Structured Onboarding in the Workflow of MechEng Consulting

We all want to get to the good stuff in our project: working on the technical side, getting stuck in details, but, as we've seen sofar, it's good practice to have a bird's eye view of what you're busy with.

In this lesson I have provided for you:

• A video lesson covering the content,

• An activity to complete, creating a project plan for one of your current or recent engineering projects,

• A worksheet to fill in while completing the activity. You should save this worksheet and use it for your future projects to create consistent plans and have an anchor point where you can refer back to.

A project plan is the backbone of efficient project completion.

So let's get stuck into it.

Every project requires steps that have been set out, for us to measure completion against. How do you know you've done all you need to do, if all you need to do has not been defined?

Often, clients know they want an answer, but we as the engineers know what steps to take to reach that answer. In this week's lesson we cover how to go from knowing that an answer should be found to knowing how the answer will be determined.

As always, I have provided you with

• A video detailing the lesson content,

• A worksheet, which you can use as a template for the activity and future projects

• An activity to practically apply the work that we covered this week.

Defining the steps to solve the problem is one of the critical skills any mechanical engineer should have.

We know that a question should be answered, and we know the steps to getting those answers. Now, we create a plan to start working on those steps. I skip the SMART system: you are smart enough to remember it. I get to the action of planning.

I have provided

• A video containing the lesson content,

• A worksheet for you to use for your daily task planning, or weekly, or monthly, however you choose to use it. Save it, and re-use it as often as you need it.

• An activity to actively apply what was covered in the lesson, with a set of hypothetical scenarios.

This seems to be a small, insignificant part of an engineers workflow, however, not getting this skill honed early might come back to haunt you later.

Engage with the lecture and supporting materials and get to integrating this into your workflow. It may be a quick integration, and it might take a few tries, but getting good at planning your own tasks is the start of a great career.

So, when you have no idea where to even begin to find out what it is you don't know, how do you start? Well, start here.

I have compiled a list of strategies that I have made use of when I did not know where to begin, and I have provided it as

• A video with the frameworks and some additional thoughts

• A worksheet that you can apply any time you're stuck not knowing where to go

• An activity to apply your learning directly to a hypothetical scenario.

Even if you have not been in the situation of not knowing where to go, I promise it will come, and when it does, you will be geared for it now.

Get started with the integration of ambiguity management into your consulting workflow.

In the next lecture we jump into the tasks that are to be executed in your engineering projects. Section 3: Systematic Project Execution has what you need to support you through your first few projects and set you up for success. It will be intense, but it will be worth it!

In consulting, we often see very varied projects, and having a system that you can rely on to keep all the necessary detailed information makes quick execution of these intricate project possible. Retrieving the information you use most often becomes a pain when it lives in a system that is either ill-defined or not defined as it works for you. In this lesson we cover how to structure all the information you might come across into a system that is tailor-made for you, by you, to facilitate the quick and effective retrieval of information.

I have provided:

• A video lesson to cover all the lesson content,

• A worksheet to help you design and build out your very own knowledge management system, as it works for you,

• An activity to simulate using your knowledge management system, so that you can start integrating it into your workflow.

A Knowledge Management System (KMS) is a side-project for many people, but a necessity for engineers. The sooner you start creating a system, the sooner you can start iterating it into what works best for you, and it can start growing with you and your own experience from the beginning of your career.

The workflow of projects often include one or multiple of the following analysis methods:

• A CAD model

• A calculation sheet for hand calculations

• An FEA simulation

• A CFD simulation

Depending on your work or current project load, these analysis methods may be used in combination to solve a problem and verify the solution. Over the next four lectures, we will cover the analysis methods that mechanical often use, and detail the common mistakes that juniors might make (that I definitely made myself), and the best practices to combat oversights and errors.

In this lecture is included:

• An introductory video to set the stage for the next four lessons.

Let's get going.

This lesson we will focus on the best practices for CAD modelling, and I have included the following in the lesson:

• A video covering the common mistakes and best practices when working with CAD,

• A checklist that you can reference for every CAD model that you might come across, reminding you of the best practices to set you up for success from the beginning.

Remember, every bit of preparation you do this early on in your career sets you up for rapid success, and teaches you good practice from the start.

The workflow of projects often include one or multiple of the following analysis methods:

• A CAD model

• A calculation sheet for hand calculations

• An FEA simulation

• A CFD simulation

Depending on your work or current project load, these analysis methods may be used in combination to solve a problem and verify the solution.

