Communicate!

I'm fortunate enough right now to be working on a few jobs that involve more than one civil engineering firm. Most projects require coordination with the obvious parties - owner, developer, architect, etc. - but adding more than one engineer to the mix really emphasizes the importance of open communication. And, if everyone communicates, there really is a big upside to these large design teams.

The clear advantage to employing multiple engineers is timing. I think the old saying is, "Many hands makes light work," and the lighter the workload the faster it gets done. The faster it gets done, the more money everyone makes. Time is money, simple as that. But keeping it simple (and profitable) requires some level of precision and coordination between the teams. If we're working on a site plan, my design may be dependent on your design, my submittal dependent on your submittal, my plan approval dependent on your plan approval. If you make a change, or find you'll be delayed for any reason, you have to let me know. And you should expect the same from me. That communication is what keeps projects on schedule and budget. Good or bad news, everyone needs to stay informed.

My experience working with large design teams has been pretty positive, and I attribute that to the open lines of communication (and lots of meetings). Engineers are drilled on team work the minute they set foot on campus, and it's not without reason.

On a completely unrelated note, I have to say how impressed I was with Lane Stadium last Thursday night for the BC game. I watched from my couch, and that's the loudest I've ever heard that place on a TV broadcast, bad weather and all. Wish I could have been there, and I wish the outcome were different. Lets hope we turn things around this Thursday night.