by Dwayne Phillips How to you accomplish a big task? One thing at a time. Sorry, I wish there were magic here, but I have yet to see any of that. I recently removed 6,000 pounds of items from a home. Given each item weighed half a pound on average, that is … a whole […]
Entries Tagged as 'Lifecycle'
One Thing at a Time
January 12th, 2023 · No Comments
Tags: Concepts · General Systems Thinking · Lifecycle · Problems · Process · Solutions
The Tidal Decision-Making Technique
April 12th, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes decisions just sort of drift in and out with the tides. The tide comes in; the tide goes out. Sometimes we find something that drifted in with the tide and remains on the beach. The next day, the next cycle or two of tides, and that something is gone. It was […]
Tags: Choose · Decide · Judgment · Lifecycle · Management
Building Products or Building Infrastructure
March 15th, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Are we making a product or making a product that allows others to make a product. Are we making a product that will allow us to make a product, but we spend so much time on the first that we never make a product? I see this often. People aren’t building products. […]
Tags: Lifecycle · Patterns · Process · Purpose · Work
Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan (even in Agile)
May 26th, 2016 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips I emphasize fundamentals in my work. One such fundamental is the old cliche about planning and working (see title). I find it still applies—even with “new” methods like Agile. Plan your work, work your plan I heard that a lot in the 1980s. I find it to be one of those things […]
Tags: Agility · Culture · Lifecycle · Management
Deciding Well vs. Documenting Well
September 23rd, 2010 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips There is a difference between deciding well and documenting a decision process well. The human condition means that we are mistaken a good portion of the time. Processes and documents can help, but they don’t erase that. I once worked in a government organization that prided itself on its excellent decisions. They […]
Tags: Coffee · Excuses · Government · Lifecycle · Management · Meetings
Engineers and Their Babies
March 1st, 2010 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Engineers create wonderful things now and then. Oblivious users turn the creations upside down and use them backwards. Such oblivious use teaches great lessons that smart organizations use before going to production. Engineers have their babies. Not the human kind of baby, though some engineers have those, too, but the system-that-they-create kind […]
Tags: Design · Learning · Lifecycle · Systems
The Final Book Published
August 27th, 2009 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips eBooks are taking over the world. Well, they won’t finish off the published paper books this weekend, but the trend is there. As with most things, I see some good and some bad in this. I think it is good that college textbooks are becoming available in digital form. Pay $10 for […]
Tags: Design · Lifecycle · Technology · Writing
Spirals in Government
May 26th, 2009 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips A recent discussion with Johanna Rothman reminded me of terrible discussions I had with government project managers about project lifecycles. The shame is that most government managers don’t know one project lifecycle from another. Hence, when talking to them, ask enough questions to understand what they think they really mean. In general […]
Tags: Government · Lifecycle · Management