Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
(OP)
This is a takeoff on JOM's post in Thread765-64959. He asked "Would it raise hackles to suggest that engineers are not too ready to admit they can and do make serious mistakes?"
Seeing as I work for the feds and my job involves verifying the adequacy of engineering work done by others, I have my own perspective on this. I also know that it is the subject of many an internal discussion ON THE WORKER LEVEL (on the line of "who guards the guards" - or how does my organization know that we're doing an adequate job.)
I know the people I most admire are the ones who are willing to acknowledge their humanity (that they do make mistakes); however, I'm an iconclast here and not always in my management's best favor.
So opinions, please?
Seeing as I work for the feds and my job involves verifying the adequacy of engineering work done by others, I have my own perspective on this. I also know that it is the subject of many an internal discussion ON THE WORKER LEVEL (on the line of "who guards the guards" - or how does my organization know that we're doing an adequate job.)
I know the people I most admire are the ones who are willing to acknowledge their humanity (that they do make mistakes); however, I'm an iconclast here and not always in my management's best favor.
So opinions, please?
Patricia Lougheed
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RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
If I don't find them, other surely will somewhere down the line (drafting, fabrication, installation, customer review). It's much better to come clean and move on that to try to hide or blame others.
Of course, if I'm not totally to blame, I make that clear also.
My attitude also helps others in our comapny willing to admit their mistakes. No one get's beaten down for it. No one is afraid.
It helps that those above me practice the same attitude.
The harsh light of day and all that...
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
But, as far as mistakes go, you rarely stand alone. There are many eyes and hands that touch a product before it reaches customers' hands, be it a report, drawing, analysis result, manufactured good, or anything else. Throughout the process, many people have a chance to speak up about a problem, a potential problem, or something they consider a mistake. Everyone in the process that missed noticing the mistake is just as guilty as the originator of it.
--Scott
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RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
When we find a mistake the root causes should be identified and a new procedure added to prevent it recurring. That is the penultimate step in our little-loved problem solving procedure.
To find the root causes ultimately you have to identify what mistakes have been made. This pretty much points the finger. The good news is that the guy who made the mistake is probably in the best place to identify a better way of preventing it.
In practice of course there can be a lot of ducking and weaving at a political level, but at an engineering level the real truth is usually known - it has to be to get embodied in the "prevention of recurrence".
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
BTW, if anyone here ever tells my hubby I admitted to making a mistake - I'll deny it.
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
On the good side I have made a mistake on a cantliever verandah design, which was picked up by the builder at the start of construction (he invited me onto the "diving board"). The builder did not rip my head off, the owner understood and asked how was I going to fix the problem. I fixed and paid for the solution. As a consequence I now have two new clients that are excellent to work with.
Mistakes will always happen and are not the end of the world.
regards
sc
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
I can now repeat them perfectly.
Cheers,
John.
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
Blacksmith
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
Sometimes "mistakes" end up being a good thing - thye don't work as intended, but there are other excellent applications.
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
along with a bunch of others:
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_failure.html
TTFN
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
The problem is pride and the worry of the consequence may inhibite our readiness to declare our mistake openly.
The problem will get muddled when the legal people are involved as they would prevent us admitting any mistake.
On a personal level, I don't find admitting mistake a problem especially having put in the best effort, making sure the mistake if occur would not afftect the overall situation materially and knowing others could probably have committed even more errors.
To err is human.
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
To me, the issue is not whether to admit the mistake, but to whom and when is it safe to make such an admission. The world is full of those who will spin such an admission into places that none of us want to go, and thus we have to be careful to whom we'll be totally honest with. It boils down to whom can you trust with the knowledge of the mistake, especially if it's before the error has been rectified.
RE: Are We, As Engineers, Willing to Admit Mistakes?
If you have the (mis)fortune of being the sole technical expert in a specific area within a large organization, and no-one else really has the time/interest/knowledge to judge your work thoroughly, then management will glean most of the information on the success or failure of your previous efforts based on what you tell them of the results. Puts you in a bit of a quandry.
I have seen conclusions on root cause analysis etc shaded in many subtle ways to reflect favorably on previous actions and statements of the person reaching the conclusion.
I have long thought that trying to do the right thing without worrying about how it looks will pay off in the long run. I am starting to change my views to focus more and more on the politics of the situation. Although it is never a one-dimensional decision.