Dilbert comic just for us - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2022, 03:20:34 pm
content: This actually more or less happened to me a long, long time ago...

author: Zeyneb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2022, 12:12:00 am
content: We still don't know if he meant in Pointy-haired Boss position or Dilberts.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 04:27:40 am
content: Nothing worse than a lab that is an uncontrolled mess.One of my responsibilities in the 1990's was looking after a large electronics lab at IBM, used by dozens of engineers.Two issues:1. 1K and 10K resistors disappear and no-one bothers ordering replacements.2. People often left a mess on the bench after they have abandoned or finished a project.To solve the mess on the bench issue, I made "Work in Progress" labels with the name of the engineer responsible for their project and the date and expected date of completion written on it.An engineering colleague named Paul never cleaned up his mess. I had seen him about it a few times and he said he would clean it up, but he never did. So I sent out an email to all engineers a week ahead that there will be a big cleanup of the lab on the next Friday. I sent a final email on Thursday saying any equipment and parts left on benches from old projects will be thrown in the large 8 cubic metre industrial skip bin on Friday noon. At noon on Friday I relocated about $30k of equipment and stuff from Paul's project off the bench and (carefully) placed the lot into the centre of the skip bin under some real rubbish. I then sent an email to all engineers saying the lab has been cleaned up. Paul showed up within minutes. It was satisfying and somewhat humorous watching Paul jump into the skip bin to search and find his stuff. I made no apologies. From that moment on, we never had a problem with him leaving mess on the bench again. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.Since those years, I have learnt the Japanese 5S philosophy and have employed it in the labs I have worked. In one place we threw out about 10 cubic metres of hoarded junk prior to implementing 5S. A lot of work at the start, but it transformed the work environment and people were happy and more productive.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 07:36:30 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on June 24, 2022, 04:27:40 amYou're no fun.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 08:38:55 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on June 24, 2022, 04:27:40 amWe had a manager who decided to implement 5S. He threw out a load of old stuff. Some of it was junk, but a lot of it was required and it caused more problems than it fixed.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 09:00:50 am
content: Quote from: Zero999 on June 24, 2022, 08:38:55 amBut the employees with electronics as a hobby were happyA friend of mine has enjoyed this kind of feast where he worked a lot. His lab is nicely filled, but not like some of the pictures found in the "post a picture of your lab" thread. Guess these guys also had this kind of employers

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 02:35:53 pm
content: I suppose Jim Williams’ lab would qualify as “messy”.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 07:36:34 pm
content: That Dilbert strip is about the same as this one:https://dilbert.com/strip/2021-09-13

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2022, 08:11:03 pm
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on June 24, 2022, 04:27:40 amThat seems like a good plan. I'm running my own lab in a similar fashion. I'm currently going through a big cleanup cycle which typically ends up enabling a hoarder by adding a few boxes of electronics and parts to his / her collection.