Sharing Calcs in the office
Sharing Calcs in the office
(OP)
Question - If you have created calculations for excel or mathcad or really any program you use to get your work done. Do you share these openly with colleagues or do you wait until someone asks? Is there a standard 'protocol' for sharing/asking/offering?
I am still an EIT and work a small company (no large company experience) - me, the boss, and a part timer. However we are bringing on another employee full time who is slightly more experienced than I am. I currently keep all my calcs on our local server so really anyone can access them. I have created quite a few spreadsheats, etc for work that we do. I don't think I have a problem sharing them and I'd like to have them improved.
What do you guys do or have done?
I am still an EIT and work a small company (no large company experience) - me, the boss, and a part timer. However we are bringing on another employee full time who is slightly more experienced than I am. I currently keep all my calcs on our local server so really anyone can access them. I have created quite a few spreadsheats, etc for work that we do. I don't think I have a problem sharing them and I'd like to have them improved.
What do you guys do or have done?
EIT






RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
Whenever I write spreadsheets, though, I always lock the cells except the input cells. This way the formulas can't be messed up by anyone (even myself, accidentially).
I also ask for feedback on them - to make them easier to use or easier to read or just more clear in the presentation.
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
http://www.FerrellEngineering.com
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
Worked for me more than once!!
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
If it's something I'm using as a one off or scratch work, or I've thrown the output into my notes as part of other items that explain it I'm not sharing that. I may understand what I've done and it may be clear what the inputs and outputs mean, but it doesn't mean I've checked edge cases or I may have made it in a way that isn't necessarily generalized.
Basically, I want to minimize the chance of someone taking the sheet, plugging in numbers without completely getting it and doing something dangerous.
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
Although, it is possible that an inexperienced engineer might misuse your creations without understanding them, so caution is sometimes needed in situations like these.
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
Basically the answer seems to be yes, share as seemingly fit (don't need to share scratch paper) but try implement some sort of caution.
EIT
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
Dik
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
My thought was that each design topic would have a Wiki page, with basics about the author, description of the problem being solved, variable descriptions, limitations, etc., all coupled with a decent search engine. Only then could such a repository being to make sense.
As for work; sure you put in what you can, but it's a hit and miss sort of thing. Some companies just don't engender that type of behavior, while others engender more of a "start-up" mentality. It's just depends on the immediate organization that you belong to. I've been incredibly fortunate in never having had a group I didn't like to work with.
TTFN

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RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
The feedback is great because others may have better ways to program. For instance, many years ago, AI used to manually input sectional properties into my spreadsheet. One day another engineer shared with me AISC data table that he had in excel and I added that to mine so now I pick the section from pull down menu and all data is automatically read into the spreadsheet.
Regards,
Lutfi
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
If they have not been independently checked and, preferably, in something to be used multiple times, peer reviewed, they are a black box. I would not sign off as checker or reviewer on a calculation that incorporated the product of such an undocumented sheet or program.
Michael.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
Dik
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
If I am planning on leaving a position, can I take a copy of all of this with me (Sheets that I personally created).
Granted - I wrote all of the sheets and could easily re-write all of the sheets, but are there any legal and/or ethical ramifications to taking a copy?
How about CAD files of projects I designed and drafted that I might like to look at for future reference?
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
I typically lock all cells and then write the password in the sheet (you'll forget it eventually). That way a user can change it intentionally but not by accident.
I worked in a very large office and although they tried to discourage rogue spreadsheets it isn't possible to stop it, it's the nature of our work that we will always need a unique sheet or want to improve what is there.
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office
RE: Sharing Calcs in the office