There is a lot involved in successful product development and management. From developing new products to managing change to existing products, being on top of your game will allow you, your department, and your company to succeed. As I wrote about in "Being a Positive and Strong Team Player," it is important to fit well in your organization’s team, across all departments.
Starting there, here are the 6 key qualities for a successful engineering team member.
1. BE A TEAM PLAYER
A Japanese writer once said, "Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." This metaphor for teamwork can be applied to every workforce globally but holds especially true for engineering teams.
It is essential to be able to recognize what all team members bring to the table. Each gear in the wheel grinds the machine one step closer to its goal. It is easy to fall into the rut of pointing upstream and downstream for the cause of your problems. Not until you take responsibility for what you bring to the table will you positively influence your team. For the geared machine to function properly, you must recognize how meaningful all relationships are between those within the company. Every employee- including industrial designers, sales, accounting, purchasing, production, shipping and receiving, material handling, schedulers, BOM specialists, document control, all levels of supervisors and managers, human resources, and receptionist- has their function within the company. Treat them all with respect and appreciate their place in the company.
2. KNOWLEDGE OF ENGINEERING TOOLS
Just as a carpenter knows, there is a tool for every job, so must engineers realize the same thing. Each piece of software available for engineers and designers has been created with various uses in mind. Some of the software is developed for particular purposes, and some have been left open to be used in personal interpretations. Two-Dimensional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software has been assisting engineers with design and drawing for decades. Three-Dimensional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software now offers engineers the ability to create like never before. It is the sole responsibility of the engineer to master the capabilities of their respective software fully.
The tools of an engineer do not stop with the software that they are using for design. Product Life-cycle Management (PLM), Product Data Management (PDM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and processes are necessities put in place by manufacturing and engineering teams to keep track of all aspects of a product. PLM software is responsible for defining what a product will consist of, while PDM tracks all data and manages all files related to a product. ERP software is responsible for determining the execution of a product. These processes control projects from birth to completion. It should be obvious to every engineer how vital it is to understand the ins and outs of their PLM, PDM, CAD, and ERP systems. Without proper utilization of these tools, a project can quickly become a jumbled nightmare of good ideas gone awry.
3. UNDERSTAND OVERALL PROCESS
One must be familiar with all of the steps necessary to complete a project. This envelopes everything from the conceptualization of the product to product development. A successful engineering team member must be familiar with the processes to handle the design change for every aspect of their project. Within their firm, what is the process required to make changes to assemblies or manufactured parts? What is the protocol for deciding to purchase a part instead of manufacturing in the house? (That's up to production, not the engineers). How does a manufactured part get routed through the company? How does the purchasing department interact with the engineers to decide what is fiscally required for each product?
Knowing the answer to questions like these truly allow for a much more productive work environment. No longer is the engineer left wondering what to do when presented with a problem that is out of their abilities or knowledge. It also ensures that a team member does not overstep their boundaries by tackling issues that remain outside of their job description.
4. KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRODUCT
This is arguably the most important rule for becoming a successful engineering team member. Without proper knowledge of the product, one cannot be expected to create it efficiently. This should include your discipline or expertise for the product, but you should also know other fields. A successful engineer is a person who immerses themselves within the product before ever beginning development. One must be familiar with how the product needs to look, function, and cost to offer the correct part or assembly designs. Make sure that you have the most current information available on your project. You cannot work intelligently if the information you are basing your design off is suddenly irrelevant due to a change you were not aware of.
5. BE ORGANIZED
Organization is one aspect of our everyday lives that can easily be translated into the workplace. Throughout the course of history, battles have been won and lost based on the organization of those involved, from the highest general to the lowest foot soldier. This could not be truer of an analogy than an engineering team member's work. Without the simple idea and practice of organizational methods, projects and ideas can flounder.
To most people, organization consists of neatly labeled items, clean environments, and an ordered idea of the tasks at hand. These simple principles can be applied to the practice of engineering.
One of the basic structures of organization, as it applies to engineering, can be summarized using the idea of "the Design Spiral." This is the easiest way to illustrate the idea of having an ordered plan of tackling the tasks at hand in the most productive manner possible. Utilizing this organization method, the engineers can work in sequential order from product conceptualization to system model creation through to final product delivery.
Preliminary to the design spiral, the general functions and attributes of the end product must be realized. For the project to hold a semblance of organization, key points must be addressed at the very beginning: Who is the target market? How much should the product cost to produce? What is the target price for the consumer? Only after these questions have been posed and answered that the team can move forward in an organized fashion towards an established product schedule. Product structure breakdown determines which aspects of the project are parts: sub-assemblies, which parts are manufactured, and which will be purchased from distributors.
6. COMMUNICATION!
Communication is key for the success of any project. We have all seen issues (some major) that could have been avoided with better communication. Whether it is critical items that can affect the design or schedule or keeping all shareholders updated on project status, the lines of communication be and remaining open. It is true that management and project managers should set the tone for good communication, but it is the responsibility of all product development team members to tow that line.