K-Exchange: The Engineering Manager’s Survival Guide will be available in June. . .What will engineering managers get out of the book?

Chad Jackson: The engineering field is facing a great deal of change, and managers have to recognize this and adapt.  The metrics for measuring productivity, the challenge of recruiting engineering talent, and even the office culture is shifting—all amid the consistent pressure of the economic recession.

The book is a guide that identifies new challenges managers are facing and offers leadership strategies and new technology that will help managers meet their goals.

KX: Hmm… So what new challenges does the modern engineering manager have to face?

CJ:

For one thing, design is becoming much more democratic. Before, life was simple because certain areas of the product were very specific, whether it’s mechanical or electrical, ect., and there was only one true expert assigned to each task. Today’s products are more mechatronic in nature, necessitating that several engineers have to work together to address product problems. Furthermore, engineers have to take company-wide considerations, such as cost, inventory, manufacturability and serviceability, into account. That means they must work with stakeholders across the company as well.

Another recent trend is that now, more than ever before, managers must have great communication skills. To address product-related issues, engineers need to communicate with diverse folks from different backgrounds and departments. And leading a team, by nature, challenges the manager to give up their role as an individual contributor, with their head down in their cubicle, and motivate an entire group or department. It’s a difficult transition for any manager to make, but engineers really seem to struggle with it.

But the biggest challenge for managers is the deliverable–based metric for productivity, a flawed metric that most engineering organizations employ.

KX) Oh? Do explain the metric. . .

CJ) Executives evaluate product development projects through drawings and related specifications. . . The problem is, these reflect the outcome of designing a product, not how you design a product . . .There’s no indication of how mature a design is, or how many iterations were explored, ect.  So there is a real need for engineering managers to develop a better metric –one that encourages innovation, not just a quick time-to-market. I discuss several ideas in the book…

In your book, you claim that the average engineering had to go from 8 to 10 hours a day on the clock.  Is this going to be a fact of life for engineers, or a passing trend?

In the past, we had the same reality of engineering, but today’s technology and global competitiveness means  1) mechanical and design problems are much more complex, and 2) there are many decision makers in different departments–sometimes across the globe–who are associated with any one project. Both of these facts increase the risk that a big issue will come up downstream and come back as a firedrill.

One way managers can counter this threat is by investing in the right technologies. There are whole new sets of tools for engineers to explore, simulate and virtually test, so they can mitigate some of the risk before it goes downstream. I explore these technologies in Chapter 3 of the book.

How can managers innovate despite time constraints?

(Laughs) I think if you asked any engineer how long they would like to work on a product, it would be perpetual!

But here’s a simple tip. . .For any project, decide: What is the latest possible date I can make a design decision?? Test, qualify, and do as much as you can before that date, so you are making an informed decision. It makes all the difference…..Otherwise, you may look at the project timeline and say “great I’m two weeks ahead of schedule” but in fact you are doing yourself a disservice because you haven’t explored more design iterations.

KX: What are some common mistakes engineering managers make while trying to lead their team?

CJ: The engineer that gets promoted to a managerial role is the super engineer – the accomplished individual contributor.  Too often, managers stick to their role as contributors instead of managing. . .They’ll keep that tunnel vision on projects instead of looking across the team and understanding people’s strong points and how these strengths can benefit the entire productivity of the organization.

KX: In regards to management, you speak about the fade of the one true expert and that projects are becoming more collaborative in nature.  Do you think this is more of an opportunity or a threat for the modern engineering manager?

CJ: I’m sure if you asked different managers you’d get both sides of the spectrum.

An interesting point lies with the development of mechatronic products. In fact, when you look at an agile process software development, people are working in pairs—someone will code, and another person will look over their shoulder and check for errors, and they’ll switch off every hour. This process has had a lot of effect on product quality. . .When you start to see processes like these come together, the software world can have a dramatic effect on the mechanical world.  So yes, I think there’s an opportunity, especially for mechatronic companies, to collaborate and make better quality products.

KX: It seems like these more collaborative processes can also help with time-to-market. . .

