Technical Communication PDF

Module 5 Technical Communication © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context Good communication skills are essential for engineers (and engineering students) We need to be able to communicate with a wide variety of people, fo...

Module 5 Technical Communication © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context Good communication skills are essential for engineers (and engineering students) We need to be able to communicate with a wide variety of people, for a wide variety of reasons We begin by using a framework of audience, purpose, and context to ensure that our communications are effective © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context, cont’d Audience Considerations of what the person or group your communication is directed to already knows, needs to know, and wants to know Affects what you say and how you say it © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context, cont’d Audience For maximum impact: – Focus on what your audience needs to know about the topic – Don’t dwell on what your audience already knows about the topic (though you might acknowledge their level of familiarity) – Consider what your audience thinks about or wants to know about the topic (if you have this information) © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context, cont’d Purpose Your objectives and goals for your communication Explains why the communication is important Most common objectives are to inform, or to persuade (or a combination) © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context, cont’d Purpose Characteristics of common purposes of technical communication © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.1 Audience, Purpose, Context, cont’d Context Considerations for the communication including – Format used (report, poster, presentation, video, etc.) – Location – Time – Resources needed to present the information – Any other special factors © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication 7 aspects of writing or speaking that help to ensure your communications are appropriate and effective Useful during crafting and proofreading and when finalizing your work Warning: different variations of the 7 Cs exist, but their purpose is consistent © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d C The Communication… Clear is easy to follow and understand, using appropriate language choices and structure Correct is factually accurate, and is free from formatting, spelling, grammatical, and other errors Concise is brief and to the point, but without loss of meaning Concrete is detailed, specific, and vivid, with the intended message evident Complete contains the information the audience needs, including what is expected of them Courteous is polite, friendly, and sincere; shows general respect for the audience Considerate is empathetic and mindful; takes the specific audience and their reaction into account © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Clear communication is easy to follow and understand is unlikely to be misunderstood uses vocabulary and sentences appropriate for the audience presents information in an organized and logical fashion © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Correct communication is factually accurate adheres to the appropriate standards of language and formatting is grammatically correct and free of spelling errors follows established professional standards © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Concise communication uses language efficiently is to the point, but not so brief as to be incomplete focuses on what the audience needs to know minimizes repetition © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Concrete communication is precise, specific, and detailed uses vivid or memorable language is more credible and less likely to be misinterpreted © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Complete communication includes everything the audience needs to know lets the audience know what to do based on that information supports the purpose of the communication © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Courteous communication is thoughtful towards the audience is polite and of appropriate formality for the situation uses appropriate titles (Mr., Ms., Mx.), honorifics (Dr., Prof.), and pronouns © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.2 The 7 Cs of Communication, cont’d Considerate communication takes into account the specific circumstances of the situation takes into account how the audience might react informs where, when, and how we deliver the communication Focuses on delivering the message in as positive way as possible © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.3 Written Communications Four common forms of written technical communication used by engineers: – Email – Business letters – Technical memoranda – Formal reports © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.3 Written Communications, cont’d Email Used extensively in business communication, both internally and outside an organization Professionalism is essential: – Use a professional email address – Use a descriptive subject line – Use a courteous greeting – Use the 7 Cs to construct and format your message © 2024 Oxford University Press 15.3 Written Communications, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.3 Written Communications, cont’d Business Letters Have similarities with email, but are used for more formal communication Typically used to correspond with someone outside your organization Have specific formatting requirements Require greater attention to detail © 2024 Oxford University Press 15.3 Written Communications, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.3 Written Communications, cont’d Technical Memorandum (or Technical Memo) Typically for brief communications within an organization Intended to be efficient and concise Commonly used in engineering to share information relating to technical matters – Design recommendations – Test results – Project progress reports © 2024 Oxford University Press 15.3 Written Communications, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.3 Written Communications, cont’d Technical Report Has elements in common with the technical memo but is typically longer and more formal Used widely for communication outside an organization, as well as to document significant work within an organization Has a more formal structure as compared to the tech memo When sent to a client a letter of transmittal accompanies it – Letter of transmittal: A business letter used to introduce a technical report or other formal document sent to an external party © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.3 Written Communications, cont’d Technical Reports typically contain: Cover page, abstract or executive summary, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, and glossary Figures incorporated into the body of the report, appropriately numbered and captioned Tables of information incorporated into the body as necessary for the reader to understand the report © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations Engineers give many different forms of presentations Three common forms considered here: – Elevator pitches – Poster presentations – Oral presentations © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations Elevator Pitches Name derived from the imagined scenario of sharing an elevator with an important person You have a brief opportunity to get this person’s attention Your goal is to make a sufficiently good impression to get a commitment for further discussion © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Elevator Pitches Short: typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes Must be concise, clear, and complete Often delivered without props or visual aids Opportunities are unplanned © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Elevator Pitches An effective pitch has three ingredients, delivered in order: – A description of the problem or issue – A description of your solution or idea to address the problem or issue – An explanation of why this is important, ideally from the audience’s perspective © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Single use plastic packaging is a major contributor to our city’s pollution problem. My company has developed an alternative type of biodegradable food safe packaging for commercial use. If used to package fresh fruits and vegetables our product could extend their shelf life, thereby reducing both food and packaging waste. We believe that our product has the potential to save consumers money, increase food security, and reduce the volume of materials sent to landfill. Activity © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Poster Presentations Widely used at conferences, trade shows, open houses, community consultations, etc. Can be printed or digital Common to have a presenter with the poster to guide the audience through the poster and answer questions Posters should speak for themselves in the absence of a presenter © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Poster Presentations Goal is to balance the information to make it engaging yet detailed, and concise yet complete – Large, clear, informative title – Title and body text readable from a distance – Easy navigation – Concise text blocks (e.g., bulleted lists and consistent formatting) – Engaging, relevant visuals – Visual presentation of data (e.g., graphs or charts) © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Activity © 2024 Oxford University Press 15.4 Presentations, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Oral Presentation Typically involves displaying slides that support a spoken presentation Used both within and outside an organization Can be used to inform, persuade, or both Slides should contain relevant visuals and text, similar to the poster guidelines Presenter’s role is equally important © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Activity © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Oral presentation - slide guidelines: Title should be descriptive and reflect the slide content Different font styles or colours can be used to highlight specific information, but this should not be overused – Also be aware that using colour alone to code information poses a challenge to colourblind people Use high contrast between text and background to ensure readability in brightly lit rooms Avoid distracting elements such as busy slide templates © 2024 Oxford University Press 15.4 Presentations, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Oral presentation – speaker guidelines: Presentation should complement the slides, not repeat them Typical pacing between 45 seconds and 2 minutes per slide depending on content Body language a core element to presenting – Controlled but expressive gestures – Eye contact with audience – Professional dress – Courteous, prepared, and respectful of the audience © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.4 Presentations, cont’d Giving a presentation can make some feel anxious Practice, but avoid memorization Use cue cards to remind you of key points Practice taking slow, deep breaths before your presentation to calm yourself Pause and regroup, using your cue cards, if you lose your place during your presentation Smile and let your personality show – engage your audience through positive body language © 2024 Oxford University Press  15.5 Summary Technical communication is integrated throughout an engineering project A variety of different communication strategies are used depending on the stage of the design process as well as the audience, purpose, and context for any give communication Communications may be internal or external to your organization Audience, purpose, and context, along with the 7 Cs can help in crafting effective and professional communications © 2024 Oxford University Press 15.5 Summary, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 5 Professional Ethics © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.1 Ethics, Morals, and Values Students and working engineers all have ethical obligations The situations that you are likely to face as a student may differ when compared to the workplace, but there are many similarities Navigating ethical dilemmas is difficult and takes practice This chapter covers tools and strategies that can help in resolving ethical dilemmas © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.1 Ethics, Morals, and Values, cont’d Definitions: Values: subjective beliefs and standards individuals use to judge right from wrong and good from bad Morals: widely held societal values regarding right and wrong Ethics: organized and agreed-upon principles of conduct for a group © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.1 Ethics, Morals, and Values, cont’d Morals, Values, and Ethics in academic integrity: Morals: Most people value truth, fairness, and honesty – Copying someone else’s work and handing it in with your name on it would be considered dishonest and wrong Values: if you agree, your values are consistent with the stated moral Ethics: Published school policies give a clear statement on academic integrity and student expectations – Students are bound by these policies – Policies are the starting point for an academic integrity investigation © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.2 Engineering Codes of Ethics Engineering codes of ethics provide sets of general principles to guide behaviour and decisions Each regulatory region (e.g. provinces and territories in Canada) has their own, but most are similar to each other and to the Engineers Canada code The tenets, or individual statements in these codes are written as a guiding principle (not a detailed instruction) © 2024 Oxford University Press 16.2 Engineering Codes of Ethics, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.2 Engineering Codes of Ethics, cont’d Holding the safety, health, and welfare of the public and protecting the environment is the most important tenet in engineering codes of ethics Where multiple tenets are relevant to a project or practice, the first tenet is paramount, and all other requirements of the code are subordinate, wherever public safety, protection of the environment, or public interests are involved © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.2 Engineering Codes of Ethics, cont’d Conflict of interest: A situation where you could personally benefit from work you do for your client or employer Examples: – Being offered a monetary gift by a supplier if you award them a service contract – Approving a rezoning plan that would make your family’s property more valuable Managing conflict of interest is an important responsibility for an engineer – disclosing it to your supervisor is the first step © 2024 Oxford University Press 16.2 Engineering Codes of Ethics, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.3 An Ethical Framework Visualizing perspectives and factors as a Venn diagram can help in distinguishing right from wrong We must consider the law in addition to morals, values, and codes of ethics These perspectives overlap in different ways © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.3 An Ethical Framework, cont’d A code of ethics must sit entirely within the law Personal, societal, and organizational values may differ Values don’t always overlap completely with the law A person whose values were inconsistent with the law would not necessarily violate the law © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.3 An Ethical Framework, cont’d A. Murder, outside of the law, the code of ethics, and outside of most sets of values (but clearly not all as murder does occur) B. Jaywalking (crossing the street somewhere other than an intersection) – many people do it for convenience, but there is a safety issue with this practice and so it is not legal and is outside of the code of ethics. Still, many people do it and don’t personally consider it to be wrong C. this is possibly the most difficult zone to find a good example for – something that is lawful and within peoples personal values but outside a code of ethics. Something connected to ‘upholding and enhancing the honour and dignity of the profession’ might fit in here. To not do so is technically outside the code of ethics, but there is no law to that effect, and individuals may not feel a personal need to enhance the honour and dignity of their profession beyond acting honourably themselves. © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.3 An Ethical Framework, cont’d D. helping someone in need, reporting a crime, many others in this category E. developing technology that could be used by the military – this can be done legally and within the code of ethics, but not all individuals may feel that building technologies that can be used for military purposes would be consistent with their values F. in some countries corporal punishment may be legal, but it would fall outside the code of ethics and would likely fall outside of personal, societal, and organizational values in most cases © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.3 An Ethical Framework, cont’d Societal values vary from region to region Organizational values differ by industry and organization Personal, societal, and organizational values shift over time Working somewhere where one’s personal values are aligned with societal and organizational values may lead to greatest personal satisfaction © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.3 An Ethical Framework, cont’d Engineers are held to a higher standard than for other citizens The boundaries of the regions in our framework are not precise – extra care must be taken to ensure adherence to the code of ethics Engineers are required to adhere to the code of ethics, even if it goes against their personal values © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories Resolving ethical dilemmas is something that all professionals face from time to time Being able to evaluate a situation from multiple different perspectives can help one to understand and resolve a dilemma with the best possible outcome Three ethical theories that have endured the test of time may help in the analysis of a dilemma Presented here are duty ethics, utilitarianism, and rights ethics © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories, cont’d Duty ethics: States that we have an obligation to take actions and make decisions that are good and right Societal values (morals) play a major role in establishing ‘good’ and ‘right’ A relatively inflexible theory suggesting we should behave the same way in all circumstances © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories, cont’d Duty ethics: Includes not putting others in harm’s way, not cheating, protecting the environment, etc. Ends do not justify the means – E.g., lying to protect someone else, stealing to feed a hungry child, etc., are wrong according to duty ethics Engineers must follow the duties expressed in the code of ethics © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories, cont’d Utilitarianism: Goal is to maximize the benefits for as many people as possible Seeking maximum overall benefit including maximum duration of benefits and fairest possible distribution of benefits Costs and hardships should be minimized in intensity and duration © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories, cont’d Utilitarianism: An example would be government taxation and redistribution of wealth to fund social programs and healthcare Note that not all would find this process to be fair © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories, cont’d Rights Ethics: To be ethically correct, an action must respect the rights of others Based on the fundamental rights of all citizens – E.g., right to freedom of expression, freedom