Why Am I Writing This?

“What kind of engineer do you want to be?” This was one of the questions my manager asked me recently. As a fresh graduate in my first engineering job, the journey has been challenging. With less than two years of experience, I am one of the most seasoned engineers in the company. Even though other senior engineers were hired well after I joined, I face significant pressure because of my familiarity with the process.

In a direct manner, my manager asked several thought-provoking questions: What kind of engineer do you want to be? What is your goal? What do you want to leave behind in this company? These questions made me think about my role and goals as an engineer.

My Thoughts on Important Qualities of an Engineer

This led me to think about what qualities are essential for an engineer. In my view, an engineer has to be creative, data-centric, analytical, resilient, economical, and communicative. These qualities ensure that we can solve problems effectively, back up our decisions with data, analyze situations critically, persevere through challenges, work within budget constraints, and communicate clearly to ensure safety and efficiency.

But is that all? There should be something more fundamental. What is the role of an engineer in a company? What are we hired for?

Engineers are Hired to Generate Value

Engineers are hired to bring more value to their companies. They can generate this value by either increasing output or decreasing input. Here are some examples of each:

Ways to Increase Output:

• Improve manufacturing processes for higher efficiency.
• Implement automation to reduce manual labor.
• Enhance product quality to reduce defects and rework.
• Increase production capacity through equipment upgrades.
• Develop new products to expand market offerings.

Ways to Decrease Input:

• Reduce material waste through better design and process control.
• Improve workflow to remove bottlenecks and speed up processes.
• Use energy-saving technologies to cut operational costs.
• Improve maintenance practices to extend equipment life and reduce downtime.
• Use data analytics to make better decisions and reduce trial and error.

Engineers change instructions and implement new technologies to improve processes. They can modify the process itself, although they are limited by their roles, responsibilities, and constraints. All engineers are designers of systems and processes. This brings us to the concept of system thinking.

System Thinking in Engineering

In a college course I took called “Process Dynamics and Control,” I learned that state values affect the whole system, which in turn impacts the state itself. This interconnectedness is crucial in engineering. When dealing with large systems, delays, lags, and buffers are significant factors. Feedback loops take time to show changes, and their design can create either harmful or helpful cycles. A well-designed feedback loop can stabilize and cushion the system against disruptions, while a poorly designed one can cause resistance to change and instability. The book “Thinking in Systems: A Primer” is a great resource to help you understand these concepts and get involved in system thinking.

Personal Insights and Conclusion

Working in a fast-paced, large company has taught me to think in short timeframes. However, it’s important to focus on system-level thinking and long-term goals. By adopting the core qualities of an engineer and concentrating on generating value through system thinking, we can make a significant impact.

In conclusion, an engineer is a designer with system thinking in mind, working creatively and analytically within constraints to bring value to their organization. This mindset will help us navigate the challenges of our profession and drive meaningful innovation.