EXAMPLE CAREER EPISODE REPORTS - UWA

EXAMPLE CAREER EPISODE REPORTS

This document contains four Career Episode Reports that have been written by EMS students.

The reports are provided for general guidance only. You must write about your own experiences

and show how you have demonstrated the 16 Elements of Competency outlined in the Engineers

Australia Stage 1 Standard for Professional Engineer.

Company names and supervisor names have been changed.

CAREER EPISODE REPORT EXAMPLE 1

Organisation

Supervisor

Activity

Time Period

HX Energy Ltd.

Jack Smith

Plant Sensor Data Toolkit

Nov 2014 ¨C Feb 2015

Episode Description

Competency

Element

Claimed

As part of my professional practicum experience for the MPE (Mechanical

Engineering), I completed HX Energy¡¯s Summer Vacation program in their Data

Science division. This work experience focused on optimising and expanding HX

Energy¡¯s capabilities through multifaceted techniques involving data analytics,

predictive algorithms and cognitive computing. HX Energy operations involve the

monitoring of plant performance and metrics via the use of sensors. Over my

period at HX Energy, my project involved the construction of a program labeled

as a toolkit to improve the process of inspecting sensor data. More specifically,

my task was to improve the capabilities of the HX Energy Data Science team by

deploying a resource that could be readily used to swiftly inspect the behavior,

health status and correlation of a set of sensors for a given time period.

Introduction

I needed a strong background in data base systems, statistics, time series

analysis, Fourier analysis, machine learning and computational programming in

order to construct a suitable solution for the task. It was essential that I

understood the architecture of the data systems and the data formatting prior to

the analysis. I used a combination of time series and standard statistical

methods for the analysis of the sensor health and behavior. I used Fourier

analysis and computational programming for the formulation of sensor

correlations and their associated time lags. Lastly, I gained familiarity with

graphical user interfaces in order implement a user friendly and practical

environment for the team to use.

PE1.2

Conceptual

understanding

of math and

computer

science

I developed an in-depth technical competence in Fourier analysis and

computational programming when constructing the package to determine the

correlations between the sensors time signals. Due to the large size of the data

sets, it was too computationally expensive to determine the correlations between

the sensors in the time domain. Instead, the sensor signals were converted from

the time domain to the frequency domain. This allowed convolution to be

performed between two signals, utilising the computational improvements of

vectorising the code within the program. Recurring methods utilised by the Data

Science team involved the application and tuning of machine learning

approaches such as random forest, neural network, and genetic and gradient

boosting algorithms. It was essential that I learnt the ideologies behind these

methods as well as how and when to implement them for successful predictive

analytics. Good accuracy could be obtained in the prediction of a sensors output

through the use of its neighboring sensors, plant and environmental metrics.

PE1.3

In-depth

understanding

of specialist

knowledge

GENG5010 Professional Engineering Portfolio, The University of Western Australia

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Over the course of the vacation program, I was able to successfully design, build

and implement the sensor toolkit. I was able to determine that approximately 80%

of the time taken to construct predictive models using the existing process was

spent on data cleansing and inspection. One of the major factors inhibiting the

ability produce accurate predictive models was the presence of duplicates and

missing values. My final toolkit was able to import a data set from the data

storage system, manipulate and cleanse the data, provide statistics and health

checks, determine correlations and construct models for predictive analytics. This

demonstrated my clear understanding of the problem and what the design

objectives were. I ensured that my first milestone was implementing algorithms to

cleanse and restructure the data in a meaningful way and present the user with

statistics and health checks so that they could gain confidence before using them

for their models. The performance criterion of the toolkit was measured by the

reduction in the time taken to determine critical metrics of sensor signals. The

toolkit was able to reduce the time for these tasks from days to within an hour.

PE2.3

Apply

systematic

engineering

design and

synthesis

processes

Following the development of the design concept, I was required to carefully

choose the environment in which to construct the program. The software package

MALTAB was selected due to the large sizes of the data sets and the necessity

to perform Fourier analysis. MATLAB has a very efficient Discrete Fourier

Transform and can easily deal with matrix operations. I also needed to use data

analytics and mathematics within my toolkit to determine important sensor

metrics, correlations with other sensors and predictive models. A rigorous set of

techniques was used to first determine and improve data quality through the

removal of duplicates and patching of missing values. Test data sets were used

and comparisons were made with their actual values and predicted values. The

toolkit was iteratively improved through the application of a wide range of data

sets. Following my departure I organised a handover with another team member

where we planned the industrialisation of the toolkit using a C environment.

