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Copyright 2012 ISA
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ISBN: 978-1-936007-45-5
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A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Id like to thank Charlie Thompson for helping me make the transition from I&C to systems integration. Sometimes you need someone whos willing to take a chance on you, and, for me, Charlie was that person.
I also thank my many friends in the professional community here in Knoxville: the folks at Raytheonnow Laurenwith whom I have worked for 15 years, and the wonderful team at Mesa Associates, Inc.
And, of course, to Susan Colwell and my other friends at ISA who helped shepherd this project to its conclusion thanks.
D EDICATION
I would like to dedicate this book to my wife Mary and son Elliot, who have continually supported me through the travails of writing this bookIm truly blessed; my parents, who instilled in me a love for reading, and, by extension, writing; and Jesus Christ, who is my inspiration and through whom all things are possible.
T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
L IST OF F IGURES
P REFACE
This book began long ago when, as a department supervisor at Raytheon Engineers and Constructors, I started a regular lunch and learn training program. Over time, my lesson plans evolved into this book, which now encompasses a broad spectrum of design issues.
My purpose in conducting that training was to provide perspective; to help broaden my design groupand myselfby exploring different facets of the I&C design profession. It is my belief that to be efficient, a design team must be able to anticipate troublesome issues before they arise and respond to situations quickly without much conscious thought. In this business, conscious thought takes the form of a design meeting or interruption in the flow of the engineering process. How much better would it be if the situation were handled real-time or even ahead of time at the lowest level possible on the design floor?
An effective organization is one in which every member of the team is aware of the issues at hand. Cross-training is expensive and difficult to implement, particularly on projects with tight timelines and budgets. But it is possible to broaden the entire teams perspective, such that their awareness encompasses more than just their particular role in the project. If the design staff has situational awareness, that staff will consume fewer units of management effort, will be more able to react to emerging issues, and will allow a group of individuals to behave as more of a team. Situational awareness comes only from having perspective beyond ones current level of responsibility.
That is the thought behind this book: to provide perspective and situational awareness.