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A competency based approach to managing skills in geotechnical numerical

analysis

Conference Paper · September 2015

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Andrew Lees
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 Proceedings of the XVI ECSMGE
Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development
ISBN 978-0-7277-6067-8

© The authors and ICE Publishing: All rights reserved, 2015

doi:10.1680/ecsmge.60678

A competency based approach to managing skills in

geotechnical numerical analysis
Une gestion du savoir-faire en analyse numérique géotechnique basée
sur les compétences
A.S. Lees*1
1
Geofem Ltd., Nicosia, Cyprus
*
Corresponding Author

ABSTRACT The aim of the COGAN (Competency in Geotechnical Analysis) project was to address a need for improved competency in
industry in the use of geotechnical numerical analysis software. This conference coincides with the end of the two-year project and has pro-
vided an opportunity to present the deliverables of the project. The three main outcomes from the project comprise a) an Educational Base
of around 500 competence statements describing what a user of numerical analysis software needs to know, b) a Competency Tracker allo-
wing organisations and individuals to record and monitor achievement of the competences, and c) two e-learning modules providing acces-
sible work-based training in two specific areas of numerical analysis. These three deliverables provide the tools with which geotechnical
engineering companies can improve the competency of their staff in using numerical analysis software and it is hoped that the deliverables
will enjoy a high take-up rate. These deliverables could also provide a model for managing competency in the wider geotechnical sector.

RÉSUMÉ L’ambition du projet COGAN ( compétences en analyse géotechnique ) était de répondre à un besoin d'améliorer les compé-
tences de l'industrie dans l'utilisation de logiciels d'analyse numérique géotechnique. Cette conférence coïncide avec la fin du projet de
deux ans et a fourni une occasion de présenter les livrables du projet. Les trois principaux résultats du projet comprennent a) une Base
d'Éducation d'environ 800 déclarations de compétence décrivant ce qu’un utilisateur de logiciel d'analyse numérique a besoin de savoir, b)
un traqueur de compétence permettant aux organisations et aux particuliers de sauvegarder et de surveiller l’accomplissement des compé-
tences , et c ) deux modules d’apprentissage en ligne fournissant une formation accessible et professionnelle dans deux domaines spéci-
fiques de l'analyse numérique . Ces trois livrables procurent les outils avec lesquels les sociétés d'ingénierie géotechnique peuvent amélio-
rer les capacités de leur personnel dans l’utilisation de logiciel d'analyse numérique et il est attendu que les livrables profitent d'un taux de
participation élevé. Ces livrables peuvent également fournir un modèle de gestion des compétences dans l’ensemble du secteur géotech-
nique.

1 INTRODUCTION gal and regulatory requirements in some industries,

Modern geotechnical design is increasingly reliant on
numerical analysis methods, e.g. finite element anal-
ysis (FEA). Yet such techniques are barely covered
in a university education (Potts 2003), even to post-
graduate level. Concerns persist surrounding inap-
propriate use of numerical analysis tools by untrained
staff, as demonstrated by benchmark studies (e.g.
Potts et al. 2002, Schweiger 2006). There is also a
growing demand for organisations to demonstrate the
competency of their design staff to clients – even le-
such as in the nuclear sector.
All these pointed to an immediate need for im-
proved competency amongst users of geotechnical
numerical analysis software, as well as for the tools
to allow organisations and individuals alike to man-
age and demonstrate their competency. This paper
describes the outcomes of the COGAN Project that
aimed to address these needs. While focused on nu-
merical analysis, they could also be adapted to meet
the needs of the wider geotechnical engineering sec-
tor.

