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

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Entries from March 2019

The Built-In Excuses of the Hands-Off Manager

March 28th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Don’t like micro managers? Who does? Beware, however, the built-in excuses of the hands-off manager. “I give you a task. I expect it to be done.”—the charge of the hands-off manager. Who wouldn’t want to work for the person above? Freedom to use my own judgement and do what I think is […]

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Tags: Communication · Expectations · Management

Good News: We Did Badly in the Past

March 24th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Past sins? Past poor performance? That is good news. It means we correct mistakes and do better. We have hope for our future. Good News: When we fixed things, we broke things When we changed things, we had unintended, bad consequences. We wasted money. We wasted time. We treated on another badly. […]

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Tags: Change · Choose · Mistakes

Of Course There is a Lot of Grumbling (in America)

March 21st, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips A reminder of some basics about life in America. We have freedom of speech in America. Anyone can publish a newspaper or a blog or a … well, how long is the list? This is a free country. Want peace and quiet and tranquility? Want unanimous public opinion without fake news and […]

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Tags: America · Censorship · Ideas

Let’s Discuss Rubbing Spaghetti Play-Doh on Surfboards

March 18th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips If you want people to focus on the focal point, discuss nonsense first. Rubbing spaghetti Play-Doh on a surfboard means nothing to no one. (At least I think it means nothing to no one. If someone out there has a strong feeling about it, please let me know.) It is the perfect […]

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Tags: Adults · Education · Learning · Teaching

Knowledge Management: The Fundamental Need, now, what was it…

March 14th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I forget the fundamental requirement of knowledge management. Maybe that was it. I recently met a person who declared that she took great joy in formatting Microsoft Word documents. She loved they way she could align everything on the page and mis-align a few things in just the right places. This person […]

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Tags: Communication · Knowledge · Management

People can be such a Nuisance

March 11th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Things, even food, are much easier to carry than people. What does that say about us? Uber and others have discovered that it is far more profitable to carry meals than to carry the consumers of meals. People can be such a nuisance. We want the car to have the right odor, […]

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Tags: Communication · People

Weinberg Golf and Bundy Fishing

March 7th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Perhaps we can find enjoyment anywhere at any time. It is worth the attempt. Several years ago I had several conversations with the late Jerry Weinberg, one of the best computing consultants we ever had. Jerry told me about how he played golf. Jerry started playing the game most familiar to everyone. […]

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Tags: Authentic · Clarity · Conversation · Fun · Ideas

Small Wheels, High Center of Gravity, and Physics

March 4th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Once again, we observe that physics—notably gravity—wins. Sometimes I venture outside the suburbs of Federal Virginia go into “downtown” Washington D.C. I see them, those funny-colored little skateboards with handles. These are the eScooters or whatever we choose to call them this week. They have little electric motors and speed pedestrians (I […]

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Tags: Analysis · Science