Round-Off Error

This reminds me of a clever ad I saw in an engineering magazine a few years back that depicted construction workers who were erecting a bridge from opposite sides of a canyon.  Where the two halves met in the middle, they were misaligned by a few feet and the construction workers stood there scratching their heads.  Each side was blaming the other for the mess-up.

Missing

We're often called upon to do the impossible: predict precisely when the owner will get his building permit.  We may know about how long it's recently been taking on average to get through the system, but each project is different.  In the minds of some owners, any "guesstimate" we offer is a firm commitment.

Sometimes a desperate owner will insist we "do something to get me my permit".  Surely "you  can make a phone call or go down there and..." 

We might be able to call in a favor now and then, but really there's not much we can do to expedite the permitting process - put together a complete set of documents is the main thing (though even that's no guarantee our plans won't get nit-picked to death by an overzealous planchecker).  For the most part we have to wait in line just like everyone else. 

Maybe this idea will speed things up.

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

Credit for this one goes to an email from Matt Ryba, CEO of TWC Construction:

 

Brent,

I thought I would share the humor in an email I sent to [our roof truss supplier and installer] when they missed their truss delivery date.  I don't know if you take suggestions on your cartoons but several people have suggested I forward to you.

        Rob,

        "I was in the Quick Mart this morning getting coffee and I saw this in the cooler"

Final Notice!

Consultants are in a tough spot.  We don't get paid until our client gets paid -and if he gets stiffed, we're usually also out of luck.  To add to it, some people view the architect and engineer as no recourse, zero-interest lending institutions who will finance their project on a handshake for an indefinite period until they "get funding."  If the funding never comes through - "Sorry about that.  But good news! I have this other project I'd like you to fund, er I mean do.  When can you get started?"

20/20 Hindsight

If only I'd put on a pair of foresight corrective lenses just before making some of the dumber decisions in my life... 

For another cartoon on "corrective" lenses, click here.

Dang Engineers!

I'm happy to support a good cause - and especially one that also involves fun and  creativity.  CANstruction is a charitable event where teams compete to make the most creative sculpture solely out of cans of food.  After the competition, the food is donated to a local charity to help feed the hungry.  On one occasion I served as a judge for a Las Vegas CANstruction event. Most recently, Wright Engineers' Phoenix office participated.  

Though this cartoon depicts the engineers executing an outrageous design, most often it seems - and it was this way in Phoenix - it's the architects who come up with the creative design; the engineers mostly provide cans and labor.

Dang Internet's Down

I know lots of people work from home and many of them feel they're more productive.  I wonder just how productive some people really are, though.  Whenever I've tried working at home I seemed to be constantly interrupted with things like "Honey, since you're here anyway, can you just [insert any number of domestic tasks here]..." or "Daddy, daddy, daddy, there's a bean stuck in my nose".

It's clear this guy's been working from home for a long time.

The Dawn of Engineering

The world's first engineer!

I always say - and it's true - that modern civilized society could not exist without all of us humble engineers.  From the buildings to the roads to the power and water and sewer to all the machines and gadgets and just about everything in between, engineers helped make it possible.

Time To Upgrade

Now that the Great Recession seems to be ending, we've recently started upgrading our computers and office equipment after several years of cobbling old tired machines together.  Sometimes it feels like we're this guy - typewriter, Rolodex, rotary phone.

It reminds me of the quip about the guy who reached the automated phone answering service:  "For customer service, press 1.  For accounting, press 2.  If you have a rotary phone, hang up, put on your leisure suit, sit in your bean bag chair, and listen to your 8-track tapes of the Bee Gees".

Speaking of outdated equipment, I'll never forget the day a few years ago I was standing in line at a Utah ski resort with my 1980's ski outfit and equipment.  I suddenly became aware that my once state-of-the-art setup looked nothing like the fat skis and baggy clothes all the hip young people around me were sporting.  I used to sneer at old guys who hit the slopes with their old-fashioned equipment and outdated clothes.  At that moment I realized I had become the old guy!

...Since Global Warming

Despite what many may think about global warming, I have a feeling Santa and his elves wouldn't be too upset.

Take Your Child to Work...

Wright Engineers' company culture is very family-friendly, and with lots of young families with a lot of kids, our office can feel like a daycare center on "take your child to work day".  I thought it would be funny to show a dad who brought his unemployed, middle-aged, still-lives-in-the-basement-and-plays-video-games son to work with him.

...I also knew Helen would not be pleased.

It's Not How Hard You Work

One of my engineering professors in college had this saying and a similar picture framed on the wall of his office.  It must have made a big impression on me because I've never forgotten it.

This reminds me of the famous quote by John Wooden: "Never mistake activity for achievement", or the words seen on the wall of many a CEO's office: "Bring me results, not excuses".

Exactly Twice as Big

Engineers just can't help it - it's in our DNA.  This reminds me of one of my favorite engineer stories...

A priest, a lawyer, and an engineer were all sentenced to death by guillotine.  The priest felt he'd lived a good life and offered to go first.  "But," he said, "I'd like to lie on my back so I can look up into heaven when I go".  The priest was laid on his back under the guillotine, the executioner gave the signal, and the blade was dropped.  It stopped just inches from the priest's neck.  "It must be a sign from God", they decided, so they let him go free.  The lawyer couldn't stand it any longer and jumped in line next.  Since it worked for the priest, he thought it might work for him, so he asked to be laid on his back.  The signal was given, the blade was dropped, and again it stopped just inches from the lawyer's neck.  It was hard for everyone to believe, but they couldn't argue with a sign from God, so they let the lawyer go free.  The humble engineer, not wanting to make waves, also laid on his back and looked up into heaven.  Just as the executioner was about to give the signal, the engineer shouted, "Wait!  I think I see the problem."

Went With Plan B

Another in a line of cartoons about the folly of choosing "cheap" design services and assuming you're actually saving money.  As long as some people continue to do it, I'll continue to find ways to mock it.

For more "cheap" cartoons, click here.

It's Just a Simple...

Anyone who prepares estimates or fee proposals knows this scenario: You get an RFP for a potential project with a vague description (and, if you're lucky, a rough sketch) and you're asked to provide a fixed all-inclusive precise unwavering fee for all necessary services to see this nebulous project through to completion.

In early 1998, we were asked to quote a structural fee for "just a simple 4,500 square foot restaurant". Little did we know the eventual complexity of the project or that the architect was "going for an award on this one" - a fact we discovered during repeated changes during design. In the end, the project turned out very well, the architect won his award...

...and our final job cost was about 10 times our fee.

The Smell of Success

We all know someone who has this "smell of success". (If you don't, that person is probably YOU.)
This makes me chuckle, but I think there's a lot of truth in this common saying about the ratio between inspiration and perspiration.

It's sentiments go well with a quote I like by Thomas Edison: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

In a Spirit of Partnering and Trust

The joke is that everyone leaves a "partnering" meeting at the kick-off of a project all smiles as "partners", but as soon as something goes wrong, all that goes out the window.

A Revised Version of the Revisions

Every so often we get a project where the seemingly constant design changes don't end until the building is occupied and the builder has packed up and left the site.

I Did It Just Like You Showed

This one was inspired by my partner Scott Jones who sent me a photo of a project where the contractor thought the delta cloud on the drawings meant to cut a cloud-shaped hole through the floor slab.

And We'll Need it Yesterday

We can complete a project that's due yesterday without a lot of trouble. Getting it done much sooner than that can be a problem.

That's How It's Shown

A good set of construction documents can help make a project go smoothly. A confusing set (or a confused contractor) can cause some real trouble.

For more cartoons related to drawings and specs, click here.