> In fields like aviation and medical software, when engineers say something is done, there are usually documents to be signed Yes. In aviation, an engineer ma

> In fields like aviation and medical software, when engineers say something is done, there are usually documents to be signed Yes. In aviation, an engineer may have a formal role as a design authority or as a signatory on a safety case. They will typically have to themselves sign a letter, from an engineering director, that signals acceptance of this delegated responsibility. Most companies will have some way of matching the magnitude of the responsibility to the experience level of the engineer. And enlightened companies will have a no-fault 'stop-work' mechanism that pushes sign-off responsibility upward if engineers cannot in all conscience sign off something that they consider to be poorly designed or high risk.