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Have you ever made a mistake at work?

Spain's rail head resigns over bungled train orders resulting in trains too wide for tunnels
Renfe in June 2020 ordered 31 commuter trains worth 258 million euros (AU$402 million) from Spanish firm CAF for the mountainous northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.
But in March 2021, CAF realised the dimensions it was provided for the trains were not correct and stopped building the trains, which would have been too wide for some tunnels.

Isaias Taboas, who has headed Renfe since June 2018, submitted his resignation on Monday.
OldBrit · 61-69, M
Never made a snafu as big as that one.

I made many. One I remember, all the senior folks at a big meeting in USA. A junior colleague I was mentoring in another department asked for help on a problem, system down couldn't restart. I suggested turning off something and then look at next week. System restarts.

Monday director of his department going ballistic that X was turned off. They just blitz email everyone (appalling behaviour). I'd immediately admit I'd made the call and why apologies for other unexpected consequences etc.

They came to see me (note no large email blitz) to say they weren't use to such honesty. Maybe that's why I never got to the top in that organisation 😂
Crazywaterspring · 61-69, M
If anyone needs trains they can probably get a good price on the ones that were built.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
Why should he resign? Surely he wasn't the one who made the mistake? That would have been someone further down the chain of command. And CAF should also have noticed and queried the dimensions. After all they are both a long established company and more or less local to the area in which the trains would be used. A contract that size is not like doing online supermarket shopping; it's a partnership between the customer and supplier with a lot of communication between the parties, or at least it should be.

Large engineering concerns often know as much, sometimes more, about the technicalities of the customer's infrastructure than the customer.

And to answer the title question: of course I have made mistakes, I'm thankful that none were on such an epic scale.
I once handed out worksheets to a class.
It was a fill in the gaps exercise.
Words needed to fill in the gaps helpfully provided at the bottom of the worksheet.
In the correct order..........
Idiot!😀
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cherokeepatti · 61-69, F
Yikes, he’ll never live that one down. I thought it was bad when an accountant ordered software for all the computers in the offices of the physical plant and it cost several thousand dollars and it wasn’t compatible with the system they were using. There was no way she could return it after finding this out. She was the type that thought she could never do any wrong and caused our department to cut a lot of jobs etc due to pinching pennies on every little thing.
Convivial · 26-30, F
There's mistakes, then there's Spanish trains lol
Torsten · 36-40, M
I have made many mistakes in previous jobs and current jobs. It happens
Carissimi · F
He sounds just as incompetent as “Pothole Pete.”
Gusman · 61-69, M
@Carissimi Did he actually fill in any potholes in his time?
Carissimi · F
Not in the road, at least. @Gusman
that's one massive blunder
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Crazywaterspring · 61-69, M
@Stereoguy Or a very nice golden parachute as a parting gift.

 
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