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Rising Star
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At first, yes, it does kind of annoy me when people chime in with their thoughts even though they don’t really know much about it. However, if you take a step back and think about it, sometimes having that perspective outside can lead to some really good solutions that you wouldn’t have come across yourself.
Rising Star
It shouldn’t. You should give everyone a listen because those “non-engineers” may have been an engineer or someone that has direct, relatable experience. Be fair to everyone. And if it not valuable, let them know professionally that you thought about their solution and here are the reasons we are looking at other solutions. It will broaden your perspective and may allow you to solve problems in novel ways.
No, I immediately hand them the tools, pat them on the back, and say, "Go for it! Do it however you think is best :) "
The parable of Plato's Cave....
No. It depends. It helps sometimes.
If the proposal is workable and can be resolved with technical proofs/solutions, YES. Most times, this comes from personnel with a heavy-set experience, who doesn’t have an engineering exposure.
On the other hand, there are people who annoys as well. The number of these guys are more than the ones who actually care about the work.
no it doesn't ... we keep learning everyday through all experiences we go through
I am all for solutions from trades and people with more hands on experience but it frustrates me when they try to shove their opinion down your throat.
I agree with you a 100% but my comment up there does not stem from an "ego stroke". Most times I value their opinion, but some times there is more to the problem that they can see. It's about the bigger picture. One instance was when I changed the welding procedure for a custom product for a specific application, I got push back from not one but 4 welders including the supervisor. I tried to explain them why I did what I did, showed them my FEA model but they went ahead with their tried and tested way anyway and shipped the product out convincing QC that they had my approval even though the drawing said something else. Guess what, we had a catastrophic failure, costing the company hundreds of thousands in claims and this was not the only time. I have a couple of machinist stories as well a few salesmen imposing their wishes upon engineering design as well. I don't take that anymore and learned my lesson to not waste time explaining things to people who won't care.
They can have an opinion and I will entertain it to a point but the egos trades have are way bigger than engineers.
Yes
I have learned from experience to pay attention when experienced people talk to me about implementation issues. When people talk to me about something they have read about and don’t quite understand I acknowledge their contribution, take a look if it makes sense, and move on.
I agree with Principle Engineer 1
But again, so much depends on the specific situation (and how you define the term engineer).
After graduating with a BSEE, my employer placed me in an internship, during which several of my rotational supervisors were not engineers (mostly shop foremen). This provided insight, and I forged some bonds.
Of course, the following may not apply to everyone because I worked in facilities electrical engineering (buildings and primary distribution), which means knowledgeable electricians and electrical contractors perform a lot of related work, which in some cases does not involve the use of owner-side of the house engineers.
After my internship, I thought various parties brought something to the table, including multiple skills and experience. But reality does set in. Some people get angry if you don't do what they say. Some think you are dumb because you consider input from non-engineers (people who graduated with a BSEE). Some dismiss you because they think field people make the best engineers. Not everybody wants to come to the table, perhaps because they gain influence with managers or experienced lead project managers by pushing their ideas to them.
One tries to forge bonds, teams, or associations with similarly motivated people (that is, those also focused on best outcomes), even if in an informal way.
I', used to it, I'm married.
I have no problem listening to any individuals idea or suggestions, but it depends on who the audience is. The problem is if management is present. When you have a non-technical person making suggestions in front of management, everybody puts on the rose colored glasses. People will suggest things that are unrealistic, and management will start clapping like seals at a circus. Then, the next unrealistic goal has been set. But, in general, I try to value everyone’s opinion.
While employed at Corning, Verizon had pledged to pass 1M homes with fiber in one year, sometime in the early 2000's. Our management was sharp enough to put together teams who normally never see each other. There were ongoing brain storming sessions that included individuals from every aspect of development/manufacturing, from concept to shipping, including employees without degrees. This proved very effective as we were able to develop all required product sets to meet Verizon's challenge. Everyone has value. If you are looking for them, you can find gems in unsuspecting places.
I would have all the interest parties to start a problem solving event. It’s great to hear from the operators and technicians, they give the best RCCA .
Other peoples ideas are always welcome and can give a new perspective. What does frustrate me is when other people listen to the non-engineer over the engineer because they are telling them what they want to hear regardless of reality.
It did earlier in my career but after a while I realized some of the best engineering solutions can come from non-engineers on the job as they do it every day. They may not be the best at articulating the solution well but once you learn more from them the solutions come easier. Trust me they usually hate hearing engineering solutions at first, especially if it involves changing their work in the slightest bit.