THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING

Signing Off on Work

You are the engineer responsible for the design of a project. A subcontractor has completed the design drawings, but you feel that there are some shortcomings in the drawings. Your division manager and the government representative, while conceding that the drawings are not completely accurate, are pressuring you to sign the drawings because failure to meet the budget milestone will jeopardize the entire project. They have assured you that the corrections can be made during project construction. What should you do?

• Signing Off on Work: Answer A

  You want to be known as a team player and want to please your manager and customer, so you reluctantly sign the drawings.

• Signing Off on Work: Answer B

  You refuse to sign the drawings, even though you realize that the project may be terminated.

• Signing Off on Work: Answer C

  You sign the drawings but document your concerns in an attachment to the drawing.

• Signing Off on Work: Answer D

  You ask for assistance from the Ethics Office.

National Academy of Engineering

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