This book provides results-oriented techniques for succeeding in business -- techniques that are rarely taught in engineering school. KEY TOPICS: Once, technical competence and hard work were all anyone needed to succeed as a technical professional. Those days are gone. Now, new technical professionals need to know how to manage yourself and others. How to survive in the corporate world. How to communicate. How to understand the needs of the organization. How to analyze the business implications of their work. Most of all, they need to learn how to become a leader. Engineering Your Future shows young technical professionals the ropes -- all of them. It covers the entire range of business management topics, from accounting and economics to quality management and the legal aspects of an engineer's work. Throughout, Engineering Your Future emphasizes results-oriented techniques that are immediately useful on the job. MARKET: Entry-level technical professionals and students preparing to enter the workforce.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Definitions of Engineering. Definitions of Management. Similarity of Engineering and Management. Definition of Engineering/ Technology Management. Steps of Engineering/Technology Management. Leadership, Management, and Production: Deciding, Directing, and Doing. Leadership, Management, and Production Defined. Traditional Pyramidal, Segregated Organizational Model. Shared Responsibility Organizational Model. Focus of This Book: Management and Leadership. Engineer as Builder. Common Sense and Common Practice. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 2. Management of Self. 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. Employment or Graduate School?. Full-Time Graduate Study. Full-Time Employment. Learn from Potential Employers. Time Management. Time Is a Resource. Time Management: The Great Equalizer. Time Management Tips. A Time-Management System. Key Ideas about Time Management. The First Few Months: Make or Break Time. Recognize and Draw on Generic Qualities and Characteristics. Never Compromise Personal Reputation. Learn and Respect Administrative Procedure and Structure. Do All Assignments Well in Accordance with Expectations. Get Things Done. Trim Your Hedges. Keep Your Supervisor Informed. Speak Up. Dress Appropriately. Seek Opportunities to Develop Communication Skills. 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. Licensing Process. Thoughts on Taking the Fundamentals Examination While in Engineering School. Comity. License Renewal. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 3. Management of Communication Skills: Communicating to Make Things Happen. Listening. Be Attentive. Verify Understanding. Use What Is Learned. Two Critical Distinctions between Writing and Speaking. Report Writing Tips: A Chance to Shine. Define and Write to Likely Audience or Audiences. Ask about Written Report-Writing Guidelines and Standards. Outline and Incubate. Retain Some of the Outline in the Report. Write Easy Parts First. Write in the Third Person. Employ a Gender-Neutral Style. Write in an Active, Direct Manner Rather than a Passive, Indirect Manner. Use Rhetorical Techniques. Adopt a Flexible Format for Identifying Tables, Figures, and References. Use Lists. Design a Standard Base Map or Diagram. Use Format Writing. Establish Report Milestones. Produce Attractive and Appealing Report. Cite All Sources. One More Time. Concluding Thoughts. Speaking Tips: How to Make an Effective Presentation. Reluctance to Speak. Define the Audience and the Setting. Prepare the Script. Prepare the Graphics. Practice Out Loud. Arrange for and Verify Audiovisual Equipment. Suggest a Proper Introduction. Deliver the Speech. Prompt Postspeech Questions and Answers. Follow Up. Take Extra Care with International Audiences. Body Language4. References. Supplemental Reference. 4. Management of Relationships with Others. Types of People. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Theories X and Y. Definitions. Perspective. Applications of Theory X and Theory Y Knowledge. Probable Dominance of Theory Ys. Delegating. Reasons to Practice Effective Delegation. Reluctance to Delegate. Delegation Isn't Always Down. Delegation Tips. Managing Meetings. Reasons to Meet. When Not to Call a Meeting. Tips for Successful Meetings. Dealing with Difficult People and Situations at Meetings. Miscellaneous Thoughts. Appreciating and Working with Support Personnel. Essential Members of the Organization. Challenges Unique to Working with Support Personnel. Tips for the Entry-Level Technical Professional. Managing Your Boss. Caring Isn't Coddling. References. Supplemental References. 5. The Organization of Organizations. The Concept of an Organization. Legal Forms of Business Ownership. Individual Proprietorship. Partnership. Corporation. Organizational Structures. Functional. Regional. Client. Matrix. Single- versus Dual-Ladder Advancement Systems. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 6. Project Management. The Centrality of Project Management. Relevance of Project Management to the Entry-Level Technical Professional. Project Time Management1. Chronological List2. Gantt (Bar) Chart3. Critical Path Method (CPM)5. Review of Earlier Questions. Key Ideas. Project Plan. Project Team Kick off Meeting. Work Plan Format. Work Plan Avoidance Syndrome. Project Monitoring and Control. Project Postmortem. Client Input. Team Meeting. