Your blog site and especially the page about NOT ACCEPTABLE are as they say "viral" at the Everett plant, having been forwarded literally THOUSANDS of places.  (NO, I am NOT exaggerating.)

Many many many many folks are reading what you say and 100% agree.

Let's hope for the stockholders, the country, and the INDUSTRY that somehow things can get changed.  Boeing is a national treasure that cannot be urinated away.

A retired friend of mine who was a 4th-level factory production fellow got brought back as a 787 consultant a couple of years ago, and not only did he leave to go back home early, he sold all his stock and asked not to be bothered any more.

I too am amazed that the folks in charge of this program at the get go are still Boeing employees.  I am also amazed that the current guys running the program are still employees.  McNerney is no idiot when it comes to technical matters, but he’s relying a guys running BAC who came up on the defense side and who have zero technical credentials.   As you point out – this is what you get when non-technical guys are trying to manage highly technical companies. 

Aloha Bob, great job,I could not agree more, the whole Boeing situation is embarrassing, especially the 787 and tanker program. I agree the whole Boeing management structure should be replaced and moved back to Seattle, but how, count me in.

I wonder if you sent an inquiry to the 90 series and company directors on your mail list asking if they would sign or do they believe it would be wise to send a letter of concern and embarrassment to each Boeing Corporate board member about the deteriorating Boeing competitive position and flawed management of programs and Company strategy and suggesting the need of management change.

Bob, when ready, your documents have to get in  McNerney hands. It is powerful  -  much broader than mine. He has got to know the rest of his programs are in trouble.

You started something- I am happy to participate  -  it is worthwhile.  Do not give up

Bob,

As always, you’ve cut through the fog and BS and said it like it is – just like Blue, Wilson, Sutter, Paul Sandoz, Ev Webb and all the others taught us!  You ought to get an Oscar for this one. 

In trying to think of a practical way we can be of help to the current crew, I can think of no better way of having a crowd of us ex-90 series managers signing this and sending it to the BoD, and the Company senior management.  However, we have to be prepared to actually DO something if they acknowledge they need help.  People like Carolyn, Mike Denton (now VP of Engineering) et al should still understand this stuff and, at least Mike, is really in a spot where he can take some action (if he and his colleagues have the balls to make the decisions).  They will have to admit they’re in a bind and can use help – even if we offer it for free!  Will their egos let ‘em??

Bob,

I  had an email with your "Not acceptable" essay attached.  Very well stated.  Many of us 
old timers have stated the same opinions and feelings regarding the 
deterioration of the quality of Boeing's technical and management skills.  I 
sometimes tear- up when I think of what has happened to the company that I 
so proudly worked   37 years for, mostly in avionics and retiring in 1995 as 
chief engineer for the xxx programs.

I often wonder where are the current counterparts of guys like Wimpress, 
Copenhaver, Webb, Withington, Bob Davis, Jules Berger, Gucker, Pfafman, 
Sutter, Sandoz , Bill Cook, Bob Dunn and many others like them.  Apparently 
those kind of technical giants no longer exist in the "new" Boeing.

And yes, like many other old timers, I put much of the blame on changes that 
occurred on Phil's watch, the most devastating being the lack of 
understanding of the power that Stonecipher and John McDonnell would have as 
the two biggest individual stockholders in the resulting company after the 
merger.  While most of we engineers knew, respected, and often swapped ideas 
with our Long Beach Douglas counterparts, we viewed the St. Louis guys as an 
ethically and technically challenged bunch as did many of the Long Beach 
guys.  While Phil was still nominally the CEO, it was clear that the 
Stonecipher/St. Louis influence had taken over our company.  I was a sad day 
when McDonnell Douglas essentially captured Boeing via a stock exchange.

It was good to hear from you via your essay, Bob.  Keep up the good work. 
We can only hope it's not too late to recover our company from the current 
mess that exists.

Thank-you for your contributions to Commercial Aviation (Our Industry),
Airlines (Our Customers) and Boeing (Our Company) - not to mention your
volunteer work.

