Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips I have seen this in people often, especially when looking in the mirror. Not off to a good start, but let’s try to pull something useful from this. We all tend to do what we like and avoid what we don’t like. Not surprising. I like ice cream. I hate paper cuts. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips One function of systems engineering is to open the black boxes, look at the entire system, and apply some wisdom. We often build systems by connecting existing systems and subsystems. These existing pieces are black boxes, i.e., we don’t know or don’t care to know what is inside them and how they […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Systems are commonly built by connecting smaller systems. This requires that the systems are connect-able, and that requires a defined interface. Most of the time, we build systems by connecting large boxes together in a system diagram. There are exceptions, and another post will discuss some of those. Still, connect the boxes […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Those who don’t program still seek the Holy Grail of business: the ability to flush programmers from their lives. Google recently launched its App Maker. Its a tool kit that allows persons who don’t know how to program to write programs. Well, sort of. I guess Google’s product, similar to other similar […]

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by Dwayne Phillips If your organization is to begin an endeavor that will take time and patience to bear fruit, employ the right type of person. Some endeavors require years to come to fruition. A college degree is one example. It comes after four years, not four hours, of sustained effort.  Some companies sponsor college […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A major part of the agile methods is that we refuse to be victims. In agile development, persons talk face to face and speak candidly. There are no bureaucratic victims. There is no, “Look, I know doing X this way doesn’t make sense, but we are required to do so by some […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Forget the old cliche about stupid questions. There ARE stupid questions, and hiring managers have asked me a bunch of them. I’ve been interviewed for jobs a dozen times There are stupid questions, and hiring managers ask them all the time. First, don’t ask the person to solve your problems. This is […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes projects “lose their way.” Of course that is impossible as what really happens is that people come and go and change their minds. In government, we had a phrase about projects that seemed to go forever and consume every penny in sight and produce nothing: They lost their way Some of […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I explore another aspect of logical implication and how lying permits people to construct all sorts of crazy stories. Background: If logical implication makes no sense to you, and it made no sense to me for years, I point to two prior blog posts that I hope will help you understand this […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Many on-the-job frustrations come when we try to do our job. The title and summary of this blog post may not make any sense. I have, however, heard much grumbling on the job when people are asked to do their jobs. Some examples I have heard over the years: I can’t believe […]

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