Rusty McNeil
Well-Known Member
Every profession has the same issues to some degree. Some give a shit some Don't.
Things that are very technical, medical
professions included, seem to do a little better I think since culpability is usually quite high and mistakes not easily forgiven. (Not that they are not made)
I find more and more these days it seems as though it takes a VERY proactive and questioning approach ahead of time to "help" others help you and get it right.
Here is an example in my world that comes up FREQUENTLY and continues to piss me off.
I'm the guy that's left "holding the bag" on our substation construction projects when our management team drops the ball. My job is supposed to be assuring the job goes in correctly and testing/commissioning before putting it "on the grid".
We have engineers, project managers, construction managers, designers, purchasing agents and on site general foreman over the construction crews.
On every job the first thing I have to be a dick about starts with;
"Are all the materials ordered, where are they, what's the delivery dates, who's tracking this stuff and addressing back orders and delinquencies?"
NONE of these things are in my job description but when these things get screwed up it completely hoses the whole job, impacts schedule and
energization dates and keeps me on the project longer than I should be when I need to move on to the next one.
None of the people responsible are affected by the delinquencies since they are sitting in an office somewhere and not out there looking embarrassed with a pissed off customer thinking we don't have our shit together giving me the stink eye
A simple "order the fucking material" when we get final approval for start dates should be all that it is needed, yet that's never enough.
I've learned to step in where I shouldn't have to in order to keep things moving.
Most of the time our guys in the office do a great job and get it right but when they don't it gets all fucked up like you've described.
It seems now that our whole lives work this way, but unfortunately we don't even know the questions to ask most of the time to "make it happen" since we're placing our faith in a system where we don't know (and shouldn't need to know) all the ins and outs.
Last example;
"Did you tighten the drain plug?"
One should never have to ask that question but I need two hands to count the number of times I was glad I DID ask it. I change my own oil cause of that one and in the company vehicle I tell them to leave their grubby hands off of every thing BUT the oil drain plug and to leave the "shavings in the metal" sales
pitch on the tranny and rear end for the next guy.
Things that are very technical, medical
professions included, seem to do a little better I think since culpability is usually quite high and mistakes not easily forgiven. (Not that they are not made)
I find more and more these days it seems as though it takes a VERY proactive and questioning approach ahead of time to "help" others help you and get it right.
Here is an example in my world that comes up FREQUENTLY and continues to piss me off.
I'm the guy that's left "holding the bag" on our substation construction projects when our management team drops the ball. My job is supposed to be assuring the job goes in correctly and testing/commissioning before putting it "on the grid".
We have engineers, project managers, construction managers, designers, purchasing agents and on site general foreman over the construction crews.
On every job the first thing I have to be a dick about starts with;
"Are all the materials ordered, where are they, what's the delivery dates, who's tracking this stuff and addressing back orders and delinquencies?"
NONE of these things are in my job description but when these things get screwed up it completely hoses the whole job, impacts schedule and
energization dates and keeps me on the project longer than I should be when I need to move on to the next one.
None of the people responsible are affected by the delinquencies since they are sitting in an office somewhere and not out there looking embarrassed with a pissed off customer thinking we don't have our shit together giving me the stink eye
A simple "order the fucking material" when we get final approval for start dates should be all that it is needed, yet that's never enough.
I've learned to step in where I shouldn't have to in order to keep things moving.
Most of the time our guys in the office do a great job and get it right but when they don't it gets all fucked up like you've described.
It seems now that our whole lives work this way, but unfortunately we don't even know the questions to ask most of the time to "make it happen" since we're placing our faith in a system where we don't know (and shouldn't need to know) all the ins and outs.
Last example;
"Did you tighten the drain plug?"
One should never have to ask that question but I need two hands to count the number of times I was glad I DID ask it. I change my own oil cause of that one and in the company vehicle I tell them to leave their grubby hands off of every thing BUT the oil drain plug and to leave the "shavings in the metal" sales
pitch on the tranny and rear end for the next guy.