CJ: Absolutely – It’s the whole “get the design right the first time” mentality.  Make the right decisions early on, don’t wait until it’s caught late in the development cycle where there are change orders and rework and scrap. . .

How does an online reference source like Knovel help engineers manage their workload?

It goes back to the get it right the first time mentality. When you have to look for information on the internet, it’s not validated.  And  when you have to do the calculation yourself it’s not clear what the value should be—those are each areas points where an error can be made… You can avoid these errors with Knovel because you can get the right values immediately, and you are more likely to avoid redesigns.

 Chad’s Engineering Manager’s Survival Guide be available on Knovel in June? Click here!

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Chad Jackson is the President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights, a research and advisory firm that assesses the business impact of software applications and systems on engineering organizations. Chad has more than 15 years of experience with CAD, CAE, PDM, PLM and others technologies as part of the analyst community and in the software industry. Due to his industry knowledge and thought leadership, Chad is a sought-after expert, author and speaker that has advised, published and presented dozens of times both domestically and internationally.

Luckily I’ve come up with 4 fool proof gifts for the decreeing geek mom:

1. For the Mom who Lives Far Away — A Laptop.

I recently recounted the agony I of trying to get my parents on Skype. It took a week and still didn’t work right. They eventually bought a new laptop (since the old one was a piece of junk) which already had Skype installed.

For a great gift, save your mom and yourself some time and get them a Ready to Skype device. I know it may seem a little pricey, but if you add up the hours you will spend on the phone playing tech support, you’ll discover it’s actually not a bad option.

2. For the Zombie-Apocalypse ready Mom — A Can Tracker.

If swarms of undead are at your door, looking to feast upon your brain,  don’t be caught with second rate survival food. Eat better than a zombie.  Not only is a little can tracker like the one above inexpensive, but  it will help you cycle through your food stores, ensuring what you have never goes bad!

3. For the Gamer Mom — The 8-Bit Flower Bouquet.

I have a saying: The family that games together, stays together. Show the leading lady in your life that you’re willing to spend your extra lives/hearts/continues for a bouquet of  flowers just for her. Not just any flowers, but some old school retro flowers! (Rupees not excepted at thinkgeek)

4. For the Book Nerd Mom — A Nook.

This is another pricey item, but worth it. Does your wife keep you up at night while she rereads The Hunger Games? Help support her lust for teens killing teens for sport with a Nook. This one actually is slightly back lit so your partner can read in bed while you get the rest you deserve. Supporting her has never gotten easier!

(above) ‘Nuff Said.

1. V – This show blew my adolescent mind.  All the characters looked like they belonged in a shows my mom would watch, but in my mom’s shows no one ever ate a live rodent!  I was crazy about the original mini-series and continued to watch it when it turned into a weekly series.  But I didn’t watch the recent reboot.  Should I have?  Or would it ruin all my nostalgic memories of flesh-wearing alien lizards?

2. Star Trek – I mean, obviously.  Where I grew up, old episodes of the original Star Trek were sometimes shown back to back with old episodes of Batman.  I know!  Best hour ever, right?  But sadly, I drifted away from Star Trek over the years.  I saw a little Next Generation, but no Deep Space Nine or Voyager or anything else!  What have I missed?

3. Alien Nation – Okay, so I liked aliens.  I also liked cop shows and The Odd Couple.  Check, check, and check.  I’m sure this show taught me all sorts of lessons about bigotry and the pros and cons of assimilation for an immigrant community, but at the time I was paying more attention to how cool the aliens looked and giggling whenever they got drunk off sour milk.  Because sour milk is gross.  And gross things are funny.

4. Quantum Leap – A million other people have talked about how great this show was so I shouldn’t even try.  But there was nothing quite as fun as the first few minutes when you’re waiting for Sam to figure out who he is.  And it affected people more than the average TV show.  Case in point:  I have a friend who can, at the drop of a hat and seemingly without reason, recite the monologue that opens the show.  Which is a little weird.  And a little awesome.

