the, a, and, or, not, if , then, none, some, all. Oops, that's ten already, and we haven't even said is/are yet.

Great Del.

What you said looks like funny, but surely has deep great meaning in it.

I learned, along with the rest of the engineering department where I once worked, to call it a "proof-of-concept" model, NEVER, EVER, a "prototype": marketing/sales will always assume that a prototype is just the first of many identical objects ready to sell - they can't even comprehend that time is still required to tool up, debug, order components (and often as not THEIR tooling, setup, and debugging!) - if the "prototype" already exists. Or is this an instance where British and American English diverge totally?

Well you've used one of my top two words; want and need. Often neither critical topics are expressed by the customer before an engineer explains what has to be done or should be done.

Ditto! Especially when looking at specifications for employees! Heckuva difference between "want" and "need!"

Milo

In some circles, ten words is about all the vocabulary one hears. It's the interpretation that is more important than the individual words...

Zero is placed on wrong side of 1. In fact it is only one word "ENGINEER" that is big enough to serve the whole oil & gas industry( I cannot write hole to drilling industry). As an engineer,I don't like to work on steel structure project. This is because when I make a mistake every body sees it and pases bad remarks, where as when doctor makes mistake no one could sees it. His mistake is buried. This why I preferred to work on cross-country pipeline - it is buried.

Incompetence is like gravity, it overpowers everything in the end.

Efficiency

Tolerance

Quality

Deadline

Cost

Variance

Dissonance

Common cognitive biases

Phylogeny recapitulates ontogeny

Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Go hang a salami, i'm a lasagna hog. Or other useful palandromes.

Re:

"Phylogeny recapitulates ontogeny" ...

sorry to bust yer bubble , but , you got it backwards! (Perhaps THUS giving credence to your assertion in the-first-place that this qualifies as something WORTHY of understanding!)

Indeed you are correct!............. :-) ...... 'Dyslexics Untie !'

I've always gotten by on four main words (plus a few extras afterward):

"What if we try..."

Hi another Retired,

Your CHECK is coming from Deming's cycle P (plan) D (do) C (check) A (act)? The next, the ACT should be checked. Poor guy or lady, has a problem with only FOUR words, imagine with TEN, Gil.

Hi Gil,

Was not familiar with Deming's cycle, but he made interesting reading in WikiPedia. I did like the following as a possible charater list.?

• Set an example;
• Be a good listener, but will not compromise;
• Continually teach other people; and
• Help people to pull away from their current practices and beliefs and move into the new philosophy without a feeling of guilt about the past."

Deming advocated that all managers need to have what he called a System of Profound Knowledge, consisting of four parts:

1. Appreciation of a system: understanding the overall processes involving suppliers, producers, and customers (or recipients) of goods and services (explained below);
2. Knowledge of variation: the range and causes of variation in quality, and use of statistical sampling in measurements;
3. Theory of knowledge: the concepts explaining knowledge and the limits of what can be known ;
4. Knowledge of psychology: concepts of human nature.

Regards JD.

Seems poetic, given a month ago Gil had to be told "production engineering" existed.

Here's one that is near and dear to all our hearts:

"Decent Compensation", or "Need a RAISE"....

Engineering company run by bureaucrat has different objectives: These are Impressive Office, Good Pay, Long Week End, Sleep on Boat, Wake-Up late, Brunch in Office, Shout on Workers, Report on Production Loss, Submissive to the Boss and Finally Advice Company to Hire a Consultant.

But that's far more than ten words :D

If you know the meaning of sentence " take my word, I will do it", you would be satisfied with my de-cyphered words.

"Data-sheet", "Manual", "Certificate", "Standard".

I have lost track of how many problems I have solved or prevented for myself or others just by remembering to consult these existing documents. Don't be afraid, they won't hurt you and people will not think any less of you if you use them.

Here's one for CR4 - "Internet-search", or as I call it "Google". Same principle as above.

As for the most important phrase..........how about "just stop and think for a minute", the phrase that is most likely going to save your arse from avoidable unpleasantness.

Here's one for CR4 - "Internet-search", or as I call it "Google". Same principle as above.

