Level Technical Person
Planning the Project
All Projects Are Done Twice
The Project Plan:
Introduction
Consequences of Poor or No Planning
The Project Plan Avoidance Syndrome
Preparing the Project Plan
Principal Project Plan Elements
Objectives - What Do We Want to Accomplish?
Scope - How Are We Going to Do It?
Risks - What Could Go Wrong?
Deliverables - What Will We Provide to the Client/Owner/Customer?
Milestones/Schedule - When Will We Provide the Deliverables?
Tasks - What Tasks Need to be Done and in What Order to Provide the Deliverables?
Resources/Budget - How Much Will the Project Cost?
Directory - Who Will Participate?
Communication Protocol - How Will We Collaborate?
Monitoring and Control Procedure - How Will We Know How We Are Doing Relative to the Project Plan?
Ten Possible Additional Project Plan Elements
Project Planning Versus Project Doing
Executing the Project
Keep the Project Team on Track
Interact With Client, Owner, or Customer
Communicate With Stakeholders
Monitor Project Progress and Take Appropriate Actions
Closing the Project
Seek External Input
Conduct Project Team Meeting
Leverage the Just-Completed Project
Closure: Common Sense and Self Discipline
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Project Management: Critical Path Method and Scope Creep
This Chapter Relative to the Preceding Chapter
The Critical Path Method
Introduction: The Four Schedule Questions
Alternative Scheduling Methods
Network Fundamentals
Critical Path Method Steps
Example Application of the Critical Path Method
Tips for Determining Tasks
Some Observations about the Critical Path Method
Review of Earlier Schedule Questions
Closing Thoughts about the Critical Path Method
Scope Creep
Two Types of Scope Creep
Consequences of Uncompensated Scope Creep
Drivers of Uncompensated Scope Creep
Doing Something Extra: The Platinum Rule
Relevance to You as a Student
Preventing Uncompensated Scope Creep
Resolving Uncompensated Scope Creep
Ideas for Clients, Owners, and Customers about Avoiding Uncompensated Scope Creep
Closing Thoughts about Scope Creep
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Quality: What Is It and How Do We Achieve It?
Everyone Is for It!
Quality Defined
Quality as Opulence
Quality as Excellence or Superiority
Quality as Meeting All Requirements
A Caution for Engineers and Other Technical Personnel
Quality Control and Quality Assurance
Suggestions for Developing a Quality Seeking Culture
Strive to Understand Client, Owner, and Customer Wants and Needs
Define the Other Project Requirements
Assess and Manage Risk
Think Upstream, Not Downstream
Create, Use, and Continuously Improve Written Guidance for Repetitive Tasks and Processes
Expect Each Person to Check His or Her Work
Arrange for External Reviews
Reduce Cycle Time
Tools and Techniques for Stimulating Creative and Innovative Thinking
The Need for and Value of Tools and Techniques
Create and Innovate Defined
Brainstorming
Mulitvoting
Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats
Stakeholder Input
Process Diagramming
Fishbone Diagramming
Pareto Analysis
Problems-First Meetings
Mind Mapping
Ohno Circle
Metrics
Freehand Drawing
Take a Break
Closure: Commit to Quality
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Design: To Engineer Is to Create
The Root of Engineering
This Chapter's Approach
Design in the Context of Major Engineering Functions
Four Engineering Functions
Interaction
"Back-of-the-Envelope" Sketches and Calculations
Design Phases
Hard and Soft Results
The Disproportionate Impact of the Design Function
Design in Terms of Deliverables
Drawings
Technical Specifications
Non-Technical Provisions
Design as Risky Business
Design as a Personally-Satisfying and People-Serving Process
More Than Applied Science
Aspiring to Creativity and Innovation
The Words "Engineer" and "Create"
Closing Thoughts About Design
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Building: Constructing and Manufacturing
The Engineer as Builder
Constructing
Importance of Constructing
What Gets Constructed and How?
Roles of Engineers in Constructing
Trends in Constructing
Manufacturing
Importance of Manufacturing
What Gets Manufactured and How?
Roles of Engineers in Manufacturing
Trends in Manufacturing
Differences between Constructing and Manufacturing
Closing Thoughts about Constructing and Manufacturing
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Basic Accounting: Tracking the Past and Planning the Future
Relevance of Accounting to the Engineer
The Balance Sheet: How Much Is It Worth?
Personal Balance Sheet
Business Balance Sheet
The Income Statement: Inflow and Outflow
Personal Income Statement
Business Income Statement
Relationship between the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement
Accounting for Your Future
Estimating the Necessary Net Worth at the End of Your Earning Phase
Accumulating the Necessary Net Worth by the End of Your Earning Phase
Is This Overkill?
