Writing requirements of engineers
The ability to write properly and clearly is an essential part of an engineers job function. Clearly articulating your ideas and views with team members takes practice and experience.
An interview was conducted with 3 different engineers from Plastic Omnium regarding technical writing. Each of the engineers is in different stages of their career. Engineer A has less than 3 years experience and has been with two employers. Engineer B has 12 years experience and has worked for 3 different companies. Engineer C has 20 years experience and has been with 2 companies. Each of the Engineers were asked the following questions; The most common types of writing? The amounts of time involved in writing (either daily or weekly)? If the writing is easy or difficult for the interviewee? was he/she well prepared to do the writing needed? Did the interviewee expect writing to be important, if there is any connection between promotion and writing skills.
Engineer A is a validation engineer who is responsible for completing DVP&R's (design, validation, planning, and reporting) of various programs. When engineer A was asked about what writing is a requirement of his job function, he stated that the following types of writing were performed; emails, test reports, RFQ's (request for quote), work orders, and instant messenger . Engineer A said he spends the majority of his time writing in e-mail form. He said on average he spends an estimated 15 hours/week writing. Engineer A is in a unique situation for this interview because he was born in Mexico and only recently moved to the USA 3 years ago. His native language is Spanish. Engineer A felt he could have been better prepared and felt a course in engineering communication was a great idea. He knew writing would be important, but not as critical as it is in reality. He feels there is a strong connection between promotions and writing effectively.
Engineer B is a...