PE2.2

Fluent use of

engineering

tools and

resources

I also investigated innovative ways to improve my toolkit. As functionality could

be added incrementally, once I had produced the main features of the toolkit I

was able to experiment with some additional ones. Wavelet transformation is a

powerful technique that allows information to be obtained in both the time and

frequency domains. This has benefits over traditional Fourier transformations as

it maintains the temporal information, which is critical for analysing sensor

behavior. This was able to detect localised behavior such as patterns and

abnormalities, which may indicate failure.

PE3.3

Creative,

innovative and

proactive

demeanour

Communicating effectively was the most important factor to the success of the

project. As the toolkit was to be used by the team, it was essential that the

product I produced provided what they needed. I organised regular meetings with

my supervisor and potential users of my toolkit. Firstly, I gained an understanding

of the nature and types of projects that use sensor data and the shortcomings

that were contributing to poor model accuracy and suboptimal allocation of the

team¡¯s resources (time). I asked the team to describe what capabilities they

would like the program to have, before systematically adding functionality to the

program. By the midpoint of my time at HX Energy, the toolkit had transformed

into a robust program with a variety of analysis tools that had been added

following requests from my supervisors and team members. I called meetings

prior to the deployment of the toolkit requesting that any issues, bugs or simply

ideas for improvement with the program be reported to me so that I could

improve the product. This was effective as now an even wider range of data sets

were being used for varying applications, unveiling some areas for improvement

and giving me insights to the performance of the toolkit. At the end of the project I

circulated a document detailing the toolkit and how to use it, as well as an

interactive tutorial teaching the user how to implement it on a set of sensor data.

PE3.2

Effective

communication

skills

GENG5010 Professional Engineering Portfolio, The University of Western Australia

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Throughout the vacation program I became aware of the limitations of my

knowledge in certain areas relevant to my project. As a mechanical engineering

student, I had limited experience with mathematical statistics and machine

learning methods. I undertook online courses in these areas to develop the

required knowledge and skill set to complete my project to a high standard. When

appropriate, I also sought the guidance from my supervisors and team who had

more experience in these areas than myself.

3.5

Self

management

and

professional

conduct

CAREER EPISODE REPORT EXAMPLE 2

Organisation

Supervisor

Activity

Time Period

Possum Minerals

Mary Alexis

Engineering Standards

Nov 2014 ¨C Feb 2015

Episode Description

Competency

Element

Claimed

In late 2014, I applied for a position at Possum Minerals, an iron ore mining

company with global operations. After passing the written application process and

a formal interview, I was offered a place on the Possum Minerals Summer

Vacation Program in their Engineering Standards Division. This work experience

focused on ensuring that plant equipment and procedures were aligned with both

the Australian Engineering standards and Possum Minerals Engineering

standards. I spent this work experience completing a Fly-In Fly-Out (FIFO) roster

and was located at Eastern Ridge mine site in Newman, Western Australia. My

duties involved the inspection of ongoing project plans, operations and

maintenance procedures as well as the management of small to mid scale

projects.

Introduction

As the engineering work experience was site based, there was a strong emphasis

and commitment to the safety of the employees, the local people and the

environment. During my site induction I completed multiple short courses on how

to conduct myself to ensure the safety of my co-workers and myself. This involved

the driving of vehicles, using the radio systems and fatigue management. Over

the three-month period I was able to develop a high level of safety initiative

through being constantly vigilant and critical of my surroundings. A particular

event, which displayed this, was when I was able to identify a potential hazard

involving the spacing of the safety rails on a conveyor belt. Through visual

inspection I determined that there was ample spacing for a limb to be exposed to

the belt rollers if someone was to slip or trip in a particular manner, which could

cause a fatal injury. I compared the measured spacing with both the Australian

and Possum Minerals Engineering standards and found that it reached the

requirements, however still deemed there was considerable risk and hence raised

the issue with my team. We completed a risk assessment and determined that

whilst we would not change the spacing, a notification would be raised across the

mine site to warn employees about the potential hazard.

PE3.1

Ethical conduct

and

responsibility

My project management skills improved drastically over the course of my work

experience. The nature of the site work meant that there was always engineering

problems to address. Any employee can make requests and these requests were

delivered to our engineering standards team. Upon my arrival there was a

spreadsheet containing hundreds of engineering requests needing evaluation

and/or solutions. Many of these projects required engagement with the requester

PE2.4

Apply

systematic

approaches to

project

management

GENG5010 Professional Engineering Portfolio, The University of Western Australia

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and other engineering teams such as maintenance and operation. Due to the

FIFO work and variable swing schedules, I found that often progress on these

projects would be stalled. It was hence more practical to conduct multiple projects

at one time, directing attention to the projects that could currently move forward.

The management of these projects typically involved initial inspection, organising

meetings with the stakeholders, development of solution ideas, requesting quotes

from third party engineering firms, organisation of deliveries and/or pickups and

finally installation. This greatly developed my organisational and management

skills.

