The Importance of Drawings - Part 1

Timing


 On Thursday 18 August 1966, the Battle of Long Tan was fought between Australian forces and a much larger force of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army units.  It was fought in a rubber plantation, in heavy monsoon rain, with darkness falling.  The battle occurred not long after the 1st Australian Task Force had constructed their base at Nui Dat.  The
significant outcome of the battle was that the Australian task force was never
again fundamentally challenged.  

A company-sized Australian unit was able to decisively defeat a much larger
attacking force.

The key reason for the successful outcome was timing of support.  With the infantry of D Company heavily engaged, the artillery of the 1st Field Regiment was able to provide covering fire.  When nearly out of ammunition, the helicopters of No. 9 Squadron RAAF arrived to resupply them.  With the
Viet Cong massing for a final assault, the armoured personnel carriers of 3
Troop, 1st APC Squadron crashed into their flank.  The failure of any of these supports to arrive when needed could have resulted in the battle being lost and Australian forces suffering a humiliating defeat.

Co-ordinating the actions of different departments and disciplines towards a common project objective is a difficult task.  We all understand the concept of timing, yet how many times can we see projects suffer because the support is not there when required?   

Our interest is to do the electrical aspect of a project.  Unfortunately, it is commonly found that the electrical design drawings and deliverables are the last to be finished and behind schedule.  Often this is because other disciplines such as process, mechanical and civil need to be substantially complete before the electrical detailed design commence.   Any changes in the other disciplines can often have severe impacts on the electrical design.

Unfortunately, the electrical design can often end up on the project critical path as a result, with the outcome of the whole project suffering. If the electrical design team on your project needs assistance to meet deadlines, it may be that BESST can be your support element.