The Impact of Time Utilization Rate and Expense Ratio on Profitability in the Consulting Business
Utilization Rate and Expense Ratio
Analysis of a Consulting Firm's Income Statement
Sensitivity of Profit to Time Utilization and Expense Ratio
The Multiplier
The Multiplier as an Indicator of Cost Competitiveness?
Reducing the Multiplier
Caveat about Cost and Consultant Selection
The Income Statement as Part of the Business Plan for a Consulting Firm
Project Overruns: Implications for Profitability and Personnel
Concluding Thoughts about You and Accounting
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Legal Framework
Why Law for Engineers?
Legal Terminology
Changing Attitudes: Forewarned is Forearmed
Liability: Incurring It
Liability: Failures and Learning from Them
Collapse of Hotel Walkway
Other Failures
Liability: Minimizing It
Insurance: Financial Protection
Organizational Preventive Practices
Personal Preventive Practices
Maintaining Perspective on Liability Minimization
Legal Forms of Business Ownership
Sole Proprietorship
Partnership
Corporation
Closure
Concluding Comments about the Legal Framework
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Ethics: Dealing with Dilemmas
Inevitable Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions
Defining Ethics
Definitions
Distilling the Definitions
Teaching and Learning Ethics
Legal and Ethical Domain
Codes of Ethics
Introduction to Codes: What They Are
Engineering Society Codes of Ethics
Ethics Codes for Other Professions
Business Codes of Ethics
Government Codes of Ethics
University Codes of Ethics
Codes Cannot Anticipate All Circumstances
Dealing with Ethical Dilemmas: Using Codes and Other Resources
Ethics Codes
Advice of Experienced Personnel
A Nine-Step Individual or Group Process
A Systematic Group Process
Application of Moral Imagination
Case Study: Discovering a Major Design Error after Construction Is Complete
Design and Construction
Post-Construction Discovery
The Engineer's Actions
What Happened to LeMessurier?
Concluding Thoughts: Seeing Sermons
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Role and Selection of Consultants
Consultant Defined and Why You Should Care
The Meanings of Consultant
Why You Should Care
Why Retain a Consultant? Let's Do It Ourselves!
Characteristics of Successful Consultants
Consultant Selection Process
Cost Versus Quality
Price-Based Selection
The Ideal Selection Process
Qualifications-Based Selection
Steps in the Selection Process
Welcome Exceptions
Summing Up the Consultant Selection Process
Price-Based Selection: Three Costs to the Consultant
Offering Less Than We Could
Further Reduction in Profit
Damaged Reputation
Closing Thoughts
Conclusions about the Role and Selection of Consultants
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Marketing: A Mutually-Beneficial Process
Consider Your View of Marketing: Are You Carrying Some Baggage?
Chapter's Scope
The Economic Motivation for Marketing Professional Services
Marketing and Selling: Different but Related
A Simple, Powerful Marketing Model
The Model
Applying the Model
Caution: Respect the Order and Invest Time Wisely
Marketing Techniques and Tools
Create a Personal Marketing Plan
Learn the Marketing Language
Schedule Marketing Tasks
Find Common Ground
Earn Trust
Ask-Ask-Ask: The Power of Questions
Talk to Strangers
Stress Benefits, Not Features
Focus on Existing Clients, Owners, and Customers
Help to Establish Multiple-Level Links
Proactively Establish the Next Step
Selectively Share Data, Information, and Knowledge
What Works and What Doesn't Work
Marketing Concluding Comments
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
The Future and You
What Does the Future Hold?
The World You Will Work In: Same Role but New Stage
After the Knowledge Age, the Conceptual Age?
After The Knowledge Age, the Opportunity Age?
After The Knowledge Age, the Solving Wicked Problems Age?
Additional Views of the World Stage
Implications for You
How to Lead Change
Encounter a Leadership Gap
Move Beyond Being the Thermometer: Also be the Thermostat
Define the Situation: What, Why, Who, How, and When?
Recognize Widespread Resistance to Change
Practice Paradigm Pliancy: Prevent Paradigm Paralysis
Appreciate the Movers-Movables-Immovables Structure
Work Effectively With theMovers,Movables, and Immovables
Expect the Awareness-Understanding-Commitment-Action Cascade
Test Drive Terminology
Learn Why Change Efforts Fail
Adopt Change Principles and a Change Process
Concluding Thoughts about You and the Future
Cited Sources
Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
Engineering your Future Supports ABET Basic Level Criterion 3
Engineering Your Future Supports ABET Program Criteria for Civil and Similarly-Named Engineering Programs
Engineering Your Future Supports the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge
Index
About the Author