Engineering In Perspective: Lessons For A Successful Career

Book excerpt: 'It is well referenced, with significant projects from his personal experience. Factually accurate, the stories reflect the ups and downs of the major projects environment. His thoughts on handling the tragedy of the King’s Cross fire are remarkable, and his compassionate treatment of this work is likely to prove of interest to those outside the project management and engineering fields … What resonates throughout the book is the coming together of countries, organisations and people. The ability to formulate and structure delivery teams that take on the holistic project life cycle — from project initiation and business case, through design, construction and effective handover, to fully using or operating a facility — is comprehensively covered.'PROJECTEngineering in Perspective provides a unique look into the career of one of Britain's most widely experienced engineers, Professor Tony Ridley. Ridley analyses key moments from his career to identify the real-world skills required for success. Through this, he examines how important it is that a successful engineer has not only traditional engineering skills but also good interpersonal skills coupled with a deep understanding of social, economic and political factors.Ridley's career case-studies include his time as first Director General of the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive and working on the creation of the Metro; first Managing Director of the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway; Chairman and Managing Director of London Underground; the development of the Docklands Light Railway; and working through the trauma of the Kings Cross fire. As Professor of Transport Engineering at Imperial College London, Ridley was involved in national and international engineering bodies, including President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The book contains papers from this time that develop the concept of the 'breadth of engineering'.Highly relevant for engineering students, newly qualified engineers, educators and employers, this book allows examination of successes and failures of important engineering projects from the 20th century, with lessons and insights for the 21st century engineer.