Hello Kip;
As you say, those are decisions each company has to make. They weigh the risks and act accordingly. Every job is different and each project has different requirements, i.e., codes, regulations, statues, etc. that have to be met. Those decisions are beyond the realm of responsibility of the CWI.
The question has to be asked, "does the customer get what he wants?" If the answer is "Yes", the goal has been met. Hopefully, a profit is recognized when all is said and done and no laws or contractual obligations have been violated. The dirty laundry doesn't get aired unless there is an injury, loss of life or unless there is an obvious attempt to defraud the owner. Should that be the case, the lawyers come out of the wood work and nothing is considered to be "industry practice".
The one thing that wasn't addressed by our discussion is how the laws and regulations of the country, state, or city are met or violated. How do the local laws and regulations affect business and how business is conducted? Again, those issues should be recognized and addressed on a case by case basis by the owner and the contractor.
I'm not dismissing the sharing of WPSs, I'm simply saying there can be unexpected consequences of doing so unless all the project requirements and risks are known and given due consideration. As long as all the interested parties are aware of the requirements and all are in agreement, go for it. Just don't do it without understanding the consequences.
I'm always amazed at the herd mentality that can make a group of people (in a meeting) agree to something that if polled individually, any one individual in the group would reject without a second thought. As a group, they make choices that none of them would make acting alone. Interesting. I remember working as a Fabrication Manager in one company, the Director of Manufacturing would ask the question, "Is there anyone here that doesn't believe this will work?"
One of my associates would quickly grab my arm and pull it down with the remarks, "He only wants to hear from people that agree with him. Do you want to keep us here all night? Unless your going to kiss his butt, keep your mouth shut!"
It got to the point where my friends would sit to either side of me at-the-ready to grab my arms at the first hint of them being "cocked to pop". :) The director would look my way to see if I was going to cast a dissenting vote, but my arms would be firmly immobilized before I could pop one into the air. ;) That's when I first became familiar with the term "Job Suicide"!
I wonder how many times the same type of comments could be heard during some of the meetings in Detroit?
Best regards - Al