As part of my work, I was required to utilise and apply engineering standards and

codes for design projects and maintenance documents. A particular example that

illustrated this was in my design of a conveyer chute inspection door. A conveyer

chute inspection door is used on mine sights to inspect the contents being

transferred by a conveyer directly after being dumped through a dust chute. Their

importance stems from the ability to do this without having to cease the operation

of the conveyer, thus reducing downtime and improving production. This however

introduces a safety risk as the employee inspecting may be exposed to the

moving parts of the conveyer. For this reason the inspection doors possess either

a barred or mesh section to prevent injury to the inspector. As the lead project

manager on the design of such an inspection door I was responsible for ensuring

that the physical design of the door met both the Australian and Possum Minerals

engineering standards.

PE1.6

Understanding

of

contemporary

engineering

practice

I dealt with a wide range of stakeholders in the projects I completed during my

work experience. This included standards engineers, maintenance engineers,

operation engineers, third party companies, technicians, financial employees and

health and safety officers. Any given project would often involve a handful of

these respective parties. When designing a solution to an engineering problem,

these parties would often have varying opinions based on their own experiences

and backgrounds. It was important for me to understand this and use it to my

advantage in the design process. The most effective design often was a product

of smart trade-offs between competitive solutions. I was able to display my

initiative and leadership whilst respecting the opinions of others to deliver

engineering solutions developed from a diverse range of stakeholders.

PE3.2

Effective

communication

skills

My ability to manage information and documentation was demonstrated and

honed through my utilisation and construction of design proposals, maintenance

and operation manuals, engineering sketches and project reports. At the start of a

project¡¯s lifecycle, I would commonly access the documentation system for these

resources. As the project progressed I systematically produced and uploaded the

required documents. Furthermore, following the completion of a project, I followed

business protocols by completing management of change procedures and

producing the required documentation to signify the work done and the associated

changes involved.

PE3.4

Professional

use and

management of

information

GENG5010 Professional Engineering Portfolio, The University of Western Australia

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CAREER EPISODE REPORT EXAMPLE 3

Organisation

Supervisor

Activity

Time Period

Staz Solutions

Joe Harvey

Performance Monitoring of Cloud Applications

Jan 2016 ¨C Feb 2016

Episode Description

Competency

Element

Claimed

For six weeks in early 2016, I worked for Staz Solutions as a software engineer.

Staz Solutions is a global company that provides cloud-based enterprise

solutions for small and large businesses. One of my tasks while at Staz

Solutions was monitoring the performance of certain cloud-based applications.

This report describes my activities and responsibilities during this task.

Introduction

In order to design and maintain a complex distributed environment to perform

large-scale performance testing on a cloud application, it was necessary to find

solutions to emerging problems, such as how to redeploy several services and

modules in real time without affecting the health of the system so that

measurements were not disrupted. To solve this problem, I had to research best

practice and the capabilities of the technologies at hand. This involved the

search of official documentation, as well as the company¡¯s internal knowledge

repositories compiled by the global engineering team.

PE3.4

Professional

use and

management of

information

When designing my test environment, I was able to successfully break down the

problem into the relevant subsections, including data seeding, housing of

software under test, and monitoring requirements. I also determined and

requisitioned all of the resources required (in terms of computer architecture).

During this process, I made my work more efficient by successfully reusing

several company internal assets. This is a core concept of software engineering

design.

PE2.1

Apply methods

to solve

complex

engineering

problems

My understanding of mathematics, numerical analysis and statistics was key

when it came to processing results, and summarising and reporting performance

statistics to senior engineers and management. Raw data was obtained in

several different forms. It had to be transformed and correlated so that it was

easy to identify trends and to measure the impact that different changes made

and how they affected bottlenecks. This involved processes like correlating

different variables to changes in output as well as detecting and identifying

statistical anomalies (outliers and changes in trend) in data.

PE1.2

Conceptual

understanding

of math and

computer

science

I demonstrated knowledge of contextual factors impacting engineering when

designing my performance analysis test suite. After conducting an initial set of

baseline tests that monitored individual pieces of functionality, I refactored the

system such that all test input and monitoring followed the most common

customer use patterns as observed from reports from the production

environment. In this way, I ensured that the engineering team had statistics that

were relevant to customer satisfaction and the overall business success of the

application when making decisions.

PE1.5

Knowledge of

contextual

factors

impacting

engineering

When designing both the performance testing environment, as well as having

input into the design direction of the product at whole, I demonstrated the ability

to engage in ethical conduct as part of my engineering process. As part of the

engineering team, I raised concerns about the potential misuse of our product.

The software could be used for malicious purposes due to the nature of the

PE3.1

Ethical conduct

and

responsibility

GENG5010 Professional Engineering Portfolio, The University of Western Australia

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