Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips There is something called the “hope nothing” meeting. In it, I hope nothing comes up that causes me pain, effort, and general angst. Hope nothing meetings are pleasant, but can be deadly. I sit in meetings. People tell me things. Sometimes they tell me things that cause me work. Sometimes they tell […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes we want to clarify what we have written. Adding to the end (a few words onto a sentence, a few sentences onto a paragraph, a few paragraphs onto a chapter, etc.) works, but is merely an ugly band-aid. Rewrite instead. I did tripped again this morning. I wrote a sentence that […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Logarithms help represent large and complex items with smaller and simpler concepts. We forget this at our peril. I used a slide rule in years gone past. It functions on logarithms. These take large numbers and represent them with small numbers. It really is a remarkable concept. The logarithm concept has been […]

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by Dwayne Phillips It seems that “common sense” is what others need, which says much about me. Me: Someone who has that malady should stay home and get well. Me (later): I am fine. I am not that sick. I can do my job even when I am not completely well. Common sense. It is […]

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by Dwayne Phillips We hate to admit it, but we are here and now because of our past actions. “How did we get here?” bemoans a person currently caught in some quicksand of life. The answer is, “Out steps brought us here.” Another answer is, “The system is the way it is because we made […]

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by Dwayne Phillips There is a type of project that will not only create a product, but will also cure all ills in an organization. “Get well projects” exist largely in fantasy. There is a type of project that some of us know as a “get well project.” Such are usually found in organizations that […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A fundamental question of each of us is, “Do I want someone else to understand?” If yes, great effort may be required. If no, keep moving. I work with other persons. Nothing unique there, but I am fortunate in that most of these others are really smart and are working on the […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes we don’t know something. There is a magic question that moves us from unknowing to knowing. Three words: when will you? Person A: How much will this project cost? Person B: I don’t know. Person A: When will you (know how much this project will cost)? Person B: I don’t know. […]

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