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Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development

2 COGAN PROJECT Analysis Simulation Innovation Transfer) project de-

liverables tailored to geotechnical numerical analysis.
The EASIT project (Wood et al. 2011), which was
2.1 Background completed in 2012, developed a generic Educational
Base and Competency Tracker for all fields of engi-
COGAN (Competency in Geotechnical Analysis) is a neering analysis and simulation.
two-year research project funded by the European
Union Lifelong Learning Programme and the project
2.2 Educational Base
partners (Enginsoft, Geofem, Mott MacDonald,
NAFEMS, Skanska, Terrasolum, TU Graz and Wesi This is a set of around 500 statements describing the
Geotechnica) and when this conference is held the minimum level competency required of an engineer
project will be in its last month. The main goal of the to perform safe numerical analysis in geotechnical
project was to provide the means to improve the engineering. These were divided into the 15 modules
competency of users of geotechnical numerical anal- listed in Table 1 and the categories were decided
ysis software. among the project partners and in response to a sur-
It was recognized that the field of numerical anal- vey of the geotechnical engineering industry (Lees et
ysis is too broad and evolutionary to be covered only al. 2014). The competence statements and accompa-
by a university education and that teaching must be nying list of resource references were prepared by
shared between university and the workplace. While experts in each of the module areas. The statements
university education covering the fundamentals of were then edited by the project partners into a con-
numerical analysis and background geotechnical sistent format and with no overlap or gaps between
knowledge is well-established, work-based training is the modules. To ensure that the statements and re-
typically less structured and ad-hoc, leading to incon- source references remain up to date with develop-
sistent levels of competency. So COGAN provided ments in the field, they will be maintained from time
the tools for work-based training and managing staff to time by the NAFEMS Geotechnical Committee.
competency through three key deliverables:
 Educational Base: a list of around 500 compe-
tences, divided into appropriate modules, that
users of geotechnical numerical analysis soft-
Competency
ware must possess as a minimum, with learning Company
Tracker
resource references skills
mangmt.
 Competency Tracker: the Educational Base systems
incorporated into a web-based interface that en- Educational
Learning
Base
gineers and managers alike can use to look-up resources,
and track competences and assess training competence
including
needs e-learning
statements
National
 Exemplar E-Learning Modules: state-of-the- body
art e-learning tools and 3D graphics software registration
have been used to prepare two engaging cours- systems
es covering setting up a geotechnical numerical
analysis model and the use of structural ele-
ments – these provide a blueprint to be devel-
oped by training providers into more courses Figure 1. COGAN overview.
that are easily accessible from the workplace.
The way the deliverables interact with each other
and with other external skills management processes
is illustrated in Figure 1. The Educational Base and
Competency Tracker are described in more detail be-
low and are versions of the EASIT (Engineering

