# What Meetings Feel Like for Engineers (video) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508 "2014-04-06T22:26:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/1 "2014-04-06T22:26:41Z")
If you’ve ever been an engineer, worked with engineers, or even have some familiarity with processes involving engineers, watch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg). Oh–and if you can, do it in the form of a kitten. I laughed so hard I almost hurt myself. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/2 "2014-04-06T22:49:06Z")
That’s not funny. It’s an accurate abstraction of my job. And it’s not Expert, it’s Subject Matter Expert, pronounced SME. Based on the Project Management Rule 47.r.1.245.j “Never use one word when you use three.” The first few times I was called a SME, I had no friggin’ idea what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/3 "2014-04-06T22:50:33Z")
The only thing missing was someone requesting a follow-up meeting two-days hence so that the SME can report status to the other four people. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/4 "2014-04-06T23:25:11Z")
And a schedule. You must have a schedule, even if you do not yet have any clue as to what you will be doing, when you will do it, or when it needs to be done. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/5 "2014-04-06T23:37:06Z")
Painfully true, and I speak from experience. You might say that I’m an “expert.” ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/6 "2014-04-06T23:40:36Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > And a schedule. You must have a schedule, even if you do not yet have any clue as to what you will be doing, when you will do it, or when it needs to be done. > > Stranger And we’ll need an OOM at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/7 "2014-04-07T02:05:00Z")
Been there, done that, successfully refrained from stabbing people. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/8 "2014-04-07T03:43:13Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > That’s not funny. It’s an accurate abstraction of my job. > > And it’s not Expert, it’s Subject Matter Expert, pronounced SME. Based on the Project Management Rule 47.r.1.245.j “Never use one word when you use three.” > > The first few times I was called a SME, I had no friggin’ idea what it was. That’s [\*Mister \*SME](http://i.imgur.com/NVC5okX.jpg) to you! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/9 "2014-04-07T04:46:22Z")
Wow, that was not funny at all. That was much too close to real life to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/10 "2014-04-07T05:22:44Z")
Hey, you gotta laugh or you’ll cry, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oukile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@Oukile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oukile)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/11 "2014-04-07T06:55:46Z")
This engineer is just a little bit green. After a few years, he will find this perfectly normal. At this point, he will be ready to become project manager. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/12 "2014-04-07T08:15:18Z")
As a project manager, I was horrified by the “experts” bad attitude. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/13 "2014-04-07T13:22:10Z")
> [@Oukile](#): > > This engineer is just a little bit green. After a few years, he will find this perfectly normal. At this point, he will be ready to become project manager. Right. He should just agree to everything as the design, schedule, budget, and team members will all change three or four times before the whole project is abandoned because the objectives of the client have changed. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/14 "2014-04-07T13:26:50Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Right. He should just agree to everything as the design, schedule, budget, and team members will all change three or four times before the whole project is abandoned because the objectives of the client have changed. “Can we also make the lines parallel and flash in fluorescent orange? That won’t impact delivery will it?” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/15 "2014-04-07T13:44:58Z")
Terrible engineering, at first, but then he got it right in the end. The answer is always “Yes, we can do that”. A while later there may be some delays, but that happens with everything, no big deal. And by the way, transparent perpendicular red lines drawn in the form of an inflatable kitten in green ink cost more, someone should have mentioned that. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/16 "2014-04-07T13:46:44Z")
I know you don’t know what the problem is, or how you plan on solving it, or if it’s even possible, but can we have a date for a date? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/17 "2014-04-07T14:05:00Z")
It’s not the same without a public meeting where citizens accuse us of being in the pocket of the Red Line Industry and the applicant suggesting that we are deliberately trying to sabotage the economy/the country/Gods Plan by not giving them whatever they want because we’re all a bunch of _Liberals_. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/18 "2014-04-07T14:08:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Terrible engineering, at first, but then he got it right in the end. The answer is always “Yes, we can do that”. A while later there may be some delays, but that happens with everything, no big deal. And by the way, transparent perpendicular red lines drawn in the form of an inflatable kitten in green ink cost more, someone should have mentioned that. AGILE has a phrase for that: Managing Customer Expectations. But, you don’t dare do it until later in the project. At the beginning, you’re exactly right. It’s, “Yes, we can do that.” Few people recognize Steve Jobs’ genious in that regard. He was ahead of his time. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/19 "2014-04-07T14:19:25Z")
I have to wonder if everyone sees themselves as the expert here. Just as nobody sees themselves as the pointy haired boss in Dilbert. I was sent this video by the living embodiment of the clueless project manager, the very guy I thought of when the PM opened his mouth - he seemed to think we had shared experiences as the expert. The clueless are clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508/20 "2014-04-07T14:20:35Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > AGILE has a phrase for that: Managing Customer Expectations. That phrase was around long before Agile. And people have been messing it up for much longer as well. > [@](#): > > But, you don’t dare do it until later in the project. At the beginning, you’re exactly right. It’s, “Yes, we can do that.” Yeah, that’s the difference between a rookie engineer and a mature engineer. Always always always say “yes”, because saying “no” - even if you’re being asked to do the impossible - is always the wrong answer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meetings-feel-like-for-engineers-video/685508.md?page=2)