“How can I excel as a Process engineer?” What does it take to go from good to Great?
It was a question that was a huge mystery to me, and I struggled to really figure out in the early years of my career.
After 16 years of Process engineering experience in both projects as well as optimization and troubleshooting as a Technologist including 3 years managing teams of process engineers for Upstream Oil & Gas fields, I've observed common attitudes, themes, patterns and best practices that differentiate the high performers, taking cues and inspiration by working with and learning from the best.
Here are a list of 10 Habits, Attitudes, and Mindsets that I've observed that typically differentiate the "great" engineers from the good.
Young engineers take note - this is the guide I wish I had!
🛠️ 1. Resourcefulness
in other words, the ability of “using quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties”. Working with limited data is difficult, especially when we're handling facilities designed back in the 60s and 70s, with old engineering standards, and documents that are either handwritten, produced from a classic typewriter, or nonexistent altogether!
An effective engineer seeks different avenues to source for obscure information, being able to work with limited data, making intelligent assumptions to come up with meaningful and practical solutions while mindfully understanding the potential risks involved with uncertainty.
Beyond the tools and database, they also know how to utilise their soft skills to leverage their “know-who”, knowing who holds the key to vital information, and reaching out accordingly.
🔍 2. Solution-oriented Customer focus
In Malay, we say, “don't syok sendiri”. Engineers love analysis and simulations, and once we get into the zone (”naik sheikh”), we can hack at it for hours. The danger, though, is when we get so deep into it, we fall into the trap of analysis paralysis, being overly rigid and sometimes failing to provide practical solutions or move the needle forward. Effective engineers are solution focused, by aligning expectations understanding pain points of the customer, and working backwards towards those goals, knowing when to make pragmatic simplifications and quick judgments with tolerable error and acceptable educated “guestimates”. The best solution providers have also mastered the art of bridging: Even if a task isn’t necessarily their “job scope”, the buck doesn’t just stop there… They can help point others in the right direction for them to find their solutions.
💡 3. Innovate now
Some of the best engineers have the core trait of curiosity and a sincere openness to listen. Sometimes, clients may come up with unreasonable or irrelevant requests, and our knee-jerk reaction would be to reject it. Great engineers ask questions, take a closer look, try things out, find ways to add value, find common patterns to find opportunities. And they elevate this curiosity through courage to challenge norms, test themselves outside of their comfort zone, to step up and seize opportunities - and unrealizingly become trendsetters, raising the bar and blazing the trail for others to follow.
🦻🏼 4. Learn from others and Reach out
Don't just work in silo and stick to your basic scope. Every platform, every project has its own unique set of challenges and issues. Leverage interface meetings and knowledge sharing platforms such as communities of practice (COP) or technical forums to Learn. Ask critical questions: Why? How did they do it? Open past studies and submissions. Compare differences in design (especially by different operators with different standards). Use that information to fuel your ideas of what is possible, what can we replicate, what might potentially work, how we can do things differently.
The best engineers also reach out beyond - expand our knowledge beyond our core discipline. An effective process engineer actively builds his or her network, to expand their resources to understand how their role connects with other disciplines so they can improve their perspective of how they can add value, and embraces the inter-dependency on
🖼️ 5. Effective Work framing
A good engineer doesn't just excel at problem solving, they also excel at defining the problems to be solved in the first place. In certain problem statements or day-to-day operations, sometimes it can be unclear “what problem we are trying to solve”. Clients may come up with (what they think are) solutions but in actual fact might be missing key information and underlying issues. Effective engineers know how to take a step back, observe data patterns to define problems, set boundaries and identify the value to be seized.
🧩 6. Collaboration
Engineers who excel recognize that the key to long-term productivity is to leverage interdependency, in order that the team achieves more than the sum of its parts. They play their role as a piece of a bigger puzzle.
They have the professionalism and emotional intelligence to collaborate well with different types of people and put up with different types of characters (not just their cliques). They also have the maturity to respectfully handle disagreements, be open to alternatives, and accept constructive feedback.
📊 7. Reporting Transparency
From adhoc unplanned requests, troubleshooting support, engineering studies, and initiatives, work demand can be overwhelming at times. Effective engineers communicate their proposed prioritisation with their managers and key stakeholders. They get into the habit proactively check in and update the status of their tasks (especially those deemed as “priority” or “urgent” by perspective of your stakeholders), and let their stakeholders know if there are assignments being put on hold.
⚡️ 8. Drive Results
The best engineers are not just reacting to stakeholders breathing down their neck following up on deadlines, they are active drivers with a firm sense of determination to finish the job.
And they stick the landing: Get your deliverables signed off and formally documented, not a lazy “gentlemen agreement”, e-mail acknowledgement or once off presentation.
👣 9. Think Sustainability
The best engineers usually leave behind a legacy of beneficial tools and references. Why? Because they aren’t only focused about solving “the problem of the day” - they think long-term, beyond themselves: what if similar problems happen again in the future? Can I create a spreadsheet, come up with tools, or impart this unique knowledge on a knowledge sharing platform to provide a sustainable solution and method for future problem solvers?
📚 10. Share knowledge
If you know anything about me, you saw this coming. It’s inevitable. Start sharing whatever you know, create opportunities if you have to. Here's a message to the hard edged business leaders. Knowledge sharing isn't just fluffy soft skills exercise in -practicing generosity”; it's a mechanism for enhancing productivity, accelerating capability and broadening your network. When engineers put in the effort to conduct knowledge sharing and mentoring others, it forces them to learn - to get better at understanding and conveying their knowledge.
When you share knowledge, you practice generosity. By mentoring others, helping them grow, you build trust through developing genuine human capital, contributing to the greater organization at large, beyond yourself.
And beyond that, sharing knowledge opens up platforms for us to broaden our horizons: when people ask unexpected questions and expand your creativity. And the better you get at knowledge sharing, the more it opens up doors of opportunity: to present at conferences on a larger stage, expand their network, learn from others, and supercharge their growth trajectory!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Hope the above serves as a practical guide for engineers - especially our aspiring new graduates out there. Reading back above, it’s interesting to note that these aren’t just specific to process engineers - it’s pretty much applicable to all engineers, and professionals across the board!
Any thoughts on the above? Any characteristics you disagree, or key ones I left out? Share your thoughts!
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