When a you as a young engineer disagrees with your boss 10

[aust1]

Hi,

I'm a young graduate, a couple of years experience.

I recently disagreed with my boss over a critical weld in a design.

I noted it in my diary, did what he said and issued the report.

I still think I am right. What's the best to do in these situations?

Will my diary entry hold up in court if something goes wrong?

 

[graybeach]

Definitely not impugning on the OP's integrity, but responding to his statement, "I still think I am right". Just in the middle of writing that last sentence I got a call from the field. A young whippersnapper construction engineer just questioned my design in his usual rude way. Deep breaths, let me listen to what he is saying. He's got some good ideas, but his arrogant way of expressing them makes my blood boil!

Personally I welcome criticism of my designs, but this guy would be better served phrasing his ideas as questions as msquared suggested.

Meanwhile I take comfort in the knowledge that arrogance always gets smacked down eventually.

 

[bookowski]

aust1 - Updates on how you handled this and the result would be interesting.

My two cents is to investigate further and follow up on it if you still think there is a problem but be careful of arrogance. I cringe when I look back and think of some of the things that I used to argue about when first starting out. When you first start working it seems that engineering should be very black and white, the longer you work it becomes more grey. This may be a situation where your superior has reasons for making his decision based on past experience and he is just not communicating that to you.

 

[MJB315]

What was the issue about? The weld strength? The connection layout? The welding procedure?

"We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us." -WSC

 

[JLNJ]

I can't wait 'til this young bloke gets married!

 

[hetgen]

Post the weld problem aust1 and let form decide who is right.

If the weld fail and kill a rich merchant your diary entry will not help, you will both go to jail .

 

[MiketheEngineer]

One of my bosses and I disagreed. I bet him a friendly 6-pack that I was right. He agreed.

I won.... but remember it was FRIENDLY!!!

 

[sundale]

There are many right answers, and infinite wrong answers, to an engineering solution. Your boss and you may BOTH be correct, but his answer may be less costly, easier to erect, require less special inspection, etc. Respectfully and politely ask him to explain the rationale behind his decision to you, keeping in mind that he probably received his PE license when you received your driver's license. With two years experience, you do not know what you do not know.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

He probably got his PE license when you were still drinking milk out of baby bottel

 

[BigInch]

Most of the above is pretty good advice. Makes for a good working relationship. Follow it if you can.

Now. If the weld is as critical as it appears to be, I think you should both work on a solution that you both can agree upon. I don't really care HOW you work it out, just work it out.

Imagine being the engineer that warned about the problem with the Space Shuttle's O-rings at low temperatures. Holding up your diary in court, even if you prove you had the correct solution won't feel like much consolation, if somebody wound up getting hurt by the failure of a critical connection. Both of you will walk away with a well justified feeling of failure.

What would you be doing, if you knew that you could not fail?

 

[slickdeals]

I find it interesting that we have all been giving our opinions, but the OP is missing since this first post.

We have no idea about the actual problem, what weld is in question and what the reasoning is behind his claim of being right.

Aust1, if you are following these posts, please enlighten us.

It’s no trick to get the answers when you have all the data. The trick is to get the answers when you only have half the data and half that is wrong and you don’t know which half - LORD KELVIN