This is what pisses me off about working with architects.
When I was hired, one of my tasks was to overhaul the filing system, naming conventions, drawing standards. I spent months coming up with a system, explaining the system, discussing the system, adapting the system and then putting the system into place. Months of work and effort to clean up the messes they, as a small office, are steeped in, which are the same problems that happen to all small offices. I’m an organization freak. I love developing systems and I’m very good at it. I gave them a simple solution that incorporated how they already filed/named/drew and after some initial growing pains, we’ve all adapted. Until today. And this is what I hate about architects.
They all want standardization. They clamour for it, beg for it, fantasize about it. And when they get it? ‘yeah, that won’t work for me’. They spend all their time changing the system to their own unique (and often poorly thought out) work habits. ‘My project is much too complex for your system’ and ‘It makes more sense to me to do it my way’ are flying all over the office today. My co-workers have decided to change the system, for one project only, to suit themselves, without thinking thru the consequences or identifying the pitfalls. In short, the system must adapt, not the co-workers. Um… excuse me?
I was hired to ensure that everyone was using the same system and now you feel it’s ok to put it aside and do your own thing? Doing it their own way is why no one can identify the final set of drawings for most of the projects in the office. When I started, it took me weeks to figure out which were the final set of drawings for a project we had on site. The contractor kept calling and asking me questions and I had 15 different ground floor plans, all marked with an identifier that ranged from A to Recent to This One. My job was to put a system in place so that never happened again. And I did that.
Most of the people in this office have never even worked on large projects before. Most of them have never even worked on a team that was larger than 2 people. Which is why I was hired; to bring that experience into the office and streamline what we were doing. But today, it would seem, I don’t count for anything, on my own project, because the two boys have decided they want to do it another way. I can’t keep having this conversation:
Co-worker: I think it is better this way.
Me: I know it isn’t better and here’s why (insert list of 3 to 4 valid issues)
Co-W: It just makes more sense my way.
Me: To you perhaps but if we do it your way, here’s what will happen in a few months time: (insert list of 3 to 4 valid issues)
Co-W: Well, I still think my way makes more sense.
AAAGUUUGUGHGHHHH!!! I’ve just explained to you how its going to fail because I’ve seen it time and time again. And yet, because you’re You, doing it your way, the only way you’ve ever done anything, is the right way to go. Because it makes more sense to you. Not to anyone else. Not to the four other people on your team. Not to the contractors, or the engineers, or the many other consultants…. No, no; it makes sense in your brain, so we’ll all just run with it. What would I know? I’m just a stupid girl who has more experience than you.
Hate this field.
4 comments:
I feel I should comment since I can relate, but I'm not quite sure what to say; or if you're even looking for a solution or just venting. So if you're just venting stop now, if you want a more typical response from a Y Chromosome person read on.
(Pause for you to decide)
When I've had this type of situation on my projects, I've simply "strong-armed" the team, and told them it will be done per standards. If they don't, they will re-do it until it is done per standards. And the principals always have your back on this because they recognzie the need to comply with the standards.
-Hip
Mostly venting. Thank you for recognizing the two are different reasons to shout. :-)
Strong-arming by me always come out as "she's bein an unfair bitch" even when I'm right.
One of the team is an associate, who half-supported me and half-sabatoged me in the discussions.
I've decided to let them do it their way and they've given me a green light to smear "I told you so" all over the office when it all goes wrong. I mean If. If it all goes wrong.
That said, we got new upgrades on the program today and 1/3 of the problems we had yesterday have been taken care of by the advance in the technology. The rest of it, however... we'll see.
My experience is that you can pretty much replace "architect" with "lawyer" in this story.
-Luke
Don't even get me started on the lawyers we work with here. Any time the call the office, it's a 85% chance they've lost the last set of documents we sent them, that were utterly urgent at the time, and they need to have them replaced urgently. Ugh. this is why I feel compelled to do something else; anything else; for myself.
Post a Comment