5.  Voyagers! – Some of my earliest memories are of sitting too close to my TV, watching this show.  As a burgeoning know-it-all myself, I loved the idea of a young boy genius helping to save the world by ensuring historical events happened the way they were supposed to.  This show aired when I was around 5, so the memories are a little fuzzy, but I definitely remember the souped-up pocket watch thingy that allowed the characters to time travel.  And I remember how sad I was when I found out it wasn’t real. 
Life: 1, Childhood Fantasy: 0.

That’s it! Anything between the late 80’s and now is a big empty wasteland for me, and I’m starting to realize how much I must have missed.  So, in the interest of filling the empty void in my life, I’m soliciting recommendations from the more sci-fi savvy readers out there.

So where do I start?  I’ve got a Netflix account and an empty weekend coming up just waiting to be filled with phasers and motherships and lost colonies.  I’m counting on you guys.  Help me out! Don’t make me have to go outside and enjoy the weather . . .

5. Photos: Another Star Ripped Apart By a Black Hole. Because it never gets old, does it?

4. The Physics of Spilled Coffee. Here’s a good Monday story–see what the brain goes through to keep you from wasting precious caffeine!

3. Study: Jogging Adds 5 Years to Your Life!  In case swimsuit season wasn’t enough to get you on the treadmill.

2. Largest Known Crocodile Can Swallow Humans Whole. Eekk, let’s not mess with this guy.

1. The Single Theory That Could Explain Emergence, Organization And The Origin of Life. A new mathematical model with incredible implications.

(above) From our Top Story: Autocatalytic sets can explain the origin of life.
Image from Technology Review, published by MIT.

The outcry has been equally positive and negative towards PR’s plan. Those against it bring up three major issues:

1.  The swarms of robotic equipment will require numerous launches. Only the ISS relied on so many launches and
this caused perpetual delays to the schedule.

2.  Technology for such missions is barely being developed.

3.  The legality of such an operation is nebulous at best.

These are all very good points, but PR has one major thing going in their favor:

Money.

When it comes to space, money is the great equalizer. Even a lousy system can be made workable if enough cash is thrown at it. Let’s address how PR will leverage their pile of startup capital to overcome their major hurdles.

1. If the probes are kept small PR will be able to buy their way onto already planned launches as secondary payloads. This will also help them reduce risk by not relying on a single launch vehicle in case of a failed launch. Falcon 9 heavy may get thrown around a lot in this conversation, but it’s unlikely that rocket will be used by PR for many years to come if ever.

2. With a steady stream of money and a end goal in sight technology can be developed fairly rapidly. Since PR has planned for at least 10 years of surveying using orbital telescopes the requirement of time will be there as well to develop all the tech they will need.

3. I’m going to be a cynic for moment: Politicians and lawyers will fall into line if and when the money is right. Perhaps not all, but enough to make this happen. Additionally, there wouldn’t be any real legal action happening until PR makes their attempt and by then the potential for profit will be so large that no one will try to stop them. Call it capitalism at its best (or worst).

(above) Photo From the Seattle PI

At this point, the real question is, Does PR have the resolve to carry out a single plan of action over the course of twenty years? PR isn’t the first company to announce something like this. Several years ago another spunky start up called “SpaceDev” was attempting the same thing but lost their way and now is invested in developing rocket motors.

The money is there, the right people are there and the technology is there. The question now, as it has been many times before: Is the willpower there?

Of course, I’m talking about the Annual ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, where hundreds of engineering  students from across the US build and race their own self-powered vehicles. The HPVC Mission is to develop sustainable transportation alternatives for countries with emerging economies.

The competition is dual: Knovel was there to see the winning students cross the finish line at HPVC East in Grove City, PA on April 27-29; and at HPVC West, in  Toole, Utah, on May 4-6.  This year’s competition was fierce–every student represented their university with innovative designs and plenty of trash talk!

The Build-Up

Before either competition kicked off, I sat down to chat with a few of the students — Of all of which knew they’d be first across the finish line. When Samantha Bittinger from the University of Akron was asked about her team’s chances at victory, she offered, “Absolutely. Our vehicle has no weakness.  We have a wonderful, talented team that has worked so hard to create a great product.”

