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Working Up in Project Management, Systems Engineering, Technology, and Writing

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Entries Tagged as 'Lifecycle'

One Thing at a Time

January 12th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips How to you accomplish a big task? One thing at a time. Sorry, I wish there were magic here, but I have yet to see any of that. I recently removed 6,000 pounds of items from a home. Given each item weighed half a pound on average, that is … a whole […]

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Tags: Concepts · General Systems Thinking · Lifecycle · Problems · Process · Solutions

The Tidal Decision-Making Technique

April 12th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes decisions just sort of drift in and out with the tides. The tide comes in; the tide goes out. Sometimes we find something that drifted in with the tide and remains on the beach. The next day, the next cycle or two of tides, and that something is gone. It was […]

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Tags: Choose · Decide · Judgment · Lifecycle · Management

Building Products or Building Infrastructure

March 15th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Are we making a product or making a product that allows others to make a product. Are we making a product that will allow us to make a product, but we spend so much time on the first that we never make a product? I see this often. People aren’t building products. […]

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Tags: Lifecycle · Patterns · Process · Purpose · Work

Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan (even in Agile)

May 26th, 2016 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I emphasize fundamentals in my work. One such fundamental is the old cliche about planning and working (see title). I find it still applies—even with “new” methods like Agile. Plan your work, work your plan I heard that a lot in the 1980s. I find it to be one of those things […]

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Tags: Agility · Culture · Lifecycle · Management

Deciding Well vs. Documenting Well

September 23rd, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There is a difference between deciding well and documenting a decision process well. The human condition means that we are mistaken a good portion of the time. Processes and documents can help, but they don’t erase that. I once worked in a government organization that prided itself on its excellent decisions. They […]

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Tags: Coffee · Excuses · Government · Lifecycle · Management · Meetings

Engineers and Their Babies

March 1st, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Engineers create wonderful things now and then. Oblivious users turn the creations upside down and use them backwards. Such oblivious use teaches great lessons that smart organizations use before going to production. Engineers have their babies. Not the human kind of baby, though some engineers have those, too, but the system-that-they-create kind […]

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Tags: Design · Learning · Lifecycle · Systems

The Final Book Published

August 27th, 2009 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips eBooks are taking over the world. Well, they won’t finish off the published paper books this weekend, but the trend is there. As with most things, I see some good and some bad in this. I think it is good that college textbooks are becoming available in digital form. Pay $10 for […]

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Tags: Design · Lifecycle · Technology · Writing

Spirals in Government

May 26th, 2009 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips A recent discussion with Johanna Rothman reminded me of terrible discussions I had with government project managers about project lifecycles. The shame is that most government managers don’t know one project lifecycle from another. Hence, when talking to them, ask enough questions to understand what they think they really mean. In general […]

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Tags: Government · Lifecycle · Management