Engineering and teleworking, a learning path

Eduardo Sepúlveda, Engineering Manager

There is no doubt that the reality we have lived during the last 16 months surpassed the most fantastic science fiction script; marked by a global pandemic, teleworking and living in constant uncertainty because of not knowing when this film will end. But human beings, some more than others, have the ability to adapt and we have done so, incorporating confinement into our routines and accepting new ways of relating to family, friends and co-workers. Undoubtedly, this process and the profound change it has implied has not been easy.

In this scenario, we saw the need to relocate 100% of our activity to the homes of PA Engineering employees, to protect their health and that of their families. The initial situation was not easy, as the mission of moving 700 people and maintaining the operation was challenging and highly demanding for all our employees.

After the initial impact caused by the pandemic, came the great challenge, that of managing and developing engineering under this new modality. The challenge was important, but it has also been very enriching, as we had to face questions about how to manage quality and multidisciplinary teams remotely or how to maintain productivity.

After 16 months in teleworking, we can say that the initial challenges and questions were satisfactorily resolved. Difficulties obviously existed, but they were all corrected thanks to the work and internal culture that we were able to build before and during the pandemic. This is how during this process we learned to manage work teams, customers and suppliers remotely, where technology helped make this path simpler.

In addition, our strategy defined several years earlier, on the incorporation of 3D Models, first, and then the BIM methodology in the execution of engineering projects, allowed us to take on this challenge with the experience of working on collaborative models. This, added to the contribution of each of our collaborators, who put effort, passion and commitment, has allowed us to continue developing engineering with the standards of quality, efficiency and compliance with deadlines that have characterized us for more than 25 years.

What’s more, due to the experiences rescued, we were able to verify our abilities to perform engineering remotely. Thus, during this pandemic, we opened offices in Lima, Peru, and Perth, Australia. In addition, technology and the pandemic opened up the opportunity for us to work with important international consultants in the field of engineering, communications and organizational development.

Finally, it is important that we continue to make progress in improving the way in which we develop engineering projects, implementing new and innovative technologies that allow us to remain at the forefront of optimizing engineering processes, since no one assures us how long we will continue in this condition or that it will not be repeated in the future.   The pandemic left us with a lesson, “nothing is impossible, if we set our minds to it, and that the limitations are only in our minds”.