I started my career as a highway design engineer, and then became a Resident Engineer on projects in England, Kenya, Kuwait and Honkong.

I qualified as a MICE in 1977 I think, which allowed me to work abroad; but in about 2005 gave up my membership as I could not see any career benefits for a senior planning engineer; which is one reason why I am interested in this Guild.

When I returned from Hongkong in January 1989, my aim was to change my career path; being frustrated as an RE in knowing better ways to do things on site, but having to watch others make mistakes. So I joined Sir Robert McAlpine as the chief engineer on the then in vogue managemant contracting job building the glass and white steel building over the South end of Victoria Station. This was my first introduction to railway interface works; with the whole structure built on 240 large rubber bearings to separate the office from the vibrations of the diesel trains using platform 19! I became experienced with track possession working; also with the management of building trades work, as well as the structural frame work.

However, by the time that the building was completed, in 1991, all the cranes around London had disappeared due to the downturn in the economy. I was offered work at the McA head office as a tender planning engineer (NOT a 'Planner'!), in Highway works, due to my CV experience. I was given a computer (my first one!) with Power Project's GEM version loaded on it; and so started my planning career.

The company changed to Primavera P3 when we won the Croydon Tramlink project in 1994; and as my experience was seen to be in highways and railways by then, I became the project planning engineer; after doing a course in P3.

I continued using P3 with Balfour Beatty in their Major Projects international division; then on projects at Portsmouth docks and the West coast main line (Willesdon remodelling); where I became conversant with signalling design and implementation requirements (+KPIs of cable terminations!).

I joined Nuttalls in June 2001; and the software has changed form P3 to P3.1 to P3E etc. Now with P6.2; But still no better inside the software despite the updates; Primavera just keep updating the web usage facilities, in order to sell more licences to senior managers who can overview what the planning engineers are producing! I still think P3.1 is better for the actual planning process!

So I have about 15 years of planning software experience; but 40 years of engineering experience behind it!

My own planning acronym, and the first structure that I designed, is SILTTRAP; which to me gives the order that a planning engineer should approach any project:

S = Space (the allocated site for the works, and any useable areas around it);

I = Information (drawings and specification provided; +site visit photographs);

L = Logic;

T = Time;

T = Temporary Works;

R = Resources & Risks;

A = Alternative solutions (tenders); or for a running project = Alternatives and Actuals;

P = Pounds and Presentation.

If young prospective planning ENGINEERS could grasp this concept and sequence as a process for planning and preparing their programmes, then they would become useful!

Graham