Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - November 2004
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The engineer as educator
By Bill DeAngelis, MBA, P.Eng.
Vice President & General Manager
Associated Engineering (Ont.) Ltd.
Clients have traditionally hired
consulting engineers to design
their facilities, prepare their
reports and manage their projects.
We brought a complementary skill
set to the municipal toolbox, the ability
to assist with the implementation of
operating and capital projects in water,
wastewater, infrastructure renewal,
planning and modeling, routinely providing
direction and advice on technology
selection and application.
These days, the consultant’s role is
changing – many clients are becoming better educated in the ways of engineering
design, strategy formulation
and project management.
Clients used to ask us what they
needed; now they tell us what they
want, then rely on us to deliver it.
Maybe a slight distinction, but an
important one nonetheless.
We are, in many cases, being asked
to confirm decisions/directions/technologies,
rather than setting or selecting
them. In such cases, we are becoming
a sounding board as much as a
determiner of technology, as much
educator as engineer.
What is driving this change? As
more engineers and technical professionals
from the consulting world
make the transition to public sector
roles, the level of knowledge and
expertise within those enterprises
increases. In those municipalities, the
consultant’s role is evolving from a
leading to a supporting one.
A more highly educated client is
less likely to accept conclusions without
question. This phenomenon is not
unlike the medical profession, where
patients put their faith in their doctors
and accepted without question their
treatment recommendations. With our
increased level of medical knowledge
we now question diagnoses and seek
second and third opinions before
accepting a course of treatment.
Parallels are seen in the conduct of
engineering assignments. A bettereducated
client is more likely to question
or test a consultant’s recommended
approach to resolving a particular
problem, reviewing the issue from different
frames of reference for validation.
At the end of the process, the
client moves forward on project implementation
with a level of comfort.
The need for ongoing education
applies to the consultant as well as the
client. It is imperative that we remain
abreast of the latest developments in
the water and wastewater fields,
through applied research, pilot testing,
optimization, equipment trials and surveys,
to be able to advise our clients
accordingly. We must continue to participate
in technology transfer initiatives
such as conferences, seminars
and trade shows, sharing our ideas and
experiences with each other through
papers and presentations.
As roles of client and engineer
change, so do responsibilities. The
new model requires better communication
and a greater exchange of information
than ever before. Clients are
now assuming greater responsibility
for project deliverables by virtue of
increased participation and direction.
Collaborative processes are being
employed through workshops and
value engineering exercises, often
resulting in process innovation, shorter
delivery times and reduced capital
costs. However, we need to be cautious
about getting caught up in
groupthink; at the end of the day we
cannot forget that our role is to provide
the client with our considered
professional opinion.
The engineering fraternity needs to
acknowledge these changes in the use
of consulting engineering services and
adjust its service provision model as
required to meet client requirements. If
it means doing less directing and more
supporting, so be it. By educating our
clients, we educate ourselves.
Contact e-mail: deangelisb@ae.ca.
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