(above) University of Akron building their ultra-sweet vehicle, The Zephyr

All the 2012 teams were hungry for the win, but some boasted pretty stellar designs.  Montana State University built their vehicle, The Cat’s Meow, with 6061-T6 Aluminum for an ultra lightweight and lightening fast frame. The University of Wisconsin team even designed a USB port and a radio powered entirely by the rider’s pedal strokes.

“No other team has done something like that,” claims Page Kiecker, from the University of Wisconsin.

Now that’s riding in style.

The Action

HPVC East. The Challenge was packed with windy trails and excited onlookers amid the backdrop of Grove City clear skies. Top Winners were Missouri Institute of Science & Technology, with The Cronos and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with the Carnot Cycle. Olin College also took home our Knovelty Prize for the Most Inspired and Creative Design.

HPVC West.  At the Utah Race, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology dominated once again, earning the highest scores in both the endurance and the design competitions, and Montana State University was right behind them, placing 2nd. And of course, our coveted, Knovelty Prize went to  Cal State Chico!

The Highlights:

(above) University of Central Florida leaving the competition in the dust

This dude’s got the finish line on his mind.

(above) Woo Hoo! Congrats to Olin College for Taking Home the Knovelty Prize!

For more info on the Human Power Vehicle Challenge click here, or look out for more updates on the K-Exchange Blog.

]]> http://knovelblogs.com/2012/05/01/hpvc-students-race-to-win/feed/ 1 http://knovelblogs.com/2012/04/25/a-friendly-debate-will-spacex-bring-a-new-age-of-space-travel/ http://knovelblogs.com/2012/04/25/a-friendly-debate-will-spacex-bring-a-new-age-of-space-travel/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:24:43 +0000 Craig the Rocket Scientist http://knovelblogs.com/?p=4348 There is an excellent little café not far from where I work where some coworkers/friends and I like to have lunch from time to time. A few weeks ago, as luck would have it, I bumped into a older gentlemen whom I used to work with while I was working on the Space Shuttle contract.

After a few minutes of family/weather/sports we finally started talking about the business.  I remember telling him that I was excited to see how the new Falcon Heavy rocket was going to impact the space launch ecosystem. My former co-worker immediately turned up his nose at the mention of SpaceX.

I understand why he doesn’t like SpaceX, honestly he has every reason to. SpaceX is his competitor. But since we are professionals, he can’t really say that, so I asked him why the lack of love for my favorite company.

He told me that the first several Falcon 9 rockets were a joke, and that they had custom work done to them while they were on the pad. Essentially, he questioned the safety.

This isn’t a new charge thrown at SpaceX by most of the big boys. It seems that the very notion of a young company doing something different than has been done by the shuttle is immediately unsafe and should be scorned. Hopefully the stand down on the launch to the ISS will change that.

For those not paying attention, Space was set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with  a Dragon capsule to the international space station. This will be the first time a commercial craft has ever visited the ISS. IF this launch is successful, it will quite literally be the first of a new age of space travel.

IF it’s successful.

If it’s not, then this could set back private space travel for years. That’s why I’m in favor of SpaceX taking their time on this one. Just take it easy, check everything thrice, and wait for the perfect conditions. No one is going to care if you made your launch window and your rocket blows up thirty seconds after ignition!

The paper is four pages long but the author spends roughly three of those pages deriving equations. These aren’t very complex equations, in fact these same principles are taught in basic high school physics. The bulk of the paper is spent deriving kinematic equations; both linear and rotational.

After beating the equations to death he gets into the meat of why he is innocent. Ready for it?

A car was blocking the police officer’s view of when he stopped.

Now he doesn’t say so in so many words but that’s really the point he is driving home. Yes, I know that without special equipment to measure perceived changes in acceleration, it would be difficult to differentiate between and during the space when he was obstructed, and a massive change in acceleration could take place.

But since he’s having so much fun playing games with equations, let’s take it one step further:

If he had slowed down and stopped then re-accelerated, would his car go the same distance as if he had never adjusted his speed as the police officer had perceived?

