Serbian engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla said:
“Before I put a sketch on paper, the whole idea is worked out mentally. In my mind, I change the construction, make improvements, and even operate the device. Without ever having drawn a sketch I can give the measurements of all parts to workmen, and when completed all these parts will fit, just as certainly as though I had made the actual drawings. It is immaterial to me whether I run my machine in my mind or test it in my shop. The inventions I have conceived in this way have always worked. In 30 years, there has not been a single exception. My first electric motor, the vacuum wireless light, my turbine engine and many other devices have all been developed in exactly this way.”
While the technological advances of Tesla’s era were astounding for their time, one wonders what he and other inventors at the turn of the last century could have done with today’s technology. For example, take Google Earth and SketchUp—the subject of this month’s online project management column by John Jurewicz. No paper or pencil is needed to create 3-D models of whole city blocks. The equations and concepts set forth by Larry True in our project controls column take the guesswork out of equipment cost estimating. Gordon Aronson presents innovative arguments for accommodating uncertainty in estimating and planning. And finally, today’s industry conventions definitely offer an up-to-date look at the changing times, as Paul Levin points out in his review of the recent PMICoS conference in Orlando, Fla.
