OT: I was suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)

[Rich Grise]

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 02:03:41 +0000, Clarence_A wrote:

"Rich Grise" <richgrise@example.net> wrote in message
....
The point is, quality is supposed to be _built_ in, not
_inspected_ in.

Which you get with a sound discipline and good attitude!

Well, it's taken lo these many years, but I think I've finally figured out
what "good attitude" means - I've always had a bad one, according to my
"superiours"; but "discipline" still, to me, means, "Discipline, comrades,
Iron Discipline!"

Shudder!

Thanks,
Rich

 

[John Larkin]

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:05:12 +0000, John Woodgate
<jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:

I read in sci.electronics.design that John Larkin <jjSNIPlarkin@highTHIS
landPLEASEtechnology.XXX> wrote (in <eotlu0hvkfn8j0420gjmd7hh9vqns43kr0@
4ax.com&gt about 'OT: I was suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)',
on Sun, 16 Jan 2005:

A design review should be just like design brainstorming, a fun meeting
of friends who want to help you make your product really good. Why would
anybody continue to work in a place where your colleagues aren't helpful
friends?

I'm pleased for you that you have never had a different experience.

Oh no, I've attended some doozies, including some actual screaming. I
even had one not too long ago which included a jealous engineer and a
pompous manager, both employed by my customer C****, who insisted on
telling us to use circuits we didn't want to use. We just said "no",
which was interesting.

Another time I was designing a cardcage supervision system
(temperature/power monitoring and such) for a company that makes VME
enclosures and has two contemptuous, warring divisions, E*** and
B********. The hatred permeated the meeting room, and I was in the
middle. I did the only sensible thing and bailed.

I think one of my finest days in engineering was when I walked into a
meeting of about 15 engineers and programmers and managers at
Pratt&Whitney, bearing just a few shakey block diagrams I'd scribbled
on the plane, which they naturally seized and turned into overhead
slides. These people, all heavy-hitters, couldn't have been nicer. In
about 90 minutes, together we designed a dynamite arbitrary waveform
generator architecture that did everything they needed to simulate
their systems, and was elegant to design and implement. It was amazing
to see this many smart, opinionated people work together so well.

Corporate culture is a weird dynamic that deserves more attention.
Engineers usually don't like to talk about "wet" stuff like this.

John

 

[John Larkin]

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 16:03:30 +0000, John Woodgate
<jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:

I read in sci.electronics.design that Clarence_A <no@No.com> wrote (in
sVuGd.2348$8Z1.397@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com&gt about 'OT: I was
suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)', on Sun, 16 Jan 2005:

How is this BAD?

It's not bad if no changes result from the review. It is bad *in
principle* if changes result, because changes are being made after the
design process is suppose to be finished.

That's easily fixed: define the review as being part of the design
process.

John

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that John Larkin <jjlarkin@highSNIPland
THIStechPLEASEnology.com> wrote (in <qrtnu01fvdeeredd59f85kskjm54td8bp5@
4ax.com&gt about 'OT: I was suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)',
on Mon, 17 Jan 2005:

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 16:03:30 +0000, John Woodgate
jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:

I read in sci.electronics.design that Clarence_A <no@No.com> wrote (in
sVuGd.2348$8Z1.397@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com&gt about 'OT: I was
suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)', on Sun, 16 Jan 2005:

How is this BAD?

It's not bad if no changes result from the review. It is bad *in
principle* if changes result, because changes are being made after the
design process is suppose to be finished.

That's easily fixed: define the review as being part of the design
process.

Well, that's really playing with words, but yes, it should be. It's a

matter of how it is regarded. I think I explained this before, about 200
articles ago. (;-) The review needs to be regarded as a test that is
(100 - epsilon)% certain to be passed, because all possible sane
questions have already been asked and answered. The epsilon is to allow
for the insane question, with one of which I have been inflicted this
very day. (8-O(
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Jim Thompson
<thegreatone@example.com> wrote (in <m4unu0lm384iu4utfr0ifr8hfrqo8kf77o@
4ax.com&gt about 'OT: I was suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)',
on Mon, 17 Jan 2005:

In my business, ENGINEERING Design Reviews may occur multiple times. The
Critical Design Review is the final one.

You mean that the earlier review panels were engineers, but for the last
one they are critics? Literary or film?
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

 

[Clarence_A]

"John Woodgate" <jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote in message
news:cEwS3vA+R26BFwsY@jmwa.demon.co.uk...

I read in sci.electronics.design that Clarence_A <no@No.com
wrote (in
kZEGd.11145$wZ2.3595@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com&gt about 'OT: I
was
suddenly struck with a thought (POLITICAL)', on Mon, 17 Jan
2005:
No one has ignored your comments.

I didn't say they had.

But I'm glad your not in my team! &gt

So am I. You do not pass John Larkin's 'helpful friend' test.

But then, neither do you!