Need advice on Mistakes 4

[MasterMaxter]

Sorry to bug you guys again, but what kind of mistakes are 'forgivable' for engineer a year and half out of college?

Im asking because I keep getting caught up in drafting mistakes. For instance, the client has a special border they like to use on their drawings, and I didn’t use it. I used another of their borders (looks exactly the same, only difference is the font isn’t bold.)

This drawing has been checked, and double checked, and triple checked, and the checker didn’t catch it. I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday when the client called, but I know im goanna get it Tuesday when the boss comes back from his business trip out of country.

I had no idea the other border existed (im not part of drafting, but they have me draft anyways), so I took it from a previous issued drawing and figured it had to be right. Are mistakes like these normal for a guy out of college, or should I take this as a sign?

 

[KENAT]

If no one had told you to use a different border then that 'mistake' (if it can be called that) is almost certainly excusable.

I have seasoned engineers that do things like that despite having been told to use new formats etc.

Plus that fact the checker didn't spot it/know backs you up.

You did your 'due diligence' by the sounds of it.

Plus, I don't know about your software but with ours changing a background/format isn't too labor intensive.

There are lots of other drafting mistakes that even seasoned people here are allowed to get away with.

Now if I had my way for more serious infractions there would be corporal/capital punishment...

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[PEinc]

Sounds like you work in a sweat shop for an ogre. Keep your eyes open for a better job.

 

[whyun]

Mistakes in the "content" of the drawings fall under "unforgivable" and the guilty shall be punished. The degree of punishment depends on the amount of money it costs the company to fix the mistake. For the most part, mistakes are common and it doesn't cost anything to the company. Treat these like driving slightly above the speed limit.

Mistakes in the "presentation", such as borders, etc. should be forgivable 99% of the time. Repeated offenses shall be dealt with mild warnings.

 

[HVAC68]

Well, to err is human. As long as the mistake isn't costly (or too costly in some companies), it doesn't matter too much. If it is such a "silly" thing as the border, it shouldn't matter. The key is not to repeat the mistake.

Make a check-list - it should help you in the long run.

HVAC68

 

[KENAT]

One thing, make sure some contract document or email chain or something that you were told about/aware of but hadn't fully read etc. doesn't contain the direction to use the new format.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[ctopher]

MasterMaxter,
Those mistakes are minor. A big mistake would be to design a part and have a thousand machined, then find out they are wrong. (I have seen another engineer do this, then was fired).
I agree with KENAT, check with the contracts. Going against them can cost the company $$.
Some people don't see contracts other than marketing/purchasing/some engineers. Ask for a copy.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[MadMango]

As said above, worry more about fit/form/function mistakes than presentation mistakes. Presentation mistakes should be caught by others, not you. How did you know of the other border, only when the customer complained? Is the border you used still valid or is it replaced by the "bold font" border? Sounds like there might be other process/workflow issues to direct your energy/concerns towards.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[TheTick]

You seem competent enough, skill-wise. Your anxiety seems to be what interferes most with your performance.

You need to evaluate whether you can handle the stress of your job. If not, get a new job and/or profession.

 

[carnage1]

I would think about what PEinc said, If you are really worried that the boarder you chose being incorrect could cause you to be reprimanded in some real way you may need to find an employer that has there priorities straight.

Luck is a difficult thing to verify and therefore should be tested often. - Me

 

[RVSWA]

"The beatings will continue until moral improves..."
If you are having regular drafting errors, you may need to slow down and ask yourself what it is you are doing when you are drawing? With this I mean the whole point of what you are doing with your drawing is communicating. What are you trying to say and how can you present it on plan to increase the success of a proper implementation or construction. Create a few checklists for yourself, I know, I hate them too but they help you cover a certain basic level of items so you can look for the other thousand things ready to kick you in the gut.

Take your Bosses perspective for a moment, you are likely a relatively expensive employee, training is costly. If that training is plagued by a perception that it is not progressing, then he could grow frustrated. This may be evident to you and create a bit of anxiety. You might consider implementing your own version of an improvement plan take control of you career if you will... Try making a checklist, general at first like an outline and let it grow as you make mistakes, they should discipate quickly. Also you are eventually going to be an engineer in charge, PE, and it would be a good time to develop the mind set that absolutely responsible for everything you do... Set aside time to look at the project once in awhile from a big picture perspective, then go back to the trenches. There is a lot to learn in the first years of an engineering career but it isn't anything you can't do... I assume you graduated, you can be taught, you can do it... Now get back to work before you're taken out back and flogged!!!

