responsibility and policy/politics? 1

[divenymph]

Fairly new engineer, having fun solving puzzles, learning my art, figuring out the system...

As I try to navigate how to be the best engineer i can and figure out how to get the job done....

btw... recession means...we are looking for people...(infrastructure)

As I'm making a checklist of things to catch, I come to other questions...

where are the boundaries of responsibility versus policy/politics (actually a synonym in french)?

they say ignorance is no protection from the law? is it?

maybe it's an ethical question after all, but would be interested in hearing some perspective from the seasoned guys?

 

[ctopher]

Couple sites turned up:

http://www.management-issues.com/2006/11/1/opinion/office-politics-playing-the-game.asp

http://www.officepolitics.com/

I hate ignorance. When another employee plays the ignorance game, it can be read...just like knowing if someone is lying. It is a form of laziness.
Be honest to yourself and others, stay away from gossip and people that are good "BS'ers".

Chris
SolidWorks 09, CATIA V5
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[divenymph]

Sorry ctopher

Guess I didn't provide enough background.

I actually wasn't talking about office politics!!!!

but rather more Politics with a big "P"

I used to do mostly municipal (new installations), I changed jobs, more responsibilities in another legal jurisdiction....

I'm now working on rehabilitation projects...

Rehabilitation = patchwork approach to trying to alleviate old and crumbling roads, sewer, watermains at the lowest cost to tax payer....rehabilitaion design I think also requires thinking outside the box a bit...I'm still learning the ropes

I'm on the consultant side...love my job...it's challenging...sweating it a bit, but honestly feeling like I'm coming into my own

I just changed jurisdiction. Previously, design parameters where much stricter, best management practices were more closely adhered to within formalized guidelines from the approval agencies.

These same rules don't apply, I'm trying to learn the new guidelines and laws as quickly as I can...

I'm trying to check and confirm my parameters....
previous studies, boundary conditions, requirements for approval, ...I still consider myself a young Engineer...

Which issues are important, especially in the larger scope of things?

I was looking more for a debate about political will or ability to pay for the best engineering solution...

We don't do things we did 90 years ago...but we can't quite fix them to today's standards either

They didn't fix the leevies as per the engineer's recommendation!!! That's a whole other debate but....

(ctopher: Maybe you're right....just be honest!!)

they talk of "creep of scope"...is there such a thing like "creep of responsibilities" when looking at boundary conditions between engineering consultants
example: a multi disciplinary project, or a larger system such as our city sewers and roads designed by many consultants over time...

more of a philosophical question...any insight?

 

[Ron]

DN..there is usually only a one-way "creep of responsibilities"...you take on more, either in direct work or liability.

Assuming since you are categorized as "civil/env" you will be pursuing licensing. You might as well start practicing now what will be expected of you when licensed.

Your obligations as a Professional Engineer supercede politics, both office and municipal. You are charged with the responsibility of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public within the scope of your engineering activities. When a political decision is made to override your engineering judgment, you have a legal obligation in most states to bring that to public attention, through a series of notifications. If the overruling is done inside your company, you have a decision to make...fight it or leave. If another engineer convinces you that there is another or better way...that's OK...it's part of the engineering process. If someone tells you that you MUST do something against your better judgment (for policy, politics, or "supervision"), that's where the conflict ensues. Then you have an obligation to speak up.

As for the liability...that can become personal liability when you are licensed, without regard to the protections offered by your company.

Most good engineering firms respect the judgment of their engineers. In a corporate realm where engineers are increasingly being supervised and "controlled" by non-engineers, that respect doesn't necessarily exist. Problems will result.

Good luck. Welcome to Engineering.

 

[PHovnanian]

they say ignorance is no protection from the law? is it?

It is. But only once. I've seen a firm that was caught in non compliance of applicable regulations. The defense of "we didn't know any better" changed the matter from a criminal to a civil one. It came down to the question of intent to commit a violation. They paid a fine, remedied the issues and carried on. Some time later, when they considered fudging the rules again, we pointed out that intent could now easily be demonstrated and that any subsequent charges could be criminal (with jail time).