Engineering projects can be quite difficult to complete and work through as there is always a lot at stake. The trial an error or hypothesis stage comes in the form of developing and creating the plans for the project. This is here the major changes end however, after this stage and project has began no more major changes are possible. If you think about it, these structures that you are designing and dealing with must have solid foundations. The projects are almost always on a tight deadline and the materials involved in an MEP project are very expensive, whether they are classed as Mechanical or HVAC engineering projects.

To be successful through an engineering project, there are a couple of things that you should do. If you start with a good and thorough plan, then the project is much less likely to fail or go off track down the line. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! This is an important motto to have with engineering projects, as if an engineering project outright fails, then you will have a lot of people that won’t be very happy with you.

That is why we have put together the four most important things to do before embarking on any engineering project.

Draw Up A Contract

Before you begin any project that you are getting paid for, no matter if it is in engineering or not, create a contract. This will outline what is expected from both parties, and can be referred back to if any problems or issues comes up regarding liability or anything else. Where engineering is concerned, drawing up a contractor’s agreement that hits the six elements of a contract is advised before any work is completed. This contract will touch on the limits of the project, who is responsible for what, and at what time.

The contract will also state the total cost of the project and break down this price into its relevant categories. This is again extremely important as with an engineering project comes the safety and well being of others. If anything does go wrong within the project, there is a legally binding contract that can help resolve the issue at hand.

A contract between an engineering consultant and should include the following:

Fixed payment schedule - This designated the method of payment, and how often the client will have to pay the contractor or engineer until the total price is reached.
Insurance requirements - All reputable engineering contractors have insurance! This is a must because if anything happens during the course of a project that is the company’s fault, you will be confident in the fact that the insurance company will handle it and you won’t lose your business.
Clear language - Perhaps the most important aspect of the contract, the client has to know what is being said in the contract! Forget about any long and complicated legal terms that no-one understands, and stick to straightforward concise language that is easily followed. Imagine you are talking to someone with absolutely no engineering experience when choosing your wording.

*Contracts are essential in protecting yourself when working on an engineering project. Source: Pexels*

Analyze The Project’s Scope

One awkward issue to deal with in any engineering project is when the client has unrealistic or even wild expectations. They have to be brought back down to Earth with what is possible and realistic, and this should start with an outline of the scope included in the contract. Once a contractor has a signed contract and begins the project, they should state that no other changes should be made to the scope. If there are changes made, they will incur more time and cost.

The worst thing you can do is allow the client to start making “little” changes and not be strict with then because they are only small modifications. Then when you give them the price for the changes they will try to bargain with you. Worse again, if you do not charge at all for the changes, you will going down a slippery slope and the project will never ben finished because there will be constant changes being made.

The important thing here is for both the contract/engineer and the client to be on the same page about what is expected from the project. If not, neither party ill be satisfied with the outcome.

Have a Kickoff Meeting

A kickoff meeting is the meeting that you have right at the start of the project just after the project plan has been completed. This blueprint or plan of the project will be presented to the client, and everything will be discussed from beginning to the end.

This is an important time to discuss anything that you think might become a problem down the line, and if the client is thinking about any changes they should also be discussed here. Everything should be on the table and all parties should be on the same page regarding the project when the meeting is over.

Set The Success Criteria

After the initial meeting with the client and the project plan has been approved, then another meeting with your team should be held where you lay out the project schedule. Everyone who will be involved in the project should be there, this will include engineers, architects, electricians, painters, plumbers etc. This is again to make sure there is a smooth flow of information between everyone, and will hopefully make a start to mitigate and scheduling issues for the project.

The various trades and professionals will lay out their deadlines, and a schedule will be drawn up that allows everyone to simply do their job.

Planning engineering projects can be done in many ways, and there is definitely no one size fits all solution. However, if these five tips are followed before any engineering project commences, you will be in a very good place to successfully complete it with as little projects as possible.

So what do you think about our tips for successfully planning an engineering project? Do you have anything to add to this list, or any interesting projects tat you have worked on in the past that have been poorly/very well planned? Engineering solutions would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, and if you have any engineering projects coming up, please don’t hesitate to contact us, we’d be happy to help!