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Editor’s note: A member of the Editorial Review Board, Dr. Walt Sommer, brought the article “Success and Failure in Engineering” to my attention. Walt sent a copy of the Winter 2001 issue of the National Forum, subtitled “When Technology Fails,” along with a note suggesting that the articles were interesting, well written, and would be of significant interest to Practical Failure Analysis readers. It was easy to agree with Walt, and the National Forum has graciously consented to the republication.
Dr. Petroski’s article came first in the National Forum. I was familiar with Dr. Petroski’s work, primarily because of his book To Engineer is Human. The book, just like this article, leads the reader to realize that the road to success has been, and will continue to be, paved with failures. We can only hope that, as Dr. Petroski states, “when those failures occur, loss of human life will not be the result.” I hope you enjoy this article as much as Walt and I did.
Mac Louthan, editor
This article is adapted from the author’s “Reference Guide on Engineering Practice and Methods,” which appears in the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, 2nd Ed., Federal Judicial Center, Washington, D.C., 2000.
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Petroski, H. Success and failure in engineering. Practical Failure Analysis 1, 8–15 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02715355
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02715355