Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You convince the navy to increase its budget so the manufacturer
can hire more staff.
You have been in situations such as this before, and you know that often
it can be corrected from the manufacturer's level.
"Decision making is a critical feature of good engineering design," says
Chris Pastore. "It is also a very difficult skill to acquire. Experience is
a big part of decision making, but there are some methods that can be learned
to get one started."
You have a number of meetings with both the manufacturers and the navy
to try and figure the best way around this. You know that if the navy increased
its budget, you could have the manufacturers hire more staff and the product
could be produced on time.
You need to make it clear that it would be more cost-effective
for them to go this route than to pay you for the time it would take to come
up with another formula.
You work hard on your presentation. "When I present a speech to a society
of professionals," says Pastore, "I want to ensure that I am speaking clearly
and correctly. I am even more concerned about my visual aids than for the
internal meetings. I make sure the graphics are clear, the colors work together,
and that each slide has a single message that can be read by the audience."
You present your case well. The manufacturer agrees that it could do what
you have proposed if it had more staff.
The navy accepts your proposal. You are able to produce your design as
planned, and all concerned are pleased with the outcome.