of belief, right to life, liberty, and security Decisions and actions should be based on protecting the rights of others © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.4 Ethical Theories, cont’d Rights Ethics: The rights of one citizen should not compromise the rights of another For example, one’s right to freedom of expression does not extend to a right to say things that would cause harm to others, such as inciting hatred or discrimination Many engineering code of ethics tenets are based on rights ethics © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas An ethical dilemma is a situation in which one is required to make a decision with the knowledge that every choice has undesirable aspects Professionals, including Engineers, are often faced with resolving dilemmas Most often the individual tasked with resolving the dilemma had no part in its creation Using a structured decision-making process is helpful © 2024 Oxford University Press 16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d The entry point to the decision- making process is establishing that you are facing an ethical dilemma – a situation in which every choice has undesirable aspects Collecting as much information as possible about the situation is the foundation for a good decision – assuming there is time to do so safely © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d As many alternative solutions as possible is likely to result in better outcomes – just like in our design process – time permitting Evaluate potential solutions using the ethical framework – Screen out ideas that don’t satisfy the law or applicable codes of ethics – Analyze and rank based on ethical theories and values © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d When making a final decision, minimize perceptions of conflict of interest in any decision Consult others with relevant knowledge if possible to do without violating privacy Each action will impact different people in different ways – dilemmas can be complex and delicate situations Use gradual escalation where possible to minimize consequences © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d Gradual escalation: A process for resolving a dilemma in which small, low-risk actions are attempted first and then followed by larger actions as needed May not be a suitable approach in all situations, such as if safety is a consideration © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d Optimizing the solution in this context involves reviewing your decision, looking to maximize the effectiveness while minimizing negative impacts Implementing the chosen solution is best done quickly and decisively, particularly if delaying could make the situation worse © 2024 Oxford University Press  16.5 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d A word of caution: Analyzing hypothetical scenarios is easier than navigating a real one Knowing the people involved in a real situation makes taking action more difficult Your actions, or inactions, have potential to negatively impact you as well as others The tools and strategies in this chapter help in making well- supported decisions © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 5 Working in Teams © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.1 Qualities of Effective Teams All engineering jobs require teamwork Working effectively in teams is an essential skill for all engineers Contributing to the smooth and effective functioning of a team develops with practice © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.1 Qualities of Effective Teams, cont’d A team is a group of people working together to achieve a common goal In a team, individual members are dependent upon the contributions of each other to succeed A team is often comprised of people with different skills and responsibilities A team usually comprised of people with different backgrounds and past experiences Understanding what helps to make a team successful is key to developing teamwork skills as a student and as a practicing engineer © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.1 Qualities of Effective Teams, cont’d According to an in-depth study by Google, five key factors associated with effective teams are: Dependability Structure and clarity Meaning Impact Psychological safety © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.1 Qualities of Effective Teams, cont’d According to an in-depth study by Google, five key factors associated with effective teams are: Dependability – team members can count on each other Structure and clarity – clear understanding of roles, plans, goals Meaning – the work is personally fulfilling to team members Impact – the team sees their work as important Psychological safety – individuals have the ability to take risks, speak honestly, make mistakes, and be vulnerable in their team © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.1 Qualities of Effective Teams, cont’d Individuals on teams with higher psychological safety are more likely to: Generate diverse and creative ideas Partner with others Admit mistakes Be rated as effective by executives Bring in more revenue Less likely to leave the organization © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.1 Qualities of Effective Teams, cont’d Psychological safety turned out to be the most important factor identified in Google’s research Individual talent was found to be less important than psychological safety Teams formed with members having different perspectives, experiences, and skills outperform homogenous teams where all members are alike © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.2 A Team Development Framework The Tuckman model of team development – a widely used framework Four stages: – Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.2 A Team Development Framework, cont’d Forming: Characterized by politeness and optimism, with a desire to minimize controversy Uncertainty in roles and responsibilities at this stage Tasks are completed, and most members are engaged, but work is tentative, slow, and not well coordinated Quality of work is below the potential of the team © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.2 A Team Development Framework, cont’d Storming: Team members become more willing to speak their minds Often results in tension, disagreements, and power struggles Some team members contribute less, some resent needing to work harder Quality and quantity of work tends to diminish © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.2 A Team Development Framework, cont’d Norming: Mutual understanding of team goals, teammates’ roles, and standards of behaviour are established Quality of team relationships improves Team function improves Quality and quantity of work improves © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.2 A Team Development Framework, cont’d Bad Norming: A situation where unhealthy behaviours or team dysfunction becomes entrenched Some team members enter good norming, but continue to accept unhelpful behaviors from others E.g., a team member regularly misses meetings or fails to do their assigned work and the rest of the team compensates by ceasing to assign work to that member Quality and quantity of work suffers © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.2 A Team Development Framework, cont’d Performing: The team operates as a cohesive unit Strong team identity Healthy and supportive relationships Welcoming of differences of opinion and new ideas Efficient and effective completion of tasks © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Equity – making sure everyone has the same opportunities for success, and ensuring our systems are designed to support this Diversity – differences in background, identity, and experiences that different people have Inclusion – addressing inequities between people of different backgrounds, identities, and experiences, and working toward building a respectful, diverse, and welcoming community © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Diversity: A mix of visible and less visible (or visually recognizable) differences between people that make them unique – Skin colour, gender expression, and physical disabilities are often visible – Personality, sexuality, political belief, and some disabilities are often not identifiable on sight © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Underrepresentation: When the proportion of individuals of a particular dimension of diversity is lower in a given context than in society overall Intersectionality: The overall experience of discrimination or privilege based on the combination of dimensions of diversity © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Diversity is valuable to a team Teams with gender and ethnic diversity tend to develop more creative solutions to complex problems Diverse teams tend to cultivate stronger relationships Diverse teams consistently outperform non-diverse teams © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Bias can negatively impact efforts to support the principles of EDI We all have biases, which we may or may not be aware of Bias can result from stereotypes based on dimensions of diversity Bias can lead to differential treatment of people in general In a team, this can undermine psychological safety © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d We develop biases through everyday living Our brains naturally look for patterns, make connections, and make ‘mental shortcuts’ that affect decision making based on everything we are exposed to each day Not everything that we see or hear is accurate or factually correct, but it is still has potential to influence our thinking © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Implicit bias: the subconscious stereotypes that we develop about groups as a result of the patterns we see – E.g., if internet searches only ever returned pictures of men in hardhats when searching for ‘engineer’ or ‘scientist’ one