With more than 15 years of experience in this field, Domas knows that curiosity, a thirst for innovation and knowledge are inherent qualities of a professional designer. “You have to be unafraid to be different and creative, to look at a problem from different angles. After all, every problem is an interesting unsolved situation, you just have to find the right side from which to approach it properly”, says the team leader of the Bridge Department. According to him, one of the key factors helping to move forward is professional zeal. It encourages employees to work together and to improve.
When asked about the most frequent challenges, Domas Čėsna says that most of them occur in years 2-3 of the career. “It takes time for a designer to get familiar with the specifics of the job, the nuances of the profession, the operational processes, the problems and the possible standard solutions.” He stresses that the choice of the area in which the employee wants to specialise is also sometimes a challenge. “You should choose what you can do and know best, what you have an inclination, a passion, and a vocation for – maybe it’s the calculation of foundations or structures, modelling, or something else entirely. It is worth considering whether you are more interested in design specialising in metal or reinforced concrete structures. There are so many possibilities and choices in this field – you just have to think about it and decide on a specific line of work,” the Head of the Bridge Department shares his experience.
After receiving an offer to cooperate with “Vilnius Tech” Quality Management Centre, Domas Čėsna, the Head of the Bridge Department at “TEC Infrastructure”, systematised the most common challenges in the management of human resources throughout the design process and presented effective solutions that have already been tested in practice. “I hope that my presentation will help the designers, professionals working in the engineering field and their managers to grow,” he said.
The presentation on the management of human resources, prepared by Domas Čėna, the Head of Bridge Department at “TEC Infrastructure”, is suitable for anyone who is dealing with teamwork without being tied to industrial activities. “The training material covers examples of team building and development.” The principles of the management of human resources developed by business professionals are analysed in detail and their practical application, adding value to the business, is proposed.
According to Domas Čėsna, the key principle helping the employee to improve is continuous growth, or in other words – striving to be better and happier than you were yesterday. It is also important to realise that success also depends on how often and how intensively the same engineering problems are faced. Domas believes that over time a habit develops which, when faced with recurring engineering problems, makes solving them easier and, of course, more effective. “It’s not about working faster, it’s about working smarter”, Domas concludes.
The principles of the management of human resources are implemented in the team of “TEC Infrastructure” with great success and continuity. Employees learn from others’ examples and try not to repeat the same mistakes. The company also applies an inventory management technique, incremental improvements in continuous work cycles, as well as the planning methods for error detection and prevention. “Learning from one unsuccessful situation, where time, financial and other resources were used far more than planned, we have started to apply targeted and efficient use of resources. For example, we never do unnecessary printing jobs or waste paper, we try to apply the principles of the Green LEAN strategy,” says Domas Čėsna.
Correct management of human resources helps achieve real (in terms of measurable benefits for the company), long-term results. For example: it allows application of a different methodology for submitting a commercial proposal and pricing for calculated tenders, reducing the amount of materials used and increasing the efficiency of material absorption (converting raw materials into construction products faster). “If the designer and the client have a great human resource management, i.e. know the strengths of each member of the existing team and allocate their responsibilities appropriately, it is likely that the expectations will be met in full.”
“TEC Infrastructure”, UAB is part of the TEC Group of Companies which also includes the companies “TEC Industry” and “TEC Consulting”. The companies of the Group provide design, consulting, maintenance, project and construction management and other engineering services for transport infrastructure and industrial objects as well as energy facilities.