MEM80112 Assignment: Technical and Engineering Skills Application

This assignment addresses the maintenance and application of technical and engineering skills, covering various aspects such as problem definition, research methodologies, quality assessment, and result interpretation. It explores the roles of IT specialists and structural engineers, emphasizing the importance of analytical and creative thinking in problem-solving. The assignment also delves into work health and safety codes, codes of ethics, and safety management practices, highlighting the significance of material testing and quantitative research. It further examines documentation types like software, user, test, team, and project documentation, along with the benefits of work sharing and effective communication. The assignment explores communication media, presentation techniques, and report writing, including considerations for safety engineering and quality management systems. Additionally, it covers systems thinking, ethical considerations, and the identification of skills and competencies, concluding with the importance of recognizing current developments and the impact of professional skills on performance.

MAINTAIN AND APPLY TECHNICAL AND ENGINEERING SKILLS
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

Q1:
 Definition of the Problem
 Research on the relevant publications
 Assessing the quality of the study
 Summarizing the findings
 Interpreting the results and finally coming up with a resolution
Q2:
 Low quality
 Misleading information
 Incorrect quantity
 Harmful products
 Expired commodities
Q3. IT specialist would be contacted in cases where there is need for expertise and skills that
related to the monitoring, implementation as well as maintenance of IT systems. Such specifics
in most cases concentrate on the network of a specific computer, database or even the function of
an administration database Chatley and Field 2017.
Structural Engineer: These specialists would be contacted in cases where there is need to perform
an analysis, design, plan as well as extensive research on the structural systems and components
that would aid in the achievement of the design gaols as well as ensuring the safety besides the
comfort of the users or occupants of a space.

Q4. Problem solving calls on the attention of two main and critical steps of mental skills:
analytical and creative skills. While analytical thinking tends to be dominant in the solution of
most of the close problems in which numerous probable causes must be identified and then
analysis conducted to establish the real cause, creative thinking tends to be quite a divergent
process. Creative thinking revolves around the use of imagination or speculation in the creation
of a wide range of ideas that would be helping in coming up with solutions. Creative thinking
facilitates looking at things and situation beyond the obvious hence coming up with ideas which
may at first glance sound and seem unrealistic or with no logical connection with the problem at
hand Stawiski et al., 2017.
Q5: Work Health and Safety Codes of Practice: This is a code of practice that offers guidelines
on the way to manage the safety and health risks.
Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Engineers: This is a set of the guidelines which act
as the illustration of what is expected of the professional engineers. It defines how they are
expected to conduct themselves and the professional expectations from them.
Code of Practice on Safety Management: Engineering as a discipline directly touches on human
life ranging from the various structures to the numerous services. This code of practice offers
guideline on the safety measures every engineer should observe as they go about delivering their
professional engineering services.
Q6. Safety is not only an important consideration in engineering but also at the top of the list.
Engineers must thus ensure that their designs and ideas are aligned in such a ways that they are
safe for both the users and the non-users of the various inventions Chatley and Field 2017. For
this reason, in order to establish the properties of materials, the material will be taken through the

various tests including strength test, durability test, and performance test among others which
will be used in determining the reliability with regard to the various properties of the material.
The test can be conducted with the aid of softwares or programs or can even be done in the
laboratory using the available apparatus. The nature of the test determines the type of material
that is to be used in the testing procedure.
Q7: Quantitative research is one of the research techniques that are commonly used in gaining
access to available information and literature on a specific topic or research question.
Quantitative research refers to an organized way of collecting and analysing data that is derived
from various information sources Stawiski et al., 2017. This technique involves the use of
mathematical, computational, statistical tools in arriving at the results that are then analyzed and
a conclusion made. Quantitative research is normally conclusive in its purpose as it attempts to
quantify the problem and create an understanding of its prevalence through looking at the
projectable results to a relatively larger population.
Q8: Documentation defines a set of documents that have provided is a paper. Among the various
types of documentation that can be used include:
Software documentation which refers to a documented text that comes along with computer
software or is contained in the source code. Such documentation elaborates on the operation of
the software or how it can be used.
User documentation: The content of the information that gets to the customer tends to be very
important and user documentation should be such that it is not crowded with technical jargon but
has clear and concise language.

Test documentation: This is illustrative of the plans that are to be used in the testing of a product
before it can be allowed to be used in the market. The testing plans are usually developed by the
quality assurance department and are normally inclusive of such things as the instructions for
testing.
Team documentation: This deals with the exchange of information and ideas among the
members of a team which is perceived to be very important for the success of a project at hand.
Team documentation jots such exchanges which are important both for the current project and
the future intended projects.
Project documentation: This document has the role of describing the project in totality. It
provides a broad overview of the proposed methods of the project, the managers, executives,
employees and the objectives of the project Stawiski et al., 2017. The project proposal define the
budget and the gaols of the perfect as well as outline the technical specifications which are
inclusive of the software and hardware requirements that would be needed for the success of the
project. The project plan provides a detail of the steps that will be adopted by the programmer,
designers as well as the technicians in meeting the objectives of the project.
Q9: Sharing work within an organization helps in improving the quality of the work. When wok
shared among the colleagues in an organization, they get an opportunity to help in the
identification of the mistakes which might have been overseen by the initial author of the task.
This gives room for injection of new ideas and/ or elimination of the wrong ways in which the
work might have been done. At the same time sharing work enable others learn from what their
colleagues are able to achieve and hence even understand their abilities Chatley and Field 2017.

