Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

We “just” … Nothing is easy. We might as well describe the situation as it is.

Everything is easy if someone else is supposed to do it. When I have to do it, not so easy. Yet, we describe things as easy.

We’ll just do this and that and be done with it.

Substitute “just” with “struggle, and struggle, and struggle because it is really difficult to”

Examples:

Original: We’ll just tell him that we don’t want him.

Revised: Well struggle, and struggle, and struggle because it is really difficult to tell him that we don’t want him.

Original: We’ll just move across the country and set up shop somewhere else.

Revised: We’ll struggle, and struggle, and struggle because it is really difficult to move across the country and set up shop somewhere else.

Original: We’ll just hire a new builder.

Revised: We’ll struggle, and struggle, and struggle because it is really difficult to  hire a new builder.

Original: We’ll just start over.

Revised: We’ll struggle, and struggle, and struggle because it is really difficult to start over.

Original: I’ll just write a blog post explaining how the word “just” shouldn’t be used.

Revised: I’ll struggle, and struggle, and struggle because it is really difficult to write a blog post explaining how the word “just” shouldn’t be used.

I could go on. Nothing is easy. Let’s be candid about that.

by Dwayne Phillips

The year 2020 got you down? Declare it over.

Person A: I’m glad 2020 is over!

Person B: Huh, we have another 6 or 8 weeks of 2020 to go.

Person A: No, 2020 is over, gone. We’re in 2021 now.

Person B: Huh, we, uh, what?

Person A: 2020 is gone. It’s 2021. A new year. A new attitude. Let’s go!

Person B: Huh, but, it is still 2020.

Person A: Oh, maybe it’s still 2020 in the Gregorian calendar, but I’m tired of that.

Person B: Yeah, but

Person A: I’m in my own calendar. It’s Pre-Jan I of 2021. I love it.

Person B: Yeah, but.

Person A: Oh, I know the US uses the Gregorian for legal purposes, so I date legal documents by that thing, but it’s just a relic of the mind.

Person B:

Person A: I’ve changed my mind. New leaf, new page, new chapter, all those cliches. I’ve decided to move on to something better. I’m much happier. You should try it. Change your mind. Change your attitude. Be happier.

Person B: Yeah, maybe.

by Dwayne Phillips

After a few years, I think I understand the essence of Data Science. It isn’t that complicated.

I have been working in, around, above, below, to the side, and every which way but loose of Data Science for the past few years. Perhaps I have learned what Data Science is. There are many forms and formats and disagreements.

Here goes:

Person A: I work with computers. People give me things everyday. It takes me hours and hours to do things with what people give me.

Person B: Hmmm. Can I watch?

Person A: Sure, just don’t make much noise, I have to concentrate on these things.

Person B silently watches for a few days, goes away for a day, comes back.

Person A: Oh, did you go somewhere? I thought it was quiet.

Person B: Yes, I have some hardware and software, a.k.a., computing, that you might want to use. I think you can do those things you do in minutes instead of hours.

Person A: Hmmm. Well, what’s the harm, let’s try it.

A few minutes later.

Person A: I’m done. That only took minutes. I like that.

Person B: silence

Person A: You can go away now.

Person B just did Data Science. Person A is now using Data Science. Those people who give things to Person A are happier.

This isn’t very complex. Perhaps the things Person B did were very complex. They could have been artificially intelligent or a cool trick with Excel or ten lines of Python.

Doesn’t matter.

That was Data Science.

by Dwayne Phillips

Sometimes we are trying so hard that we fail to notice the simple and wonderful things right in front of us.

Person A: I don’t see. It can’t find it. That idea, that concept, that thing that I’m trying to write. Where is it?

Person B: Don’t try so hard.

Person A: What? Look, if I just focus, if I just concentrate, it’s here, I know it, I just need to…

Person B: Don’t try so hard.

Person A: Sigh. Don’t you get it? I am working here. This is my income. I have to…

Person B: Don’t try so hard.

Person A: Okay, you have my attention. Tell me. What is all this “Don’t try so hard.”

Person B: You said it yourself, it is right in front of you, whatever it is. Relax. Breathe. Calm. Now look with softer eyes with softer edges. It is right there. See it now?

Person A: Well, maybe. I mean there is something there, but it isn’t quite right.

Person B: What is missing?

Person A: A little more of this, a little less of that. Here that might work.

Person B: Write that. Write that right now. You have it. Use it. Do it.

Person A: Wait a minute. What happened? What was the trick? What did you do?

Person B: I didn’t do anything. You did. You stopped trying so hard.

Person A: So, I think I get it. Focusing too hard constricts the blood vessels and restricts the flow of oxygen, and prevents clear thinking Aha, that’s it.

Person B: Don’t try so hard. Breathe. Notice. Take it and go.

by Dwayne Phillips

We have a new profession in our world of virtually online distance custom learning.

Don’t “go to a college” as that wastes too much money and time. Create your own training program, work hard, spend little money, get the same learning.

The trouble is, if you don’t know a topic, how will you design your own education for the topic? You probably cannot do that.

