University Reflective Essay: Developing Competence and Attributes

This reflective essay documents a student's experiences in a workplace setting, focusing on the development of key competencies such as risk management and problem-solving. The essay follows a structured approach, beginning with the description of specific events and their outcomes, followed by an analysis of the actions and decisions that influenced these results. The student reflects on their emotions and feelings during these experiences, considering how they might approach similar situations in the future. The essay highlights the importance of identifying, assessing, and managing risks, particularly in the context of construction projects and contractor relationships. It also explores the student's problem-solving abilities, demonstrating their capacity to analyze issues, propose solutions, and communicate effectively. The essay concludes with a plan for future improvement, outlining how the student intends to enhance their skills and apply them in various professional settings. The essay references the Engineers Australia Code of Ethics and Competency Standards to support its claims.

Running head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reflective Essay
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

1REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reflective Essay 1
Stage 1
Working as a liaison for a firm that connects contractors with residential building
project, I was busy assigning a contractor to a project and I was looking at the inventory that
they used. It suddenly caught my eye that the contractor was using low-quality cement. I
decided to have a conversation with him, expecting that it would be a gruelling affair.
However, the contractor actually understood after I had briefly managed to explain the
dangers of using low-quality cement and suggested using a better quality of cement.
Stage 2
There was a feeling of apprehension as I contacted the contractor, thinking that a lot
of verbal abuses and invectives would be hurled against me. However, in retrospect, I should
not have been so apprehensive in the first place. I used my ability in expressing my
knowledge into words that are easily understood. The contractor, for his part, was an
understanding person who was able to take my advice in the proper spirit. Given the
circumstances, I was pretty good. I learnt that I should be more confident in speaking about
potential risks.
Stage 3
Quite clearly, my ability to identify and assess risks and pointing out the potential
harm that it could do can be applied to the arena of management and financing, where
identifying risks and assessing their magnitude and likely consequences plays a huge part..
Suffice it to say that I should not be scared or apprehensive regarding pointing out potential
risks that may cause harm or damage. I ought to be honest and truthful to the best of my
abilities, in communicating what could be risky and how can that risk properly be solved.

2REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Stage 4
Accordingly, I shall strive to be more confident and more outspoken regarding any
potential harm that could be caused by any number of risks. Such an approach would not only
make the management consider how to tackle those risks but it would also allow me to
suggest improvements and amendments so that the construction plan or the materials use
ensure the durability of the construction.
DCC1
Through this Developing Competence Claim, I wish to claim the element of
competence that concerns with the ability identify, assess and manage risks at the developing
level. The element of attainment which would back up my claim involves identifying,
assessing and managing product, project, process, environmental or system risks that could
be brought about by material, social, economic or environmental factors. At the developing
level, I am able to ascertain quite obvious risks which may cause great harm and danger if
those risks are not mitigated or eliminated in any way, therefore the identification of risks is
an important skill to be claimed.
In the above example, I am always mindful to observe the inventory of equipment and
construction materials being used by the contractor in order to ascertain if the contractor is
utilizing quality products and implements or not. This helped me to instantly identify a risky
cement brand that the contractor was using out of cost considerations. Having some fair
knowledge about the industry and its standards, I was able to fairly assess the amount of risk
that could be involved if the cement was used in any form. In order to eliminate the risk, I
advised the contractor to strive towards a quality investment which would make him use a
better brand of cement, which would eventually make him a prestigious and trustworthy
contractor in the industry; this is how I was able to manage the risk successfully.

3REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reflective Essay 2
Stage 1
Right after this incident, my supervisor called me for an important discussion. I was
wondering if I somehow overstepped my allotted authority, and if I was going to be fired for
doing so. Fortunately, she greatly praised me and appreciated how I was able to manage the
risk successfully. She informed me that the contractor had informed how much had he
benefitted by using the brand of cement I had suggested. Not knowing what to do or say, I
merely sat there quietly as my supervisor kept on praising me.
Stage 2
At the time, I was feeling very happy and proud of myself. Looking back on it, the
pride has subsided into humility and the happiness has given way to satisfaction. I reckon that
it was because the way in which I advised the contractor in a calm and professional manner
really helped things to turn out the way it did. In hindsight, my performance could be better
but it was nonetheless a successful one. I learnt that I ought to be more confident and certain
about talking about potential risks.
Stage 3
It is obvious that being confident in capably communicating potential rsisks could be
useful in a wide variety of contexts particularly in fields like management and finances,
where identifying risks is always a content affair. Of course, the way and manner in which I
would be communicating those risks would depend on both the organizational hierarchy and
the individuals whose dynamics and leadership shapes the policies and outlook of the
organization. Regardless, I should be unwavering in talking about potential risks in as candid
a manner as the situation allows.

4REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Stage 4
I shall not praise get to influence my decisions as identifying risks requires a
confinement but an alert mind. This is certainly useful as it would benefit me by being able to
identify as many risks as possible and report them to the proper authorities in a timely
manner, as it would benefit the workplace and would help me to advance my career while
maintaining my humility and honesty.
Reflective Essay 3
Stage 1
Managing a construction project is a job that requires constant problem solving. Once,
it so happened that the construction crew were reporting some issues with the elevator. I
immediately determined its cause to a faulty motor and suggested that it should be replaced. I
thought that there would be stuff opposition to the idea, but the architect and the
representatives of the construction crew readily agreed. This was made possible by
explaining the benefits of installing a new motor which would replace the faulty one, as a
cost-effective measure.
Stage 2
During the problem solving session, I was anxious, given that I was relatively new to
this project and that I would probably have my suggestion dismissed. However, my
arguments in favour of installing a new motor and architect patiently listening to my reasons
considerably helped. I think that I did considerably well from a troubleshooting perspective,
and I learnt that it is always important to give an individual opinion regarding tackling any
problem, even if other individuals may disagree or dismiss my opinions and provide ideas
that are better than my own.

5REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Stage 3
My problem solving skills would find good use in a managerial or in a governmental
setting, where I would be able to communicate my own analysis and solutions to a given
problem. My analysis and solutions would then be accepted or rejected based on the merit
and logical soundness of my arguments, whereby if my arguments are not foind to be
agreeable then I would be open to better solutions that could quickly and efficiently solve the
problem faster than my idea could have, if it is to be implemented.
Stage 4
Therefore, I believe that always speaking my mind regarding the search for a viable
solution is always a good idea, fore, even if it is not accepted by other individuals, they can
certainly be provided with the inspiration to provide better solutions. This would not just
make my problem solving skills better but it would also make me perceived as an open-
minded individual who cares for the overall, collective goal of the firm rather than my own
ego and its desire to be satisfied and feel validated,
DCC2
Through this Developing Competence Claim, I wish to claim the element of
competence which pertains to problem solving. This involves the element of attainment of
accurately determining the main issues that require addressing, in analysing the problem and
reliably identify opportunities to improve outcomes. At the developing level, I am able to
identify and solve problems that can be addressed through considering all of the relevant
factors that goes into determining to what extent is the problem severe and how much of the
problem could be solved with a particular method of attaining that solution which has been
thought of in response to the problem.

6REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Even though being a project manager of a construction site is a challenge in itself with
the number of problems and issues being numerous in quantity, I was able to notice a pattern
with regards to what the construction workers were complaining about the lift being slow in
its operation of transporting the construction crew in between various floors of the
construction site. This led to the discovery of the faulty motor, which was not under proper
protocols of maintenance and which was causing all of the delay issues.
In formulating a long-term solution, I decided to consult with everybody who use the
lift so that I could get a fuller picture and be better informed about the possible consequences
of either decisions. This helped me to determine the best course of action at the lowest
possible amount of inconvenience and demotivation, and which made me to come to the
decision of purchasing an entirely new motor altogether so that the lift is able to function at
full capacity.
DAC
Through this Developing Attribute Claim, I wish to claim the graduate attribute of
problem solving and design at the level of advanced beginner. This involves the course
intended learning outcome of problem solving. Since I am claim the graduate attribute at the
advanced beginner’s level, my problem solving abilities would be able to follow the guideline
and abide by general rules but it would not be too nuanced or too unique in nature as I could
only apply my limited experience to a limited set of contexts and situations. Therefore, my
problem solving abilities would still be limited in scope. Likewise, in designing relevant
solutions for the problem being tackled, the scope and extent to which such solutions could
be designed would also be consequently limited to certain contexts and situations as well.
From my experience as a project manager at a construction site, problems are pretty
much identifiable and discernable if one is able to connect simple issues into a larger picture

7REFLECTIVE ESSAY
that is able to point out towards the problem, only then can the reasons behind the problem be
identified and dealt with. Even when designing the solution to the problem, the decision to
purchase a new motor is more convenient as it is simpler and has a higher chance of it
working for a long period of time. From this, it can be inferred that my experience of
designing solutions is only limited to providing effective, long-term problems rather than
addressing the immediate problems that exist for short time periods.