# S1E45 How To Succeed at The Technical & Business Aspects of Engineering | Les Voss

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2020-10-17
- Length: 55m
- Episode: 45
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/how-to-succeed-engineering/

## Summary

Les Voss, a mechanical engineer at Johnson & Johnson's Vision Care division, discusses the intersection of technical engineering and business success, emphasizing that a working product is not a success if it lacks a viable business case. He advocates for continuous learning in tools like ANSYS and SolidWorks, and stresses the importance of exact constraint design and clear communication through J&J's Flawless Project Execution (FPX) system. Voss shares a major failure where a technically perfect interferometry system was cancelled because the business case for parametric release was flawed, highlighting the need for engineers to understand financial implications. He concludes by advising engineers to leverage their technical strengths while relying on complementary skills for project management and stakeholder communication.

## Chapters

- [0:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=30) Introduction: Les Voss and Johnson & Johnson
- [1:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=78) Les Voss's Creative Background and Early Career at Beck
- [5:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=345) The Importance of Intellectual Curiosity and Continuous Learning
- [16:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=997) Technical Skills: FEA, ANSYS, and SolidWorks
- [21:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=1265) Exact Constraint Design and Application of Physics
- [29:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=1759) Case Study: Venturi Cooling Success and Interferometry Failure
- [35:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=2136) Flawless Project Execution (FPX) and Communication
- [44:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=2650) Advice for Project Managers and Leadership
- [47:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-10-17-s1e45-how-to-succeed-at-the-technical-business-aspects-of-engineering-les-voss#t=2863) Challenges: Finding the Right Questions and Projects

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Johnson & Johnson (company)
- Beck (company)
- ANSYS (tool)
- SolidWorks (tool)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)

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- [082: Smooth Product Flow from Visual Design to Engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-06-30-082-smooth-product-flow-from-visual-design-to-engineering) (Product Startup)
- [Episode 10: Semiconductor Investor Mindsets](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-03-13-episode-10-semiconductor-investor-mindsets) (The Circuit)
- [Marketing to a Technical Audience with Wendy Covey](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-09-01-marketing-to-a-technical-audience-with-wendy-covey) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [An Interview with Scott Driscoll - Impacable Interdisciplinary Inventor](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-02-05-an-interview-with-scott-driscoll-impacable-interdisciplinary-inventor) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

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