I have read your recent article; boeing_delay and understand first hand
what is being communicated as you can see by my signature line.  I hope
that we will recover from the abyss.

Please do not hesitate to call on me anytime for anything.  

Your are an inspiration to those of us in the trenches

Hi Bob - I just read your web article.  Boy are you right on.  
I wanted to tell you that I appreciate the hard work you put into the

article.  If I can help you in any way let me know.  You have done a wonderful job..........  Your letter is constructive,
non-blaming and should be considered credible.   I'm sure Jim will read it
and I would hope he responds and acts. ............
  I will   help get to him if you have no success ...........  I am
really proud of you.

During our Sonic Cruiser days I was leading the xxx team.  A "new" person
came in and was to lead a "special study" where we investigated the value
of xxx on the airplane's economics.  This new guy called a team
meeting of all the leaders and explained the study and it's schedule.
It looked good, but would impact other studies already under way at that
time.  Since the other study leaders were not present and no upper
management to place priorities, when the question and answer period
began I asked, "How do we phase this in with current studies and place
priorities?"  His response was a very curt, "My progaram is the most
important and anyone who doesn't understand this should write the name
of his replacement on the whiteboard as he leaves the room."  Fresh up
from the farm at Long Beach!  He became 2nd level on 787.   There were many others. 

 Have I found anything I disagree with?  No, and for the same reason that the choir is there: they already believe.



Sadly, all this is happening on my watch (I'm nowhere near
retirement); tho I am just a stoker in the engine room in the bowels of
the ship, and not on the bridge.



As to Boeing's future, I'd like to be hopeful.  But, about all I
can do these days is pray for a miracle (and, while believing in
miracles is ok, depending on them is not a particularly reassuring
strategy).



Thanks for sharing.

A couple of years ago the chief engineer of xxx made a statement addressing a newly formed
study team.  He said, "We need to work hard to achieve our 50% share of
this market".  I stood up and said in front of many leaders, including
some VP's "What do you mean 50%?  My Boeing has lived with 80%.  Don't
brainwash our youngsters into thinking 50% is ok.  It's not ok with me".
Not a soul stirred.  To me that was the day the music died. 

I never did meet you but having reviewed you web site I wish that I had.

I spent 32 years of my life at Boeing, ended up as the chief engineer on the xxx retiring in 20xx.

I first thought that Boeing was going astray when we sat through poetry sessions under the sponsorship of Condit. I don't know if you had to undergo these.

I am a firm believer in the process of a master schedule,the war rooms that are a part of it, and  with the responsibility that everyone has to ensure its completion. In all of my time at Boeing we never deviated from the belief that schedule was the most important (after safety) thing for Boeing. Our task was to deliver airplanes on time to our customers. No excuses.

Keep up the good work.

Bob,

I can’t believe the mess McNerney’s allowing to develop in Longacres.  I haven’t been able to reach Carolyn, but I am dismayed to no end that she is leaving. 

 What’s really missing is replacement of Carson and Albaugh – the two most recent disasters as CEOs.  

Bob,

I've now read your piece a couple of times.
There isn't a thing that I don't agree with.  I believe you have put your
finger exactly on what's wrong at Boeing presently - a paucity of true
leadership and management. 

I wondered how some of the people currently in charge at Boeing might react
to reading what you wrote.  

Hi Bob:

Not sure you remember me, but I was the guy that your group hired to take over for xxx when he retired. I started the day you left.

I just finished reading the whole page you wrote and cannot believe how much of it I have ranted about for 15 years.

The management that came in after you have all been poor, they all want to disengage the supply base and manage by MBA.

BO and MS were the worst managers I have encountered in my 35 years and they ran the quality group into the ground.

I have been the lead of the xxx group for xx  years and have dug in on the 747-8 and will not allow building and shipping hardware that does not conform. It has cost me raises and promotions, which just shows you the mentality of the leadership at Boeing. The 787 leadership ran right over us technical experts and did what they wanted without regard to quality. Even AS9100 proves their mentality as it is a washed out version if D1-9000.