Q10: Effective communication aids and is an important tool when it comes to the deployment of
an organization. Through effective communication, effective management and running of the
organization is made possible. Communication with tiers in the place of work enhances the flow
of work and hence approval the overall productizing. An improved communication process aids
in the building of a stringer organizer that is able to maintain a high power in the market.
Q11: Listening: This forms one of the best ways of forming a good communicator. Everyone
would love to communicate with somebody who gives a listening ear to what they say. It is
hence of importance to take time and engage in active listing. Active listening is where an
individual pays very close attention to what is said by the other party and seeking clarifications
on anything that might not have been Clare to ensure proper unextending.
Non-verbal communication: These include the use of the body parts to facilitate the process of
communication. Such include body language, tonal variation, hand gestures as well as eye
contact which are meant to colour and emphasize on the message that one would be attempting
to covey. Eye contact aids in ensuring that the attention of the person is fully captured during the
conversation but should be done in such a way that it does not result into discomfort of the
listener Stawiski et al., 2017.
Q12: During presentation of arguments and justifications, one needs to be precise, audible and
present the arguments in such a way that they provide a flow of ideas. Audibility and precision
ensures that the message gets to the intended audience within the shortest time possible and with
minimal strain to grasp such information. A flow of the ideas makes it easy for the audience to
easily establish the connection between the various segments that are being discussed and bring
those segments together to create a solid argument.

Q13: Communication media are broadly categorized into two: mechanical and physical media.
While mechanical media refer to electronic and written channels of communication, physical
media are those media in which the speaker is being seen and heard by the audience Chatley and
Field 2017. In the physical media, the audience is not only able to hear the message but also able
to have a grasp of the body language as well as feel the weather and climate of the room in which
the communication is taking place Stawiski et al., 2017. Mechanical media are often used as
archived message or in the provision of the bigger picture and an elaborate knowledge. They
include personal letter, internet, emails, billboards, social media as well as magazines or
newspapers among other channels.
Q14: Clarity, conciseness and information: The report should make use of tables and should
include graphs which can easily be understood in explaining the numbers used.
Addressing the report to the audience: This would be achieved through using a technology that
can easily be understood and in most case entail learning something that is about the field
Q15: Safety engineering defines an engineering principle that guarantees the available
engineering systems offers levels or standards of safety that are within the acceptable limits. It
works by ensuring that the behaviour of a system that is derived to be critical to life is as
expected and required even in the cases of failure of the components.
Q16: A quality management system refers to a group of business process that are aimed at ever
meeting the requirements of customers and improving their satisfaction. Quality management
system is often aligned with the purpose of the organization as well as the strategic direction and
is usually expressed as the aspirations, process, goals and documented information of the

organization alongside the resources that would be used in the implementation and maintenance
of the organization.
Q17: Systems thinking provides a holistic approach to the analysis that targets on the
interrelation between the various constituents parts of system and how such systems work with
time and with the larger system context Stawiski et al., 2017. Engineering projects mostly
involve numerous segments that are brought together to work harmoniously in such a way that
they achieve a single distinct objective. With systems thinking, it is possible not monitor the
operations of each of the constituent parts of the system and how their operations affects the
functioning of the entire system.
Q18:
 Observing engineering codes of ethics
 Adhering to the legislation and regulation governing engineering practice
 Taking part in engineering activities related to the area of expertise
 Recognizing the engineering works done by colleagues in the place of work
 Doing research on the various ways of making improvements in the existing
achievements
Q19: The skills and competences of an individual offer an opportunity to identify one’s area of
expertise and responsibility. Such skills and competences are informative of what an individual
can best do and separating the same from what he cannot do. Those that he is able to do define
his strengths while those that are unachievable are the weaknesses Chatley and Field 2017. Focus
should be laid on the weaknesses to find out possible areas of improvements or adjustments.

Q20: Ability to identify the current developments and distinguish it from the previous
achievements. This illustrate that the individual is able to notice the various changes in the same
technology and can spot the exact changes.
Q21: Professional skills, competence and point of view of an individual all have an impact on his
performance and thus the ability to illustrate his knowledge in an expertise. These qualities aid in
showcasing what the individual is able to confidently engage in and execute to the final
conclusion with minimal or absolutely no challenges.
Q22: Contexts of application of engineering knowledge include operations and management,
development and technology. Engineering management refers to the situation in which
engineering bring together management skills alongside the technical expertise in the
coordination of work in the different technical fields among them manufacturing, product design
and development.
Q23. A first principle refers the basic and foundational self-evident proposition which is not
deducible from any different assignation.
Q24: The use of appropriate reference materials in important in avoiding plagiarism which is an
academic offence. Plagiarism is an act of fraud and defines wrongfully appropriating and
publication and stealing the work of another author, ideas, expressions, language or even thought
or their representation and using them as one’s original work. The appropriate use of reference
materials aids in acknowledging the contributions made by other people in the same field as well
as separating one’s work from the work done by other experts Chatley and Field 2017.
Q25: Monitoring should be done to establish if the progress of the developments in the
organization are in line with the set out objective and plans. The development should done with

the provided objectives and long term gaols and care should be taken to ensure that there are no
financial and technological expenses on projects that are not moving in the same direction as the
aims and missions of the organization.

References
Stawiski, S., Germuth, A., Yarborough, P., Alford, V. and Parrish, L., 2017. Infusing Twenty-
First-Century Skills into Engineering Education. Journal of business and psychology, 32(3),
pp.335-346
Chatley, R. and Field, T., 2017, May. Lean Learning-Applying Lean Techniques to Improve
Software Engineering Education. In Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and
Training Track (ICSE-SEET), 2017 IEEE/ACM 39th International Conference on (pp. 117-126).
IEEE