The Making of an Expert Engineer

James Trevelyan
 Outline

My journeys
Engineers reputations
Theoretical foundations
Future challenges
1976-1993

Youtube: robot sheep shearing

1996 - 2002
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/jpt/demining
 Outline

My journeys
Engineers reputations
Theoretical foundations
Future challenges
 New ZealandDisasters
November 2010 disasters
Christchurch, NZ
February 2011

Pike River Mine, NZ

Bell, Stewart (2013) Pike River Royal Commission

outcomes, Coal Operators Conference, University of
Wollongong:
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2 https://nedbeaumontjr.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/the-
121&context=coal christchurch-earthquake-some-half-assed-analysis/
 BP Deepwater Horizon
April 2010

New York Times: Taking Lessons from What Went Wrong - Learning from Engineering Failures, July 19, 2010
 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant

March 2011

Source: Japan Atomic Energy

Commission, personal communication
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Kansas City, USA

Levy, M., &

Salvadori, M.
(1992). Why
Buildings Fall
Down. New York:
W. W. Norton.
What has been learned?
 Some common explanations
Engineering risks
things happen, be prepared
Engineering ethics
whistleblowing protection?
Production has to be balanced with safety
requirements
Robert Bea, PhD Thesis, University of Western
Australia 2000.
Engineers difficulties with communication
 Some common prescriptions
Review ethical principles
Teach ethics
Regulation, registration
Accountability, independent professional
standards board
Better communication skills

Fox, M. CTV Accountability Inadequate, The Press, Nov 2013 Smith, N. Speech to IPENZ September 2014
Success rate for projects US$100 million $1
billion?

(Success = financial return > 50% forecast @ FID)

Success rate for projects > US$1 billion?

Merrow, E. W. (2011). Industrial Megaprojects: Concepts, Strategies, and Practices for Success.
New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
Engineers public reputation is much better
than with investors, CEOs, government.

I get rid of engineers whenever I find them

Engineers just dont understand the

imperatives of business and it frustrates me
immensely

"Engineers spend billions and achieve

nothing.
Rebuilding respect for engineers

Change performances
Change perceptions
Theoretical Foundations of
Engineering

(currently)
Engineers find optimal solutions in the
presence of constraints.

"The engineering method (often called

design) is the use of heuristics to cause the
best change and an uncertain situation within
the available resources.
Billy Koen, The Engineering Method and its Implications for Scientific,
Philosophical and Universal Methods, 2009
Technical problem solving
Design
Grinter Report (1955)

Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry

Practice-based education limits ability of

graduates to employ current and future
advances in mathematics and science to
improve technology
Industry comments led to major changes:

inability of engineers to express themselves in

clear, concise, effective and interesting language

importance to engineers of an acquaintance with

the humanities and social sciences

.. Minimum 20% of curriculum!

Contemporary engineering education, based on this
model of engineering, leads to dissatisfied
graduates, many of whom are under-employed

And leaves billions of people in misery..

Trevelyan, J. P. (2014). The Making of an Expert Engineer. London, CRC

Press/Balkema - Taylor & Francis.
 $35/tonne

Asianet Pakistan /
16:9 mask Shutterstock
 $70/tonne

Hyderabad, India
 $2/tonne
(Perth cost, including connection, 2012)
 Engineers earning power?
Engineers in Pakistan and India earn 1/4 1/3
of their counterparts in Australia, UK, USA etc.
Engineers earn much higher salary as
programmers!?!?!?
Engineers in Australia, UK, USA often earn less
than other professionals with comparable
education
In Australia, many taxi drivers can earn more
than engineers with 10 years experience.
 Dissatisfaction among engineers
Underpaid.
Want more respect
More opportunities for leadership
Passed over for leadership opportunities by
project managers without engineering
qualifications.
(Survey, n 4,500)

American Society of Civil Engineers (2008). The Vision for Civil Engineering in
2025. Reston, Virginia, USA, ASCE Steering Committee to Plan a Summit on the
Future of the Civil Engineering Profession in 2025. 114pp.
 Skills shortages
Employers cannot find engineers with
appropriate skills (even in worst time in global
financial recession 2010-2012)
Large number of engineering graduates
remain either unemployed, or in unrelated
occupations.
Disillusioned young engineers leave profession
after a few years.
Theory-based education shapes a
discipline
Water supply, project completion, safe
engineering.

Solutions within this space?

 Theory-based education shapes a
discipline
Engineering students at university learn to write
mathematical solutions for narrowly defined technical
analytical problem in examinations.
 New theoretical
foundation for Engineering
 What do engineering graduates do in
their first job?

Calculating, modelling
70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
none 1-10% 11-20% 21-30% 31-40% 41-50% 51-60% 61-70% 71-80% 81-90% 91-100%
 What do engineering graduates do in
their first job?

Social interaction, searching for information

30

25

20

15

10

0
none 1-10% 11-20% 21-30% 31-40% 41-50% 51-60% 61-70% 71-80% 81-90% 91-100%
A view of engineering practice
 "he was neither dogmatic nor
arrogant [and] possessed an
extraordinary capacity to win
the interest and cooperation of
men whose experience
enabled them to throw light
upon his plans.

"a genius, possessing extraordinary

foresight (p135)
Creating Value
Assertion:

Engineers create value by improving human

productivity:

o Reducing human effort

o Reducing material & energy consumption
o Building sufficient confidence for financial
investment
o Reliable delivery of results, coordination of
people, keeping interpretations close enough
to technical intent to satisfy expectations
Technical Collaboration
Research finding:

Engineers spend >60% of time on technical

collaboration

o Not taught in management schools or

engineering courses
o Seen by most as not real engineering
o Common to all engineering disciplines
o Relies on distributed knowledge
Idea 4: Language comprises symbols
Idea 4: Language comprises symbols
Meanings from symbols combine to
form ideas

What people understand from words depends on prior knowledge, motivation,

physical state, emotional state
Engineering Practice
Technical Coordination
Phase 1: Organising & negotiating
Phase 2: Monitoring
Phase 3: Completion
Engineering practice: the
work that engineers do
that is common to all
disciplines.

Knowledge used by expert

engineers.

Help younger engineers

develop attributes of
experts quickly.
 Expert Engineers
Earn 2-5 times more
Provide enough value for employers
Use skills and knowledge that any engineer
can learn
EA Stage 2 Competencies provide a starting
point
Learn to enjoy engineering by doing it well
Learn to teach well and enjoy it!

http://www.skiclubvail.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Montana-Marzario-Racing-Slalom-At-The-U18-Champio
 Outline

My journeys
Engineers reputations
Theoretical foundations
Future challenges
Turner, G. M.
(2008). "A
comparison of
The Limits to
Growth with 30
years of
reality." Global
Environmental
Change 18:
397-411.