Experience Pyramid 1

[slickdeals]

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?

 

[driftLimiter]

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

 

[milkshakelake]

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.

 

[slickdeals]

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.

 

[Tomfh]

>25 years = 4
15 - 25 years = 5
9 - 14 years = 6
4 - 8 years (ideally licensed) = 5
0 - 3 years = 3

 

[phamENG]

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...

 

[wrantler]

@phamENG wanna hire me? I swear I am not as dumb as my posts make me out to be.

 

[RPGs]

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.

 

[phamENG]

wrantler - not just yet. I'm starting with drafting, then moving to engineering.

 

[WesternJeb]

>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)

 

[Lomarandil]

>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

 

[milkshakelake]

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.

 

[bugbus]

>25 years = 3
15 - 25 years = 7
9 - 14 years = 0
4 - 8 years = 6
0 - 3 years = 4

 

[phamENG]

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.

 

[3DDave]

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?

 

[RPGs]

What kind of qualifications and/or experience do you look for in a proficient draftsman?

 

[Smoulder]

>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.

 

[human909]

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

 

[milkshakelake]

@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.

 

[jerseyshore]

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.