 

[ajack1]

If you were not aware the border existed then I would say this was the companies mistake and not yours, unless it was laid out that for customer x use border y and you did not bother to look or know this document existed.

Having said that it is still a very small error to make, what is more worrying is you say you keep getting caught out, so maybe something as trivial as this will be the straw that broke the camels back.

I think RVSWA gives some very good and balanced advice, a start for you Sir or Madam.

 

[tygerdawg]

I must be completely out of touch. I can't believe what I see in this discussion.

I've spent my career in manufacturing & equipment design so my perspective is NOT from the design side. You're saying your client flipped out because your BORDER didn't suit him? Jeez Louise, what a tempest in a teapot. What an easy thing to fix.

"font isn't bold" oh fer cryin out loud

Then you're living in fear of what your Boss will say...about a BORDER ?

When I decided to leave the strictly design field, we were in the pre-CAD days, still making ink-on-mylar and had all the oldskool drafting paraphernalia. Content was King, borders were whatever the drafting supply shop delivered that week.

If you are a CAD-design klutz prone to sloppy errors, then that's a personal problem you'll have to figure out a way to correct before your Boss does. If this border thing is really a problem, I would hope your Boss shows enough leadership to speak directly with the client, then get you to fix it with a wink. Perhaps you could "show some management potential" by presenting to Boss a proposal of how to capture all persnickety customer requirements so that they are done in the future.

If your Boss blows his stack over this trivia, then I really wouldn't want to work there anyway.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[apsix]

Yes, take it as a sign......that you're human.
Do all you can to eliminate mistakes, but don't beat yourself up if they do occur, especially a minor one such as that.

 

[jmw]

If its that important surely there should be a master template that is fully approved? Then you just open the template and off you go. Isn't that what modern PC driven offices are about?
ANd are you really being paid whatever it is to spend a disproportionate amount of time researching fonts and borders? surely it is far more productive to have you "engineering" not fussing with "image" issues?

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[dvd]

Don't fall into the trap of expecting a checker to catch your problems. The fact that a drawing has problems with anything but "form, fit and function" is your responsibility not the checker's.

 

[PSE]

Mistakes you learn from can/should be forgiveable under the right management. Mistakes you do not learn from are not. This one would strike me as minor unless there was something significant (aside from a border) in the client's new format (title block information etc).

Regards,

 

[Latexman]

Our company references in the border on it's drawings, so this would be trivial to correct. Just change the reference file name. Don't sweat the small stuff!

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[NCDesign]

Acknowledge your mistake and be proactive about fixing it. Don't shy away from it. When the boss gets back tell him, X went out, Y was wrong, we did Z and all is good in the world. (As others have stated this should be fairly easy if it's just a border.) Part of being a good engineer is correcting mistakes. As much as we all want to be perfect in our engineering, we aren't, and we've got to be able to deal with screwing up.
Then I'd follow some of the other advice already given; make some checklists, slow down, and then check everything twice. I can guarantee that your boss would rather something take 8 hours and be right then take 6 and be full of mistakes. If you take the time to get the errors under control and do the right things the speed in doing them will come.

 

[dougantholz]

A few rules I've learned in 10 years looking at drawings:
1. Take a minute to print something out, look at it just like your client looks at it. You often see font/presentation things here.
2. Look not just at what is there but what isn't there. Mistakes often happen by information that is left off not just shown incorrectly.
3. Don't ever force a dimension. Everything should be to scale and it should show it as close to how it is as possible.
4. Look at it again through your clients eyes. What are the important things to them and are they clear.
5. Don't be afraid of plain language "Weld all around" or "weld it good" kind of thinking.

Not much help for you now. But remember, the most important thing I see in my employees is the ability to keep from repeating mistakes. A mistake can be costly and painful, but it is good training. Don't let it happen twice. Yes there are clients who care a lot about presentation, especially where your piece is folded into say a sales brochure. I can see where if things all look wrong and done by 1,000 monkeys in a locked room on typewriters, it looks bad.