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If a system deviates from its design, the contractor becomes liable for any such failure, whether related to the specific deviation or not. This seems

If a system deviates from its design, the contractor becomes liable for any such failure, whether related to the specific deviation or not. This seems a recipe for an eternal blame-game where the "engineer of record" aims to produce a plausible-but-impossible specification and manufacturers spend 99% of their time looking for loopholes. If your aim is to explain why your scifi setting has an entire planet covered with a kilometer-thick layer of used triplicate forms, this would be a great place to start. :P

velcrovan 4y ago
This is a fair point, probably more so if applied to our own existing tech landscape, which is weighted in favor of innovation and proliferation. But in other fields (i.e. electrical engineering) a similar division of responsibility has been in use for decades and has not proven totally unmanageable.
- daniel-cussen 4y ago
  Yes there's many different cultures in different fields.
- kcb 4y ago
  But that's not all electrical engineering. Most electrical engineering jobs don't require a professional license.
  - velcrovan 4y ago
    Sure. The same would probably be the case here. Someone has to be the engineer of record. But not everyone who works in software would have to be a PE.
    - tonyarkles 4y ago
      I’m saying this as someone who finds what you’ve written interesting and somewhat resonating with me: many many EE designs have zero need for an engineer of record. The vast majority of electronics designs in the world have never had a PEng stamp come anywhere near them. Of the EE PEngs I know, I can’t think of one who has ever actually used their stamp, they just got it either symbolically or for a small pay bump.
      - velcrovan 4y ago
        That makes sense. Most of the EE PEngs I know are designing electrical systems for data centers and other commercial facilities. Their stamp is the reason they have their job. Even in that sphere, most of the engineers are not PEs. But, there is still a PE role that is legally required before the design can be implemented. If we are talking about electronics, then yes, the current reality is that EE stamps are generally not needed in the legal sense. This thing I wrote is a first step in imagining what sort of world would exist if electronics and software engineering had a legally-required PE level.

velcrovan 4y ago

This is a fair point, probably more so if applied to our own existing tech landscape, which is weighted in favor of innovation and proliferation. But in other fields (i.e. electrical engineering) a similar division of responsibility has been in use for decades and has not proven totally unmanageable.

daniel-cussen 4y ago
Yes there's many different cultures in different fields.
kcb 4y ago
But that's not all electrical engineering. Most electrical engineering jobs don't require a professional license.
- velcrovan 4y ago
  Sure. The same would probably be the case here. Someone has to be the engineer of record. But not everyone who works in software would have to be a PE.
  - tonyarkles 4y ago
    I’m saying this as someone who finds what you’ve written interesting and somewhat resonating with me: many many EE designs have zero need for an engineer of record. The vast majority of electronics designs in the world have never had a PEng stamp come anywhere near them. Of the EE PEngs I know, I can’t think of one who has ever actually used their stamp, they just got it either symbolically or for a small pay bump.
    - velcrovan 4y ago
      That makes sense. Most of the EE PEngs I know are designing electrical systems for data centers and other commercial facilities. Their stamp is the reason they have their job. Even in that sphere, most of the engineers are not PEs. But, there is still a PE role that is legally required before the design can be implemented. If we are talking about electronics, then yes, the current reality is that EE stamps are generally not needed in the legal sense. This thing I wrote is a first step in imagining what sort of world would exist if electronics and software engineering had a legally-required PE level.