Found this today in CR4, I think you are right.

For some reason I knew I could use it today.

"Data-sheet", "Manual", "Certificate", "Standard".

One could ad "Responsibility" after all of the above is in place. Taking responsibility is the hardest of them all because there is always the one wanting your job. If this 'one' does not "communicate" your stuffed, big time.

GA from me, Ky.

I am stealing that! expect to see it appear periodically elsewhere...

RTFM. Read The effing Manual!

If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong.

So that engineers not become extinct, "My place or yours?"

Sustainability in design, Durability, Flexibility, Honesty, Creativity, Safety, Quality, Optimization, Forecasting, Men-Money and Material.

Thank you for that. As a non-engineer, but as a taxpayer watching our government make a mess of yet another multi-million pound contract, I do sometimes wonder about the contractors' ethics.

Consultant,specifications,BOQ,price,drawing,costing,material,tools,install,approval

Energy, Work, Electricity, Force, Chemical, Light, mechanical, Temparature, Measurement, Logic.

There are two words you should start to use when you are about to start answering any question:

"It depends"

1. "good enough" (workable and achievable, as opposed to perfect which never happens)

2. "...for all practical purposes" (many things are impossible in theory, but you can get close enough to achieving them for all practical purposes)

3. "doable" (maybe not in a million years, but sometime...)

5. "state of the art" (speaker doesn't know any other way to do it)

6. "common practice" (means different things to different people; your job is to find out what the other guy means by it)

7. "to Code" (hint: everybody thinks this means it will do the job, when all it does is convince a bureaucrat that it will do the job)

8. "There's no time (or it costs too much)" (this means it won't get done properly on the first try, but there will be plenty of time and an adequate budget when they start over)

9. "What do they know?" (said of a competitor who has just come out with a superior product at a better price)

10. "good approximation" (when said about one's own work, means within two orders of magnitude)

9.

approximately

Perfect is the enemy of good.

1 completed?

2 neat

3 robust

4 effective

5 tested

6 compliant

7 reliable

8 profitable

9 invoiced

10 efficient

With completed by far the most important.

1. Data Driven

2. Never be complacent there is always room to improve.

3. Experimentation is never complete without conformation.

4. You cannot inspect quality, you can only manufacture quality.

5. If you are complacent your competitors will pass you bye.

6. A machine does not have an attitude, it has a wear pattern, maintain it.

7. In manufacturing you are never there, you are always trying to get there.

8. Variation is our common enemy.

9. Data is only important if some uses it.

10. Define, Measure, Analyyze, Design, and Verify

Ten words is a good start. If that is also your goal you don't want a technical job.

"Motherf#cker" should not be used as all parts of speach.

Design Engineer's model:

design

concept

model

demonstrate

Technicians model:

prototype

test

Marketing's model:

marketable

profitable

Management's headaches:

completed?

tested

invoiced

paid

complaint

refund

Back to design Engineering

Notice that "Quality" is not addressed

'PLANNING' "Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something. And the nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression": John Harvey-Jones

other suggestions are:

'Imagination'

'Determination'

'Thought'

'Patience'

'Ingenuity'

'Why?'

'Simplicity' "Keep it Simple Stupid"!

Two words:

"What if...?"

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong... damn.

I've just been working on something, and just as I close in on the software bug a wire in a ribbon cable goes intermittent which effects exactly the area I'm working on.
Nailed the sucker now, so it's tea and bickies
Del

Hi Trans,

Engineers are employed to improve existing manufactured objects or creating new. Also and most often, they have to solve "problems" and they have to find "solutions".

So, we already have IMPROVE and NEW, plus SOLUTIONS to PROBLEMS, which are 4.

The engineer have to PLAN and DO or BUILD the solution during a certain time. Make a PRESENTATION of the solution, and we reached 7.

When the proposal is accepted

When the proposed solution is accepted, WRITE DOWN and TEACH people how to do the solution.

When the solution is finished and created a satisfied customer, REWARD people around you, and we get to 10, Gil.