You will be happy to know that some of us are starting to hold leadership accountable, some of us have enough time that we do not care what they think and guys like me are on them daily when they make stupid decisions.

I have been kicked out of many offices over the last couple years, and proud of it! I keep telling them that after 35 years, it is my job to hold them accountable.

Thanks for saying it, just validates what some of us old timers have been saying for years.

We need that old management style back or we are doomed!

Whoa...you really did blow a gasket!  Not unjustifiable.  ...but very sobering and as you say, embarrasing. 

 One theory I believe in,  is that shortly before McD bought us with our money
they went thru a cleansing with all managers being removed from their
current positions and all having to re-apply.  What this did was weed
out the timid and reward agressiveness.  It was that pack of wolves
which survived to get introduced into the current flock of Boeing folks
who had been hammered the past 5 years on "Working together", "team
building", "concensus decisions", ie, the sheep.  The result was
inevitable, the wolves dined famously on the sheep. We could always spot
a McD transfer from other new folks by behavior. Middle management was
taken over, not to mention many top spots.

Hi Bob,

 Good to see you are still your same old self.
How "right" on you are  - Quite insightful.

I retired, but came back as a contractor.

Believe it or not the Quality Director in place when the 787 started up,
at that time, (Now two Directors ago)
decided that we, Boeing Supplier Quality, should not be part of the
oversight on the 787 Program.

Didn't take too long to figure that was a wrong management decision.

My little saying, which I have told our management:

When I came to Boeing 40 years ago, it was

 "Kick ass, take names, build planes",

 now it is

"Sit down, hold hands, build plans"

, Unfortunately all we do is build
back -up plans for those we built in the first place ! !

Bob,

I share many of your feelings. I can remember going to a 'team meeting'
and asking the "dumb" question, "who is in charge?" It turns out that
no one was in charge. 

The team concept came from Toyota, who have a flat
management. Dollars to doughnuts, the Boeing management is far from
flat. I am surprised that the Board of Directors, if it has any
technical people on it, hasn't taken firm steps.

I read your essay, and agree with you! 

I am for sending your material to the BOD. 

(From a former Board member.)

Bob,

It's an interesting tome.  Have you thought of sending to Mr. McNerney
"as-is"?  

What I'd really like to see is a national business writer do a post mortum
on the Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger (acquisition if you like).  This is
the one Condit can be hung with: 

Tell me Mr. Condit; what on earth were you thinking of when you hatched this
dumb-ass move?  You stayed at Boeing too long and Mr. Wilson was right: he
promoted you over your head.

Bottom line?  With MDD, Boeing acquired ZERO long term business base along
with a MDD personnel culture of "me first" and "everything else is tied for
last".  Sears goes to jail - no Boeing loyalty, Stonecipher gets fired for
ethics issues - no Boeing loyalty, Albaugh tries hard for the CEO job at BAE
Aerospace - no Boeing loyalty.   

This is typical "everything is just fine" attitude...We have gone way
to far to the right in our approach to teaming and consensus decision
making....and rewarding a "didn't get it done" behavior in my opinion. 
There needs to be fatalities (not real) but people being told they
don't have jobs based on their lack of managing a program, meeting
costs, and deliverables on time, and oh, forgot about a quality
product.  Sometimes I think I am getting too old for this stuff.....

(Current Director in Chicago)

Bob,

I don't know how you do it -- I could never type fast enough to write that
much no matter how much I knew.   But I bet ol' Jim B. is rolling over and
over.  

was Working Together.  For example we no longer put the names of the fight
crew on the sides of the cockpit -- it was the WT term  (777).

I talked a lot to Jack Steiner.   He bemoaned the fact that
Boeing no longer had "faces in the window" (his term) in the form of chief
engineers, designers, etc.  Instead, everything was WT and was being reduced
to the LCD.  The Sutters, Wygles and their ilk were pushed aside.  But the
result was there was no one for the employees to look up to and worship as
examples.  

Kind of makes me want to puke, he (Carson) should have been candid about problems. 

Total dribble.