Project Execution and Strategy

[auditude at neta.com]

JShadzi at aol.com wrote:
>
> You asked for a reality check below... <<grin, grin>>  I am replying
> to the list because I think we can all learn something from this...

Hi Javad,

Understood.  And agreed...

> Well, can't say I have been ignoring your progress (or journey fwiw),
> I've been watching with interest...frankly you have a ton of energy,
> more that I have.  Early on you were considering a CIS swap, then talk
> of efi started, and I think that is where you got in trouble.

Well, it wasn't even just a consideration of the CIS swap.  I bought
the recipient/project car way back in maybe '97.  Ever since then,
I've been collecting parts, and waiting for a garage/house to do it at.
 That finally happened last year, and I got the donor too.  So, now
it's up to me and time.  The energy thing comes in spurts, and the
reality of executing some of the ideas is a lot less pleasant and
interesting than talking about them.  Lately, for quite a while now,
Audi ownership has been more of a theory than a practice.  At
least as far as enjoying them as they are supposed to be enjoyed,
actually driving them.  Mentally, I'm in a hurry to get back to that
reality.  Getting under the car for hours at a time has been hard to
motivate myself to do lately.  I have been sick and busy as well, to
my defense.

> Not that EFI is bad, God knows I've had a great time with it, but I
> believe you over-anticipate problems, try to implement solutions on
> 2nd and 3rd levels, end up over-complicating the whole thing, with no
> real knowledge or experience of your own to fall back on.

Oh yeah, I can't deny that.  Basically some of it is in response to
some emails that I read.  All I know about are issues that people
bring up, but I have no point to reference to know how "real-world"
of an issue they are.  Criticisms of batch-fired injections versus
sequential, or cam-fired ignition versus crank-fired.  Yes, these are
all issues, but since I don't know how much weight to give each, I
try to mitigate all I can.

For me it takes discussion for me to understand the significance of
these issues.  Outside of this list and the internet, I have no peers
with similar interests or experience, especially locally.  Since there
was no discussion, I was not growing.  It would be different if I was
set off in some direction to conquer my ignorance, but I had no
next step to take but the step I thought I had to take.  That step
was to build up from scratch, and understanding of the whole darn
situation (measuring piston location, crank position, waveforms
with a o-scope).  That's a lot of stuff, especially when it's quite
possible that I don't necessarily "need" to know all that stuff.  (If I
can split the hall window in two, and use the 62 degree ref pin
location to be in the "center", then I can just tell the ecu
manufacture to go ahead and make the falling and rising edges that
are expected, be at 82 and 42 degrees btdc cyl 1.  Sounds easy,
but I didn't get that answer (and still haven't, actually) until after
basically having a fit here at the keyboard.

If I don't need to buy an o-scope or dial indicator at this stage, or
ever, then I certainly don't want to do it.

> Granted, there are always better ways to accomplish a project, or
> increasingly better goals for a project, but the sucessful "project
> manager" has a vision for the results of a specific project, draws
> limits, has a strategy, a budget, sticks to the criteria, modifies as
> needed, but overall takes managable steps towards progression and
> NEVER overcomplicating the process or especially setting goals that
> are outside the resources available to him.

Yes, the project has not had much of a plan, and the goal has
been shifting lately, a lot.  In this post I'll explain how, a little bit.

I would like to grow into a successful project manager, but I can't
call myself one currently.  I will say that while I've changed my end
goal a couple times, it hasn't caused me to need to backtrack in
any of my progress.  The changes have always been on a next or
future step basis.  With the exception of the 2-pc EM I bought that
was going to go into the 4kstq project, releasing the uncracked 1-
pc to replace the cracked one in the 5kcstq.  The 20v head future
for the 4kstq project means that the 2-pc is a little unnecessary,
but I can use that in the 5kcstq also.

On the resources available to me, I think I'm very close to getting
past this current hurdle.  I don't know if any reads my incredibly
long, stream-of-consciousness posts, but if they did I think they
would see how close I really am to having all the information that I
need for the moment.

I believe if I can get the right specs communicated to the vendor,
then the ecu will be ready and correct.  Then I just have to install
the system, which I equate to being a progression on the skills
needed to install a complicated alarm system or stereo system.
I've read the owner's manual many times over, and feel prepared for
that step, even tho' it is not the next step.

Once it is installed and I need to program it, then I'll be back at the
bottom of the learning curve.  I like to learn, and for the most part I
think I'm willing to learn.  But I would like to know what it is I need
to learn, and I have been getting that piecemeal here and other
places.

