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// Case #12
A strange instruction from the site manager
01Situation
Germany. The site manager (Bauleiter) ordered trenches to be dug by hand, with a shovel. A foreman (Polier) worked under the site manager. The instruction seemed strange. It turned out that old telecommunication cables ran about one metre below the trenches.
02Where Margin Escaped
The cables were not damaged. Later it was clear why the site manager had given that instruction.
03Root Cause
The worker did not see the whole construction plan. The site manager saw it and was responsible for the result of the instruction.
!How we aim to close it
Respect managers who know what they are saying. When an instruction seems strange, carry it out. The manager sees more and is responsible for the result. In the story about verdicts instead of comments, the instructions came without knowledge. Here the instruction comes from knowledge. These are two sides of the same rule.