Real-World Projects – Solving Real-World Problems
College projects typically address small, stand-alone problems within a single field of study. Real-world projects are frequently complex and require team members from various backgrounds and experiences. This gap does not adequately prepare students for the reality of real-world projects!
Phil Gonski, PE, Project Manager from Burns Engineering, and former Young Engineer of the Year, shares his experience working through complex real-world problems. From interacting with stakeholders to developing a plan of action, discover how to solve each component of a tough request.
Real-World Projects - Solving Real-World Problems
- Appreciate real-world problems are not well defined.
- Remember, in the real world, there is no answer to reference in the back of the book!
- Learn how to develop scope and work breakdown.
- Understand the role of the Project Manager in coordinating different functionalities.
- Understand how multiple fields-of-study (e.g. engineering disciplines) work together.
- Understand the value of stakeholder interaction, why it's necessary, and why it gets challenging.
Introduction
Professional Engineer Phil Gonski speaks on his background in Electrical Engineering and experience as a Project Manager.
Collaboration in College
Phil describes what collaboration typically looks like in college as an engineer.
What Makes College a Success
Is it a high GPA or a high-paying job right out of college? Phil describes what actually makes college a success.
The Tools You Need
Learn what your approach should be when you’re about to start your first engineering job.
This lesson explores how it’s not always a super complicated solution that’s needed for a problem – it’s often the most obvious thing.
It may not have been obvious, but it was easy! Phil shows a great example of how the process of elimination can narrow down the possibilities of the problem you’re facing.
Real World Example – Small Project
Sometimes, clients don’t always know exactly what the problem is – they just want it fixed!
Fee Development
Phil explains three different ways to assemble a fee for a project.
Proposal Development
Understand what to include in a proposal, including the different types of payment for a project.
Now Start!
Discover Phil’s tips for how to communicate on a project, deal with stakeholders, and what to do when everything in your proposal is wrong.
What’s Wrong?
Find out how different things stand out to certain kinds of engineers when approaching a problem.
Real World Example – Large Project
This lesson explores how you may need multiple options to offer to a client for a project, so there is never one solution like there is in college!
Examine the three different options brought to the large project client, which option ended up being the winner, and why.
Scope of Work & Coordination
Phil delves into the coordination involved in his example of a large project affecting over 150 companies.
Learn about the importance of precision and coordination in a large project.
Questions & Closing
Phil ends the course by answering a question about project management.