Advice Request: Perfectionism at Work

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Defenestrator

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Electrical Engineer
Do you guys have a design checklist?

Such a checklist doesn't exist at my firm and no one will give a straight answer as they don't want to be responsible for neglecting a design aspect. This has been a common theme for every form I've worked at.

Background: I'm an electrical PE with 8yrs experience working as a consulting engineer for large mission critical data center clients.

I have received feedback from my manager that I need to learn to be more diligent about deadlines.

I'm really burnt out by this industry. I hope that having a realistic idea for design due diligence would help.

I struggle with perfectionism. The solution to perfectionism is to clearly define what the benchmark of a "passing" outcome is. Anything beyond said benchmark is overkill. I understand the need to protect the safety and welfare of the public as the number 1 priority though. But, there must be a point where, continuing beyond which, the returns on the effort put in flattens out on a graph.

I'm not sure what counts as "good" vs overkill. Which details are important and which aren't the end of the world if incorrect.

Also, I'm frustrated because no matter how hard I try and how many past lessons I learned from getting my teeth kicked in by senior engineers and management, something is always incorrect. The requirements are never clear cut and everyone has a different opinion on what the necessities are. And I think we can all vouch for what happens when you tell an engineer they are incorrect ;).
 
I can empathize with your situation as I've been there many times. Always we are told "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good", but finding the line for "good" always seems to be the challenge. I try to let NFPA 72 and the building codes be my guide, since my particular practice is fire alarm and life safety. I try to put on my plans only as much information as is required to implement the design. So, cable sizes "yes", how to run them, "no". I would take old drawing comments about what was missing and start to build my check list from that. Over a period of time, you should run out of things that are missing from your drawings. Likewise, if the comments back say "You don't need this", then "this" goes on the list of "don't bother".
 
Defenestrator said:
Do you guys have a design checklist?

Such a checklist doesn't exist at my firm and no one will give a straight answer as they don't want to be responsible for neglecting a design aspect. This has been a common theme for every form I've worked at.

Background: I'm an electrical PE with 8yrs experience working as a consulting engineer for large mission critical data center clients.

I have received feedback from my manager that I need to learn to be more diligent about deadlines.

I'm really burnt out by this industry. I hope that having a realistic idea for design due diligence would help.

I struggle with perfectionism. The solution to perfectionism is to clearly define what the benchmark of a "passing" outcome is. Anything beyond said benchmark is overkill. I understand the need to protect the safety and welfare of the public as the number 1 priority though. But, there must be a point where, continuing beyond which, the returns on the effort put in flattens out on a graph.

I'm not sure what counts as "good" vs overkill. Which details are important and which aren't the end of the world if incorrect.

Also, I'm frustrated because no matter how hard I try and how many past lessons I learned from getting my teeth kicked in by senior engineers and management, something is always incorrect. The requirements are never clear cut and everyone has a different opinion on what the necessities are. And I think we can all vouch for what happens when you tell an engineer they are incorrect ;).
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no bonafide design checklist here, things vary so widely from project to project standardizing design workflow is basically a unicorn for me.

the solution to perfectionism is not creating a checklist with clear results. that's why you won't see one laying around. it's understanding what milestone you are at and how detailed you need to be to "get the point across". some often get caught up in making a draft design perfect, myself included. depending on the project, especially bigger ones-there isn't enough time for it to be.

stuff you want to be figured out at draft level (think $$$$ items and $$$ items)
  • major loads defined and accounted for in load summary
  • wire sizes for major power feeds correct
  • major equipment ratings and sizes (switchgear, switchboard, MCCs, VFDs) correct and backchecked with vendors
  • distribution scheme correct
  • ductbank routing reviewed for conflicts/need for pullpoints
  • get coordinated with other trades after they do their part. if you run too far ahead of them you risk reworking and lose all the time spent detailing something you never ended up using.
  • make your electrical rooms are oversized
we had a gentleman in our office who was an electrician turned "engineer". no degree. no formal education. plotted drawings one by one. didn't use sheet set manager. he could design circles around me and spend less time developing the drawings and specs-and I've been doing this for 11 years and am very proficient in CAD. notwithstanding, he was, by far, one of the best designers in our company because he knew to what degree the detail needed to be there and at which design milestone to add it. in other words, he knew exactly who his documents were talking to.

I spend about 1 hour each week going over what i did the past week and checking all my projects remaining funds. do you track your budget as you progress through a project? i find it helps me get less distracted by minor details when i have XX hours remaining and lots to do. i target using 75-85% of the budget for my role. any of the minor stuff I can get done within that time is a bonus and I have some float for special circumstances.

another thought-think about how much time you spend on any detail and the risk of "lack of detail". for instance, you can detail a mounting rack out down to the screw thread sizes, but what's the benefit in doing so (or risk of not doing so) if you are assured the manufacturer of the rack provides the needed hardware?

best of luck to you
 
Defenestrator said:
...I think we can all vouch for what happens when you tell an engineer they are incorrect ;).
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I am a EE PE as well, and a skill I have cultivated my entire career is to never cling to a position to the point where I cannot relinquish it without rancor when I find it to be incorrect. I firmly believe that any engineer worth his salt has to be able to nimbly change positions in response to the facts. Tell me I am wrong and tell me why, and I'll buy you a beer.
 
ggunn said:
I am a EE PE as well, and a skill I have cultivated my entire career is to never cling to a position to the point where I cannot relinquish it without rancor when I find it to be incorrect. I firmly believe that any engineer worth his salt has to be able to nimbly change positions in response to the facts. Tell me I am wrong and tell me why, and I'll buy you a beer.
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As much as any artist, engineers can become emotionally attached to their designs. It's important to maintain perspective. Clients are looking for solutions to their problems, not a monument for the ages.
 
gadfly56 said:
As much as any artist, engineers can become emotionally attached to their designs. It's important to maintain perspective. Clients are looking for solutions to their problems, not a monument for the ages.
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The difference is that in art nothing can be correct or incorrect. An engineer who becomes emotionally attached to an incorrect design needs to reevaluate his stance.
 
ggunn said:
…I firmly believe that any engineer worth his salt has to be able to nimbly change positions in response to the facts.
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Peace would reign. Pain and suffering would cease. Angels would rejoice.


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Shaneyj said:
Peace would reign. Pain and suffering would cease. Angels would rejoice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I can only speak for myself. I consult with colleagues (electricians and other engineers as well as project managers, etc.) and change my designs as a result all the time. For me it's not a big deal.
 
You cannot be afraid to make mistakes. You will make mistakes, no matter how many checklists or forms you have to fill out. If you've been at this for 8 years and are making serious mistakes, that may be an issue for you to consider. If they are just design choices as opposed to actual mistakes I wouldn't get too excited about it but just keep in mind the next time around that the other engineers prefer to see it done in a particular way and and do it that way. There may be good reasons why they do it that way even if it's not absolutely necessary
 
ggunn said:
I can only speak for myself. I consult with colleagues (electricians and other engineers as well as project managers, etc.) and change my designs as a result all the time. For me it's not a big deal.
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I was in the field for 22 years and now 3 years into my engineering career - if I could be so bold to say I think I have a perspective somewhat unique.
I speak with my field crew regularly and remind them often the virtual world in which I deal usually doesn’t match the real world and I rely on their feedback to support my designs.
My comment was tongue in cheek and an attempt at a quippy remark on the “god complex” attributed to engineers by shop/field crews however accurate/inaccurate the assignment.
I actually really enjoyed that phrase of yours I quoted.


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