professional practice

 

Work Notebook

Technical Product Drawing

 
 
 

How we do what we do?

All professionals develop their own practices and habits to better do their jobs. I have benefited greatly from excellent coworkers and managers. Throughout my career, there are many individuals and corporate cultures that have helped me hone and create habits that propelled my efficiency and abilities. Some notable professional practices and habits I have picked up are:

 Communication: Working with international factories means working with different languages and cultures. It is important to convey your desires for a project clearly and thoroughly to avoid confusion. Some important considerations are:

  • Language Barriers – do not take clichés, slang, or expressions of speech for granted. There is always the possibility that a factory has some ability to translate words, but humor, innuendo, or cultural assumptions are not as easy to convey. Further, you must also expect to work to understand word usage and cultural assumptions coming from the other side as well.

  • Concise information – I often utilize bullet points to separate ideas and keep myself from being too wordy. Translation can sometimes be wearisome for the person whose primary language is not my own (English).

  • Utilize the same measuring system as the other person until clear understanding is attained. In the United States, we typically use the Imperial system, but most other countries use Metric.

  • Consider the time difference – a person in another culture may also be in another time zone. This slows down communication, and sometimes requires adjusting your time to be convenient for them.

 Time Management: As important as designing a product is, designing how we spend our time is equally important. Organizing my day, writing down my projects, having a list of priorities, and knowing when to adjust are necessary skills of anyone. These skills are mastered with experience, but also with intentional effort. This isn’t just for my own benefit; I also do this so that someone else can come along behind me and interpret/continue my work. Here are some steps I take to manage myself and my work:

  • Write it down – I keep the same folder on my desk all the time. In this folder are meeting notes, concept descriptions, phone calls, and lists of current projects.

  • Create a standard for file naming – This need originated when I began sharing 3D CAD files with a colleague at Barbour. We created a simple spreadsheet and naming system for all our part files. This allowed us to share and interchange parts without using names like “leg for 2212.” The spreadsheet became the reference index for all the parts.

  • Organize your folder system – first created by my coworker, Matt Ortner, during my tenure at Viking, I have utilized some version of his digital filing system ever since. The goal is to keep everything formalized and intuitive.

  • Keep data clear and searchable – I create spreadsheets for my spreadsheets.

 Mastery of your products: I have realized that though I am not a trained engineer, I must be well-versed on the technical aspects of all our products (even the products that I did not design). I also keep detailed information of measurements, weights, marketing bullet points, photography, packaging specifications, import tariff numbers, and more. As a designer in a smaller company, I must maintain product designs and keep my company and our manufacturing partners educated on each item.