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What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

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Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#71

Post by [deleted] »

whyme wrote: post #67
chavesn wrote: post #27

Some of the comments here claim this is just showing how engineers think they are the only smart ones, or how there's equal frustration pointed back at engineers. However, this is illustrating a particular problem that only[2] affects engineers -- engineers are the ones at the end of the day who have to make a solution reality. This particular weight doesn't fall on any other role. It's easy for anyone, including eng…

> However, this is illustrating a particular problem that only affects engineers -- engineers are the ones at the end of the day who have to make a solution reality. This is simply not true. In the past I was a Business Analyst. I would meet with clients to gather requirements and that illustration would often unfold in the same manner. It has nothing to do with a persons role, it has everything to do with having lar…

[deleted]

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#72

Post by carrotleads »

dredmorbius wrote: post #29
sikhnerd wrote: post #2

I think the best way I've found to combat these types of meetings and cut through the talk is simply to ask "Why" Find out pretty quickly (generally) what they are actually wanting and nobody needs to print things in transparent ink... (usually)

"Why", or "what do you want to do" are two of the most useful questions in my arsenal. Often a client (or user you're trying to assist) is 2-3 steps past their initial requirement when they ask for some technical solution. Backtracking to the base problem often suggests a far more useful and viable approach. The video sketch shown here isn't so much an illustration of what it's like to be the only technical person in…

This is true for any meeting where a specialist is outnumbered and the other folks have already made up their mind.

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#73

Post by jonathanmoore »

I can relate to this video. In the mid-2000s I worked as an art director at 2Advanced creating over the top Flash sites. We had a client who insisted that we add a red, invisible hexagon shield on top of the animation to prevent "forces" from attacking the site.

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#74

Post by Swannie »

whyme wrote: post #67
chavesn wrote: post #27

Some of the comments here claim this is just showing how engineers think they are the only smart ones, or how there's equal frustration pointed back at engineers. However, this is illustrating a particular problem that only[2] affects engineers -- engineers are the ones at the end of the day who have to make a solution reality. This particular weight doesn't fall on any other role. It's easy for anyone, including eng…

> However, this is illustrating a particular problem that only affects engineers -- engineers are the ones at the end of the day who have to make a solution reality. This is simply not true. In the past I was a Business Analyst. I would meet with clients to gather requirements and that illustration would often unfold in the same manner. It has nothing to do with a persons role, it has everything to do with having lar…

Having been a developer, contract developer, consulting analyst, and consulting architect, I can say you are right. There are challenges for business analysts, similar to this.

But it's not the same league. Technology often comes down to "it can be done" or "it can't be done without a lot more effort than you are willing to pay for".

Sure, a business analyst may have similar problems ("this process works" vs. "this process would take 5 people a week, each time - but we only have 1 person for 4 days"). However you, the business analyst, are not usually then expected to go away and actually make X happen - you hand over your requirements to other people for them to "make it happen".

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#75

Post by Moru »

vayarajesh wrote: post #56

Awesome.. I have a similar situation regarding the project manager in the video :) we have a small team of 5 members and i don't think we need a "project manager" considering only 5 members working on a not-so-big project and the team members are efficient enough to self manage. I dont think a small project with a small team even needs a project manager.

I'm in a team with exactly one developer and two project managers... Guess who I am?

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#76

Post by croggle »

xarien wrote: post #50
evilrevolution wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Feel free to make your own skit using whatever typecasts you need to make yourself feel better.

I'm actually both Asian and male; the protagonist typecast in the skit if you will. The insensitivity and frank hostility exhibited by your remark alone shows how much more work we have to do in order to make the tech sector more hospitable and diverse.

If it's an asian male we'll get people like you noticing it's an asian male... if we make it a black women we'll get people noticing it's a black women.

It honestly doesn't matter. I've personally never seen anyone in IT of east asian descent anyway.

Get over yourself.

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#77

Post by carrotleads »

vayarajesh wrote: post #56

Awesome.. I have a similar situation regarding the project manager in the video :) we have a small team of 5 members and i don't think we need a "project manager" considering only 5 members working on a not-so-big project and the team members are efficient enough to self manage. I dont think a small project with a small team even needs a project manager.

Well some companies can work with no managers http://ryancarson.com/post/73639971628/the-negative-side-of-...

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#79

Post by whyme »

Swannie wrote: post #74
whyme wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> However, this is illustrating a particular problem that only affects engineers -- engineers are the ones at the end of the day who have to make a solution reality. This is simply not true. In the past I was a Business Analyst. I would meet with clients to gather requirements and that illustration would often unfold in the same manner. It has nothing to do with a persons role, it has everything to do with having lar…

Having been a developer, contract developer, consulting analyst, and consulting architect, I can say you are right. There are challenges for business analysts, similar to this. But it's not the same league. Technology often comes down to "it can be done" or "it can't be done without a lot more effort than you are willing to pay for". Sure, a business analyst may have similar problems ("this process works" vs. "this p…

So you think BA's can not learn, even through experience, what can or can not be done?

Sure, there's always somebody else, same role or not, who has more expertise, but don't confuse role/title for expertise. I've seen BA's with a decade of experience school junior engineers on what can or can not be done.

Re: What it is like being the only engineer in a meeting [video]

#80

Post by return13 »

vayarajesh wrote: post #56

Awesome.. I have a similar situation regarding the project manager in the video :) we have a small team of 5 members and i don't think we need a "project manager" considering only 5 members working on a not-so-big project and the team members are efficient enough to self manage. I dont think a small project with a small team even needs a project manager.

i think every member of that team should have a manager, and there should be a manager to manage all the managers...
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