Working Up

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

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Entries from September 2018

The Last Minute

September 27th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Need a decision? Know the last possible minute. Little Me: Here is the situation. I don’t have the authority to decide the direction. Please decide. Big Boss: Not today. Little Me: But, I, we, need… Big Boss: If I don’t decide now, will we all cease to exist? Little Me: long pause…I […]

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Tags: Decide · Thinking · Time

The Action Item

September 24th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I review yet another fundamental of accomplishing work that seems to have been forgotten. In order for us to accomplish our work and our mission, we need you to do something. Here is the work. Here is the schedule. Here are the resources. Please. I suppose we leave off most of those […]

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Tags: Communication · Work

Questions

September 20th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Questions often accompany learning. Not everyone, however, wants to provide me with opportunities to learn. I have two grandchildren. They are growing, changing, learning, and questioning everyday. It is a joy to observe and participate. They ask questions. My granddaughter, ever the good school student, even raises her hand sometimes when she […]

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Tags: Questions

Consuming Someone Else’s Stuff

September 17th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Spending resources is far easier when those resources belong to someone else. Return on Investment: what comes back from what I spend. That is a tough thing to consider. Where should I spend my limited resources? Now consider, Where should I spend another person’s resources? Oh, that one is much easier. No […]

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Tags: Accountability · Economics · Influence · Integrity

Assuming and Teaching

September 13th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We work in the real world; not in one where what we wish is true. Sometimes we simply need to teach a little. A: I told these people what to do…and AARGH (pained expression interrupts speech). B: How did you teach them how to do that? A: What? What do you mean? […]

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Tags: Learning · Teaching · Work

Multiplying Failure

September 10th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes we recognize our failures. Then—for some strange reason—we attempt something that will fail an order of magnitude more. We have failed to manage our $1 maintenance budget. Let’s correct this by starting a $10 development budget. We have failed to communicate in daily operations. Let’s correct this by starting a large […]

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Tags: Failure · Humility · Learning · Time

Eye’n Fly’n and Buy’n

September 6th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips A reminder of a basic from systems engineering. There are several baselines we use most of the time regardless of intent or realization. I once worked in an organization that (1) flew machines and (2) practiced systems engineering. One of the favorite phrases of persons there is the title of this post: […]

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Tags: Baseline · Design · General Systems Thinking · Requirements · Systems

Jerry Weinberg

September 3rd, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Another person who had a major influence in my life has passed away. Author and consultant Jerry Weinberg passed away recently. I had the privilege of reading a dozen or so books written by Jerry. I had the privilege of attending several seminars Jerry led. I learned much from Jerry. Jerry learned […]

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Tags: Learning