Working Up

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

Working Up header image 4

Entries from November 2021

We Don’t Need an XX on the Team

November 29th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We don’t need an expert in this or that to build better systems. We need a desire to learn and a desire to please. We don’t need a User Experience (UX) person on the team. We don’t need a Customer Experience (CX) expert on the team. We don’t need an XX (fill-in-the-blank […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Customer · Experiment · Expertise · Learning · Resources · Systems · Work

People Say That Because…

November 25th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We often say things simply because we have heard others say those things. We are an odd lot. People say that because… they heard other people say that. And the other people said it with great confidence and bravado. Hence, it must be true, right? “Half of marriages end in divorce.” That […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Appearances · Communication · Error · Expectations · Judgment · Reality

Do You Want to Communicate?

November 22nd, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Of course we want to communicate. That is a basic. Nevertheless, here is a small test to measure the actual desire to communicate. Here is a quick test to measure a person’s desire to communicate to others. Here is a blank piece of paper. Here is a pencil. Write three things (plus […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Authentic · Choose · Clarity · Communication · Growth · Testing · Writing

Centralized vs. Disbursed

November 18th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We revisit an old tradeoff that moves to a different dimension, but retains the tradeoff. In the early 1990s, (yes, I am that old) we had about a dozen different computing systems in a laboratory. On any given day, one of the dozen would be “down” for repair. Too bad, but we […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Alternatives · Analysis · Choose · Decide · Security · Trust

What is Different in this Situation?

November 15th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips This is a variation on the question, “What is the difference that makes a difference?” When trying to modify behavior, we must be able to answer the title’s question. The title of this post is a fundamental science question. You are telling me that factor A is important here. Okay, it seems […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Adapting · Change · Data Science · Decide · Information · Science

There are Always Trade-Offs

November 11th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Have a direction? What did we lose in choosing it? Sorry, we traded something for something else. We lost something. I am never supposed to write “never” and “always.” And there is always an exception to all rules. Hence, the title of this post. I have yet to find a perfect solution […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Alternatives · Choose · Decide · Management · Questions

It Works When We Want It To

November 8th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Most systems “work” as we intend when enough people want them to. Those people cooperate with the system and one another. Democracy works because people want it to. There is much freedom in democratic systems. That freedom works because people want it to. People realize the value of the freedom and don’t […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Accountability · Agreement · General Systems Thinking · Respect · Trust

We Knew What We Were Doing, Right?

November 4th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We are almost always uncertain. That is why we should plan key decision points. “We knew what were were doing, right?” asked one of the decision makers after everything collapsed. “Well, it sounded good when we started,” replied another one of the decision makers after everything collapsed. No, sorry, we didn’t know […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Decide · Knowledge · Management · Planning · Resources · Time

The Clipboard and the Pencil…and the Hurricane

November 1st, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Unfortunate events provide yet another great reason to use a clipboard and a pencil. My records indicate that this is the fourth blog post I have written about the clipboard and the pencil. The gist is that these old, simple tools are still quite valuable. Hence, we might reconsider a few other […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Adapting · Emergency · Internet · Learning · Notebook · Simple · Technology · Tools