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

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Entries Tagged as 'Improvement'

A Sense of Urgency

October 9th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We have tools that multiply our productivity. Every age seems to have such tools. Will we have the sense of urgency to use these tools this time around? From what I can find, the screwdriver was invented in the late 1400s. It was created to, of course, turn screws. The screws were […]

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Tags: History · Improvement · Jobs · Purpose · Technology · Urgent · Work

Did My Words Make Sense?

September 4th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips To write is to be misunderstood. Gosh, not very optimistic but it is realistic. We should constantly ask, “Did my words make sense?” “Never mind what it says, we know what we mean,” said an optimist about something we were reading. Yes, we did know what it meant. We read it half-a-dozen […]

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Tags: Change · Clarity · Communication · Improvement · Resources · Time · Writing

DevSecOps: It’s Just What Computer Programmers Do

October 24th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Considering DevSecOps—nothing to see here folks. It is just what computer programmers do. Everybody in the software-creating world is doing DevSecOps (development, security, operations). Well, if you are anybody in the everybody, you are doing DevSecOps. If you aren’t doing it, you are a nobody in the everybody. What is DevSecOps? It’s […]

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Tags: Computing · DevOps · General Systems Thinking · Improvement · Programming

The Buddy

May 30th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips It helps to have someone standing next to you. This is a simple, old, and often overlooked aid to working better. A buddy is someone standing next to you whom you assume knows what they are doing. Often, a few moments later, you both realize that you both assumed the other is […]

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Tags: Appearances · Competence · Expertise · Group · Improvement · Observation · Other · People

The Bad Thing about TED Talks

March 11th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Every now and then, someone shows how well you can do something. In rare situations, everyone else improves. Most of the time, however, not so much. I like to watch TED talks. They are so goooooood. Twenty minutes. Every sentence full of content. Just enough visuals, but not too many. Relevant topics. […]

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Tags: Communication · Expectations · Expertise · Improvement · Leadership

Can I have a Flat, Horizontal Surface, Please?

February 15th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The flat, horizontal surface is a natural. Home architects know their value. The designers of automobile interiors, however, seem to be living on another planet. In automobiles, the dash (the area above the displays) is curved and sloped. Flat surfaces don’t exist. So where do I set something that I want to […]

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Tags: Concepts · Design · Fun · Ideas · Improvement

Fail Fast, Fail Early (at what?)

September 21st, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Fail fast, fair early is a mantra in today’s knowledge work. Sometimes, however, we are confused about what is a failure. Fail fast, fail early! (Some persons say it the other way around and mean the same thing.) The idea is simple: Try something Learn something Adjust Go back to step 1. […]

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Tags: Engineering · Experiment · Failure · General Systems Thinking · Improvement · Learning · Practice

Energy to the End

November 14th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Fatigue still wins. Every endeavor requires energy to the end. Every step receives the same resources. In any endeavor, we must exert the same energy to every step. Starting fast and waning with fatigue will not suffice. For example, in writing, I should apply the same full energy to… every page every […]

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Tags: Commitment · Energy · Improvement

The Dry Run

April 15th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes the best thing to do is practice once or twice. The object of the exercise is not good performance; it is learning. The “dry run” is a term that comes from the performing arts. It is basically a rehearsal. Practice the thing a few times. Simple enough. What we tend to […]

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Tags: Dry Run · Improvement · Learning

Rejoice when the Minions Revolt!

April 4th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Those who are supposed to do what I say are revolting. Rejoice. I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. When I was 21, I was clueless at work. I had no idea what I was doing or was supposed to do when I walked in the building in the morning. These older […]

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Tags: Improvement · Influence · Learning · Management · Teaching