is likely to develop an implicit bias that engineers and scientists are generally male Even people who openly support and value EDI have implicit bias Being aware of this phenomena, being mindful of it, and seeking quality data or information can help one to avoid making decisions based on bias © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Microaggressions: Implicit bias can appear in a team setting through microaggressions – brief and commonplace statements and actions that seem small and insignificant, but that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights to specific groups Such comments are often made with good intentions, and with no ill intent, because we don’t recognize the impact on those receiving the message – E.g., a team member repeatedly suggesting that only the male members of the team do machine shop tasks without finding out who on the team had machining skills to draw on or knowing who wanted the opportunity © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Stereotype threat: when people feel concerned about conforming to a stereotype for a group they belong to In other words, biases can also shape how we perceive ourselves, sometimes to negative effect – E.g., a stereotype that people from ethnic group A are better at math than people from ethnic group B might lead someone from group B to develop self doubt and underperform in math tests © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d Understanding how we can diminish the effects of bias and enhance psychological safety can boost team cohesion and performance Allyship is the process of taking actions to support those who might otherwise feel excluded Reactive allyship is when someone observes unfair or unequal treatment of others and steps in to support or defend them Proactive allyship is when someone engages in actions on an ongoing basis to make underrepresented or marginalized individuals feel more included and respected © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.3 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, cont’d An example of proactive allyship is making sure that everyone on a team, regardless of their background, is given the same opportunity to give input in decisions, and that individuals are explicitly invited to give input and given a clear opportunity to contribute Allyship helps to build and preserve team cohesion, thereby increasing team effectiveness All members of a team are responsible for maintaining inclusion and psychological safety on a team through allyship and other positive actions © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively Three important considerations that enhance team effectiveness are: – ensuring clear roles – managing conflict – giving and receiving effective feedback © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Ensuring clear roles: Recall that the Google research on team effectiveness identified structure and clarity of roles as a top five important characteristic Structure and clarity comes from team leadership (either individual or shared by the team) There are many different styles of leadership Four common styles are summarized on the next slide Clarity is essential regardless of how they are determined or assigned © 2024 Oxford University Press 17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Teams require a mix of leaders and followers A team with only leaders does not function Common roles on an engineering team are summarized on the next slide In followership we recognize that team members have to take on roles that help to move the project forward Roles may vary on different tasks through the project – I.e., a team member could be a leader on one aspect of the work and a follower on another © 2024 Oxford University Press 17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d The roles shown are not exhaustive Roles can be shared; one person can assume more than one role Regardless of approach, teams are most effective when individuals have a chance to apply their strengths and work on tasks they enjoy Developing new skills is also important to individuals In the academic setting, ensuring that all team members get a chance to learn different roles and develop new skills is critical Fair distribution of work and responsibility is essential for team health © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Conflict arises from a difference of opinion, perspective, or goals between two or more parties Many try to avoid conflict on a team, but it can have positive as well as negative elements Conflict can be constructive and lead to new ideas and more thorough decision-making processes Diversity of perspective, a wider array of ideas, and the challenging of each idea is what can make the team more effective than a collection of individuals © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Conflict, if not managed professionally and respectfully, can create an unhealthy team dynamic If not resolved, tensions and issues can negatively impact team unity, leading to lower attachment of individuals on the team and lower quality work – this is an example of bad norming Conflict can become personal in more serious cases, making it difficult for individuals to move past the conflict and negatively impacting team function © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Assertiveness: seeking to have our own goals met in a conflict Co-operativeness: seeking to meet the other party’s goals in a conflict Balancing these two in different ways leads to five common approaches for managing conflict Different approaches may be appropriate in different situations © 2024 Oxford University Press 17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Giving and receiving feedback: Three common types of workplace feedback are: – Appreciation – used to acknowledge, to give credit, or to give thanks – Coaching – used to address issues and to help someone improve performance or outcomes – Evaluation – used to score or rate someone’s performance against expectations or standards The focus in this section is on using coaching to address work quality or team function issues © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Coaching feedback can be one of the most challenging types of communication It can be awkward, it is often personal, and people can find it hard to receive feedback The stage of development of the team plays a role in how well feedback is embraced Teams in the performing stage are more likely to maintain open lines of healthy and constructive communication © 2024 Oxford University Press  17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d Being mindful about giving and receiving feedback can help to optimize the experience and impact for all The 7 Cs of Communication are used here to develop a 3 x 3 Feedback Model This model features 3 aspects of feedback: the sender, the message, and the receiver Each aspect highlights 3 key Cs © 2024 Oxford University Press 17.4 Working Together Effectively, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 5 Health and Safety © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.1 Obligations of Engineers An engineer’s role is to serve society Their obligation is to hold the health, safety, and welfare of people above all else Engineers must also protect the environment and promote health and safety in the workplace (Code of Ethics) Engineers apply science and technology for the benefit of society In doing so, they must strive to create benefit without creating new harms © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.1 Obligations of Engineers, cont’d Example: Water treatment is an example where engineers can (and have) made a significant and positive impact on health When water treatment facilities are improperly engineered or operated, contaminated water can result in sickness and death © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.2 Hazards and Risks Recall: – Hazard: a potential source of harm – Risk: the possibility that harm will occur In the context of safety: – Hazard: something that has the capacity to cause harm – Risk: the probability of harm from that hazard Overall risk depends on the product of severity and likelihood By controlling both, we reduce the overall risk even though the hazard still exists © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.2 Hazards and Risks, cont’d Systematic tools are one way that engineers try to identify potential hazards and address associated risks Three common tools are: – Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) – Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP) – Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.2 Hazards and Risks, cont’d Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Considers the way something could cease to work as intended These are known as ‘failure modes’ Involves quantifying and documenting associated risks based on – the severity of impacts of a failure – the likelihood of the failure occurring – the chance of detecting a failure’s cause in advance Commonly used for products, but can be applied to systems and processes © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.2 Hazards and Risks, cont’d Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP): Used by multidisciplinary teams to examine hazards and risks in processes and the operation of systems A bottom-up approach exploring how the deviations in performance of a system element from its intent can lead to consequences © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.2 Hazards and Risks, cont’d Fault Tree Analysis (FTA): Visual technique for analyzing failures in a system A top-down approach Uses a logic diagram to map how a system-level failure could be caused by a combination of failures of system components and/or human errors Starts from a potential failure at the system level and works down to identify possible causes © 2024 Oxford University Press 18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d