I’m going to use 3 equations for this:

1. x= vt.
   This will represent the distance he would have traveled had he not slowed down.

1. 
   This will be used twice to simulate slowing to a stop the re-accelerating. AND

  How fast would he actually be going in the time he measures.

Now I have to use several constraints:

1. I will only use the numbers the author provided.
2. I will assume, as does the author that his acceleration in both positive and negative directions are constant over the period of time measured.
3. The acceleration in both directions is 10 meters per second squared (which the author uses in FIG. 5: The real angular speed of C1 is shown by the blue solid curve)

Using equation 1, we easily see that over the period of time had he not slowed down he would have travelled 200 meters.

Using equation 2, we first see that over the course of 10 seconds he would have actually begun to travel in a negative direction and been 300 meters in the opposite direction in which he was traveling.  But let’s assume he did somehow stop at the stop sign and didn’t decide to drive backwards. He would have ended up 500 meters from the stop sign after accelerating for 10 seconds.

By the way, if he accelerated constantly from rest, for 10 seconds, at his proposed acceleration he would have finished at 100 meters per second. (Roughly 223 miles per hour)

But Craig, why assume the authors acceleration was constant?

Because the author himself assumed it in his paper; we do not have the luxury of assuming something other than what the author described.

Isn’t it possible that another value for acceleration would be more reasonable and provide the scenario the author describes?

The author has already proven that such a scenario is possible. I have merely shown that what he has proposed is also highly improbable. So improbable that it becomes difficult to believe what the author states has transpired. A different value would be more reasonable; however it would increase the amount of distance between the two scenarios, such that the car traveling the constant speed would be considerable further than the car that had slowed down.

There’s a flaw in your reasoning, if during negative acceleration the car traveled -300 meters, then during acceleration it traveled 500 meters that brings the car in the two scenarios to the final ending location.

Indeed, but then he wouldn’t have stopped at the stop would he? Neither would the other car at the stop sign be blocking him!

While the scenario laid out in the paper could have happened, the author of the paper has not proven his innocence as the title states. In addition, had it happened the way he described, there are other factors–such as cumulative distance traveled, that a fixed observer would notice. Does this paper introduce reasonable doubt upon which our judicial system is supposed to be based upon? Perhaps. However, based on this past blog post, I don’t feel his argument stands up to a rigorous cross examination.

Good thing I wasn’t his judge!

1. Shale Gas & Job Creation

It’s a no brainer. In 2012, Shale natural gas amounted to 27% of the overall U.S. natural gas production, and supported more than 600,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.  And just this year, More than $16 billion in new investments will likely occur, creating more than 400,000 new American jobs.

If you work in oil in gas, it’s important to be aware of  potential job creation, capital investment and economic output resulting from increased supply of natural gas from shale.

2. Shale Gas & Lower Gas Prices. The combo of multi-stage fracking and horizontal drilling in the US are expected to spur oil supply by a massive degree. But to what extent will depend on regulations and implementation plans.

3.  Shale Gas & the Great Crew Change. Shale gas is expected to create a wealth of new jobs, but will we actually be able to deliver the appropriate level of talent and expertise?  Experienced baby boomers continue to retire, placing a lot of pressure on young engineers to deliver a strong level of expertise from year one.

4.  Shale Gas and Global Competitiveness. If you are in the industry, an understanding of the U.S. position on the global ethylene supply curve and what it means for global competitiveness is a must.

These are 4 of many industry trends we are seeing with Shale Gas, but there are many factors that we all need to keep an eye on. Knovel’s latest free webinar, Shale Gas: A Game Changer, will provide key insights on all of these factors, as well as:

♦ An understanding of the U.S. position on the global ethylene supply curve and what it means for global competitiveness
♦ Current activities in each major shale region/play and the current market drivers
♦ Potential job creation, capital investment and economic output resulting from increased supply of natural gas from shale
♦ Innovations stimulating the development of shale gas reserves
♦ The economic impact for downstream industries

We hope you can join us! The webinar will be held on Thursday, April 26th, 2012 at 1:00 PM ET.

Register Now.

For more info on the race, click here.