Consulting Engineering in Nigeria in the Current Dispensation

1. Consulting Engineering in Nigeria in the Current Dispensation "Information Technology in Consulting Engineering Practice" Repositioning the Consulting Engineer in the Third Millennium by Aliyu A. Aziz

2. About Me • Principal Consultant - Afri-Projects Consortium (APC) • B. Eng. (Civil), M. Sc. (Struct.) - Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria • Professional Bodies • Member, Nigeria Society of Engineers • Member, Computer Association of Nigeria • Member, Internet Society Contact: aaziz@compuserve.com Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

3. Objective • highlight the future business perspectives, management practices and Information technology as envisioned in the next millennium. • examine the present status of a typical consulting engineer practice with respect to its human resources and IT facilities • juxtapose them to determine the strategies for repositioning the consulting engineer in the third millennium. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

4. Topics • Introduction • Business in the New Millennium • The Present Set-up of a Typical Engineering Consultant • Strategy for Repositioning the Consulting Engineer • Conclusion Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

5. Introduction • Focus • Business and economic perspectives in the next millennium • Repositioning the Consulting Engineer to utilise Information Technology in order to compete in the future. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

6. Introduction • A typical project would require collaboration, tested project management techniques and effective knowledge/document management repository which is accessible from anywhere at all times. • Our constraints would only be related to tools with which we interface to the information and the speed with which we cruise the galaxy. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

7. Business in the Next Millennium • The Future Business Environment as envisioned: • An ever-increasing pace of technological and societal changes • A further shift to an information economy to be driven by highly skilled knowledge workers • An increasing global cooperation and competition – coopetition • Fragmentation of markets into specialised niches • Diversity – employees and customers from every culture, race, religion and country in the world Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

8. Business in the Next Millennium • The Impact of Technology • Knowledge Economy • Global Cooperation and Competition • Fragmentation of Markets • Diversity Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

9. The Impact of Technology Technology creates vast business opportunities • Business on the The Internet: • Electronic banking and electronic commerce • Education on demand • Digital photography • Virtual shopping • Virtual factories • Global Telephony and Satellite Communication • Ensuring effective communication at all corners of the world. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

10. Knowledge Economy • The flow of money and information is now GLOBAL. • Knowledge has become the key factor in the future economy. • Knowledge-based businesses and the Knowledge workershall dominate the new millennium. • Knowledge must be systematically accumulated, shared and deployed in building the core competencies of a firm. • The stock of knowledge must be continuously improved and updated hence continuous learning and self-improvement is required. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

11. Cooperation and Competition • Companies now span multiple industrial categories and join forces with partners with equally wide spheres of activities. • Firms who cooperate and compete with one another in a new form of alliance known as ecosystemor economic web. • The ecoweb consists of one or two leader companies and a large number of followers (usually smaller companies) who find niche ways to add value. This web usually leads the market, attracts more supporters and locks out other possible competitors. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

12. Cooperation and Competition Cont. • Today’s competitive advantage is now based on: • Speed, innovation, service and customisation in addition to yesterday’s volume, scale and low cost. • The critical factors that will determine success in the information age are: • Trust • Loyalty • Strength of relationships. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

13. Fragmentation of Markets • Industrial age was formed on the concept of ‘massification’ - mass media, mass consumption, mass markets, mass production, mass religion etc. • The Information age will witness the reverse - ‘demassification’. • The Pattern: • The traditional world of career jobs will make way for part-time workers, contract jobs, project teams and self-employment. • A more fractured world made up of relatively few large corporations supported by small independent businesses that share and exchange knowledge with their corporate elders. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

14. Diversity • Boundaries in business are rapidly disappearing. • Geographical location, culture, language, religion, race and other barriers are no longer a factor. • The global economy and emergence of knowledge-based businesses has diversified the business arena to include parties: employees and consumers alike, from various backgrounds. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

15. The Present Set-up of a Typical Consulting Engineer • Client • Contractor/Supplier • Govt. policies • Media • Facilities • Telephone • Fax machine • Desktops • E-mail • Printer • Human • Consultant • Engineers • Draftsmen • Support • Drawing Tables • Filing Cabinet • Library ? Marketing ? Administration ? Finance Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

16. Strategy for Repositioning the Consulting Engineer • Flatten management hierarchy • Utilise enabling technologies: • Object-oriented models • Client/server architecture • Internet Protocol Infrastructure • Effective Communication • Workflow Collaboration • Project Management • Information Management • Document Management • Knowledge Management Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

17. Strategy for Repositioning the Consulting Engineer • Tools to optimise the enabling technologies: • The Web • Building private secure Web sites where a team of different firm can collaborate on a project. • The Team-ware services available on the web include document sharing, project management, task tracking, forums, calendars etc. • The Services have these core functions: • A place to store and manage information • A place to exchange ideas • A shared calendar or task list for recording deadlines and milestones. • Project teams can access the Web and its services without having or using an IS infrastructure of their own. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

18. Strategy for Repositioning the Consulting Engineer • Guide for evaluating a service provider for the next millennium: • Collaborative Communication • Project Management • Information Management • Document Management • Off-line functionality • Security • Simplicity in Set-up, Administration and Training Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

19. Conclusion • The new millennium guarantees success to knowledge workers only. • The challenge for global co-operation and competition implies empowering individuals with the enabling technologies. • Reposition the consulting engineer by carving specialised niches through optimising team-ware services. • To drive the IT tools available, we need the vision of the people, to do the critical thinking. Above all, we need among ourselves trust, loyalty, and the strength of relationship to really stimulate diversity in the next millennium. Repositioning the Consulting Engineer

20. The End Repositioning the Consulting Engineer