Planning your Project Part II

[garethace]

Following on from a previous thread here at CG Architect... Just something I scribbled together for someone else today:

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5073

 

 

You see, very often, they want to check out various options, check out things for costing, option A or option B... which would be easiest for the client,... which would cost more money.... etc, etc. THe engineers know that it would take me a certain amount of time to get the relevant information sorted out, and done properly for them... to do this assessment.... so often, they will target some lowly little computer hack, who doesn't really know what they are doing,.... and bully them into 'editing' the source files so to speak. In other words.... they are hacking into my working files.

 

Having 'gotten away' with hacking into my computer files... having got their little problem/solution done.... the lowly novice computer user, having just done what he/her was told to do.... doesn't exactly know how to set everything back right again. Now we have a real problem, because, having done this little 'exercise' that very same engineers the next time he wants something done.... walks straight up to me... and expects of me, that everything on the computer, already having been edited, changed, re-organised and 'screwed up' basically.... should and could magically all just drop back into place without some work done on it.

 

As an old CAD manager, just recently retired told me one day.... the Engineers that I am working for, really don't care about anything else, except that their little tasks get done.... so then they can fire shots at everyone else, who hasn't finished their work... you see. So bearing that in mind now.... only yesterday... the Engineer needed to send a fax, with option A and option B.... to another engineer.... this joker reckoned he wouldn't stand in line and wait for this, to come from me directly.... a lot of engineers do in fairness wait in line patiently, the same way as you would wait to be served your coffee or whatever.

 

This engineer isn't like all the others though, and regularly likes to skip the que... if he pencils in 15 minutes to do this task in his diary.... come hell or high water.... he will get this done in 15 minutes, irregardless of who or what he has to walk all over. So he went into the cubicle right beside mine, and got this guy who had full open access to all of my project files to go in and hack them up to pieces.... on his instructions, just to do something for a quick fax option A/B sheet.

 

Now, after having sent that fax, and had a nice cup of coffee, he arrives into my cubicle and asked me to open the same project files, and to do complete the main project, which was a big huge job (compared to just a fax say).... and needed to go for construction next MOnday morning. I instantly recognised the files had been edited, by the unusually bad drafting/design style of the person who had last edited these files.... and that Engineers response was to give me a big long lecture about how I was wasting his time, and I needed to pull up my socks!

 

This particular engineer will both get his fax done, in the 15 minute time slot in which he wanted it done.... he will also get his construction issue documents for next MOnday morning.... and went out the door Friday evening whistling away to himself, since he doesn't have to come in Saturday now.... just to do that fax.... you see? Because he had been cubicle jumping and using a lowly novice to go in and to 'directly' edit the source documents. If this engineer had had the honesty to come to me directly, I would have come in Saturday myself, and taken care of his fax for him, in such a way, as I would not destroy my own source design files in the process.... but that would be too much like playing the game straight for this guy.

 

What I am just trying to point out, is that the Engineer was perfectly aware and understood the damage he was indeed doing.... but I think is just pretending to be ignorant about computers.... and pretending to think they are wonder machines.... just so that he can send out fax-issued documents in 15 minutes instead of needing a hour on a Saturday or late Friday evening to do it instead. He did untold damage to my schedule... and because it added things to my work shedule which didn't need to be there in the first place.... it threw my whole nicely organised and 'do-able' project schedule out of shape.... so I end up losing my weekend and my free time.

 

But somewhere along the line, this particular Engineer learned this tactic of skipping the que and findling the system to his own gains... and really needs to be re-thought at this stage. For all I know, he has probably been doing this for a long time here, and it was only by complete chance that I flagged this problem at all.... by setting out my own schedule very carefully and being very well organised.... I knew instinctively, that I really shouldn't need to work this weekend!

[William Alexander]

He's not short is he? or What is he over compensating for?

 

Maybe he should pull his socks DOWN.

 

 

I've been in some funky managed situations, but yours is out there. At least you get your salary, sure beats lost time= -$$$$$$$$$$$$.

