The main difference? You know where you’re going when you work on a project whereas the end result of a forensic investigation is a mystery. Particularly if you follow-the-evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A project is all the work you do one time<\/em>. Whether it’s designing a bridge, building a garden, or creating a web page, every project produces an outcome and every project has a beginning and an end. (Ref. 1) <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s a one-time job that has a definite starting point, end point, a clearly defined scope of work, a budget, and is multi-task in nature. (Ref. 2) <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Project Management Institute puts it still another way, “A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service”. (Ref. 3) <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, engineers apply science and mathematics in the use of materials to design and construct a project useful to people. Materials like steel, concrete, wood, plastic, water, soil and rock for a bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When something goes wrong during the project or afterwards engineers carry out a forensic investigation to determine the cause. This would include personal injury accidents. (Ref. 4)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Projects and forensic investigations both involve carrying out a number of tasks. However, where the tasks forming a project are well known at the start, those for a for a forensic investigation are only approximately known. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These tasks are identified accurately in a “Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)” for a project. A WBS is a simple list of tasks. A similar list can be prepared for a forensic investigation but is approximate particularly for a difficult investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar issues exist when estimating costs. They are (very) approximately known at the start of a project, (a little) better known in the middle and (accurately) accurately known at the end. Factor in the parenthetic expressions for a forensic investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought to comment on these similarities and differences when I realized a WBS would be useful in forensic investigation. Then it struck me I must be careful comparing a project to a forensic investigation lest the latter take on a commercial ring. There’s nothing commercial about determining the cause of a failure or accident to facilitate dispute resolution even when it involves a commercial building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer, Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, April 30, 2022.\u00a0ejorden@eastlink.ca<\/span><\/strong>)\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The main difference? You know where you’re going when you work on a project whereas the end result of a forensic investigation is a mystery. Particularly if you follow-the-evidence. A project is all the work you do one time. Whether … Continue reading