Articles by Christoph Lohr

In 2012, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), the University of Cincinnati (U of C), and the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) began to work on a new sizing technique 80 years in the making. The main drivers were Dan Cole (IAPMO) and Steve Buchberger (U of C), and later Toju Omaghomi (U of C). As part of this effort, hundreds of thousands of data points were taken and evaluated to determine actual human behavior and plumbing fixture use in residential homes.

It hasn’t taken long for some of the most obvious unintended consequences to appear: More people are complaining that their shower experience is deteriorating due to lower flow rates, and shower times are increasing as people have to shower longer to wash the shampoo out of their hair.

In creating Hunter’s Curve, the beauty of what Dr. Roy Hunter did was to take an incredibly complex problem in probability theory and make it simple — so simple, in fact, that all it required was basic arithmetic.

After four grueling years at the Virginia Military Institute, upon graduation as an engineer, I decided to follow my own prudent path: I would find the best paying job in an area with the lowest cost of living that afforded me training opportunities. I knew myself well enough that I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk; I desired interpersonal contact. I always aspired to be an engineering leader — and felt consulting would be the best route to that end.

“It couldn’t happen where I live.” Many in the United States probably thought that when watching the horror occurring in Flint, Michigan, from 2014 to 2016.

You would expect water in a hospital to be safe. But, far too often, water in hospitals and other health care facilities can put patients at risk of severe illness or death.

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the past year, one filled with challenge and growth for me. In order to grow, we have to learn how to overcome challenges. 

Over the last year, during several webinars and in-person events, I've spoken about the idea of systems-based thinking, which incorporates the ideas of strategic thought in the form of focus (“saying no”) and identifying and executing on coherent actions. In many ways, systems thinking (a.k.a. strategy) incorporates pattern identification. 

What does the CSO role look like at smaller companies, such as an engineering firm? 

Of all the topics I’ve covered in my column, strategy is the one to which I keep coming back. Astute readers might be asking at this point, “Why?” Especially when we hear so often that “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” and other axioms that denigrate strategy. Why does Christoph keep on writing about this “outdated” topic more than others?