The True Meaning of Engineering Terms

The Engineering Term
What it Means

1. A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES ARE BEING TRIED! We are still guessing at this point.

2. CLOSE PROJECT COORDINATION We know who to blame.

3. AN EXTENSIVE REPORT IS BEING PREPARED ON A FRESH APPROACH! We just hired three punk kids out of school.

4. MAJOR TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH! It works ok; BUT LOOKS VERY HI-TECH!

5. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS BELIEVED ASSURED We are so far behind schedule, that the customer will take anything.

6. PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL TESTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE! The darn thing blew up when we threw the switch.

7. TEST RESULTS WERE EXTREMELY GRATIFYING! Unbelievable, it actually worked!

8. THE ENTIRE CONCEPT WILL HAVE TO BE ABANDONED! The only guy who understood the thing quit.

9. IT IS IN PROCESS! It is so wrapped in red tape that the situation is completely hopeless.

10. WE WILL LOOK INTO IT! FORGET IT! We have enough problem already.

11. PLEASE NOTE AND INITIAL! Let's spread the responsibility for this.

12. GIVE US THE BENEFIT OF YOUR THINKING! We'll listen to what you have to say as long as it doesn't interfere with what we have already done or with what we are going to do.

13. GIVE US YOUR INTERPRETATION! We can't wait to hear your bull.

14. SEE ME or LET'S DISCUSS Come to my office, I've screwed up again.

15. ALL NEW Parts are not interchangeable with previous design.

16. RUGGED Don't plan on lifting it.

17. ROBUST Supersedes RUGGED

18. LIGHT WEIGHT Lighter than rugged

19. YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT One finally worked.

20. ENERGY SAVING Achieved when the power switch is off

21. NO MAINTENANCE Impossible to fix

22. LOW MAINTENANCE Nearly impossible to fix

23. FAX ME THE DATA I'm too lazy to write it down

24. WE ARE FOLLOWING THE STANDARD! That's the way we have always done it.

25. I DIDN'T GET YOUR E-MAIL I haven't checked my e-mail for days

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The Engineering Term	What it Means
1. A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES ARE BEING TRIED!	We are still guessing at this point.
2. CLOSE PROJECT COORDINATION	We know who to blame.
3. AN EXTENSIVE REPORT IS BEING PREPARED ON A FRESH APPROACH!	We just hired three punk kids out of school.
4. MAJOR TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH!	It works ok; BUT LOOKS VERY HI-TECH!
5. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS BELIEVED ASSURED	We are so far behind schedule, that the customer will take anything.
6. PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL TESTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE!	The darn thing blew up when we threw the switch.
7. TEST RESULTS WERE EXTREMELY GRATIFYING!	Unbelievable, it actually worked!
8. THE ENTIRE CONCEPT WILL HAVE TO BE ABANDONED!	The only guy who understood the thing quit.
9. IT IS IN PROCESS!	It is so wrapped in red tape that the situation is completely hopeless.
10. WE WILL LOOK INTO IT!	FORGET IT! We have enough problem already.
11. PLEASE NOTE AND INITIAL!	Let's spread the responsibility for this.
12. GIVE US THE BENEFIT OF YOUR THINKING!	We'll listen to what you have to say as long as it doesn't interfere with what we have already done or with what we are going to do.
13. GIVE US YOUR INTERPRETATION!	We can't wait to hear your bull.
14. SEE ME or LET'S DISCUSS	Come to my office, I've screwed up again.
15. ALL NEW	Parts are not interchangeable with previous design.
16. RUGGED	Don't plan on lifting it.
17. ROBUST	Supersedes RUGGED
18. LIGHT WEIGHT	Lighter than rugged
19. YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT	One finally worked.
20. ENERGY SAVING	Achieved when the power switch is off
21. NO MAINTENANCE	Impossible to fix
22. LOW MAINTENANCE	Nearly impossible to fix
23. FAX ME THE DATA	I'm too lazy to write it down
24. WE ARE FOLLOWING THE STANDARD!	That's the way we have always done it.
25. I DIDN'T GET YOUR E-MAIL	I haven't checked my e-mail for days