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

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Entries Tagged as 'Communication'

A Better Word or Two

January 7th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips How can we communicate better? First, let’s try to communicate better. How can I communicate better? How can I say this better? Look for a better word Look for a better word or two Look for a better phrase Look for a better arrangement of thoughts Look for a better sentence Look […]

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Tags: Communication · Competence · Writing

I Hate It When Someone is Looking Over My Shoulder

December 20th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips It isn’t easy to admit that I lack knowledge for something that “I should know.” Most people are like me in this respect. How can I “help” without looking over their shoulder? “Maybe if you did it that way instead of this way,” said the eager, wanting-to-be-helpful person standing behind me and […]

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Tags: Communication · Competence · Consulting · Help · Humility

Do We Have a Reputation?

December 6th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We each have a reputation, something about us that others “know.” What is it? What do I want it to be? I go to a coffee shop on Saturday mornings to view the Internet and write blog posts. On a recent Saturday I found car keys in the bathroom (shows how old […]

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Tags: Choose · Communication · Influence

Pleasant and Productive (or Profitable)

December 3rd, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Simple desires for the workplace. Years ago, a wise old man once told me, “The workplace should be pleasant and profitable.” He worked in a commercial business. No profits, no business, no jobs. Profits were necessary. Also necessary, in his experience, was that the workplace be pleasant. If it wasn’t pleasant, people […]

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Tags: Communication · Expectations · Government · People · Work

We aren’t Finished, Yet

November 22nd, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I’m all for brief meetings, but sometimes we walk away too soon. I’m an engineer. I work with engineers and scientists. You know, insert-you-favorite-derogatory-word-here’s. We don’t concentrate on social skills. When we talk, and we admit that we have to talk with another human now and then, we state the facts, decide, […]

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Tags: Communication

Disagreements

November 19th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Of course no one agrees with me when we read, hear, see, etc. the same thing. We are in different places in different times while in the same place at the same time. As a kid, the most enjoyable episodes of my favorite programs were the ones where they played one scene […]

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Tags: Communication · Listening · Management

Ethics in Computer Science and Engineering

October 29th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Have we sunk so low that we give prizes to those who teach that lying and theft are wrong? Back in medieval times when I was in college and used punch cards for computer input…professors used to joke about (or so it went), “So and so was a programmer for such and […]

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Tags: Accountability · Communication · Ethics · Teaching · Trust

The fill-in-the-blank Readiness Review

October 18th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Are we ready to do this? Long ago I participated in meetings that were called things like: Operational Readiness Review Test Readiness Review Contract Readiness Review Trip Readiness Review fill-in-the-blank Several persons sat together and asked, “Are we ready to do this?” Regardless of what “this” was, we discussed the answer. Sometimes […]

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Tags: Communication · Review

The Design Review

October 15th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Let us consider the humble design review. It is still valuable. I have an idea. I think it will solve a problem or improve a situation. It is just an idea, but let’s try it. Perhaps—before we try it—let’s discuss it. This discussion of an idea before trying it is a design […]

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Tags: Communication · Design · Review

The Action Item

September 24th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I review yet another fundamental of accomplishing work that seems to have been forgotten. In order for us to accomplish our work and our mission, we need you to do something. Here is the work. Here is the schedule. Here are the resources. Please. I suppose we leave off most of those […]

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Tags: Communication · Work