Nicely put Gil.Plan, device, operate, educate and serve, the so called professional demands of engineers, whatever be the discipline. The true meaning of engineer is lost in the current complex and vast diversities.

All round caliber including the soft tech making engineers' role great.

7. Good job

mil...

Seriously.

Please define.

Hooker

Actually I was thinking of things like moment arm, malleable as opposed to unmalleable, whatever you call those Timken gears that are sortah cone shaped, and stuff like that, but see you guys are beyond those words and phrases.

Stuff like specific gravity, Golden mean, was what I had in mind.

Still I dearly love to ask a Top Ten question on CR4 that gets ya'll going one way or another.

Tomorrow

Next week

Next month

next year

It ain't gonna happen

It's not my job

He doesn't work here anymore

It's a software problem

It's a hardware problem

It's an installation problem

That's a management problem

We don't support those anymore

Sally does those now

I'll be on vacation then

YES SIR!

Hi Guy,

Are you member of a UNION? Your words are representing them, Gil.

*There are simple solutions to complex problems.

*Common sense is better than non sense.

*Pre conceived notions will never let one to solve problems.

*Never close the doors of learning

*Obsolete talents fail one day

* Attitude of improving things should be never become static.

*Hands of practice and touch never fail an engineer.

*Engineers are heaven's delegates for improving life.

* Be proud to be an engineer not by degree, but your technical worth.

*Be discontent about being a single disciplinary Engineer.

Hi S,

I will attribute "good answer" and "score 10" for those as you tell us "non sense"! Thanks for your colloboration but give as TEN WORDS without soo much complications around each of them.

Check #46 and read as done with ten simple words.

Be nice and we will, sorry, only me, I will appreciate it, Gil.

These are the first to come to my mind:

Lefty loosey, righty tighty

Measure twice, cut once

If you aren't sure, ASK

Shut your mouth and open your ears

CYA

Get 'er done

Anything is possible given enough time and resources

The KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

I.D. 10 T. error (you never want to be the cause of one of these!)

High impedance air gap

Hi Hair,

Thanks, I don't have the courageto put the eleventh word, KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid). No one want to use it as a method to execute some work. Everyone likes complications, complex and complicated sentences to explain something very simple.

One sentence is better than one word. One page explication is better than one line or short and consise paragraph. A scheduled meeting is much more important than a phone call to give someone the solution to a problem.

Thanks again, I work hard for the next few days to include in my "10 WORDS SYSTEM", Gil.

Yes Dear.

No Dear.

Murphy showed up at the job site today, so I will be gone for another few weeks; I'm sorry Dear.

I will make up for the time I've lost when I get back Dear.

Be a Dear, and show the kids and the dogs my picture.

All the rest is what you do to keep your job. Those are the least important words.

Here is my serious answerers to your Inquisition. An Engineer must be aware of:

* Professionalism

* Project

*Knowledge

*Planning

*Scheduling

*Execution

*Safety

*Quality

*Testing

*Delivery

Hi Abdul,

Fantastic!!! You just describe a POLITICIAN in action before she/he is elected. Don't worry!! We have to create TEN NEW WORDS when is sitting with other "chosen".

I made a copy and check at the next voting time, before and after, Gil.

NB: Sorry, I'm out of the subject but we need some changes and it was a good opportunity. Don't be upset! Laugh with me!

Why did you let the smoke out of that motor?

Have you checked it is not a left hand thread?

Have you checked that the power switch is turned on?

I have a good 7:

"Now leave it alone, it's 'perfect enough'!"

Cheers,

Stu.

Hi Stuey,

Sorry! You have the good ten words but we don't need to hire and pay an engineer for that, isn't it? Yes, we make the mistakes to get people around us like that and in plus we pay for it to hear this kind of sentences. However, you have the right 10 WORDS, Gil.

That must be a bad thermostat.

watertight

I can torque these nuts without a torque wrench.

rot resistant

insulated structure

this is a more efficient electric heater

caulk it

let it breathe

good enough

Seems like today... the 10 words ya hear the most are...

"We require a change order for that to be added".

Incoming quotation received some years ago: "The f____g f____r's f____d!"

Babelfish couldn't translate it either...