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 7. Total Quality Management. Quality Defined. Quality as Opulence. Quality as Excellence or Superiority. Quality as Meeting Requirements. Stakeholders. TQM Defined. Principles of TQM. Comments on Some of Deming's 14 Points for Management. Tools and Techniques. Metrics. Written Procedures. Flow Charting. Fishbone Diagrams. Pareto Analysis. Brainstorming Sessions. Benchmarking. Partnering. Stakeholder Input. Results of TQM. Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Closing Thoughts. References. Supplemental References. Exercise. 8. Decision Economics. Broad Applicability of Decision-Economics Tools. Distinction between Economic Analysis and Financial Analysis. Steps in a Decision- Economics Analysis. Determine Physical and Economic Lives of Project Components. Diagram Revenue and Construction, Manufacturing, Replacement, and Operation and Maintenance Expenditures. Select Interest Rate. Put Costs and Benefits on a Comparable Basis and Calculate Benefit-Cost Ratio or at Least Cost. Consider Intangible Benefits and Costs. Recommend Best Alternative. Discounting Factors. Single-Payment Simple-Interest Factor. Single-Payment Compound-Amount Factor. Single-Payment Present-Worth Factor. Series Compound-Amount Factor. Series Sinking-Fund Factor. Series Present-Worth Factor. Capital-Recovery Factor. Gradient-Series Present-Worth Factor. Summary of Discounting Factors. Benefit-Cost Analysis. Example A: Alternatives with Variable Costs but Identical Benefits. Example B: Alternatives with Variable Costs and Benefits. Example C: Alternatives with Variable Costs and Benefits and with Significant Intangibles. Concluding Thoughts. Sensitivity of B/C to Interest Rate. Sensitivity of B/C to Economic Life. Sensitivity of Costs to Load, Capacity, or Other Measure of Service. Analytic and Empirical Approach. Computer Simulation Approach. Empirical Approach. Concluding Statement. Rate of Return or Return on Investment. References. Exercises. 9. Business Accounting Methods. Why Do Accounting? The Balance Sheet: How Much Is It Worth?. The Income Statement—Introduction. Relationship between the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement. Financial Ratios. Liquidity Ratios. Leverage Ratio. Activity Ratios. Profitability Ratios. The Impact of Time Utilization Rate and Expense Ratio on Profitability in the Consulting Business. The Multiplier. The Income Statement as Part of the Business Plan for a Consulting Firm. Project Overruns: Implications for Profitability and Personnel. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 10. Legal Framework. The Entry-Level Professional and Legal Considerations. Legal Terminology. Changing Attitudes: Added Burden on the Technical Professional. Liability: Incurring It. Liability: Examples of Failure and Lessons Learned. Collapse of Hotel Walkway. Collapse of Supermarket Roof. Collapse of Scoreboard. Collapse of Bridge Section during Construction. Other Failures. Liability: Minimizing It. Insurance: Financial Protection. Preventive Actions. Danger Signals. Damage Control. Maintaining Perspective on Liability Minimization. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 11. Ethics. Defining Ethics. Teaching Ethics. Academia: A Corner on Ethics?. Legal and Ethical Domain. Codes of Ethics. Engineering Professional Organizations Codes of Ethics. Codes of Ethics of Other Professional Organizations. Corporate Codes of Ethics. Government Codes of Ethics . Looking Ahead: Less Ethics or a Different Kind?. Three Possible Future Directions. Key Ideas. References. Supplemental References. Exercises. 12. Design. The Design Function. Disproportionate Impact of the Design Function. Design in Terms of Papers Produced. Drawings. Technical Specifications. Nontechnical Provisions. Design as Risky Business. Design as a Creative, Satisfying Process. The Word Engineer and Creativity. Concluding Statement. References. Supplemental References. 13. Role and Selection of Consultants. Why Retain a Consultant? Characteristics of Successful Consultants. Consultant Selection Process. Cost versus Quality. Steps in the Selection Process. References. Supplemental References. 14. Marketing Technical Services. Financial Motivation for Marketing Technical Services. Definitions of Marketing and Some Observations. Marketing Research and Case Studies. Concluding Observations. Suggested Working Model for Planning and Implementing a Marketing Program. Feedback. Tools and Techniques. References. Supplementary References. Exercise. 15. The Future and You. The Changing World of Engineering and Other Technical Work. Who Will Be Available to Do Engineering and Other Technical Work? Who Will Future Engineers and Other Technical Professionals Serve?. What Kind of Work Will Twenty-First-Century Engineers and Other Technical Professionals Do?. Recap of the Changing World of Technical Work. The Future—Can You Spare a Paradigm?. Anticipative and Reactive Modes. Definition of Paradigm. Examples of Paradigms. Some Characteristics of Paradigms. Examples of Paradigm Shifts. Some Possible Future Paradigms. The Bottom Line. Elements of Leadership. Honest and Possessed of Integrity. Conscious of the Mission: Preaching It, Teaching It, and Reaching for It. Setting Goals, Establishing Strategies and Tactics to Achieve Them, and Following Through. Always Learning. Courageous. Calm in Crisis and Comfortable with Chaos. Creative, Synergistic, Imaginative, Innovative. References. Supplemental References. A. Special Features of Civil Engineering. B. ASCE Code of Ethics. C. IEEE Code of Ethics. D. College Placement Council Principles for Professional Conduct for Career Services and Employment Professionals. E. Excerpts from the Boeing Company's Business Conduct Policy and Guidelines. Index.