4284

Table 1. COGAN Educational Base modules.
Designing a numerical model for geotechnical analysis
Structural elements and interfaces
Constitutive models for structural materials
Constitutive models for geomaterials
Obtaining soil/rock parameters
Saturated/unsaturated groundwater flow
Drained/undrained analysis
Consolidation
Validation of analysis results
Deep excavations
Foundations (including piles)
Earthworks and slopes
Soil mechanics
Rock mechanics
Modelling applications and design code considerations
The resource references are an important element
of the Educational base because they provide an im-
mediate source for self-learners to enhance their
knowledge in a particular competency. These refer-
ences may be books, papers, web pages or training
courses. Rather than referring learners to a whole
book, the reference identifies the particular section or
pages of the book where information on a specific
competency can be found. This, of course, increases
the need to maintain the Educational Base as revised
editions of books and new publications come onto
the market.
Table 2. Example competence statements (from Obtaining
soil/rock parameters module).
Cognitive category Statement of competence
Application Specify methods of minimising soil
sample disturbance and maximizing
sample quality.
Comprehension Explain the importance of validation of
model parameters and give examples of
validation methods.
Synthesis Obtain parameters from test results for
constitutive models for rock, taking into
account rock mass characteristics.
Application Derive linear stiffness from test results
appropriate for the stress and strain lev-
el when using material models with lin-
ear elasticity.
Evaluation Evaluate the sensitivity of numerical
model outputs to parameter uncertainty
and its effect on designs and conclu-
sions from the model.
A few example competence statements from the
Educational Base are shown in Table 2. The style and
categorization of the statements follows the popular
Bloom’s taxonomy used in educational institutions
Lees
around the world. The advantage of this style is that
it describes explicitly what an engineer is expected to
do, which makes the assessment of achievement of a
competency much easier, either by reviewing an en-
gineer’s work, by direct discussion or even self-
assessment. The total of 500 statements was consid-
ered to establish a quite comprehensive but achieva-
ble definition of the minimum and general competen-
cy expected of a geotechnical engineer engaged in
numerical analysis. However, it is recognized that
some organisations would wish to add company- and
software-specific competence statements, as well as
more specialized statements and modules to suit their
particular analysis activities, as illustrated in Figure
2. The COGAN Competency Tracker (described be-
low) will allow the flexibility to edit, add and remove
statements and whole modules, as well as translating
the Educational Base into languages other than Eng-
lish.
COGAN
Company Specialised
specific
Software
specific
Figure 2. Competence types.
It is anticipated that the COGAN Educational
Base will have the following uses:
 Provide useful information to self-learners
 Provide focus for developers of short courses,
textbooks and other learning material
 Provide a basis for assessment of achievement
in each competence area
 Provide a basis for registers of competent engi-
neers.
2.3 Competency Tracker
The main objective of the COGAN Competency
Tracker is to enable large, medium and small compa-
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Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development
Personal ID and information
Rights Roles
View/edit own record Member
View/edit records for all
your staff Manager
Edit the competence Administrator
statements
Figure 3. Competency Tracker features
nies, as well as individual engineers, to record and
monitor competence levels in the area of geotech-
nical numerical analysis. With the flexibility of the
system, organisations may choose to cover compe-
tency in geotechnical engineering more generally.
The reporting tools (see Figure 3) allow managers to
view competency within their section by individual
users, by groups or by specific competency. These
will streamline planning for training needs and the
assignment of staff to analysis tasks. At the heart of
the Competency Tracker is the Educational Base de-
scribed above.
It is a versatile web-based relational database sys-
tem allowing the competences gained by individuals
to be tracked and logged. Administrator-level users
can edit, delete, add and translate modules to tailor
the Educational Base to their needs. It may also be
possible to transfer data from wider company staff
development systems.
Competences may be assessed by internal attesta-
tion, external attestation, internal examination or ex-
ternal examination. Two levels of practice (either
standard or advanced) are assigned to each compe-
tence statement by default, but administrators may
choose to add more levels to match in-house systems.
3 CONCLUSIONS
The COGAN Project has developed three important
tools to facilitate enhanced competency in the field of
geotechnical numerical analysis. Namely, an Educa-
tional Base that defines the minimum competences
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Reporting
My competence record
By User
By Group
By Competence
required of an engineer engaged in numerical analy-
sis, a Competency Tracker to record and monitor
achievement of competences, and E-Learning Mod-
ules for accessible, work-based learning.
With both industry and individual take-up of these
deliverables, it is hoped that:
 Geotechnical numerical analysis tools will be
implemented more consistently and competent-
ly
 Organisations will be able to train their engi-
neers in numerical analysis in a more structured
way
 Individuals without access to formal training
will be able to self-learn effectively
 Organisations will be better able to demonstrate
the competency of their engineers in numerical
analysis.
For more information about the COGAN Project
and access to its deliverables, please visit the
COGAN or NAFEMS websites (www.cogan.eu.com
or www.nafems.org)).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Lifelong Learning Programme of the European
Union is thanked for their support of the COGAN
Project, as are the project partners (mentioned in Sec-
tion 2.1), and the domain experts who prepared the
Educational Base.
 Lees

REFERENCES Schweiger, H.F. 2006. Results from the ERTC7 benchmark exer-
cise, Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (Ed.
Schweiger), 3-8.
Lees, A.S. Schmidt, F. & Bacas, B.M. 2014. Survey of geotech-
Wood, J. Morris T. & Prinja, N. 2011. The development of a com-
nical numerical analysis use and training needs in industry, Nu-
petence framework for engineering analysis and simulation. 21st
merical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (Eds. Hicks,
International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor
Brinkgreve & Rohe), 247-251.
Technology 2011 (SMiRT 21) New Delhi, India, 6-11 November.
Potts, D.P. 2003. Numerical analysis: a virtual dream or practical
Div-III, Paper ID 530.
reality? Géotechnique 53(6), 535-573.
Potts, D. Axelsson, K. Grande, L. Schweiger, H. & Long, M.
2002. Guidelines for the use of advanced numerical analysis,
Thomas Telford, London.

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