Droid Engineer Archive

As someone who has worked on everything from anti-tank missiles to the space shuttle over the course of 20+ years, let me interject (if I might be so bold) an 'engineer's response' to DE expectations at this point. This is in direct response to a previous post by TH regarding patience and an engineering process approach to the problems of DE as a profession.

(1) There are no points for second place - ever. If DE were a launch vehicle, I would say at this point that it has defective main engines, leaky fuel tanks, a turbopump that will explode on spin up, a computer and nav system as likely to crash on initialization as work, all topped with a satellite that is composed of one simple radio transmitter and a mountain of batteries (current droid energy consumption). In real engineering work I am expected to come up with a plan and schedule to fix these faults by launch day. If I present a plan that contains 'I'd like to' or other vague arm waving I get fired...its that simple. That or the news reports a 500 million dollar fireball and pyro display on launch day. I'm paid to make a complex engineering system perform as designed...DE has never performed as designed, tossing aside additions to the profession that may (or may not) ever be made.

(2) When a fault or faults is identified I am expected to put forth the required effort to fix the fault. As there is no second place or second chance in a launch campaign - that means a detailed 'fix' plan with a schedule that accomplishes and tests the fix prior to launch. I see no indication of any such plan or effort to date. I have seen some generalized arm waving and wish lists, but nothing solid that accomplishes fixes before launch...so to speak.

(3) Its understood engineering on complex systems is difficult and that there will generally be faults failures or delays. This goes without saying. What is getting increasingly difficult to understand is why, when the list of reported faults is so complete and comprehensive, and so vital to the overall health of the system (game), that we must hash the same faults over and over again while seeing no progress to resolution. If you knowyour nav computer is faulty fix it before launch...fix it before you make additional changes to the basic nav system.

Just one man's opinion...I know any community representative is in a difficult position...but in the case of DE serious attention is long long overdue. The fact is the system (DE) has never functioned properly, nor do I see much hope of it doing unless you in fact DO take a true engineering approach to a system-wode fix before zero day arrives. (or before the customer base implodes) Yes - we all will exhibit patience as required - but the time for platitudes has passed. The fault list is there...the community desires are there...what is NOT THERE is a specific plan and a timetable.

One RL engineer's opinion -