1. The Importance of Beinga Team Player
Throughmy experience inthe civil engineeringprofessionIhave foundthatmanycivil engineershave
one commontrait - theythink(a) plancheckersare stupid;(b) contractorscan't read plans;and(c)
architectsare unrealistic. Ido notagree withthisway of thinking.
(a) Plan checkersare stupid? While itistrue thatsome plancheckersare betterthanothers,their
reviewislimitedtowhattheycan see onthe submittedplans. If the designisunclear,incomplete,or
wrong,plancheckersoftenwill relyontheirchecklist,orwill focusonareasthatmay or may notbe
importantto the design. Ihave foundthatif plancheckersare givenreadable andcompleteplansthen
the plancheck generatedisoftenvaluable andevenbeneficial tothe overall design.
(b) Contractorscan'tread plans? I have foundthatmost contractorsare verysmart and talented. If they
don't understandthe plans,it’sprobablybecause the plansare notclear,or there ismissing
information. Atthe beginningof constructionIimmediatelyassure the contractorthatI am available to
answeranyquestionorfix anyproblemthroughoutthe constructionoperation. Itell him/hernotto
hesitate tocall me. I care about the projectandit’s veryimportantto me that it runssmoothly.
(c) Architectsare unrealistic? The realityisthatarchitectsoftenhave more projectresponsibilities,and
are more accountable thanany otherconsultantonmostlanddevelopmentprojects. Some architects
understandgradingissues,whileothersare aware of theirengineeringlimitations. Ineithercase,Ishow
themthe respecttheydeserve andIassistthemwhereverIcan.
Of course,follow-throughiseverything.
Clientsappreciate whentheysee thattheirassembledteammembersare sharing,helping,and
respectingone anotherinordertoachieve theircommongoal of a successful projectanda happyclient.
Projectstodayare more complicatedthanever. Strategicwaterqualitydesignisbecomingacritical first
step.The successof a projectcan be measuredbyhow well itisplannedanddesignedduringthe
conceptual planningstage. Clientscanbe verydemandingandsometimespressure civil engineersto
make a site work. Sometimesaprojectneedsa certaindensityorproductsize inorderto work
financially.Often,acreative solutionisfoundthatblendstogetherthe client'sneedswiththe agency
requirements. However,there are timeswhenthe currentconceptwon'twork. Inthese cases,I
researchoptionsandofferalternativesolutionstothe client. Ironically,throughthisprocessthe
evolvedprojectisoftenbetterandmore satisfyingthanthe one originallyproposed.
Gary Brown 2/12/2016