by Dwayne Phillips The path to solution is often found in the next (logical) question. Person A: How much will this cost? Person B: I don’t know? Person A: When will you know? Person B: Uh, I don’t know that either? Person A: What will you need to do so that you know? Person B: […]
Entries Tagged as 'Planning'
The Next (Logical) Question
March 25th, 2021 · No Comments
Tags: Ideas · Learning · Planning · Questions
We May Never See 2024
March 22nd, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Three years from now may never come. “I don’t want to be ‘locked into’ company A because company B may have a better offering in three years. We need to be able to shift to company B.”—a well-meaning advisor. In three years, the world may be different. Let’s remain agile. Let’s keep […]
Tags: Agility · Clarity · Expectations · Planning
The First Step
October 8th, 2020 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips The first step, if taken carefully, eliminates almost all other directions from consideration and frees the mind for everything else. I’ve read about trackers, i.e., those persons who are assigned to find someone who is lost. They find people lost in the woods. The most important thing the tracker does is to […]
Tags: Clarity · Leadership · Management · Planning
Hopes, Dreams, Wishes, and Plans
April 2nd, 2020 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Plans are significant things. We produce them with significant effort. Otherwise, we are merely chatting about our hopes, dreams, and wishes. Person A: We have a plan for that. Person B: Great. May I see it? Person A: What do you mean? Person B: Your plan. May I see it? May I […]
Tags: Communication · Conversation · Planning
Lack of Planning, Emergencies, and All Such Things
April 8th, 2019 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Nothing new here. Lack of planning still brings emergency responses and all sort of bad reactions. I suppose we have to be reminded of this from time to time. There are various ways to say it like: Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part or […]
Tags: Commitment · Decide · Emergency · Planning
Plan for Success
April 26th, 2018 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes success catches us by surprise. Too bad as we miss an opportunity. Success may not come, but be ready if it does. Years ago, I went to a conference and spoke. Some persons approached me and asked for more information and contacts and cards and seminars. Wow. What a success. I, […]
Too Close to Think
September 28th, 2017 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Someone on the team needs to be a little farther away from the problem than the rest of us. Once upon a time…a team of engineers and such had a major design review in Florida. The team didn’t live in Florida. The head of the team, thoroughly enmeshed in the details of […]
Tags: General Systems Thinking · Management · Planning · Thinking
The Plan versus the Idea
June 1st, 2017 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Often “plans” are merely “ideas.” Ideas suffice if they are small enough. We have a lot of plans where I work and recreate. The trouble is, I can’t ever seem to find them. No one can produce an artifact that records the plan. Truth is, the plan is in the mind of […]
Tags: Analysis · Clarity · Communication · Ideas · Planning
But I Had a Great Time
May 29th, 2014 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Once again I delve into the question, but what was the objective? I find myself planning events more than previously. At least I find myself involved in planning events. And, as I have written before, I tend to ask some variation of, “What is the objective?” I have been involved with many […]
Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan, Plus
October 3rd, 2013 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips In addition to the planner’s basics, talk directly to the right people in a frank manner. Years ago, I worked with a company VP who had success on the vast majority of his projects. His “secret” was: Plan your work (in detail) Work your plan (track progress in detail) Okay, big deal. […]
Tags: Communication · Management · People · Planning