In fact, I was the efficiency expert for the whole family. I used to organize my father's tools, my mother's kitchen utensils, my sister's boyfriends.

I needed to be efficient. I wanted to be well organized. For me, there was a place for everything and everything was always in its place. These qualities gave me a good foundation for a career in industrial engineering.

Unfortunately, I was also a bit bossy and I wasn't a very good listener. You'll see what I mean when I tell you about the first project I ever did after I finished my bachelor's degree at the university.

After graduation I returned home to my small town in Indiana. I didn't have a job yet. Mr. Hobbs, a friend of my father's, owned a small shirt factory in town. Within the past five years it had grown from twenty to eighty workers. Mr. Hobbs was worried that his plant was getting too big and inefficient, so he asked me to come in 介入on a short-term basis as a consultant.

I went to the plant and spent about a week looking around and making notes. I was really amazed at what I saw.

Most curious of all, there was no quality control whatsoever. No one inspected the final product of the factory. As a result some of the shirts that were put in boxes for shipment were missing one or two buttons, the collar, even a sleeve sometimes!

expert expertise专业技术
n. a person with special knowledge or skill 专家，能手
kitchen
n. room used for cooking　厨房
utensil
n. any tool or container used in the house, esp. for cooking用具，器皿（烹饪中用到的） （实验用的）instrument （工业用的）equipment （家用的电器） household electric appliances
quality
n. the degree of goodness which a thing or a person possesses　质量；品质
foundation
n. 基础
career =professional
n. profession; way of making a living　职业；生涯 career women 职业妇女
engineering
n. 工程学；管理
unfortunately
ad. 不幸的是；遗憾的是
bossy
a. always telling other people what to do and how to do it, like a boss 爱指挥人的；专横的
project
n. a piece of work; a big plan　项目；方案
bachelor
n. a person who had the first university degree　学士 master硕士 doctor博士
graduation
n. completion of an educational course　毕业
graduate
vi.
short-term
a. involving or lasting a short period of time 短期的
basis 　　
n. 基础；根据 on…basis 在。。。之上
consultant =adviser
n. a person who gives professional or technical advice 顾问
consult 查阅 咨询
v.
amaze
vt. fill with great surprise or wonder 使大为惊讶，使惊愕
curious
a. strange 奇怪的
whatever
a. of any kind, at all 任何的，丝毫的
inspect
vt. examine 检查