Brian Wagner, PE

Using Check-ins as a Superior Project Management Hack

Leave a Comment / Project Management
use weekly emails check-ins to supercharge client relations

As an engineer, you are tasked with a lot of challenging things. It could be a design or a presentation, but one of the most challenging tasks I have encountered as an engineer is dealing with people while serving in a project management role! Working with and cooperating with co-workers is one thing—you or your company controls who works for you. What no one truly controls is who you work for! Of course, you can choose to not bid on a project or decline the opportunity to join a team, but if you are not willing to work for clients you will not get far in this industry.

When you are hired by a client you open the door to serving their needs. You provide your expertise and knowledge to assist them through a process and ultimately deliver to them a product that they can then use. Being able to do this is one thing, but being able to work with the personality of the client may be another thing. Let’s walk through one of the best things I ever do as a project manager and where I have had a great deal of success, in part, because of this simple task.

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Using Check-ins as a Superior Project Management Hack Read More »

Shameless Treatment to Challenge Imposter Syndrome

Leave a Comment / Leadership
It might be feeling out of place or unprepared for a task. Imposter Syndrome is real and it is something all professionals contend with.

I believe everyone experiences some level of Imposter Syndrome at several different points in their careers. It could be just a feeling of being out of place. Maybe it’s a delegated task that you feel you have no business being involved in or being offered a promotion simply because of your actions. Both of these scenarios can spark self-doubt, commonly called imposter syndrome. Treating imposter syndrome takes effort but it doesn’t need to be something you don’t immediately want to take on!

Let’s walk through 3 great ways to shamelessly tackle the challenges of self-doubt together!

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Shameless Treatment to Challenge Imposter Syndrome Read More »

Great Project Managers are the official Mortar of Engineering

Leave a Comment / Leadership, Project Management
Being a great project manager means you need to be the mortar that holds your team together. You are vital to your company's success.

The strength of a masonry wall depends on various factors, including the type of masonry material used (e.g., brick, concrete block, stone), the quality of the construction, and design considerations. Generally, a well-constructed masonry wall can resist the highest load and stress. Mortar is the material that holds the individual masonry units together. In an engineering firm, Project Managers are the mortar of all engineering projects.

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Great Project Managers are the official Mortar of EngineeringRead More »

Great Project Managers are the official Mortar of Engineering Read More »

Why Looming Friday Deadlines Can Hinder Professional Success

Leave a Comment / Engineering, Project Management
deadlines can help you win or lose in the game of professional success

Professional engineering and project management require deadlines to be established a met. After all, our work focuses on delivering our expertise to others, for their use. Whether it’s a geotechnical report, a set of high-quality construction plans, or anything in between – the people paying for professional services expect something of value in return.

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Why Looming Friday Deadlines Can Hinder Professional Success Read More »

3 Reasons Repeat Clients Are the Best Clients

Leave a Comment / Leadership
repeat clients are the best clients

Clients come in all shapes and sizes. Some clients are “difficult” while others make you say, “I wish all of our clients were like you.” Unfortunately, we remember the difficult ones because of the challenges they presented, whether it was their unreasonable ‘center of the world’ demands or the general stress they caused us. For engineering professionals, these can be one-off clients who only need your services for a specific scenario or repeat clients who have the potential to be long-term relationships with an assortment of different projects over the years. Each has its own unique opportunities when it comes to repeat business.

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3 Reasons Repeat Clients Are the Best Clients Read More »

All Quality Errors are Not Equal

Leave a Comment / Quality Management

When we think about errors, it is easy to remember the ones that caused you headaches. It might have been a contractor’s confusion that resulted in a back charge or an inspector’s stop work order. These errors types of problems can cause anxiety, changes in work schedules, and financial discord, but all errors are not created equally. Let’s examine how different errors can impact and influence your finished product.

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All Quality Errors are Not EqualRead More »

All Quality Errors are Not Equal Read More »

Treasure Quality Management as proven Risk Management

Leave a Comment / Quality Management
Treasure the risk management a quality management system can provide

The ultimate purpose of both Quality Management Programs and Quality Control Systems is essentially to provide risk management. Producing consistent quality work to established minimum standards serves to assist leadership in maintaining a standard of care to reduce risk to the Company and the Client. Properly administered and led, it is a great way to establish and foster a culture among staff.

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Treasure Quality Management as proven Risk ManagementRead More »

Treasure Quality Management as proven Risk Management Read More »

Engage and Empower Staff while Improving your Systems

Leave a Comment / Leadership, Quality Management

6 steps of a Project Debriefing

The 6 steps of a Project Debrief are purposefully designed to help the team members share their experiences, challenges, and emotions. Through factual discussion and the sharing of different perspectives, the program is intended to identify and resolve issues while recognizing and acknowledging successes. A willingness to adapt and improve your systems is vital. A willingness to engage and empower your staff to improve opens doors of opportunity.

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Engage and Empower Staff while Improving your Systems Read More »

What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Control?

Leave a Comment / Quality Management

Often the terminology of engineering professionals can be highly technical and confusing. The use of terms like “Quality Assurance” and “Quality Control” is not overly technical. However, misuse can lead to serious impacts on efficient communication and the conveyance of expectations. Clarifying the terms you use is important both in-house and in your relationship with clients.

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What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Control? Read More »

How Span of Control Impacts the Quality of Work

Leave a Comment / Leadership

Span of Control is a concept that I learned in my emergency services training both in the fire service and law enforcement corrections. Yet this topic is not something I read or hear about often, if ever, in the engineering community. The idea behind this concept is based on how many people a leader can effectively manage in a given scenario. In the emergency services world, this normally works best in the range of 2 to 5 people. In the business world, this range may extend upwards to 10 or more subordinates to one leader. There are a lot of factors that go into determining how many subordinates one leader can effectively manage. Each and every situation will be different.

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How Span of Control Impacts the Quality of Work Read More »

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