How to manage a project in oil and gas industry?
Asked by
mea05key (
1822
)
July 29th, 2009
I am a new grad and i find myself unable to do anything technically in the project. I was hired as a project engineer and I am under a project manager. The project is small and cost approximately 400K pounds. The project manager is pretty busy with his other projects therefore I often try to work everything by myself. When i say that i mean, i try getting documents done and he’ll check it. I tried creating data sheets, request quotation, update the project schedule and budget, distribute tasks to discipline engineers, gather technical information to reply the customer’s enquiry. Those sort of thing. I don’t know how i fare as a young project engineer cause everyone is quite experience in projects. I am considering to change my job. Anyone out there having similar experience working in oil and gas projects? Some advise please?
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I work in the fire protection sector of the oil/gas industry as a Project Manager. My background is in Mechanical Engineering. I would say the #1 lesson I had to learn when I started was how to apply the mantras of business and efficiency to my work. Engineering is worthless to the capitalistic world if it doesn’t translate directly to energy/cost savings or operational efficiency. Also, the higher-ups are often too busy to walk you through the process when you have no idea what’s going on. Make a list of the things you’d like to understand better, then ask yourself how to find that information. Sometimes it’s online research, sometimes it’s pulling out your old fluid mechanics books, sometimes it’s asking the right person. Just break down your tasks in this way and start getting them done. Use Excel to break down budgetary items, use Outlook to track your tasks, etc. And communicate with your project team and the customer as a priority. Good communication can solve a lot of problems. Good luck.
A great leader that I had once as a boss had this to say about steps for effective leadership:
“1 – Surround yourself with smart, motivated people
2 – Give them top cover (i.e. be a helpful liaison between them and management, and see to it that things they need to make them successful are handled where possible)
3 – Get out of their way.”
2 things:
- Your Project Manager should be fired, because you’re not supposed to do his/her work.
– You are going to make an excellent Project Manager.
Since you don’t know a lot about Project Management, I suggest you take a look at the Project Management for Beginners articles.
Don’t quit.They are experienced because,they hanged on for a while.If you quit,you have to start something else from the scratch.They might not handle you technical stuffs at present,but with the passage of time,you might fancy your chances.Oil and Gas industry is a gem of an Industry for engineering works.Devote sometime in learning the technical stuffs.If the industry deals with technical stuffs like distillation or purification process,just try to figure out the work flow.Be inquisitive and take initiatives when time demands it.Things would definitely change for the good.I’m telling it from my own experience as an electrical engineer in one of the renouned power companies of UK.
Good luck and best wishes.
ETW.
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