Open Source Engineering

So many times, we protect our ideas like we’re the defensive line of a pro football team. The non-compete clauses and intellectual property right sections of new employment agreements can be extensive and off-putting for new employees. They don’t exactly portray an inviting, collaborative environment at a time when that’s what a new employee should feel. It sends the message of “I don’t trust you and I won’t ever fully trust you.” 

How can we expect our employees to have a vested interest in the company if we are indirectly telling them we can’t trust them? Shouldn’t we all be able to use what we learn and develop as we move through our careers? How can we expect employees to bring everything that they’ve learned to date to a new job but then turn around and tell them they better not take anything with them when/if they leave? Additionally, shouldn’t we want our employees that we’ve spent so much time training and mentoring to want to stay and grow with us? 

Everyone can learn the same design concepts. This is not what sets us apart. As an example, mistakes are more likely with 50 versions of a wind load spreadsheet instead of one that’s been reviewed and used by 49 peers. Why not openly share these things? After all, this will make us ALL better engineers, not just the ones receiving the information. If we can set this foundational step and share openly, then all of us can use all information available as the benchmark and start at step 2, honing and curating the way that we implement and deliver these design concepts. 

Our individual brand identity and deliverables are what set us apart. A brilliantly developed spreadsheet that perfectly calculates to the third decimal point will never be anyone’s claim to fame. Clients rightfully expect technical competency. It’s how we implement and deliver the information we gained from that spreadsheet that will set us apart. And our relationships with our clients. What if we had an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity mindset when it came to our design aids?

I also think the proprietary mentality is slightly laced with fear. Fear that something isn’t right and that the user will come back to us and hold us liable. But what if every person could just be responsible for their own actions? Use what I give you, vet it, and make it better for the next person.

So what if we all had open source access to step 1: basic design concepts? What if we shared spreadsheets and design methodologies? What if we had open forum sessions where we shared this information with peers? We could focus much less time on redeveloping things that many people have already created and spend more time focusing on implementation. In the end, the client wins by receiving a more developed, comprehensively thought-through product. And by fostering innovation, our industry as a whole can advance at a faster rate.

What do you think? I would love to hear your ideas regarding implementation of this open source engineering idea: https://www.vector-collab.com/contact