Archive for January, 2011

  • Ever wanted to know what exactly was running through your CEO's head? Well, you're not alone. Sometimes, it can be a little difficult to discern exactly what you can do best to help the company. And gaining insight into what your CEO is really concerned about sheds some light on that.

    Research on CEO’s Priorities: What it Means for Engineering

    Posted on January 26, 2011 | 2 Comments
    Ever wanted to know what exactly was running through your CEO's head? Well, you're not alone. Sometimes, it can be a little difficult to discern exactly what you can do best to help the company. And gaining insight into what your CEO is really concerned about sheds some light on that.

    Continue Reading...

  • There's nothing quite like a good old war between departments, is there? As disruptive as it can be, conflict between organizations happens all too often. And engineering's had more than its fair share. But instead of focusing on how engineering's agenda might be at odds with another department like manufacturing or procurement, I'd like to hone in on a dynamic within the engineering organization between the simulation office and the test lab.

    Integrating Simulation and Test: From Conflict to Collaboration

    Posted on January 24, 2011 | 1 Comment
    There's nothing quite like a good old war between departments, is there? As disruptive as it can be, conflict between organizations happens all too often. And engineering's had more than its fair share. But instead of focusing on how engineering's agenda might be at odds with another department like manufacturing or procurement, I'd like to hone in on a dynamic within the engineering organization between the simulation office and the test lab.

    Continue Reading...

  • Going paperless. What a vision, right? Some ten years ago, the concept of taking product development completely electronic seemed like some far off and unobtainable goal. But fast forward to today and it doesn't seem quite so far out of reach.

    The State of Paperless: More Feasible Than Ever?

    Posted on January 19, 2011 | 1 Comment
    Going paperless. What a vision, right? Some ten years ago, the concept of taking product development completely electronic seemed like some far off and unobtainable goal. But fast forward to today and it doesn't seem quite so far out of reach.

    Continue Reading...

  • Metrics. It's seems as if today's business world is ruled by them. Metrics are essentially pervasive in just about every functional department in a manufacturer.

    The Ineffectiveness of Measuring Design Effectiveness

    Posted on January 17, 2011 | 4 Comments
    Metrics. It's seems as if today's business world is ruled by them. Metrics are essentially pervasive in just about every functional department in a manufacturer.

    Continue Reading...

  • Looks like legos aren't just for engineers who can't keep their work at the office. In this case, these people used legos to recreate an ancient time keeping device called the Antikythera Mechanism. Check out the videos below.

    You Can Make Anything Out of Legos… Including the Antikythera Mechanism

    Posted on January 14, 2011 | No Comments
    Looks like legos aren't just for engineers who can't keep their work at the office. In this case, these people used legos to recreate an ancient time keeping device called the Antikythera Mechanism. Check out the videos below.

    Continue Reading...

  • What comes to your mind when you picture a stereotypical engineer? Most would say engineers have strong technical skills, high intelligence and lots of problem solving experience but typically are social introverts, personally aloof and lack interpersonal skills. For me, I find that stereotype to be terribly ironic. Let me explain.

    The Importance of People Skills for Engineers

    Posted on January 12, 2011 | 13 Comments
    What comes to your mind when you picture a stereotypical engineer? Most would say engineers have strong technical skills, high intelligence and lots of problem solving experience but typically are social introverts, personally aloof and lack interpersonal skills. For me, I find that stereotype to be terribly ironic. Let me explain.

    Continue Reading...

  • Seems nowadays its hard to read about engineering IT without coming across something about the cloud. And while it's definitely an interesting concept, it hasn't necessarily been explicitly clear what advantage or value it providers to designers, engineers or analysts. With ideas of IT related issues that have plagued engineering in the past, I started to think hard about the cloud.

    The Intersection of Engineering IT and the Cloud

    Posted on January 10, 2011 | 9 Comments
    Seems nowadays its hard to read about engineering IT without coming across something about the cloud. And while it's definitely an interesting concept, it hasn't necessarily been explicitly clear what advantage or value it providers to designers, engineers or analysts. With ideas of IT related issues that have plagued engineering in the past, I started to think hard about the cloud.

    Continue Reading...

  • Not long ago, I wrote an Introduction to Talent Management post that put that topic in the context of the engineering organization. I followed that up by looking at the question of What's the Importance of Employee Alignment in Engineering? Today I'd like to delve into a issues that is direct related to engineering executives: succession management.

    Engineering Leadership Development is Key to Innovation Based Growth

    Posted on January 6, 2011 | 4 Comments
    Not long ago, I wrote an Introduction to Talent Management post that put that topic in the context of the engineering organization. I followed that up by looking at the question of What's the Importance of Employee Alignment in Engineering? Today I'd like to delve into a issues that is direct related to engineering executives: succession management.

    Continue Reading...

  • A couple weeks ago, I asked a question that has been on my mind for a while: do engineers have the broadest reach within the enterprise? I've always thought there's been a little bit of a misconception that an engineer's sole focus is on new product development and more specifically, design work. Instead, just about every day for an engineer is a firedrill where they're scrambling all over the company to resolve issues across a number of product's lifecycles. So after coming to that conclusion, I started thinking about another question: what technology would best enable engineers to do their job?

    What is the Killer App for the Modern Engineer?

    Posted on January 4, 2011 | 21 Comments
    A couple weeks ago, I asked a question that has been on my mind for a while: do engineers have the broadest reach within the enterprise? I've always thought there's been a little bit of a misconception that an engineer's sole focus is on new product development and more specifically, design work. Instead, just about every day for an engineer is a firedrill where they're scrambling all over the company to resolve issues across a number of product's lifecycles. So after coming to that conclusion, I started thinking about another question: what technology would best enable engineers to do their job?

    Continue Reading...