Two engineering examples argue that invention cannot be forced to fit a promotion or procurement calendar. A company succeeds by giving its engineers time to do their best work, rather than claiming that its staff are uniquely gifted. A paraphrased account of a prewar American shipyard manager adds the practical method: he doubled his engineers' estimates for outside stakeholders and allowed the technical team to test problems instead of rushing them through. Aircraft development in the 1920s, 1930s, and Second World War supplies a second comparison, since designers generally waited until an engine was substantially working before building an aircraft around it. The contrast explains the risk in ordering an entire fleet of systems before any core component has matured.
Notable Point · 14:00-17:10
Good engineering schedules leave time to test the machinery first
A shipyard manager's scheduling rule and prewar aircraft practice illustrate why platforms should not be promised before their core machinery works.