The risk hierarchy categorizes how effective a control is likely to be in the mitigation of health and safety risks Controls are measures that are taken to eliminate or reduce the risk from a hazard Eliminating a hazard is the most effective, but is not always possible © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d If elimination is not possible, replacing the hazard with something safer (substitution) is the next most effective strategy Engineering controls are physical protections that prevent people from being exposed to a hazard – E.g., physical barriers that prevent a fall; child-proof caps on medications © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d Administrative controls represent measures such as policies, instructions, training, and alerts – E.g., a policy that forbids a machinist from working alone in the shop; training on how to work with chemicals in a lab; smoke detectors/ fire alarms Administrative controls rely on people to follow policies and instructions accurately © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d Personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment that an individual wears to guard against hazards – E.g., safety glasses, work gloves, steel-toed boots, respirator, etc. Like administrative controls, the effectiveness of PPE is dependent upon its proper use and its ability to prevent harm © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d Engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE may be used in combination to lower the overall risk of any given activity Engineers need to be aware of how any given control may fail to work – E.g., if an alert system is intended to warn building occupants of a hazard, such as smoke, fire, or gas leak, the system could fail on several levels. The sensors could fail to function, the alarm could fail to sound, the building occupants could ignore the alarm, etc. © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d Example: For workers doing maintenance on a tall structure like a bridge or offshore platform there is a clear risk of falling What controls could be put in place to help prevent injury? © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d Elimination – can the structure be built from materials that do not require paint or other maintenance? Substitution - can the structure be designed so that all components can be reached from a deck or other substantial surface? © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.3 Mitigating Health and Safety Risks, cont’d Engineering controls – walkways or access points with railings to reduce the chance of a fall Administrative controls – appropriate training on when and how to conduct work, including identifying when work conditions are unsafe PPE – safety harnesses, hard hats, work boots and gloves © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.4 Standards, Codes, and Regulations Engineers help to set guidelines and rules based on learning from past mistakes Specifications help to ensure that dimensions of common items are uniform and can be interchanged or form part of an assembly – E.g., pipe diameter, bolt diameter and thread spacing, lightbulbs, etc. © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.4 Standards, Codes, and Regulations, cont’d Standards are voluntary guidelines for products and activities that have been agreed upon These are formalized, published agreements Standards ensure consistency, compatibility, and safety Some common standard markings are shown © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.4 Standards, Codes, and Regulations, cont’d Codes: similar to standards but mandatory once enacted into law – E.g., building codes, fire codes, and electrical codes Codes may reference one or more standards To satisfy a code, all referenced standards must be satisfied Codes tend to focus on safety, and can vary by jurisdiction © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.4 Standards, Codes, and Regulations, cont’d Regulations: mandatory rules and requirements that may reference standards and codes to make them mandatory Set out by a government or regulatory body Enforced by law and must be followed © 2024 Oxford University Press  18.4 Standards, Codes, and Regulations, cont’d Standards, codes, and regulations are all essential tools for enhancing health and safety in engineering Engineers are responsible for both knowing which standards, codes, or regulations apply to their work and following them Even voluntary codes must be considered carefully, as not following one may have consequences should there ever be an incident related to the work The code of ethics holds engineers to a higher standard than the general public – all work must be done with this in mind © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 5 Managing Projects © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project A project is a sequence of tasks required to achieve a particular goal within a fixed amount of time As compared to routine work, a project is characterized by a clear goal, a well-defined start and well-defined end © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project, cont’d Defining a project involves determining what must be accomplished by the end Known as the project scope Scope is established through discussions and negotiations with a client or other stakeholders, or through the terms of a contract © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project, cont’d Determining scope involves establishing – requirements the design must meet – key deliverables – timelines and milestones Deliverables: the main items that a project is intended to produce, including the final product, key prototypes, drawings, presentations, and documentation © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project, cont’d Milestones: significant deliverables or achievements expected during a project Examples include the development of a functioning proof-of-concept prototype or the completion of an interim report Typically signify the completion of a major phase of the project © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project, cont’d Scope and target completion time are interconnected If a project end date is externally set and inflexible, determining the scope of work that can be completed in the time given is a key challenge If the scope is pre-defined, the challenge is to estimate how long it will take to complete the work © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project, cont’d Engineering contracts may include financial penalties for missing agreed-upon deadlines Projects without mandated end dates should still be completed as efficiently as possible to avoid both direct and indirect costs – Direct: resources, salaries, time – Indirect: lost opportunity on new (revenue-generating) work © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.1 Defining a Project, cont’d Project definition is a skill that comes with experience – it is difficult to master Underestimating how long work will take and how much work is required is a common pitfall © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project Projects are made more manageable by breaking work into a series of tasks (and even sub-tasks) A task is a unit of work or activity that needs to be completed within a specific amount of time in order to compete a project © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d Tasks should align with key phases of the project They must be specific enough to support planning and directing the work, but general enough to warrant allocating time, personnel, and resources © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d Example tasks for a student project: © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d Each task needs a time estimate Novice engineers tend to underestimate the time required to complete tasks Sources of error include omission of tasks (or elements of tasks) in the original planning and failing to anticipate delays and setbacks A contingency is extra time or other resources set aside to account for uncertainty in a project © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d Gantt charts: one of the most common project planning tools in engineering, business, and many other disciplines © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d Gantt chart: a timeline that encodes the duration of each task and the dependencies between them Some tasks can run in parallel (e.g., 2 and 4) while some cannot begin until a previous task is complete (e.g., 1 and 2) Dependencies are indicated with arrows connecting tasks Milestones are marked with a © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d A Gantt chart can be used to identify both the critical path and the places where slack exists Critical path: the sequence of tasks that defines the minimum time in which a project can be completed Slack: the amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the completion of the overall project © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.2 Planning a Project, cont’d Responsibility for tasks is indicated next to each bar (e.g., All, or initials) Everyone knows what they are supposed to do Resource conflicts can be avoided through adequate planning Tasks may not be able to run simultaneously if they require the same equipment or people © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.3 Managing a Project Managing a project requires constant progress review and adjustment Unanticipated issues will arise that require modification of the original plan The Gantt chart is an effective tool for monitoring progress and identifying consequences of work delays © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.3 Managing a Project, cont’d Progress is tracked by indicating task progress and completion relative to the current day The example shows task 3 ahead of schedule, but task 4 behind Task 4 is on the critical path - it represents a potential delay for