Philip Gater BEng. MIET, MCIM

Back to home page

I am a BEng Member Institute Engineering and Technology Electronics Engineer with a lot of Management experience qualifying for Membership of Chartered Institute of Management  and have worked may years in the Security Industry.  I am a great believer in engineering excellence.  On this page I have included a couple of items which I trust will be thought provoking.

Engineers 10 Commandments

Product cost includes the shipping installation and  ongoing maintenance costs considering these in your value engineering makes it too easy for sales.

Remember that changes to the specification after you start development absorb resources even if you only consider them.  Changes get progressively more disruptive the nearer you are to completion. The chances of disruption are increased by not ensuring that ALL Stakeholders buy in to the specification and time plan before committing significant resources and never see a "look and feel" prototype any time during the project. If you  embrace changes at every stage it provides a perfect excuse and culprit for  late delivery.

If the team hit a snag coming back with fresh minds, preferably next day is not very macho.  Neither is trying for a few easy victories elsewhere on the project.

Misunderstandings at project meetings may waste effort but allow the manager to look superior.  Summarising the main points of agreement at the end of the meeting and issuing project meeting  notes immediately following the meeting make it too easy for the team.

In the rush to complete the project  future maintenance requirements are sometimes neglected.  For example minimised logic and uncommented firmware require a more expensive level of expertise to maintain and assist in your future job security.

Handbooks get thrown away with the packing or hijacked by a "manual squirrel", if you don't allow for this in the labelling and function it will ensure that the ensuing problems are blamed on the installer.

Reversing disorder, like an untidy desk, takes a lot of effort but makes you look busy.

Demonstration of developments often fail or exhibit anomalous behaviour.  If you prepare for them the day before and always have a backup plan this could  loose the opportunity to practice your fast talking and look superior.

At the start of any project, particularly an inherited project, offering a realistic risk assessment but quietly planning  to exceed expectations, like Scotty of Startreck, is just a bit sneaky!

Back to home page

The Engineers Wheel (Adaptation by Philip)

(A strong message of this tale is the importance of design risk assessments)

An Engineer told me before he died

And I've no reason to think that he lied

He had a wife who spent cash far and  wide

But she was never never satisfied

And so he built a coin minting wheel

With  coins of brass and die  of steel

All the works were lubricated  by cream

And the whole massive issue was driven by steam

Then round and round went the engineers wheel

In an out went the coin die of steel

Until at last the poor lady had cried

Enough enough coin I'm satisfied

Now we come to the tales  tragic bit

There wasn't any  means of stopping it

And so She was buried from toe to head

Covered all over with coins and dead

Back to home page