Chapter 2 What Do Project Engineers Do? TOTAL AREA RESPONSIBILITY ‘Asa project engineer, your overall oles rather straightforward, Yew are totally responsible for everything that has to do with your area! ‘The idea of total aea responsibility is more of a mind-set then arything else. Ie’s something you have to become comforiable with, without being arrogant. If ‘you doit well, you'l be recognized and respected by the rest ofthe roject—and thers outside the project—as the go-to person for your area. ‘Total area responsibility includes planning the work and contolling i, It involves handling whatever comes along. Sometimes there are disturbances to quell, or disagreements to mediate, or problemas to solve. There's an aspect ‘of doing whatever it takes, but priorities have to be set to stay within dead- lines, budgets, and the realm of what's bumanly possible. I was on a project ‘once that had as one ofits ten principles, "Good enough is usually the best.” ‘That’s excellent advice when one considers most projects entail an avalanche of work, and each one of us has a personal life to live. Prioritize, or you'll be buried by the flow! ‘Tyres or Arras ‘To get a grasp of what an area is, lets considera few examples8 ‘What Do Project gingers Do? Specific Part of a Facility, or a System For a design or construction project engineer (on either the clieat’s ot con- tractor’ team) an area is often a specific part of a faclity-—for example, a par ‘of 8 building, the engine room, the control room, the living quarters structure, ‘and more. The area could also bea system, like the process system, the electrical system, or several ofthe instrument and control systems. Main System or Assembly In equipment manufacturing companies, the project engineer's ares could be a package, which is ether a main system or @ main assembly of parts forthe prod- ct. The project engineer or package engineer then becomes the steward for the package as it passes through the design, development, manufacturing, and accep- tance process. The package engineer doesn’t do the design, or the manufacturing, or the testing, He or she leads a team that develops the design requirements and then ensures thatthe design drawings and specifications are produced in accor ance wit those requirements and the project schedule. The package engineer also works the interfaces and may be responsible thatthe quality ofthe end prod- uct satisfies the requirements and the client's interests. Purchase Order On the client's or contractor's team, a project engineer can also be responsible for administering purchase orders for either equipment (gus turbines, generators, pumps) or balk materials (structural steel, piping materials, wize, con! valves). Here the area is everything that is delivered under the purchase orde:. This type of project engineer is also called a package engineer, but has a somewhat differ ent job than the manufacturers package engineer. The purchase order package engineer has more ofan oversight role inthe quality surveillance and expediting process. He or she ensures that equipment is satisfactorily tested atthe factory and delivered on time. The package engineer is commonly paired with a pur ‘chase order administrator (buyer) {rom the Procurement Department, to achieve the proper balance between technical and commercial skills. DERINING ‘THE AREA, ‘Some managers are careful about defining the areas of responsibilty for their project engineers so that nothing falls in the cracks between them, Otbers are not. In either case, however, i's left to the project engineer to work out the details Remember. ..total area responsibilityWhat Do Project Enginers Do? ° One of the keys to successfully defining an area isto ask questions, There are always questions concerning the scope of the work. Is the job only engineering, or does it include engineering and procurement? Is it only construction, or are there responsibilities for preparing the fabrication drawings? What are the responsiili- ties when the package moves into production (manufacturing)? Will the project engineer supervise the acceptance testing? Are there commissioning and start- Lup responsibilities? The project engineer should keep asking questiens until the scope of responsibilities becomes clear. He or she will also find it useful to define the boundaries of the area, espe- cially atthe interfaces with other parts ofthe projector other parties ouside the project. A project engineer can’t afford time- and energy-consuming confusion at the boundaries of an area. Meeting frequently with the interfacing paris, asking questions, resolving issues, and documenting agreements are all part of defining the boundaries. Even within well-defined, nonproblematic boundaries the project ‘engineer's duties are complex and challenging. THE PROJECT ENGINEER'S DUTIES As you've probably already realized, the nature ofthe project engineer's over- all role is significantly in uenced by whether she or he is working fr the com- pany tha is doing the work (contractor and manufacturer) or the company that is buying the work product, and thus overseeing the work (lien): + Contractors’ and manufacturers’ project engineers are primarily responsible for the work on « specific par of the job + Clieat project engineers ae in more of a watchdog role over a large azea. A project to build a cargo ship can serve as an exarnple. The shipyacd will ave hhundreds of engineers working on the job. A shipyard project engineer could be, for example, responsible forthe engine room and would plan and coatrol all the engineering in that area. The client would likely have a semall team in the ship- yard, One of them would probably be a Hull Project Engineer resronsible for ‘overseeing the design and construction of the entire hull, Despite the diferences in oles, the duties ofall project engineers are similar. ‘Maybe that’s why there's a natural tendency forthe clients" project engineers to ‘enerosch on the responsibilities of the contractors’ project engineers. 1's difficult for contractors and manufacturers to push back in those situations without appear: ‘ng o lack a customer orientation. I they don't, however, the spi of responsibil ties between their project engineers and the clients wil remain blurred, resulting in wasteful duplication of effort. Ler's work together through a set of project engineers’ duties, keep- ing in mind that there's no unique way to be a successful project engineer.