[scandox]

One of the problems I've encountered is that the people who do speak up, by their very nature, don't do so in a way that has a chance of being heard. Even the phrase "speak up" suggests the failure that is coming. Getting decisions changed is a diplomatic manoeuvre that requires understanding how to frame the issues in a way that is meaningful to the decision maker. It's compromising and complex. Engineers need someone on their side who can perform that role.

[Eddy_Viscosity2]

This is very true. It not just what you say, but how, and to whom.

There's also the reflexive push-back from managers (at many levels) because problems increase costs and extend deadlines. The managers therefore, as the Sinclair saying goes, find it difficult to understand something, when their salary depends upon them not understanding.