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PERSPECTIVES
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Stepping up our IE impact
I recently read that by the year 2020, there really will be apps for everything. But somebody is going to have to create code for capturing data, analyzing that information and making sure the most critical information about a process is available immediately. Out of all of the engineering professions, don’t industrial engineers lead the pack in depth of programming knowledge and application?
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Filling the void
Change is good, but transitions are rocky. Adjusting to new management is no exception. Leadership sometimes becomes stale and needs updating. A new vision and improved business processes could enhance the company’s success, but the implementation might be bumpy.
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Stop 'YACing'
While I agree wholeheartedly that communication continues to be a significant issue in healthcare systems and operations, the disturbing trend is the simple knee-jerk solution to this very complex problem. Too many organizations simply want “yet another coordinator,” or a “YAC.” I find this quite ironic, given that the scientific name for a true wild yak, Bos mutus, means “mute ox" – not really a beacon of communication.
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Why am I an industrial engineer?
Did Frederick Taylor’s father (or mother) tell him that you need to have a system? I don’t know, but it is clear that as a group, many parents of industrial engineers did just that, and the world is better for it. True improvements are about how that technology is utilized and organized efficiently.
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A system is not just the sum of its parts
It seems like every discipline has its own definition of a system – definitions that depend on what attributes are important in each context. One example is in determining whether a rock is a system. To a geologist, the answer is definitely yes. But to an engineer interested in examining the functionality of the system, a rock may not provide much value to an end user and therefore not qualify as a system.
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