Collaboration in Engineering Projects: Importance and Benefits

This article discusses the importance of collaboration in engineering projects and its benefits. It also emphasizes the significance of self-review, self-management, and life-long learning skills in project delivery. The article provides examples of successful and unsuccessful projects and suggests ways to enhance communication and embrace technology for better project delivery.

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Learning outcome 6
Lead or participate collaboratively in teams.
What
Engineering projects are able to involve different teams. As an engineer, one is required to
organize and collaborate with all the teams and ensure that tasks are well delivered. The different
engineering tasks in engineering projects are interconnected. This means that the teams must be
able to collaborate in order to deliver the tasks (Berson, & Benner, 2007). The lead engineers are
required to understand the working of the different teams and ensure that they are able to deliver
the tasks. The engineers have to enhance the collaboration between the teams to ensure that delay
of task delivery is not achieved at any given time.
So what
One I was involved in project where I was the lead engineer in a construction project. During the
project delivery, I had teams from the architectural sector, quantity surveying and the
contractor’s teams which were working on the project. During the project delivery, the different
teams had to understand their tasks and expectation in order to ensure tasks are well delivered.
The understanding of the teams and proper communication was important in the project delivery
(In Bairaktarova & In Eodice, 2017). The collaboration in the teams was able to ensure that the
project was delivered without delays and even within the set budget. This was one important
aspect which was achieved due to the collaboration in the teams.
In addition, lack of collaboration in teams has adverse effects on project delivery. I was once
involved in a project where the lead person was not consultative on matter on what was to be

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done. The lead person was able to come up with different instruction on what he needed to be
done and did not respect ant input of the team members. After finishing the tasks, demolition of
different parts was experienced and a lot of time was consumed redoing the tasks. At the end of
the project, the budget was able to surpass the allocated budget.
What else
Collaboration in teams is able to go hand in hand with respect and proper communication. These
aspects are able to ensure that the input of other people within the team are heard and analyzed
(Shina, 2014). This helps to have wide and diverse way of accomplishing the tasks considering
each person had different experience. The respect is able to ensure that all people are able to
contribute to the different matters in the project delivery. In addition the communication ensures
that the different people can seek guidance on different aspects which they have hitch in
accomplishing them.
What now
In my perspective, I will be able to look in enhancing my communication and consultative skills.
This will ensures that I am able to enhance the management of different teams and giving each
person an opportunity to contribute to the issues affecting the project delivery. In addition,
enhancing my management skills will ensure that I am able to collaborate well with the teams.
This will help me in understanding the needs of the teams and thus enhancing the collaboration
between diverse teams.

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Learning outcome 7
Demonstrate critical self-review, self-management and life-long learning.
What
In engineering, the self-review, self-management and life-long learning are important aspects
which ensure that some engineering problems are well solved. The critical self-review is
important in analyzing the activities after they have been accomplished. This process helps to
review on what was done and the way it was done. Self-management process is an important
aspect which is required during the project delivery (Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin, 2011). This
aspect ensures that one can be able to manage the resources available and ensure that the targets
of the projects are met. Every stage of the project should be able to involve the self-management
of the resources. Lastly, the life-long learning is lessons which are learnt. These help to form
basis of referral and rectifyi9ng the mistakes and improving the available processes. The life-
long learning is used in other projects to ensure that mistakes are not repeated and that the
delivery process is enhanced.
So what
Project delivery required proper monitoring and self-reviews of every process. Once I was
involved in a project where after every two week, the self-review on the tasks allocated was
done. This was able to identify different areas of weakness and how to help the team members to
deliver the tasks. In the same project, each person was given the opportunity to engage on self-
management of their activities. This ensured that each was able to come up with their own
delivery processes of the task allocated. The self-management ensures that different delivery
processes were used (Taylor, 2006). At the end, the life-long learning on the process used to

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deliver the tasks was conducted. In this selection of the appropriate process was done and
different lessons were issued. At the end, the project was considered a success within budget and
set timeline.
In addition, I was in another project where the self-review was not a concern. Same mistakes
were repeated each time. The life-long learning from the mistakes was not available. This is
because the workers lacked the self-review process to identify where the mistake was emanating
from. Self-management of the workers was not possible. The enforcing on the way to deliver the
task was issued and freedom of exercising other process was not allowed. The projects feel
behind schedule at the end.
What else
Proper communication and understanding the technological changes are important in enhancing
project delivery. These are important aspects which will enhance the self-review, self-
management and life-long learning experiences in the projects (Drew, 2011). Enhancing
communication and freedom of exercise will be able to enhance different project delivery
processes. This will ensure that self-review is enhanced within the project. At the end, the review
will able to ensure lessons are derived.
What now
Embracing technology is an important aspect which is will in cooperate in my life-long learning
experiences. This will ensure that I have different options in the processes which is can used to
deliver tasks. Most important, I will be able to enhance my self-review process. Setting the
review timeline will be an important aspect which will help me to have self-management of the
tasks available.

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References
Berson, B. R., & Benner, D. E. (2007). Career success in engineering: A guide for students and
new professionals. Chicago: Kaplan AEC Education.
Dinsmore, P. C., & Cabanis-Brewin, J. (2011). The AMA handbook of project management.
New York: American Management Association.
Drew, D. E. (2011). STEM the tide: Reforming science, technology, engineering, and math
education in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
In Bairaktarova, D., & In Eodice, M. (2017). Creative ways of knowing in engineering. Cham,
Switzerland : Springer.
Shina, S. G. (2014). Engineering project management for the global high-technology industry.
New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Taylor, J. (2006). A survival guide for project managers. New York: American Management
Association.