reaching the task 6 milestone © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.3 Managing a Project, cont’d For behind schedule projects, remedies include: Allocating additional resources Adjusting or removing tasks on the critical path Shifting the project end date © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.4 Closing a Project Properly closing an engineering project is important, and the work can be significant All deliverables need to be provided to the relevant parties All documentation, drawings, records, etc., must be properly archived © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.4 Closing a Project, cont’d Project teams should debrief after project completion Strong teams and organizations learn from their experience and use it to improve future projects Reflection is valuable at all levels: – Individual – Team – Organization © 2024 Oxford University Press  19.4 Closing a Project, cont’d A simple technique is “Start, Stop, Keep” Start: what things would work improve efficiency, quality, or enjoyment? Stop: what things are reducing work efficiency, quality, or enjoyment Keep: what is working well now © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 4 A Framework for Sustainability © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.1 Definitions and Goals Sustainability (or sustainable development) is the capacity of human civilization and the earth’s natural systems to co-exist indefinitely Our society, culture, and economy are always changing How we react, or adapt, to new situations must be done with a view to protecting people and the planet now and in the future Most consider it ethical to protect our environment for future generations As engineers, sustainable solutions that work for an extended period of time are practical and desirable © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.1 Definitions and Goals, cont’d United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Adopted in 2015 with 2030 target Comprehensive, and complex, distribution of topics © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.2 Dimensions of Sustainability Environment, society, and the economy form the basis of most descriptions of Environment sustainability Often referred to as the ‘three pillars’ of sustainability Society Economy The deliberate overlap indicates the interconnection between the pillars © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.2 Dimensions of Sustainability Environment: maintaining the integrity of the earth’s Environment natural systems – Clean air and water – Biodiversity – Conservation Society Economy – Emission reductions – Management © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.2 Dimensions of Sustainability, cont’d Society: meeting the needs and respecting the rights Environment of people – Health – Safety – Human rights Society Economy – Opportunity © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.2 Dimensions of Sustainability, cont’d Economy: production of goods and services allowing organizations and Environment people to thrive – Employment – Prosperity Society Economy – Trade – Business – Innovation © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.2 Dimensions of Sustainability, cont’d This model does not imply any hierarchy – all Environment dimensions are important We strive to make improvements in all dimensions in any project Society Economy or process © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.2 Dimensions of Sustainability, cont’d Overlapping regions represent synergies – Bearable – Viable – Equitable Sustainable solutions advance goals in all dimensions © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.3 A Framework for Sustainability, cont’d Three dimensions of sustainability at heart of the framework Stakeholder engagement process represented with ring of arrows All work is done within a particular context (the outer circle) © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.3 A Framework for Sustainability, cont’d Context – the relevant factors in a problem that influence stakeholder consultation and the suitability of potential solutions Culture connects to both the societal dimension and to context We must be aware and respectful of stakeholder perspectives, experiences, identity, customs, and heritage © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.3 A Framework for Sustainability, cont’d Stakeholder Engagement – an iterative process of engagement, learning, and synthesizing what we’ve learned Continued interactions with stakeholders through the design process increases the chances that our final design captures the needs of our clients © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.3 A Framework for Sustainability, cont’d Appropriate Technology – once used in reference to projects in developing nations Now applied more broadly to speak to the local societal and economic contexts of a project Local environmental impacts and natural resources should also be considered Local community should be directly involved in all stages of a project © 2024 Oxford University Press  12.3 A Framework for Sustainability, cont’d Engineering competencies: – Listening to stakeholders and citizens and incorporating their input – Understanding how engineering work interacts with society and the environment – Participate in policy work that helps move society towards more sustainable development © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 4 Systems Thinking © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.1 Systems Thinking Every engineering project consists of a set of components or elements that interact with one another Every engineering project exists within a larger environment To fully understand the function and impact of a product or process, a holistic approach known as ‘Systems Thinking’ is necessary © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.1 Systems Thinking, cont’d System: an interrelated group of elements that interact with one another for a common purpose Systems thinking: the perspective that systems need to be considered holistically, and that parts of a system behave differently when in isolation © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.2 Simple and Complex Systems Consider the spectrum from a single part in an automobile to a complete transportation network: The behaviour of a spring when external forces are applied can be calculated accurately When the spring is one of many components in an automotive suspension, we can still characterize the behavior of the system to external forces (but it’s a lot more complicated) The system of vehicles in traffic, all composed of large numbers of connected components, and operated by humans, must be analyzed differently © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.2 Simple and Complex Systems, cont’d Deterministic: a problem or system free of randomness; the output for a given input will always be the same – The spring is a deterministic system provided the yield strength of the material is not exceeded Simple system: a system with a small number of elements and predictable behaviour (deterministic) – The suspension is technically a simple system, but, depending on the number of interacting components it may be referred to as ‘complicated’ © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.2 Simple and Complex Systems, cont’d Complex system: a system with multiple interacting elements, randomness, and feedback (non- deterministic) – The traffic network is complex – Traffic flow depends on time of day weather conditions Construction Accidents public transit strikes Etc. © 2024 Oxford University Press 13.2 Simple and Complex Systems, cont’d © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.3 Considerations of Scale Every project can be analyzed at a variety of different scales, each of which will cause the designers to look at the project from different perspectives Small (microscopic, physical properties) Large (distribution of power over a large geographic area) © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.3 Considerations of Scale, cont’d Types of scales: Spatial: the physical extent of a system – How big are the components – How far does the project extend geographically Temporal: time the product or project is expected to last – How soon will the product/project be ready – How long is it expected to last – What will happen at the end of the product lifecycle – Who and what will it impact over this timeframe © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.3 Considerations of Scale, cont’d Types of scales: Organizational: involvement of organizations that exist for policies, laws, and decisions. – How many levels of government are involved (municipal, provincial, national) – Are there other who create standards that must be adhered to (e.g. Canadian Standards Association, CSA, or Industry Canada) – Are there other groups to consider (unions, advocacy, health, etc.) © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams A causal loop diagram (CLD) is a systems thinking tool used to help identify relationships between different elements in a complex system It is intended to help in understanding a system, and also the impact of our decisions when implementing changes in a system It is a graphical tool using symbols to help simplify relationships © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Building block of CLDs are nodes and links Nodes: variables in a system that can change Links: direction and polarity of the relationship % of society + # of people employed in well- travelling for paying jobs pleasure Cost of - Number of people airplane ticket travelling by air © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Consider the following relationship in a community Assume that the investment in social programs and community amenities (parks, community centres, outreach programs, etc.) contributes positively to the overall health of the local society Funding