But it's the principle of the matter, it surely does not need to be that way.

 

WDA

[garethace]

Ah, to hell with it.... you are perfectly correct.... it is all to do with over-compensation... but I was only too well aware of that aspect of the engineering profession in this country when I got into this line of work.... but having said that now... my years time spent working in the manufacturing industry in a place like Dell here in Ireland was well served I think... since I know a thing or two he doesn't actually know about productivity and what you can actually do with your staff in terms of making them productive. Of course Dell, bring that to a ridiculous level.... but if you ever wish to experience the concept distilled to an absolutel go and help Dell ship 1 million systems per quarter and you will know, what a change of plan means.... or a target missed.... everyone, has to just muck in and get the problem solved,.... it is not about how can walk out the door whistling, and who cannot.

 

I had to deal with a few pieces of dead wood here too... basically the same Engineer guy was off-loading a whole load of excess engineering work onto a certain CAD operator here in the back office. While still expecting the same amount of CAD productivity output, if that same CAD guy had been allowed to do his job, and not distracted by all of this extra 'Engineering matters' he was dealing with for the Engineer. As a result now, that CAD guy, is having hours 'subtracted' from his timesheets every week! In other words, working for nothing. This CAD guy, then got disillusioned... and went from being a very positive addition to our CAD team, to being someone whom we had to carry.

 

Eventually after several warnings and chances, I had to terminate him before he allowed the situation to deteriorate altogether - and it would go on his reference that he was a problem case. But even doing this, took about 4-5 weeks.... by the time, I had gotten enough grounds upon which to fire him, established..... whereas in Dell this would have taken either 2 minutes, 2 hours or at the very outside.... being nice to the said person.... 2 days, and he would have been gone totally.

 

Getting rid of a problem case, someone who has lost the ability to be productive.... was very, very difficult and I now have a newly found respect for those lawyers etc, who have to spend 5 weeks on even the most simple case, to do it right and in such a way, as it doesn't bounce back to you again. The steps required were as follows:

 

 

1) Establish the said person, was submitting non-factual timesheets and expense sheets. (2 weeks)

 

2) Establish the fact, the said person was wasting all day long between his two mobile phones and office phone, talking to various lady friends and extended family. (1.5 weeks)

 

3) Establish the fact, the project that said person was 'working' on, had been finished and was in fact a DEAD project. (1 week)

 

4) Establish the fact, that by arriving late for work, as in 3 hours late usually, this said person was doing nothing more than disrupting other peoples' opportunity to get any work done. Because normally both CAD people and engineers would begin the day, around 8.15am and quickly establish what need to be done.

 

By the time, this asshole, breezed in and got everyone around him, giving him instructions and making a few phonecalls, he already had almost made it to quiting time at 5.30pm again!!!!

 

BTW, these all had to be done in a sequential manner too, as opposed to a parallel manner, in which you could get the whole lot fast tracked at the same time. Because once, you established one fact and had pushed it through all of the relevant channels, and that aspect of the problem had improved 100%, you had accomplished nothing more than highlighting the next issue, which had to go through all of the same proceedures and channels again to solve it.

 

It is the same with large state enquiries here in this country too - they are finding that things don't happen in parallel, but instead every tiny issue needs to re-call all the same witnesses for round 2, 3, 4 etc, etc.... until usually everyone just gets fed up... That statement you know, what makes this country great, two words.... you're fired.... I am actually beginning to believe for the first time ever.

 

But on a much lighter note, this article, which I posted up at Aceshardware...

 

http://www.aceshardware.com/forum?read=115079153

 

Describes a situation I do envy a lot, and sort of combines the notion of productivity from the Auto/manufacturing industry with the whole job of doing CAD. Kind of where I am coming from really.... I have to say, I think the way that engineers over here, conduct a business is a disgrace, but I am not surprised anymore, having worked for such a broad range of architects and engineers now.

 

Brian O' Hanlon.