ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book suggests that planning and design are the key activities which, together with management, allow any engineering project to be taken from the initial concept stage through to successful implementation. It discusses various aspects of creative thinking, as well as some techniques that can be used to develop right-brain activities. The chapter looks at a range of practical techniques that are used in the planning of engineering projects. It also discusses various aspects of the over-riding concepts of engineering risk and reliability. The chapter provides an introduction to the wide range of optimisation techniques that are available to engineers, including those that use traditional mathematical techniques as well as the modern search approaches that can be used in association with non-linear and discontinuous modelling and computer simulation.
