Working Up

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

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Entries from February 2019

Life Lessons from (observing) Teenagers

February 28th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Perhaps we all grew up at age 12 and have been coasting ever since A few years ago I noticed something about teenagers in high school They do what they have to so they can do what they want. If they want to play sports, they study enough to get the grades […]

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Tags: Adults

Behold the Marvel of the Crease

February 25th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips No new materials. A simple pressing. Structure appears. Value from almost nothing. This is a primary task of a manager (and the rest of us). Fold something. Press the fold. It becomes a crease. And now there is a structure that has strength and increased utility. And how did that happen? A […]

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Tags: Analysis · Change · Concepts · Improvement · Management

Everyone is a Reporter (working for me for free)

February 21st, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We have moved from “everyone is a censor” to “everyone is a reporter.” All these reporters work for me, and the rest of us, for free. In our not-too-distance past, we entered the age of “everyone is a censor.” Everyone had a camera in their pocket. Everyone had a thermometer in their […]

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Tags: Communication · Publishing

But How will that Person Learn?

February 18th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Experts are far more productive than the average. But if we eliminate the average, how will anyone become an expert? Expert managers can manage 10 times the work of the average manager. Expert fill-in-the-blank can do 10 times the work of the average fill-in-the-blank. But how will the expert become an expert […]

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Tags: Competence · Judgment · Knowledge · Learning

Someone has to Type the Words

February 14th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips All things don’t happen automatically by automaton. Some special person does the work. Someone has to type the words Someone has to stand in front of the classroom Someone has to carry champagne to the table Someone has to crack the eggs As much as we wish it to be different in […]

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Tags: People · Work

Talk to the Page

February 11th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips One of the reasons I write (there are many) is that persons simply grow weary of the sound of my voice. I like to tell stories—some true, some not so. There are a few people in my life, see, e.g., my wife of 35+ years, who have already heard most of them. […]

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Tags: Stories · Writing

The Judgment of the (expert?) Judgers

February 7th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The expertise of the expert judgers is never in question. That is because they are usually wrong. Nevertheless, they never stop judging. Microsoft recently announced that they are ending support for the Microsoft Windows Phone operating system. The what? Does anyone remember that? Does any one have one of those phones that […]

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Tags: Judgment

Stay Until I Enjoy this Job

February 4th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I read that some “young people” don’t stay in their jobs long. They don’t want to waste their life in something they dislike. Enjoyment often requires time. No job is enjoyable the first month. Or day or week or six months. When in a new job, I don’t understand what is really […]

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Tags: Jobs · Learning · Time · Work