> Less than a month or so ago you were planning a relatively simple,
> well documented turbo conversion... which has now turned into a very
> complex,  EFI project with never implemented system, and now I hear
> talk of going 20v to boot!  You are taking on a lot of modifications
> at once, most of which are outside your scope and ability (hey, we all
> have our limits in this area, just on different levels)

Yes, this is absolutely true.  It was mid-December when I posted
the idea that I ought to start looking into efi, because of all the
activity with 034EFI.  Then in my research, I explored the world of
standalone systems, and eventually came across the Link stuff.
This included somewhat of a discovery into the exchange rates
between different countries, and I explored the idea of buying direct
from N.Z. for a considerable savings.  That wasn't fruitful.

However, I did become aware in the last few weeks of last year,
that a sale was taking place for the system I had determined would
be a great product for what I was looking for.  Since it is new, there
wasn't much of a trail blazed before me.  It was almost like I hadn't
found "the catch" yet, because everything was too good to be true.
I did all the research and verification I could before committing, and
then pulled the trigger on the purchase.  Everything I read and saw
indicated that it is applicable and desirable.

So, 034EFI got me thinking about efi, Link got me thinking about
their LinkPlus system, and the sale pricing pushed me into action.

The 20v head thing was another similar thing.  I have always been
interested in a 20vt, and the rumors have always been that they
bolt up, but not specific examples.  One lister has a long block
made, but it didn't run.  Since he paid $700 for his head, and I
found one on the 'net for $225 shipped, and people started
discussing Radim's "car doin' donuts" with the 20v head, I
confirmed what his configuration was, and then bit the bullet on
that too.  Mostly to secure the head for the future, and not so much
because I intended to use it right way.

But things always tend to bite me in the @ss, since a little bit of
the thin metal at the distributor hole was dinged in shipment,
pushing it into the hole.  So, in order to determine if it can be dealt
with and made usable, I'm going to be "forced" to go ahead and
have a valve job/machine work done to the head "now", so that if it
is a problem my purchase is still recent enough to be remedied by
a return or credit of some sort.  Waiting until I use the head to
discover this might be too late.  If I do that, then I'll have a nice
clean rebuilt 20v head staring at me.

> So, you can see that I have attempted to take manageable steps in the
> progression of my project.  This is critical, becuase when I bought
> the car originally, I knew I wanted EFI in it, but I went through the
> process of doing the CIS turbo conversion to become more intimate with
> the working systems within the car.  You can't move forward if you
> don't know where you are (do I hear a country song coming??).

Not to mention that the 034efi is a fuel side only replacement,
therefore you have to have some type of ignition system to
complete the package.  It may as well be the one that goes with
the motor, especially if you have it.

> Anyway, I'll get off the pulpit now, not trying to be a jerk, but I've
> sent a few emails like this to other listers lately, and figured maybe
> we could all hear it.

I don't take it in a bad way at all.  I've been taking the goals for my
project and kicking them way the heck out into the future and into
many more complications.  I'm totally aware of that.  It's like when
you are doing anything of this nature, things get all crazy before
they get better.  Like to adopt a new filing system, or to rearrange
a room, or paint a car.  I think I'm about maxed out on the goals
and complications tho'.

> I haven't addressed any of your specific efi questions, if there is
> anything you feel I can help you with, contact me directly.  You're
> familiar with 034efi, though, so I figure repeating what I did to make
> it a working system is redundant at ths point.

I've been hesistant to approach you specifically with questions, and
also have been mindful of what I post, due to 034efi.  I don't want to
take any fuel away from the fire of 034efi, because I think it's a
great thing.  Another example, is I feel it might not be appropriate
for me to ask questions of SJM, since what I'm trying to develop or
get for myself is not something that will help his business, since
standalone efi is mutually exclusive of the use of his or your
products.

I'm probably oversensitive in that regard.  Another unrelated
personal thing is my backing out of the Wiseco GP.  I guess I
already feel like it looks like I'm acting like some kind of "anti-Javad-
way guy", or wheel-reinventor, even tho' there isn't any such
motivation in the things I do.  All these things have held me back
from picking your brain on this.

Basically, I believe that there are people on this list that know
exactly what it is that I need to know.  The hard part is (both
parties) having the time to ask a question and get it answered.  My
frustration is/was in trying to walk the fine line (in my mind only,
perhaps) of asking intelligent questions in a polite manner, without
setting off someones trigger (maybe only existant in my own mind)
that I should be doing more or different than I am.

I totally understand what it's like to be asked basic questions, or to
hear pleas of helplessness from someone who appears unwilling to
help themselves.  That's what I am trying to avoid being like, but at
the same time trying to avoid reinventing the wheel or rediscovering
fire, if this knowledge is already out there somewhere.

Thanks for the response, for real.  I think if I don't get responses
from my question that is buried in another post of mine, I'll try a
new technique.  Posting only the specific question, instead of
writing a novel.  The problem is that I wish the responses were
novels, so that I can interpret them.  Most of them are very quick,
here's a tidbit of info, types of responses.  They are appreciated,
but I usually need more details.

Sorry for the length of this and other posts.

Later,

Ken