The lost tribe of Capability Engineers
Are you an engineer working for a hospital? For an educational institution? For a business? May it be that you're a Chief Information Officer? If you answer "yes", I bet you don't design. No AutoCAD, Solidworks, Spice or Eclipse for you.
So, what do you do? Looking for the next piece of medical equipment? Drafting a spec or SOW for a military system? Trying to cajole marketing into using new sale management software? Is it engineering?
How do those guys and gals actually developing hardware, software and systems call you? No, I don't want to hear what they call you when you don't approve a milestone or asking for more and more customer support - we're in a polite society. Officially, you are a customer! They are engineers and you are a customer.
How do those guys and gals that actually use the equipment you've procured and fielded call you? No, I don't want to hear what they call you when the equipment fails in the middle of an annual report, surgery or some enemy engagement - we're in a polite society. Officially, you're a technical support! They are doctors, sale wizards and warriors doing the real job, and your equipment just fails in the most humiliating way. For them. And for you.
Do you feel like this guy in the middle of the cover image? Stuck between two kind of bullies - users and contractors? Are you a middleman waiting to be cut? There are many of your brethren in all kind of non-engineering organizations - you are not alone! You are an engineer, but what do you engineer? The answer is simple - you engineer your organization's capabilities - you're a Capability Engineer!
Did they teach you Capability Engineering in the Engineering School? I don't know. I don't think so. Usually, engineering schools market design and development, preparing (mostly not) you to work for some hot startup or veritable engineering company. I think they didn't ever mentioned the very word "capability" in the context we speak about.
Systems Engineering came close. They talk about customer and stakeholder needs to be catered for, documented as requirements, verified and validated against? But who is this customer? You are! Systems Engineers are not you, they are your counterparts, working for that veritable engineering company you've contracted to do the real engineering job developing the next gadget for the use of those that do other real jobs. So, no help from this quarter.
Be proud - you are a Capability Engineer - whatever it means! Your lost tribe is waiting for you to share your war stories, wisdom and pain.