Working Up

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

Working Up header image 4

Entries from February 2024

Vocabulary and Ceremonies

February 29th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We often use the vocabulary and ceremonies of a prescribed practice without actually doing anything worthwhile. Daily standup, peer review, prototype, minimum viable product, agility, AI, agent, etc.: examples of vocabulary that makes it appear as if something good is happening. Do they have a minimum viable product? Is there product much […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Communication · Honesty · Practice · Process · Vocabulary · Work

Do What Is Best (Or at Least Do What Is Better)

February 26th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes, the better thing to do is let people do what they think is best or at least what they think is better on any given day. “We are a fill-in-the-blank organization. We use best fill-in-the-blank practices as described by fill-in-the-second-blank who described fill-in-the-blank in the seminal blog post on fill-in-the-blank,” said […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Decide · Management · Mistakes · People · Permission · Practice · Reaction

Meta-Competence

February 22nd, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Once again, thinking at one layer higher than usual may bring insights that prove effective. There is competence: someone is able to do something well. They know the topic, they know the skills, and they apply them all. The adjective “well” is used often and truthfully. Then there is meta-competence: this has […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Adapting · Choose · Competence · Management · Meta · Time

Lab Projects and Real Products

February 19th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Take care when confusing lab projects with real products. Both are good, but they are not the same. In all fields of endeavor, we have lab projects and real products. Both can be good. They, however, are not the same. Sometimes product managers and marketers confuse these at their peril. Students in […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Accountability · Engineering · Experiment · Management · Process

Connecting Games, Simulations, and Real Life

February 15th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Games are simulations of real life. Some games simulate real life better than others. The key is to connect the simulations to real life in a meaningful manner. Games are simulations. The Monopoly game is supposed to simulate business, commerce, and acquiring wealth or something like that. Tick-Tack-Toe simulates spatial logic and […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Experiment · Management · Reaction · Reality

The AI Pencil

February 12th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I share an idea for a manual writing instrument that I had several decades ago. Today’s technology might be ready for it. Several decades ago, I had this idea for a pencil, pen, or white board marker. I shared the idea with a few smart folks. Nothing became of it as the […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Ideas · Meetings · Technology · Writing

John, I am Upset

February 8th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Here is one way to begin what is likely to be an unpleasant conversation. It lessens the unpleasantness and moves toward a more productive conversation. Let’s begin with, “John, I am upset.” (Substitute the other person’s name for John. That was the most alias of names I could find.) There, said the […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Adults · Communication · Context · Conversation · Wishes

Just a Little Bit More (Being Too Helpful)

February 5th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Loving and caring people want to help others. So we put one more thought into the writing and one more statement into the speaking. Delete those. Here are tips on editing writing that don’t need much thought, but hold true about 98.6% of the time: Get the idea? Loving and caring people […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Brevity · Clarity · Communication · Writing

Large Language Models and Adults

February 1st, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Large Language Models appear to have all sorts of problems. I wonder why companies that build such don’t hire adults to help build them. I recently learned that large language models (LLMs) have “sleeper agents” in them. Given some inputs, the LLM starts doing crazy things that it shouldn’t do. Gosh. LLMs […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Adults · Artificial Intelligence · Computing · Concepts · Engineering · General Systems Thinking · Testing