To Imperfect Things, Speed Is Destructive

Racing legend Michael Schumacher made the observation that "To perfect things, speed is a unifying force but to imperfect things, speed is a destructive force." Nothing is perfect - no organization, no company, no idea is without imperfection. Engineering is not perfect nor are individual engineers.

Engineering and society in general have benefited enormously from the technology that has brought CAD, e-mail, the Internet, etc. to the marketplace - productivity improvements and speed have been givens over the last 20-years. Engineering faces a paradox in this blink of an eye globalized speed zone - the faster we type and read and type and read and type and read, the faster we are forced to make decisions and judgements. Not all engineering and business decisions benefit from a short frame of reference - we need time in order to grasp the professional ramifications of our typed correspondence. Engineering is about precise language - engineers need time to shape and design and filter their words so we say exactly what we mean. Those of us who remember writing letters and memos by hand can appreciate the slower and more reflective nature of the process. Engineers would benefit from an uncoupling of the idea that speed and efficiency are intimately linked and consider that the ability to go faster may be good but will not always lead to increased engineering mindfulness.