WHAT MAKES A GREAT PLANNING ENGINEER?
RIGHT WAYS TO BECOME A PLANNING ENGINEER
In the previous essay on the wrong and right ways to become a planning engineer I dwelt on the wrong ways. Today I discuss the right way and what makes a great planning engineer.
I am not aware of any globally agreed set of criteria that specify the qualifications for planning engineers. But I have heard planning professionals complain that there is no ‘driving license’ for project planning. By that they mean that there is no agreed set of criteria for determining the competency of planning engineers, or even who is qualified to be called a planning engineer.
This has put organizations and recruiters in the very unenviable situation where they aim to recruit a competent planning engineer with competency criteria that can only produce a scheduler or a software user.
However, this essay will not specify who is qualified to be regarded as a planning engineer. That is totally beyond my remit as a practitioner. It is the responsibility of professional bodies in conjunction with relevant regulators.
Nevertheless, the essay will outline the basic education, training and development, and personality traits required to perform well as a planning engineer. In doing so, I will concentrate on engineering and construction project planning although it applies everywhere else.
For a person to perform successfully as a planning engineer the following are essential:
- Technical Education:
A planning engineer without technical or engineering training will find life difficult as a planning engineer. Therefore, technical or engineering training or qualification is essential.
Technical training gives at least basic knowledge of the processes and systems that make up the project. It teaches the language and terminology of the profession.
Can one be a good planning engineer without technical background. Yes. But he will struggle in the earlier years to learn if he is willing to show humility and ask questions without shame.
- Engineering/ Construction Experience
There are many ‘Office Planning Engineers’ out there who are planning software experts but have little or no knowledge of steps needed to complete the task. They are a pain in the neck for construction supervisors and engineers. Detailed steps must be provided otherwise they cannot ‘plan’.
Yes, I agree that planning is a team effort. But it becomes a very cumbersome exercise when the planning engineer does not have basic knowledge of the work processes.
You cannot fathom the time and cost savings you would make if the planning engineer were able to prepare at least a basic skeletal schedule of activities for the construction supervisor or engineer to review and update.
Let me illustrate with an example. Some fresh graduates and one experienced project engineer were to be developed into planning engineers. The shortest development process was with the project engineer, because he only needed to learn how to use MS Project to do the work he already knew how to do. He won commendation from the client on his very first project assignment!
Of course, it is easier to teach an experienced engineer how to use Primavera than to teach a software user engineering or construction processes.
- General Project Management Knowledge
Many planning engineers do not know the planning context or the reason why certain things are required to be done. Consequently, they take actions that cost the company money.
Project management training provides the larger context within which project planning is carried out.
In one of the companies I worked, obtaining inputs from team members for monthly reports was a major challenge. Some would not give you report no matter what you did.
Then the manager provided project management training for the whole team. We had not even completed the training when some colleagues said to me, “I now understand why you ask for those reports.”
- Planning/ Software Competency
Of course, this goes without saying. There is no way one can be a good workman without being proficient in the use of necessary tools of the trade.
In the same way, a planning engineer needs to be properly trained and proficient in the use of applicable planning software. He must also be able to understand, interpret, and apply the various reports that the planning software generates.
- Traits
Producing a good project plan is a team effort. Therefore, the planning engineer must have requisite team or people’s skills. The following skills are essential:
- Networking skills
He must know how to build and maintain relationships with people of different races or cultures. The planning engineer relies on many people to do his work well. If he does not have good relationship with people, it will affect his efficiency, and may hinder the work.
- Communication Skills
Communication forms a large part of the planning engineer’s job, just like that of the project manager. Therefore, he needs to have good command of the language of the project. He also needs to have good presentation skills, including proficiency in the use of PowerPoint. He will often be called upon to support the project manager in preparing presentations for management.
- Numerical and analytical skills
He should have good numerical and analytical skills including more than basic knowledge of Excel. This is critical for developing progress measurement systems.
- Business Mindset
A great planning engineer must think like a business man. Although he may not be a cost engineer, he needs to think of the cost implications of his actions.
For example, he needs to consider the cost implications of some progress measurement systems or rule of credit.
- Excellent Reporting Skills
Often, this is the only means for the client to know that the project is making progress. Unfortunately, most progress reporting is so poorly done that the client or contractor management is unable to say where the project is at, and where it is headed. This is often further compounded by poor communication skills or poor grammar that you must ask the planning engineer what he intended to communicate.
- Humble and assertive but not arrogant
He should be willing to learn without feeling ashamed. Humility is the way to learn. Most professionals are quite eager to explain if you show that you do not know.
But a planning engineer must also be assertive, able to stand his ground and be firm without being disrespectful. Sometimes it comes to standing alone and being the lone voice.
“It is easy to stand in the crowd, but it takes courage to stand alone” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Most construction people do not like planning engineers. For some construction folks, the work attains 90% progress the day it starts and stays there forever after. They get really upset when the planning engineer demonstrates that actual progress is 5% instead of 90%.
For example, a planning engineer visited a project site, and the construction manager was quite upset with him. When the furious construction manager asked what he was looking for onsite, he simply pointed to a building that was reported as completed but not roofed! The planning engineer needs to be assertive to deal with cases like that.
- Continuous Personal Development
“Your personal growth today is the only guarantee that tomorrow will be better.” ~ John C. Maxwell
This essentially includes the continuous updating of your technical and soft skills to improve yourself and stay current.
“Your personal growth today is the only guarantee that tomorrow will be better.” ~ John C. Maxwell
I conclude with this story. My friend, a planning engineer in the Gulf of Guinea, used to be a Primavera consultant and Trainer. They trained us when we were transitioning from P3 to P3e.
But when he got a job as a planning engineer in the oil and gas industry, he paid for training as a planning engineer.
The training did not involve the use of Primavera. He was already an expert in that. So, what did the training involve? Everything from reading the Invitation to Tender (ITT) package, distilling the scope of work and planning requirements to preparing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), task breakdown, activity duration estimating, task sequencing, schedule preparation, project control, reporting and closeout, etc.
Click here to start your journey to becoming a great planning engineer.
