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Volume XXII, Number 25
September 28,
2001
1015 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-7474
Fax
202-898-0068
www.acec.org
E-mail acec@acec.org
Francis George, Editor
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The Who, What and Why of Peer Review
Who are reviewers?
Take away travel, preparatory time, and training and ACEC’s pool of trained peer reviewers still contributed 239 working days last year to help firms better understand how their firm operates according to their own policies and procedures! Who are these reviewers?"Both the process and the findings were very meaningful. The peer reviewers were very professional, competent, and extremely considerate of on-going operations," said Bob C. Soni, Miller Engineers & Scientists, Sheboygen, WI. "I was genuinely surprised at how smoothly the review was conducted, and at how positive an experience this was for both management and staff."
Aside from receiving high recommendations such as Soni’s, each reviewer must have at least 15 years of design experience with at least 5 years in firm management. Combine that expertise with ACEC’s 8-hour training course and preparatory manuals and you have a team of qualified peers with a desire to help the design industry.
What do reviewers do? Peer Reviews are voluntary, confidential, and cost effective. In other words, YOU CHOOSE the team, the date,
and the emphasis of the review. Each reviewer signs statements of non-disclosure and often, your firm’s liability insurance offers refunds, premium discounts or other benefits for participating in the most inexpensive management review available!"In simple terms, reviewers give firms the opportunity to look in the mirror. With confidential input from employees, reviewers look at firms’ policies and procedures, giving management an objective and fair assessment of their practices. A peer reviewer’s day averages ten hours, not including working lunches and dinners," responds reviewer Tom Downs with BKBM, Inc., in Minneapolis.
Why do they volunteer their time? Reviewers admit to often coming away with more ideas for their own firm’s procedures than expected. "Helping another firm work through policy and procedure issues often brings your own firm’s issues to mind," states Salim Najjar, who served as ACEC’s 1999-2001 Peer Review Committee Chair. Improving one firm will improve the design industry. We think it all comes down to comments like these from recently reviewed firms:
"It was a pleasant surprise to hear that the majority of our current procedures are effective. The suggestions made for improvement were for the most part anticipated; however, a few which were invaluable we would have never thought of ourselves," said David E Hobza III, P.E., QuadTech Engineering, San Antonio, TX. " It was a very rewarding experience for all the employees. It gave a tremendous boost to company moral."
"It was good for our staff to see that the firm is interested and committed to improving. This is a very worthwhile program that will help us become a better company and a better place to work. Every firm should experience this," said Steven J. Vanderah, Shoemaker & Haaland Professional Engineers, Coralville, IA.
For more information on the Peer Review Program or on how to become a peer reviewer contact Anna Johnson (ajohnson@acec.org) at ACEC.
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ACEC Presses FIDIC for Rigorous Business Focus During the recent FIDIC 2001 Conference in Montreux, Switzerland, an ACEC delegation led by Chairman Stephen Goddard recommended to FIDIC’s
Goddard’s strategy at the FIDIC meeting was three-pronged. First ACEC President David Raymond, while chairing the annual meeting of FIDIC’s member organization’s executive directors, spearheaded the development of concrete recommendations to enhance FIDIC’s relevancy and service to members. Second, these recommendations were endorsed by participants of the very Large Firm Roundtable session, headed by Goddard. Third, the recommendations were then presented to FIDIC’s incoming president Eigil Steen Pedersen of Denmark for action by FIDIC’s Executive Committee. "The measures we are recommending to FIDIC will help strengthen the organization," said Goddard. Other members of the ACEC delegation included former ACEC President Jim Thomas, current ACEC Senior Vice Chairman Bill Howard, and Bill Wallace, Senior Vice President of CH2M HILL, who moderated a session on Sustainable Development. Also, ACEC’s International Affairs Director Michele Moore moderated a ‘break-out’ session on quality management. For more information on FIDIC or ACEC’s international activities, contact Michele Moore (mmoore@acec.org) at ACEC. Emely Named VP of Operations In a move to streamline and enhance ACEC staff administration, ACEC President Dave Raymond named Mary Ann Emely, a seasoned, certified association executive (CAE), to VP for Operations. Emely previously served as Managing Director of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. She brings to ACEC more than 15 years of experience in association management, especially in administration, business programs, member services and marketing. Emely will assist Raymond with management functions, enabling the President to devote additional time to program development, advocacy, and other priority efforts. Commenting on the appointment, ACEC Chairman Stephen Goddard said that, "This appointment is another major step in strengthening ACEC operations, following the recent appointment of Steve Hall as the Government Affairs Director." Sponsors Appreciation ACEC thanks the following companies that were scheduled to exhibit at our 2001 Fall Conference in Orlando which was cancelled due to the recent tragic events. ACEC Business Insurance Center – http://www.thehartford.com/engineers/ To learn about future exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, contact Maria Galvan (mgalvan@acec.org) at ACEC. Orlando Speakers Rescheduled for Las Vegas Convention ACEC’s 2002 Annual Convention is scheduled for May 12–15 at the Rio All-Suite Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV. Speakers from the Orlando Conference are being rescheduled for Las Vegas, including Donna Shirley and Roger Herman. In addition, featured speakers will include Henry Petroski and Amanda Gore. Petroski, a professor, researcher, author and most importantly an engineer, will focus on the areas of failure analysis and design theory. "To Engineer Is Human," a 1987 BBC-television documentary based on his 1985 book by the same title, will be the subject of his presentation in Las Vegas. Amanda Gore is Australia’s most popular professional speaker. Gore will address topics such as relationships and selling, communication and customer service, and stress management – how you can balance your life with a few key principles. Mark Your Calendars ACEC’s Management Practices Committee will sponsor The Trusted Advisor: The Consulting Engineer and Evolving Delivery Systems Role seminar at the Hilton Crystal City, VA, on November 9-10, 2001. This seminar explores the design professional’s role as the trusted advisor to the owner through lecture, small group discussion, and panels representing consulting engineers and owners. From leading practitioners you will learn how to navigate through the complex world of multiple delivery systems and become more comfortable in your role as the Trusted Advisor. Learn from the leading practitioners and gain priceless networking opportunities. Registration fee is $545 before October 12, 2001, and after this date is $645 for members. Seminar information and registration forms are available from ACEC at 202-347-7474 or via http://www.acec.org/meetmein/seminars/multiple.pdf. The following editions of the Last Word are available online, to retrieve a particular issue, choose the date from the drop down box below, and click "Go Get It!" |