social + Local societal programs and health amenities © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Building on the first relationship: – As local societal health improves, the community may become more attractive to live in and population will increase – In turn the economic health of the community will improve, with tax dollars and community spending providing increased funding for social programs and amenities – This is called a reinforcing loop – The // symbol indicates a delay – this effect will take longer than others in the loop © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Adding a new facet of the system: – As the population of a community increases, electricity use will rise – Availability of electricity will then decrease (assuming that the infrastructure in place can generate or distribute a finite supply) – This will result in rising electricity costs, which will encourage citizens to reduce their electricity use – This is a balancing loop © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Connecting the loops: – Local economic health is positively impacted by an increase in local population, but also negatively impacted by the additional electricity used by the additional citizens © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Tips for constructing a CLD: Recognize that there is no single correct CLD for a given problem – it is possible to represent the same system in different ways Variables should be defined so that how they change can be clearly identified with polarity indicators Use iteration in your CLD construction – start with key elements, add relationships, test your assumptions, revise the diagram © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Tips for constructing a CLD: Identify feedback loops – this is one of the most important CLD elements Strike a balance between detail and complexity – your CLD needs to have enough detail to reveal important relationships, but should not be so complex that it is challenging to understand © 2024 Oxford University Press  13.4 Causal Loop Diagrams, cont’d Resilience: The real value of a CLD is the ability to explore the potential impacts of disturbances and changes to the system A well-constructed CLD allows us to examine the resilience of a system by assessing how well it continues to function when faces with a disturbance or change © 2024 Oxford University Press  Module 4 Life Cycle Thinking © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.1 A Life Cycle Thinking Framework Life cycle thinking is the process of accounting for all of the impacts of a product or process across all stages of its lifecycle: – Raw materials extraction – Design and manufacturing – Packaging and distribution – Use and maintenance – End of life disposal or decommissioning © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.1 A Life Cycle Thinking Framework, cont’d Product end of life options: Incineration or landfill generally not desirable – can cause release of contaminants into the environment and materials take a long time to break down Instead, it is preferable to pursue the following options: – Recovery: extracting as much energy or material from the product – Recycling: producing something new from the materials in the original product – Reuse: reuse the product in its current state; repurpose for a new use © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.1 A Life Cycle Thinking Framework, cont’d Energy and waste: At each stage energy is consumed and waste is created Not exclusive to product development – all businesses require electricity, heat, equipment, and supplies even if they provide a service rather than a product Recovery, recycling, and reuse all consume energy Some materials can only be recycled a limited number of times © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment Life cycle assessment (LCA): an approach to assess impacts at each life cycle stage of a product A systematic evaluation of the impacts of energy and material inputs and outputs for a product or process across all of its life cycle stages Four interrelated stages © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Goal definition and scope: Define the system boundary: what do we include in our analysis and across which life cycle stages – E.g. will raw material extraction and end of life considerations be included, or only production through to use? Need to identify all materials and energy that flow across the system boundary Scope is informed by our goal for the analysis © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Comparing designs: When using the LCA to compare different designs, we need to make a fair comparison Functional unit: a reference unit of performance used to compare different systems or solutions in an LCA © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Consider the comparison of different printers (e.g. laser vs. ink jet, personal vs. commercial). What would be an appropriate functional unit if the goal was to compare the cost of printing? What assumptions would you have to make to ensure a fair comparison? What could be compared fairly across different printing technologies and printer styles/sizes? © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Inventory analysis: Identification of all material and energy flows in and out of the system boundary Detailed, time-consuming process Need precise information on how much of each material is used, where it came from, how it is processed, and how much waste is created © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Impact assessment: Impacts of each material and energy flow are quantified – Equivalent weight of CO2 having same environmental impact – Release of toxic substances – Pollution of air and water – Acidification of soil and water – Depletion of resources – Water use – Energy use © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Interpretation: Like iteration in the design process, we re-evaluate our information and check our work in each stage as we acquire new information Ultimately we need to make sense of our results and form conclusions that inform our decision-making LCA can help to identify areas of greatest impact, giving focus on where a design or process can be improved most significantly © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.2 Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Challenges: Time consuming and involved Best suited to refining an existing product or at the end of a design process when detailed information is available for the product or process Focused on environmental impacts © 2024 Oxford University Press 14.3 Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.3 Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Qualitative assessment of the performance of a product or process for a number of criteria across the five life cycle stages More flexible in criteria chosen – both number and type Faster than an LCA, but at the expense of rigour and precision © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.3 Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d Choose criterion that are related to one or more dimensions of sustainability Ensure that the criteria taken together give a complete and balanced measure of what we are trying to assess via the SLCA Evaluate each criterion for each life cycle stage on a qualitative scale (e.g. “very poor” to “very good” as a 5-point scale) Rankings are made based on the information available and the best judgement of the engineer © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.3 Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment, cont’d A matrix or a graph are common ways to present an SLCA A number scale allows us to tabulate results From this an environmentally responsible product rating (RERP) can be calculated by summing the entries in the matrix (or graph) © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.4 Putting It All Together Sustainability is a property of a system, not of an object or a component Lifecycle thinking shows us that there is more to consider than simply the disposal of the used product A true understanding of the environmental impact of a product or process requires considering all stages from sourcing raw materials to disposing of waste We need to consider sustainability throughout the entire design process, not as an afterthought © 2024 Oxford University Press  14.4 Putting It All Together, cont’d We need to consider the environmental, economic, and societal system in which our problem exists Thinking across spatial, temporal, and organizational scales will help us to identify the stakeholders impacted, as well as potentially reveal solutions In designing solutions, we are seeking synergies between the dimensions of sustainability, not looking for trade-offs between dimensions In addition to thinking across systems and scales, we need to consider the full lifecycle of our solution © 2024 Oxford University Press Material Selection and Sustainable building design Robert Shilton Climate Resilience and Sustainable Building Design Buildings are responsible for about 28% of global energy-related CO2 emissions Civil engineers have a professional responsibility to design the built environment for low environmental impact while also being resilient to the effects of climate change. Cement and concrete industry accounts for approximately 8- 10% of global CO2 emissions Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction suggests infrastructure (including buildings, transportation, and energy) is responsible for more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions when considering both direct and indirect emissions associated with construction, operation, and maintenance. Side Note: These numbers are concerningly inaccurate But think about the world around you- use your sense of logic Image credit: City of Calgary (CAN) Climate Change Program Image credit: The World Economic Forum  Climate Resilience and Sustainable Building