ENTROPY & DOCUMENTATION IN ENGINEERING

Wikipedia defines Change Control as a formal process used to ensure that changes to a product or system are introduced in a controlled and coordinated manner. It reduces the possibility that unnecessary changes will be introduced to a system without forethought, introducing faults into the system or undoing changes made by other users. The goals of a change control procedure usually include minimal disruption to services, reduction in back-out activities, and cost-effective utilization of resources involved in implementing change.

In my very few years in the Broadcast industry in Nigeria, I have come to realize that this is mostly not the case as set ups in TV stations morph over time without the attendant documentation. I understand that in Television transmission things happen at the snap of a finger and what must be done must be done but this often has a devastating effect.

This further emphasizes the need for schematics and proper documentation for any modifications that would be made or implemented. In some TV stations, Change Control is a standard operating procedure and they make it a habit of modifying schematics or network diagrams before implementation is done. This action updates all key players like engineers, IT personnel and management to understand the implications of the modifications to be made and how it is to be made.

A situation where only an individual knows or seemingly possesses requisite information to modify a set up because there has been no proper documentation abinitio is bad for business. Tying the fate of the business operation to an individual, whose presence or absence thereof spells trouble for the operations, is not good business practice. As such, organizations must encourage proper documentation of procedures, workflows etc to bridge the knowledge gap between team members and foster inclusiveness .

There could be a counter argument for making one's self indispensable in the scheme of things but I will argue otherwise because if there is something in your organization's operations that only you know how to fix or solve then you are not being a team player as a team is only as strong as its weakest link.