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Experience Pyramid 1

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slickdeals

Structural
Apr 8, 2006
2,266
I am hoping this question is less controversial :)

What does your firm's pyramid look like, either as a percentage or actual numbers?

Experience Range
>25 years =
15 - 25 years =
9 - 14 years =
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) =
0 - 3 years =

Also what is your typical ratio of engineering to drafting/BIM staff?
 
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Experience Range
>25 years = 2
15 - 25 years = 0
9 - 14 years = 1
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 0
0 - 3 years = 0

Also what is your typical ratio of engineering to drafting/BIM staff? = 0

Lol Small firm represent
 
I have a small firm so it might not be what you're looking for, but here's what it looks like:

> 25 years = 0
15 - 25 years = 1
9 - 14 years = 1
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 1
0 - 3 years = 3

Drafters to engineers 2:1

Side note, I've been having a really hard time hiring experienced engineers. I hired someone with >25 years experience, and she wanted to do everything her incorrect way. I mean obviously and ridiculously wrong stuff, like design everything to 2-3 times capacity and put stair beams 0" away from the opening, so I had to let her go. Everyone else with a lot of experience just didn't have the right experience. Like 15 years of amazing concrete superstructure experience, literally zero with anything else, so I had to teach how to read a W10x26 and design a footing. And those aren't isolated cases, but they are the most egregious. Either I suck at posting job ads, or the "good ones" are taken. I find graduate engineers to be the most productive and trainable.
 
I remember my first boss telling me not too long ago when I couldn't find engineers in the 2-6 year experience range. He said I should have hired them 2-6 years back. Makes a ton of sense. I think it is important to find the people with well-rounded experience (based on them working at similar firms like yours) or hire good young engineers and then train them the way you operate as a company.
 
>25 years = 4
15 - 25 years = 5
9 - 14 years = 6
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 5
0 - 3 years = 3
 
Tom- sounds like a power house.


Experience Range
>25 years = 0
15 - 25 years = 0
9 - 14 years = 1
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 0
0 - 3 years = 0

Engineers/Drafters: 1/0

Hoping to rectify this soon. If there's one thing the last the years has taught me, Engineering is NOT a solo sport...
 
@phamENG wanna hire me? I swear I am not as dumb as my posts make me out to be.
 
Experience Range
>25 years = 0.5 (company founder semi-retired)
15 - 25 years = 0
9 - 14 years = 3
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 2
0 - 3 years = 2

Engineers to draftsmen: 1:0

Need to get a draftsman BAD. I do way too much drafting.

 
wrantler - not just yet. I'm starting with drafting, then moving to engineering.
 
>25 years = .5 (semi-retired owner)
15 - 25 years = 2
9 - 14 years = 3
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 5
0 - 3 years = 2

Engineers to draftsmen: 6:1 (edit: younger engineers do most of their own drafting)
 

>25 years = 1
15 - 25 years = 3
9 - 14 years = 4
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 3
0 - 3 years = 4

Engineers to draftsmen: 1:0, no dedicated drafters.

Some of you will also find the opening chapters of "Managing the Professional Services Firm" by Maister interesting in this vein
 
I'm the only one with more drafters than engineers? Drafters can get a lot done. Stuff like coordination, ETABS/SAFE models, simple inspections, and even simple calculations. They just follow guidelines. It's fine as long as an engineer is checking it. It cleans up a lot of the low level stuff, and even some mid level stuff.
 
>25 years = 3
15 - 25 years = 7
9 - 14 years = 0
4 - 8 years = 6
0 - 3 years = 4
 
MSL - I agree with you and I intend to pursue a similar model. Besides, If I'm spending 30 hours hours a week doing engineering, I'm usually producing enough for 2 full time draftsmen. I don't spend 30 hours a week doing engineering because I have to do the drafting, too, so it's usually about 10-15 hours of engineering and 25-30 hours of drafting and 10-15 hours of business development, compliance, etc.

My last firm had 2 or 3 production engineers (Utilization >85%, usually pushing 110%), 3 partners (utilization around 50% to 75%), and 4 draftsmen/BIM techs. The drafting department was regularly putting in overtime and working weekends to keep up with what we were engineering.
 
How much intelligent CAE is used? Does it take a long time to retrieve the information from the model or is 2D CAD (electronic pencil) the norm?
 
What kind of qualifications and/or experience do you look for in a proficient draftsman?
 
>25 years = 6
15 - 25 years = 6
9 - 14 years = 3
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 4 licence N/A
0 - 3 years = 6
Drafters = 4

Drafting is an issue but not as big as the numbers make it look. Lots of major projects that need more reporting than drawings. Ideally would switch 9-14 or 4-8 with 0-3 but there was an industry downturn.
 
milkshakelake said:
I'm the only one with more drafters than engineers? Drafters can get a lot done. Stuff like coordination, ETABS/SAFE models, simple inspections, and even simple calculations. They just follow guidelines. It's fine as long as an engineer is checking it. It cleans up a lot of the low level stuff, and even some mid level stuff.
No.

>25 years = 0
15 - 25 years = 0
9 - 14 years = 0
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 1
0 - 3 years = 1
Drafters = 15
 
@3DDave I don't use any CAE, though a switch to Revit is in the works.

@RPGs It's very difficult, but not really harder than hiring an engineer. I have something like a 20% success rate with employees. I fire the ones that don't work out. The main thing is that they need to be trainable and be able to follow instructions.
 
For my own stuff:

>25 years =
15 - 25 years =
9 - 14 years = 1
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) =
0 - 3 years =
Drafters = just me
The solo gig is fun, but man is a lot of work 😀

My previous office:
>25 years = 3
15 - 25 years = 4
9 - 14 years = 2
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 2
0 - 3 years = 1
Drafters = 2

You can never have enough drafters.
 
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