This lesson focuses on the best practices for using Excel as your hand calculator, creating CalcSheets. I have included the following in the lesson:

• A video covering the common mistakes and best practices when working on Excel to create your CalcSheets,

• A checklist that you can reference for every CalcSheets that you might come across, reminding you of the best practices to set you up for success from the beginning.

Remember, every bit of preparation you do this early on in your career sets you up for rapid success, and teaches you good practice from the start.

The workflow of projects often include one or multiple of the following analysis methods:

• A CAD model

• A calculation sheet for hand calculations

• An FEA simulation

• A CFD simulation

Depending on your work or current project load, these analysis methods may be used in combination to solve a problem and verify the solution.

This lesson focuses on the best practices for using FEA for simulations. I have included the following in the lesson:

• A video covering the common mistakes and best practices when doing a Finite Element Analysis,

• A checklist that you can reference for every FEA that you might do, reminding you of the best practices to set you up for success from the beginning.

Remember, every bit of preparation you do this early on in your career sets you up for rapid success, and teaches you good practice from the start.

The workflow of projects often include one or multiple of the following analysis methods:

• A CAD model

• A calculation sheet for hand calculations

• An FEA simulation

• A CFD simulation

Depending on your work or current project load, these analysis methods may be used in combination to solve a problem and verify the solution.

This lesson focuses on the best practices for using CFD for simulations. I have included the following in the lesson:

• A video covering the common mistakes and best practices when running a CFD analysis,

• A checklist that you can reference for every CFD analysis that you might do, reminding you of the best practices to set you up for success from the beginning.

Remember, every bit of preparation you do this early on in your career sets you up for rapid success, and teaches you good practice from the start.

This video serves to conclude the previous 5 lectures: Efficient Analysis.

I hate having to redo what I have done already, but being a junior, having to redo is a part of the job. We don't know what we don't know, and we only find out after trying the wrong things.

In this lesson I talk about how we deal with having to redo what has been done already, in a way that does not add to our imposter syndrome, but removes from our uncertainty.

I have provided

• A video talking about the things I wish I knew about iterating,

• A worksheet to anchor you, so that iterations don't spiral you into confusion,

• An activity to practice iterating in a safe, hypothetical scenario first.

Complete the lesson, so that you can start facing uncertainty head-on, and iterate into excellence!

In this section we have extensively covered how to execute your work, while systematically checking its correctness and validity. This lesson we formalise the conversation on self-checking.

In this lesson I have provided

• A video covering the lesson content, discussing methods to self-check and confirm quality delivered,

• An activity to develop your own, custom checklist, tailor-made by you for your specific project, from the templates provided so far.

Start getting this methodology integrated into your workflow. A self-checking system reduces rework from your senior's side, and sets you up to becoming a responsible, professional and independent engineering consultant.

Most often, your consulting firm might have their own technical report for you to complete, in their own specific format. In this lesson, I touch on the points that are so commonly missed when creating a technical report, yet add so much value and depth to the deliverable.

I have provided you with

• A video covering the structure and good practice when writing a technical report,

• An engineering report template - this should not be used in any professional capacity, but rather used as reference for good formatting practice.

• An activity in the form of a checklist that you can use to self-check your own technical reports for formatting and technical excellence.

Packaging your findings in a structured and direct format is one of the key professional trust indicators for clients.

When you have completed an analysis and found the insight and answers that a client has been looking for, very often this is delivered to the client with a presentation rather than a technical report.

In this lesson I cover the main differences between a presentation and report, and how you should approach each of these. I also cover some best practices for presentation preparation.

You have

• A video covering the lesson content

• A worksheet for structuring your presentations in the most impactful story-telling,

• An activity to check the quality of your presentation.

This is the final lesson! You have been officially onboarded as a junior mechanical engineering consultant.

We address stage-fright and the dreaded feedback sessions. I teach you some simple ways you can prepare for these interactions. I provide you with

• A video covering this week's content,

• A worksheet for preparing yourself mentally before delivering a presentation,

• An activity for reflection after having completed your presentation, to keep you grounded and out of a spiral!

Throughout this course, we have addressed your mentality very often, we have glazed over technical intricacies and we have hammered on self-checking and systemisation. I believe for any engineer to become excellent in their field, these things are non-negotiable. Get good at what you do, get grit in doing it and get strong in taking some punches. The real world is for those that know their strengths and weaknesses, and with this course I have tried to show where you should be looking in the first few months/years of your career for improvement.

Go and conquer the world. You are all set for success. Well done!