engineering_as_philosophy

Engineering Philosphy

My engineering philosophy is based on the field of Chaos Theory. If you are not familiar with Chaos theory, from Wikipedia;

"Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the butterfly effect. Small differences in initial conditions ... yield widely diverging outcomes ..., rendering long-term prediction impossible in general. This happens even though these systems are deterministic, meaning that their future behavior is fully determined by their initial conditions, with no random elements involved. In other words, the deterministic nature of these systems does not make them predictable. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply chaos."

Fractals are an artifact of deterministic chaos. These can be observed in nature as the stripes on a zebra, snowflakes, and fingerprints; each is easily classified in its respective element, yet each is completely unique within that element. Trees are an example of a natural occurrence of a fractal. An oak tree will never be mistaken for a beech, yet each oak tree is completely unique within the set of all the oak trees that exist now and have existed in the past. Each leaf on each oak tree is completely unique yet immediately recognizable as an oak leaf.

If you have ever seen a tree heal a wound where it has lost a branch due to pruning or perhaps a storm you have seen the true strength of the tree; a tree specifically, but more generally a fractal or deterministic chaos. While there is an underlying formula in its DNA that generates and governs the dynamics of the cells that become the tree, that formula operates in deterministic chaos thereby allowing the tree to adapt to its conditions and survive incredible damage. This adaptation might be thought of as Darwinian selection in action.

Trees respond to wounding or injury in two ways: compartmentalization and the development of barrier zones (Shigo 1986).
Compartmentalization
When a tree is wounded, the injured tissue is not repaired and does not heal. Trees do not heal; they seal. If you look at an old wound, you will notice that it does not “heal” from the inside out, but eventually the tree covers the opening by forming specialized “callus” tissue around the edges of the wound. After wounding, new wood growing around the wound forms a protective boundary preventing the infection or decay from spreading into the new tissue. Thus, the tree responds to the injury by “compartmentalizing” or isolating the older, injured tissue with the gradual growth of new, healthy tissue.
Barrier Zones
Not only do trees try to close the damaged tissue from the outside, they also make the existing wood surrounding the wound unsuitable for spread of decay organisms. Although these processes are not well understood, the tree tries to avoid further injury by setting chemical and physical boundaries around the infected cells, reacting to the pathogen and confining the damage.
If the tree is fast and effective with its boundary-setting mechanisms, the infection remains localized and does not spread. However, if the boundary-setting mechanisms are not effective, the infection will spread. Most vigorous or actively growing trees are fairly successful in coping with decay-spreading mechanisms.

Using deterministic chaos as an allegory for a design methodology may seem strange at first, but compare a species of tree to a type of manufactured product such as an automobile. For an automobile the pinnacle of design, perfection, and beauty is consistency in a form which must be constantly maintained and improved. Contrast that to each tree which is completely unique while being perfectly matched to its surroundings and requiring no maintenance. Improvement comes gradually and as required due to constant change and growth.

In manufacturing this process is the methodology known as Continuous Improvement (CIP) or Kaizen:

The core principle of CIP is the (self) reflection of processes. (Feedback)
The purpose of CIP is the identification, reduction, and elimination of suboptimal processes. (Efficiency)
The emphasis of CIP is on incremental, continual steps rather than giant leaps. (Evolution)

The principles of Continuous Improvement are neither fictitious nor are they fantasy based. W.E. Deming developed these principles in post-war Japan where they were perfected to the point that it was necessary to bring them to the USA so we could compete with products coming to the US from Japan! As a young engineer in the 1980's I studied the work of both Deming and J.M. Juran extensively and implemented them both in the manufacture of physical products as well as the methodology of design. For years both Machinery's Handbook and Juran's Quality Control Handbook were indispensable reference works for me. By applying these principles in my professional life I have attained a level of skill which is rarely challenged, but not because I'm the smartest person in the room. I have reached my level of skill because I have always believed and continue to believe that I can always improve myself and I always question my own work.

Kent Beck, the founder of Agile software development has stated that the principles he developed are based on there being a sound design practice in place. While management has finally begun to adopt the agile methodologies, it is all too often forgotten that technical excellence, good design, simplicity, and adaptation are core principles. The Agile Manifesto is based on twelve principles:

Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months)
Working software is the principal measure of progress
Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace
Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)
Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential
Self-organizing teams
Regular adaptation to changing circumstances

If you have not read Kent Beck's seminal work "Extreme Programming Explained" but profess to follow an Agile methodology; who do you think you are fooling?

Best Practices

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copyright Katherine Elizabeth Lightsey 1959-2013 (aka; my life)

"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." - Henry Ford