Name : Mohd Safwan bin Mohd

Yazid
I/C : 870525-05-5039
Subject : Project Management &
Estimating
Code Subject : DCE 2327
ASSIGNMENT 1
The Role 0f Engineers In Sustainable
Development
Engineers can play a significant role in ensuring sustainable solutions are available,
considered and implemented. Scientists have taken a significant role in understanding and the
fundamental human interactions on the global environment and developing policy to support
decision makers. In contrast, the applied knowledge of the engineering community has been
largely absent from the policy debate, despite the fact that engineers use science to plan, build
and operate the infrastructure which may directly contribute to solutions and sometimes
problems of environmental degradation.

Developing countries face engineering problems that are in many cases different than those
of developing countries. Thus very rapid growth of mega-cities in developing countries
requires technology for transportation and utilities with unprecedented capacity and
flexibility. Tropical and desert conditions in very poor countries require engineering solutions
that are very rugged and very low cost. As a significant opportunity, engineers focus on the
delivery of near term solutions to immediate problems using proven technology, usually in
the one to three year time frame. Many of the critical environmental problems we face today
as outlined in Rio Declaration are related to water, energy food security and waste. These
involve low tech solutions which are available now and can be applied immediately;
information on these technologies can be distributed broadly using electronic networks.

The World Engineering Partnership for Sustainable Development and its partners proposes
the following four specific activities in support of sustainable development.

1. Re-address engineering responsibilities by incorporating sustainable development

principles into the codes of ethic of the engineering organizations throughout the world. In
1985, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations developed the “WFEO Code of
Environmental Ethics for Engineers. This was followed by the Hong Kong Institute of
Engineers revision of its bylaws to recognize environmental responsibilities of its members.
After twenty years of debate, in 1996 the 120,000 member American Society of Civil
Engineers revised its Canons of Ethics and now requires its members to address sustainable
development principles in their work. Sustainable development is now on an equal basis to
public safety in the ASCE Canon of Ethics. Engineering associations around the world are
considering similar revisions to their codes of ethics. The World Engineering Partnership for
Sustainable Development challenges the science community in addition to economists and
lawyers to incorporate sustainable development into codes of conduct to accelerate progress
on global environmental issues.

2. Incorporate long term environmental impacts and costs into the analysis of alternative
solutions being considered. There is often a misconception that engineers only calculate
technical elements of projects, today engineers manage the entire implementation team and
supervise the design, construction and operation. Successful projects are those where
numerous options are analyzed, then with input from impacted stakeholders, the best
alternative is selected. In the past engineers have prepared reports where alternatives were
presented with only initial capital and operating costs along with an explanation of the
functional differences between alternatives. As engineers manage projects, they can play a
powerful role in the implementation of sustainable development by incorporating long term
environmental impacts and costs in to the analysis of alternatives.

3. Information exchange is the cornerstone of sustainable development and technological

innovation. The World Engineering Partnership for Sustainable Development with its partners
is creating an global communications network with engineers to provide leadership and
practical content to the concept of sustainable development. Wenet represents is a major step
in linking engineers and sharing technology with developed and developing nations. Those
interested in sustainable development can use Wenet to share ideas, conduct business, and
develop sustainable engineering solutions.

4. Near term solutions to critical global environmental issues such as fresh water and global
climate change exist for application in both developed and developing countries and for all
regions of the world. These solutions can be put in service in the one to three year timeframe
by engineers, business leaders and government policymakers. Many complimentary efforts
are underway, for instance the programs of the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations - Committee on
Transferring, Sharing and Assessment of Technology (ComTech). The World Engineering
Partnership for Sustainable Development has proposed forming a “Consultative Group on
Engineering Technology” similar to the CGIAR. That is a consultative group of funding
agents, engineers, scientists, economists, international financial institutions and foundations.
The consultative group of leaders from engineering donors, the UN, and key foundations
would identify the critical global issues, propose near term action plans, focus limited
resources on the most important priorities by enclosing the global engineering community.
Three Resources In Project Management
1) Labour

2) Equipment

3) Materials

Aspects to Be Controlled Of The Resources

1) Safety:

-Aware as safety as a moral and cost issue, are requiring contractors to provide them with a
history of safe working conditions as a part of new criteria included in the contractor
selection process.

2) Budget:

-Budgeting is a project management issue yet profitability is a project objective. Prudent and
proper budgeting is necessary for cost control. Responsibilities of project management is to
define the permissible budget and to ensure stringent control to keep within this budget cost
overrun is considered poor project management. Proper budgeting and cost benefits that
mean value for money. At the same time with the project will still lose money. This can
attribute to others factor like poor location, ineffective, marketing, and promotion a poor
pricing strategy.

3) Quality:

-The profit would be increase through better management control system

-Quality level would be uniform

-Safer deliveries and storage of material

-Cost should be reduce through higher productivity

-Capital utilization should be improve through faster

-Satisfied clients and promoters