We are proceeding with the tutorial sessions for Summary Statement Engineers Australia and this Tutorial will proceed with the Section 2 and explain the element 2.3 “Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes”. The tutorial also contains useful examples for your consideration, presentation of which can sometimes be the hardest part of your Summary Statement writing.
To remind: the Summary Statement is one of the essential but the hardest to write parts of your CDR that is required for Migration Skills Assessment or Stage 1 application for membership with the Engineers Australia.
Element 2.3 of Summary Statement Engineers Australia: “Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.”
This part of the Summary Statement Engineers Australia is dedicated to crucial features of your engineering work and capabilities. They include your skillset that is to be used when preparing engineering designs. The design preparation is considered to be a highly demanding task as it needs to include a variety of engineering skills and specialized knowledge. All of them need to be taken into account, alongside with all the outside aspects and the features of the project at hand.
The requirements for this part of the Summary Statement Engineers Australia is to reflect the applicant’s ability to outline the specific needs of the project. The engineers are also asked to further define the factors that are involved in design process and to categorize them accordingly. The ultimate assignment is to combine all of the above into a successful and contextual presentation of the designs made. We will here explain all four indicators for this Summary Statement element.
a.) Proficiently applies technical knowledge and open ended problem solving skills as well as appropriate tools and resources to design components, elements, systems, plant, facilities and/or processes to satisfy user requirements.
The Summary Statement Engineers Australia examples below showcase the applicant’s ability to use both technical knowledge and other available tools and skills to prepare the needed design.
Example: I defined the user requirements after conducting a series of interviews with customers that had purchased and used the previous version of the drilling tool. This helped me devise the original design to enhance its most cherished properties and in the same time mitigate all of the noted drawbacks.
Example: I first designed and developed a scaled prototype of the production robot, in order to determine the forces that the arm would be required to endure with great accuracy. I then scaled up this model using an adaptive scaling methodology to develop my final design.
b.) Addresses broad contextual constraints such as social, cultural, environmental, commercial, legal, political and human factors, as well as health, safety and sustainability imperatives as an integral part of the design process.
These examples for the Summary Statement Engineers Australia need to present your awareness of the context of your project, and all the factors included therein.
Example: I designed the new chimney to be in full accordance with the environmental regulations of the country, and also implemented a three-stage filtering system that would lower the rate of heavy metals deposition into the air around the plant.
Example: Knowing that the product design would be should be in compliance with both the engineering and the legal department requirements, I asked representatives from both to provide the absolute limits as those were set by their studies. This helped me design a product that required little modifications before reaching its final state, dropping the rapid prototyping cost and time greatly.
c.) Executes and leads a whole systems design cycle approach including tasks such as:
- determining client requirements and identifying the impact of relevant contextual factors, including business planning and costing targets;
- systematically addressing sustainability criteria;
- working within projected development, production and implementation constraints;
- eliciting, scoping and documenting the required outcomes of the design task and defining acceptance criteria;
- identifying assessing and managing technical, health and safety risks integral to the design process;
- writing engineering specifications, that fully satisfy the formal requirements;
- ensuring compliance with essential engineering standards and codes of practice;
- partitioning the design task into appropriate modular, functional elements; that can be separately addressed and subsequently integrated through defined interfaces;
- identifying and analyzing possible design approaches and justifying an optimal approach;
- developing and completing the design using appropriate engineering principles, tools, and processes;
- integrating functional elements to form a coherent design solution;
- quantifying the materials, components, systems, equipment, facilities, engineering resources and operating arrangements needed for implementation of the solution;
- checking the design solution for each element and the integrated system against the engineering specifications;
- devising and documenting tests that will verify performance of the elements and the integrated realization;
- prototyping/implementing the design solution and verifying performance against specification;
- documenting, commissioning and reporting the design outcome.
This part of the Summary Statement Engineers Australia sample considers the overall design process and all the elements that may play a part in it. This means that the applicants need to present their capability to address all the steps in the design process with equal measure and thus present their engineering skills for design preparation and application. This may include the initial selection of the proper design to be implemented. Also, checking of the material and equipment, or documentation for the design. And finally, ensuring that the methods and elements used are as per the current and implemented engineering standards.
Example: I chose a railed platform design against the option of a legged one as this design was estimated to compensate the extra cost in a year, due to the fact that there would be no forklift involvement required for the positioning of the platform in front of the loading/unloading decks.
Example: Due to the nature of the crane, I had to design it while conducting tipping tests in the same time. This way I ensured that the crane would not cause any accidents while operating at the suggested limits.
Example: I created a scaled down version of the platform, in order to conduct additional tests that would help me ensure that the particular design offers adequate buoyancy for the carrying of the shipments.
Example: I pre-estimated what parts would be needed, and I also provisioned for the availability of the required tools that would be needed during the assembly procedure. I did this by studying the manufacturer’s parts diagram.
d.) Is aware of the accountabilities of the professional engineer in relation to the ‘design authority’ role.
This part of the Summary Statement Engineers Australia relates to the engineer’s responsibility and their leading role as experts in conducting the design process.
Example: As the Senior Designer in the project, I set three stages of design evaluation for the various designs (building, HVAC, plumbing). The first was a preliminary check conducted by me, the second involved the calculation of the generated forces in all elements in the designed networks, and the third was an individual simulation of the designed systems on structural and static forces analysis software, and fluid flow simulation tools.
Example: During the buildings design phase, I acted as an expert consultant for the client, checking the drawings and ensuring that all aspects of the design were in full compliance with the project requirements. Based on these evaluations, I gave my approval on the designs, or submitted a statement for modification.
The next part of Summary Statement Engineers Australia guide will be published next week. We will then continue with the Section 2 Part 2.4, and relevant explanations to ensure that all parts are equally represented for your benefit and understanding.
For more information on the other parts of this SS Tutorial please visit us on www.cdrsample.com, or contact us directly with the details of your CDR case via email: cdr@cdrsample.com.
