Project Management, Contracts, and Engineering Ethics
Engineering projects succeed through scope, schedule, cost, and quality control. Know the project life cycle (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, closure) and basic tools: work breakdown structure (WBS), Gantt charts, critical path method (CPM), and earned value management (EVM). Understand EVM terms: planned value (PV), earned value (EV), actual cost (AC); cost variance CV = EV − AC; schedule variance SV = EV − PV; and cost performance index CPI = EV/AC.
For contracts, distinguish lump-sum (fixed price), unit-rate, and cost-plus arrangements, and know that each allocates risk differently - lump-sum puts quantity risk on the contractor, unit-rate shares it, cost-plus puts it on the owner. Understand variations, claims, delay and disruption, and the role of the engineer's representative.
Engineering ethics: act in the public interest, maintain competence, be honest about uncertainty, avoid conflicts of interest, protect confidentiality, and report unsafe practice. Know that signing off work you did not verify is a serious breach.
Worked example: A project has EV = 80,000, PV = 100,000, AC = 90,000. CV = 80,000 − 90,000 = −10,000 (over budget); SV = 80,000 − 100,000 = −20,000 (behind schedule); CPI = 80,000/90,000 = 0.89 (spending more than earned).
Traps: sign errors in variance formulas (EV minus AC, not the reverse); confusing CPI with SPI; and treating an ethical duty as subordinate to a client instruction.