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    Unwritten Laws of Engineering
    Unwritten Laws of Engineering
    Unwritten Laws of Engineering
    Ebook127 pages1 hour

    Unwritten Laws of Engineering

    By James G. Skakoon

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    About this ebook

    This fully revised and updated edition of the 1944 classic, serves as a crucial compilation of "house rules," or a professional code.

    It addresses three areas: what the beginner needs to learn at once; "laws" relating chiefly to engineering executives; and purely personal considerations for engineers.

    Packed with contemporary examples, this new volume is a must for those entering the engineering field or those interested in improving their professional effectiveness.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers
    Release dateJan 1, 2011
    ISBN9780791861561
    Unwritten Laws of Engineering

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      Book preview

      Unwritten Laws of Engineering - James G. Skakoon

      INTRODUCTION

      Prior to writing the first text of this book, the originating author admitted to having become very much aware, which can be observed in any engineering organization, that the chief obstacles to the success of individual engineers or of groups of engineers are of a personal and administrative rather than a technical nature. It was apparent that both he and his associates were getting into much more trouble by violating the undocumented laws of professional conduct than by committing technical sins against the well-documented laws of science. Since the former appeared to be unwritten at that time, laws were formulated and collected into a scrapbook as a professional code of sorts. Although they were, and in this latest edition still are fragmentary and incomplete, they are offered here for whatever they may be worth to younger engineers just starting their careers, and to older ones who know these things perfectly well but who all too often fail to apply them.

      None of these laws is theoretical or imaginary, and however obvious they may appear, their repeated violation is responsible for much of the frustration and embarrassment to which engineers everywhere are liable. In fact, the first edition of this book was primarily a record derived from direct observation over 17 years of four engineering departments, three of them newly organized and struggling to establish themselves by trial-and-error. It has been supplemented, confirmed, and updated by the experience of others as gathered from numerous discussions, observations, and literature, so that it most emphatically does not reflect the unique experience or characteristics of any one organization.

      Many of these laws are generalizations to which exceptions will occur in special circumstances. There is no thought of urging a servile adherence to rules and red tape, for there is no substitute for judgment; vigorous individual initiative is needed to cut through formalities in emergencies. But in many respects these laws are like the basic laws of society; they cannot be violated too often with impunity, notwithstanding striking exceptions in individual cases.

      PART I

      WHAT THE BEGINNER

      NEEDS TO LEARN

      AT ONCE

      IN RELATION TO THE WORK

      However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.

      Many young engineers feel that the minor chores of a technical project are beneath their dignity and unworthy of their college training. They expect to prove their true worth in some major, vital enterprise. Actually, the spirit and effectiveness with which you tackle your first humble tasks will very likely be carefully watched and may affect your entire career.

      Occasionally you may worry unduly about where your job is going to get you — whether it is sufficiently strategic or significant. Of course these are pertinent considerations and you would do well to take some stock of them. But by and large, it is fundamentally true that if you take care of your present job well, the future will take care of itself. This is particularly so within large corporations, which constantly search for competent people to move into more responsible positions. Success depends so largely upon personality, native ability, and vigorous, intelligent prosecution of any job that it is no exaggeration to say that your ultimate chances are much better if you do a good job on some minor detail than if you do a mediocre job as a project leader. Furthermore, it is also true that if you do not first make a good showing on your present job you are not likely to be given the opportunity to try something else more to your liking.

      Demonstrate the ability to get things done.

      This is a quality that may be achieved by various means under different circumstances. Specific aspects will be elaborated in some of the succeeding paragraphs. It can probably be reduced, however, to a combination of three basic characteristics:

      initiative, which is expressed in energy to start things and aggressiveness to keep them moving briskly,

      resourcefulness or ingenuity, i.e., the faculty for finding ways to accomplish the desired result, and

      persistence (tenacity), which is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties, discouragement, or indifference.

      This last quality is sometimes lacking in the make-up of brilliant engineers to such an extent that their effectiveness is greatly reduced. Such dilettantes are known as good starters but poor finishers. Or else it will be said: You can't take their type too seriously; they will be all steamed up over an idea today, but by tomorrow will have dropped it for some other wild notion. Bear in mind, therefore, that it may be worthwhile finishing a job, if it has any merit, just for the sake of finishing it.

      In carrying out a project, do not wait passively for anyone — suppliers, sales people, colleagues, supervisors — to make good on their delivery promises; go after them and keep relentlessly after them.

      This is one of the first things a new engineer must learn in entering a manufacturing organization. Many novices assume that it is sufficient to make a request or order, then sit back and wait until the goods or services are delivered. Most jobs progress in direct proportion to the amount of follow-up and expediting that is applied to them. Expediting means planning, investigating, promoting, and facilitating every step in the process. Cultivate the habit of looking

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