Design Climate resilient buildings will be designed to maintain suitable indoor conditions during extreme weather conditions Constructed to withstand and adapt to the changing climate conditions and environmental challenges in its specific location  Climate Resilience and Sustainable Building Design https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119226444.ch22 Passivhaus/ Sustainable Building Design Investigating Barriers in Developing Green Buildings Resistance/unwillingness to change Lack of expertise High capital cost Lack of building codes and regulations Lack of government support Greenwashing In teams, discuss one barrier and identify one actionable change to help address these issues I want you to identify how your group can make the greatest impact in future LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Owners and project teams choose LEED certification to inform, benchmark, and celebrate their sustainability goals and achievements Certified: 40-49 Points. Silver: 50-59 Points. Gold: 60-79 Points. Platinum: 80+ Points. LEED Ultimately, LEED is an imperfect but useful tool that can be used to drive sustainable design and innovation, or abused to perpetuate greenwashing that contributes to a misleading mirage of sustainability Research LEED ideas and think about what you can include in your design https://www.usgbc.org/about/mission-vision Sleek Edgy What are sustainable choices we can make every day? Look beyond conforming to LEED Acceptance that we must work within the bounds of a capitalist system- our biggest motivator will be budget and profit, simply because we are in a saturated free market Resistance/unwillingness to change Make the choices that you can- one of the easiest will be material choices Materials selection Efficient design: By designing and specifying materials efficiently, the demand for material will be minimised and thus equate to a lower environmental impact Fitness for purpose: In addition to meeting the necessary structural performance criteria (eg strength and deflection), materials selection should consider materials that require minimal maintenance Materials selection Materials selection  Materials selection Environmental impact/ recycled content: Use of lifecycle analysis and environmental product declarations enable us to assess the likely cradle to grave impact of a building material Local context: Thought should be given to materials that are appropriate given the environmental conditions and skills of the local labour force. This is particularly important in remote areas and developing countries Responsible sourcing: it is important to consider the chain of custody of the material and the environmental credentials of the product supplier Fabrication process: construction waste is minimised eg. through use of pre-fabrication and standard material units.  Materials selection End of life/ deconstruction: This is an aspect of the design process which is often overlooked or considered an afterthought, but the end-of-life management of materials can have a significant effect on the overall impact of a structure. End of life/ deconstruction: Consideration should first be given to whether materials could be reused in their original form, repurposed or, where this is not possible, how they can be recycled in a manner that limits waste going to landfill to an absolute minimum. Materials selection Concrete: What is in the mix? Steel: How can we minimise use? Aluminium: Do you need it? Timber: Would it be more sustainable to use concrete here? What are sustainable choice we can make every day In a group of 3: Think about life as a practicing engineer- what other choices could you make in your work that may impact the sustainability of your work? Action Items Think about LEED principles, and how you can include these in your tiny home design Go beyond: look at what could be done beyond these ideas- what does sustainability actually mean Think about you materials choices and include some of these in your final report. Why are you making these choices? Questions Interdisciplinary Design and Aspirational Design in Reality Learning Opportunities and Challenges Land Acknowledgement Animation of the Fraser River Delta - YouTube Who am I? Civil engineering student in my 6th year! City of Vancouver’s Utilities Management Branch employee UBC BIM TOPiCS lab research assistant Third Quadrant Design Building Science team lead Civil department’s EDI+I rep Your CIVL 203 teaching assistant  What is Third Quadrant Design Solis House: 2019-2020 Laundry Haus: 2020-2021 Third Space Commons: 2021-2023 What is interdisciplinary design? Source: DOI:10.22215/timreview/1173 Transdisciplinary design “transdisciplinary innovation has the following characteristics: it is action-oriented and future-focused, participatory, holistic and systemic, and purposive, and it transcends individual disciplines or practices (Jantsch, 1972; Klein, 2002; Polk, 2015)” “A transdisciplinary approach to innovation differs from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in that it is not just about working towards a shared goal or having disciplines interact with and enrich each other … [it] is about placing these interactions in an integrated system with a social purpose, resulting in a continuously evolving and adapting practice” Transdisciplinary Innovation: key takeaways 1. Learning is an inherent part. It is more than coordinated input from multiple disciplines to solve a problem, it actually created knowledge that feeds back into the disciplines 2. It is an unpredictable practice and therefore it should not be over- constrained i.e. it should not be forced down a path with time or space limits 3. This kind of innovation should be funded on the basis of who it affects 4. Transdisciplinary actors should be thoughtful about who they involved in the project, and be aware that it can be a slow process if left to occur organically TQD and transdisciplinary work How can expand our impact? How can we as disciplines grow as a result of the work we are doing together?  Third Quadrant Team Structure CAPTAINS Engineering Civil Outreach Architecture Construction Systems Engineering Finance Architecture Construction Electrical Structural TEAM LEADS & MEMBERS Building Waste Marketing Mechanical Civil/Geological Science Management Lifecycle Mentorship Energy Assessment Interdisciplinary design within TQD Building Science Energy Architecture Mechanical Electrical Structural What are some challenges we might expect with interdisciplinary design? What are some challenges we might expect with interdisciplinary design? Speaking different languages Different values Different design cycles/practices Designing to different codes and standards How to effectively collaborate Division of responsibilities/ lack of distinction in roles Who is in charge/who makes final call? How do we address these? Design Development: what do we already know? Third Space design development 1. Determine use case 2. Get APSC on board 3. Begin design development 1. Define goals and project vision 2. Brainstorming pin-ups and charettes 3. Define design standards 4. Iterate! Third Space – Guiding Principles Carbon Minimalism Low-carbon materials and on-site carbon sequestration "Establish dedicated, accessible, and inspiring spaces, indoor and outdoor, that provide forums for interdisciplinary interaction." Circularity UBC Strategy 2: Inspiring Spaces / APSC Strategy 2: Integrated Prioritizing re-usability, recycle-ability, and locality Disciplines "Ensure harmony with the environment Flexibility through the ecologically sensitive design Configurable to a variety of occupant needs and desires of new buildings." UBC Strategy 3: Thriving Communities / APSC Strategy 17: Environmental Action Living Lab Monitoring and experimenting with green building systems "Elevate learning through hands-on experience and career development." UBC Strategy 13: Practical Learning / APSC Strategy 6: Experiential Learning Resilience Adaptable to changing conditions and redundant in the face of disaster Third Space design development 1. Determine use case 2. Get APSC on board 3. Begin design development 1. Gather the rest of the design team 2. Define goals and project vision 3. Brainstorming pin-ups and charettes 4. Define design standards 4. Iterate! Third Space design ideation Charette #2 Charette #1 Third Space design development 1. Determine use case 2. Get APSC on board 3. Begin design development 1. Define goals and project vision 2. Brainstorming pin-ups and charettes 3. Define design standards 4. Iterate! Third Space design development: a WDM Third Space design development: a WDM Third Space design development: a WDM Design Standards: what do we know? Design Standards Regulatory: building codes, regulatory documents City of Vancouver Building By-Law City of Vancouver Energy Modelling Guidelines BC Building Code BC Energy Step Code (Designer Guide & Builder Guide) Aspirational: innovative/sustainable design principles & targets LEED certification Passive House certification Living Building challenge Third Space’s standards Solar Decathlon Competition Regulations Passive House Design Standards UBC Technical Guidelines Detailed Design Milestones/Process 75% review drawing sets DP (Development Permit) drawing sets 90% review drawing sets BP (Building Permit) drawing sets IFT (Issued for Tender) drawing sets IFC (Issued for Construction) drawing sets RFIs (Requests for Information) & site instructions As-built drawing sets Construction process Who is involved? Construction manager (managing *cost & schedule*) Sub-contractors and trades (building) Designers (inspecting) Permitters (inspecting) Certifiers (testing and certifying) How? Construction scheduling and sequencing Tendering Construction reviews & inspections RFIs, submittals, and site instructions Industry Partners and Sponsors on the Third Space Project The future of Third Space Solar Decathlon 2023 Build Challenge contests Collaborat