Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Have we sunk so low that we give prizes to those who teach that lying and theft are wrong? Back in medieval times when I was in college and used punch cards for computer input…professors used to joke about (or so it went), “So and so was a programmer for such and […]

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by Dwayne Phillips It can be disappointing to admit, but if we want significant change, we must bring it about slowly. Significant change—the kind that brings big benefit over a big period of time—occurs slowly. Those two adjectives concerning change—significant and slow—appear inseparable. I don’t like that. When I have a great idea for a […]

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by Dwayne Phillips It is easy to forget that those of us who write computer programs are basically simulating machines to perform useful tasks. That wonderful computer program known as Visicalc was credited with being the world’s first electronic spreadsheet. The name Visicalc was short for “visible calculator.” Great stuff that transformed many aspects of […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Are we ready to do this? Long ago I participated in meetings that were called things like: Operational Readiness Review Test Readiness Review Contract Readiness Review Trip Readiness Review fill-in-the-blank Several persons sat together and asked, “Are we ready to do this?” Regardless of what “this” was, we discussed the answer. Sometimes […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Let us consider the humble design review. It is still valuable. I have an idea. I think it will solve a problem or improve a situation. It is just an idea, but let’s try it. Perhaps—before we try it—let’s discuss it. This discussion of an idea before trying it is a design […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Times change, but not all things. We still want to be friends with the rich. I guess things don’t change much with us through the centuries. We want to be friends with the rich. See, e.g., all the places that want Amazon to come and sit for a while. The richest person […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I contemplate a simple yet still effective management tool—the humble calendar. What will I do tomorrow? What about the day after? What about next month. Oh, wait, is next week in next month or this month? How can I keep track of time? We revisit the humble calendar. If this is insulting […]

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by Dwayne Phillips We often use a simple yet silly algorithm for ranking requirements. It is easy. I guess that is why we use it. We have a lot of work to do. We have more work than resources. Hence, we have to rank requirements to work the more important ones first. Well, maybe we […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Want to write a book? Want to write another book? Okay, do it.   I am writing a book every day. Most people call it a journal. No, I won’t “publish” it. No, no one else will buy it. No, no one else will even read it. That doesn’t matter. I wrote […]

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