In the second month of my internship at Schindler, a new software update for the system of the lifts used in the project I was working was released. Therefore, those lifts needed to be stopped in order to install the update as the updates usually improve working efficiency and security. As there are three lifts in each building, my teammate and I stopped one at a time to install the updates. At that time, we did not acknowledge about that to the authorities of the project because installation of the updates usually does not take long. However, we encountered that one of the lifts was taking a bit longer in installing the update. And, one of the employees of the project noticed and, came and asked us about what was happening and we explained about what we were doing. But, he somehow misunderstood us and he told his manager that our system was in failure. And then, that manager ringed our manager and a meeting was called between the managers of our company and the project to explain about it.
That incident reminds me of the importance of effective communication in a professional workplace. It makes me understand that lack of clear and effective communication can cause extra costs and delays. Having delay in the workplace is critical as the duration and budget of engineering projects are always limited and they have to be completed in that frame. The consequences can be huge according to the size of the project and it can also affect the image of the company. At the time of installing the updates, I thought that could be done quickly and no acknowledgement would be needed. And, when the employee of the project came and asked, I did not notice his misunderstanding as this task is relatively simple for me. However, as soon as I knew that he wrongly explained to his manager, I was surprised and shocked to see that he had misunderstood me and I was afraid that it made my manager busy. Although I tried to explain the project manager by myself, I could not make him convinced it as there was no prior acknowledgement. I admitted my mistake to my manager and he told me that prior acknowledgement is necessary for all the processes. After the meeting, the project manager understood our processes and the problem was solved.
In that incident, what I did not think about is that the working environment is different between me and that employee. And therefore, it is obvious that he may not understand our tasks and clear explanation is necessary. After that incident, he told me that he did not know that the system of the lifts need to be updated as the computers do and I felt sorry for my irritation. What he thought was that the lift was in failure and we were trying to fix it secretly as there was no prior acknowledgement. And, it is obvious that the project manager would think the same in that kind of situation. This kind of problem would not occur if we write or talk to the project manager about that before, even if it would not take long. If there was no prior acknowledgement and the task is taking longer, we should have let him know as soon as possible.
The incident enlightens me about the necessity of clear communication. Therefore, in the future, I will always think about the difference of understanding between people from different fields. Besides, I will try to use effective communication in all the necessary tasks. I will try to let other stakeholders know what I am doing if it is necessary.