{"id":6144,"date":"2025-06-13T11:19:39","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T11:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themenectar.com\/demo\/salient-corporate\/?p=6144"},"modified":"2025-06-25T10:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T10:19:09","slug":"automation-engineers-and-other-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/2025\/06\/13\/automation-engineers-and-other-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWill It Work?\u201d and Other Strategic Questions I Ask My Engineer Husband"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A CEO\u2019s reflections on the joys of working with technical people<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\tM <\/span>\n

e (CEO, non-engineer, professional wrangler of chaos, enthusiastic about a new project):<\/b>
\n<\/b> \u201cSo, it looks like we\u2019ve got a new automotive project coming in. It\u2019s the one which requires you to start ASAP. Yes, the G120\/D drives.”<\/span><\/p>\n

My husband (engineer, speaks fluent ladder logic):<\/b>
\n<\/b> \u201cNice. Which TIA Portal version are we going to use? Are we going to configure SINAMICS G120\/D with STARTER or with StartDrive, which is integrated in the TIA Portal?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Me:<\/b>
\n<\/b> \u201cI\u2019ll have to ask about that. What I know is that I found the coolest place AND it is 5 minutes walking from the factory! \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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And just like that, we\u2019re off. He\u2019s talking about the systems, processes and God knows what else. I\u2019m thinking about logistics, budgets, client expectations, and whether this should go in a blog post.<\/h2> <\/div> <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
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Engineers vs. Non-Engineers: The Most Functional Dysfunctional Couple<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve spent my entire career working with tech people\u2014developers, sysadmins, book printers, mobile app designers, software engineers, and now: PLC programmers. I\u2019ve learned a few things:<\/p>\n

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  • \nEngineers think in systems.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • \nNon-engineers think in impact.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • \nAnd great projects happen when both speak just enough of each other\u2019s language to get into trouble together.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
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    Exhibit A: The Kickoff Call<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Engineer husband:<\/strong>
    \n\u201cWe\u2019re following VASS 6.0.2, but I need to check if the safety PLC uses a separate Profisafe channel.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Me:<\/strong>
    \n\u201cRight. While you do that, I\u2019ll confirm if the client\u2019s team they actually sent us the updated machine layout or just thinks they did.\u201d
    \nBecause here’s the deal: someone needs to understand both what a G120 is and how to write a proper client email with bullet points. That\u2019s me. I don\u2019t pretend to know everything that\u2019s happening in the PLC code \u2014 but I do know how to keep a project from derailing at week three when nobody’s booked flights, someone forgot to order patch cables, and the HMI is still in Italian.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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    Exhibit B: Communication Styles<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Me:<\/strong>
    \n\u201cHow are we doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Engineer husband:<\/strong>
    \n\u201cDepends. The code compiles, but the robot controller is throwing errors unless I simulate the gripper. Might be a signal inversion, might be a timing issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Me (translation):<\/strong>
    \n\u201cOkay, we\u2019re not in flames. I\u2019ll push the Monday meeting and get you time to test.\u201d
    \nI don\u2019t have to write code. I have to understand what\u2019s blocking the people who do and remove that obstacle. Sometimes that means client diplomacy. Sometimes that means explaining why \u201calmost working\u201d isn\u2019t good enough when you\u2019re launching a line that\u2019s going to stamp 40 parts per minute for the next decade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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    What I\u2019ve Learned as a Non-Engineer Leading Engineers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Ask the right questions \u2014 even if they sound \u201cdumb.\u201d<\/strong>
    \nMy \u201cwill it work?\u201d is half-joke, half-risk assessment. It gets engineers thinking about safety, assumptions, and client fears. That\u2019s valuable.<\/p>\n

    Give technical people space to do what they do best.<\/strong>
    \nI don\u2019t micromanage the code. I manage everything around the code.<\/p>\n

    Never underestimate the power of context.<\/strong>
    \nEngineers build elegant solutions. I give them the real-world parameters they have to work within \u2014 deadlines, client politics, code to get into the hotel room.<\/p>\n

    Be the bridge.<\/strong>
    \nSomeone has to connect procurement, commissioning, electrical, programming, and the client\u2019s vision. That someone is often me. Or you, if you\u2019re the non-engineer in your team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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    Final Thought<\/strong>
    \nWorking with engineers is like co-piloting a spaceship. One of you is handling the fuel flow, ignition logic, and trajectory math. The other is making sure you land on the right planet, with food in the hold and a smiling mission sponsor. It\u2019s not about who\u2019s smarter \u2014 it\u2019s about respecting each other\u2019s expertise.<\/p>\n

    And yes, occasionally I still ask:
    \n\u201cWill it work?\u201d
    \nNot because I don\u2019t know \u2014 but because I need to hear the engineer say, confidently:
    \n\u201cYes. We tested it.\u201d<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s when I know we are ready to go home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A CEO\u2019s reflections on the joys of working with technical people M e (CEO, non-engineer, professional wrangler of chaos, enthusiastic about a new project): \u201cSo, it looks like we\u2019ve got...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6144"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7196,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions\/7196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpdautomation.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}