2021 Women in Engineering
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Angela Williams Senior Quality Engineer
Accumold B.S. Industrial Engineering University of Iowa
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What first drew you to engineering? / When did you first know you wanted to be an engineer? Growing up, both of my parents had jobs in a local factory. My dad worked as a test engineer and would often get called into work on off shift hours for support. He would let me tag along when he knew it would be a quick fix and then take me to see different parts of the factory and teach me about the manufacturing processes. I still find joy in touring factories and especially learning about manufacturing processes that I haven’t previously seen. I also enjoyed math and science in high school, so it seemed like a natural next step for me to study engineering in college. Give us an example of your involvement in: a design project, a product launch, the development of a new technology, or the adoption of a new technology or process. In my current role, I am involved in various product launches with multiple customers. I find that it is important to build a strong sense of teamwork with both internal and external team members. I always strive for full transparency with the entire team and listening to everyone in the room. It’s important to pull out ideas and experiences of all present. In doing so, it allows the team to fully understand the obstacle and work together to tackle it as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Describe your biggest engineering challenge. How did you conquer it or resolve it, or what was the outcome? I’ve encountered many technically challenging problems throughout my career. However, looking back, the biggest challenges are those that take place in high pressure situations that involve interpersonal skills, such as working with an upset customer or a supplier who cannot fulfill commitments. Those situations always involved traveling to those places and working with a team of people. When everyone is on the same page working towards the same goal it can be exciting to implement change and move forward to resolve challenges. I’ve seen the most successful solutions come to fruition in working sessions with team members who are open to meaningful change. Of course, when there are certain types of personalities that are present in those meetings, I usually remind myself of something my parents always said: “a polished rock is still a rock.” Just because someone in the room can spin something and present it in a more pleasant way doesn’t necessarily make that the better way. My pragmatic approach is to avoid the “spin” and keep everyone moving forward. For the rest of Angela Williams’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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www.designworldonline.com
DESIGN WORLD
10/18/21 12:00 PM