Enter the Curriculum Designer. This is a person who knows the topic and knows something about learning the topic. The earnest learner pays the Curriculum Designer for a list and sequence of learning opportunities. The Curriculum Designer may also provide skill tests to assess if the learner is learning enough before proceeding.

We have a new profession. We don’t understand all we might know about this. Enter with care and caution, but for the brave of heart, enter and go with it.

by Dwayne Phillips

When delegating a task to another person, clear communication is key. It is unfortunate that clear communication is also rare. Here is a simple test.

Person A: Are you doing task such-and-such?

Person B: Not myself. I delegated task such-and-such to Person C.

Person A: Oh, good. Task such-and-such is intricate and complex. I don’t quite understand it all, so I will go discuss it with Person C.

Person B: Well, uh, like you said, it’s complicated and all, so just talk to me about it.

Person A: Well, since Person C is the one who will actually do such-and-such, I’ll talk to him about it. Okay?

Person B: silence

Person A: I’ll tell you what we can do here. I’ll give you a blank sheet of paper, and you write task such-and-such on it. Then I’ll go to Person C and give him a blank sheet of paper to write task such-and-such on it. Finally, I’ll compare the two written descriptions of such-and-such to ensure they agree. Okay?

Person B: silence

Person A: Perhaps you, Person C, and I should sit in the same room at the same time and discuss such-and-such.

Person B: Perhaps.

by Dwayne Phillips

If work is important enough to be performed, the product is important enough to be inspected.

Someone is supposed to do something. Okay. Do it. Next. Right? This is a note to project managers and those who may think we don’t need or maybe need project managers:

You get what you inspect, not what you expect.

That’s an old saying. Too bad it isn’t followed often.

There is much that can be abused here. Let’s try to establish some definitions so that maybe we don’t abuse one another.

Project Manager: a person who manages the work—not the workers.

The Work: those things that persons do.

When a person performs some work, there is a product (sometimes a service). Is the product there? Does the product meet expectations? Does the product serve its purpose? These are some of the questions the Project Manager should answer. The Project Manager finds these answers by INSPECTING the product.

Notice that INSPECT is more than, “Is the product there?”

“Adults don’t need this!” said the adult who always does their work and does it well.

Reality check: not all adults always do their work and do it well. There are many reasons why many of us have bad days and do bad work. It happens. That is why we need persons on the project who INSPECT. That is usually the Project Manager.

Are you a Project Manager? INSPECT. If you don’t know the product well enough to INSPECT, assign that to someone else. It must happen. If doing the work is important, ensuring that the work is performed as expect is important.

by Dwayne Phillips

When something does not hold up to rational analysis, any excuse or any reason is as good as another. And when no excuse or reason comes to mind now, we will think of something later.

A recent xkcd cartoon had a wonderful punchline, “No, for another reason I’ll think of later.”

The punchline was in response to a question about why someone did or did not do something or other. The reply was, “No.” When asked for a reason, well, there was no handy reason, so one would come later.

Many years ago, an old man (probably my current) age told a story to a very young man (me at the time). The story was something like:

A fella’ asked me if he could borrow my lawn mower on Saturday. I told him no because I was going to the grocery store. He asked what “going to the grocery store” had to do with borrowing a lawn mower. I told him, nothing, but if I don’t want you to borrow my lawn mower, any excuse is as good as any other.

Same idea. If the answer is “no” or “yes,” the excuses or reasons really won’t matter. The only thing that matters is “no” or “yes.”

When will gathering places open to 100% capacity with no distancing?

Some day real soon now.

Will it be because of a vaccine? Herd immunity? A challenger defeating an incumbent in an election? Climate change? Cold weather? Hot weather?

I doubt any of the above will be the reason. In the end, it will be for another reason we will all think of later.

by Dwayne Phillips

Everyone claims agreement. Great. Let’s just test that statement with a blank sheet of paper.

“We all agree on what we are to do!” claimed a person full of hope and anxious to get to work.

“Wow, great,” said a second person who likes to hear good news, but is skeptical when hearing that, “Everyone is in agreement.”

“Let’s confirm that,” suggests the second person.

The first person, pauses and stops breathing. “Well,” says the first person, “everyone is nodding, so that confirms it.”

“Maybe,” says the second person, “and since you are so confident, let’s take just a couple of minutes to confirm.”

All the persons who were nodding stop nodding and also stop breathing.

“Please,” says the second person, “No one say anything while we confirm this and no one look at what your neighbor will be writing.”

The second person gives all the agree-ers a blank sheet of paper. Each person has a pen or pencil.

“Okay,” says the second person, “everyone write the agreement on their sheet of paper. Please, no talking and no peaking at anyone else’s piece of paper. Just jot the agreement, a few lines or sentences will be fine. And don’t write your name on your paper.”

Two minutes later, the second person collects all the pieces of paper.

You know what happens next. A glance through the pieces of paper show that the group is not in agreement. Even given leeway for wording the same thought differently, the pieces of paper all differ. Maybe there is one small thing on every piece of paper, but the main thoughts vary wildly.

There is, however, a several points of unanimity among the persons in the room. (1) They are all tired of discussing what they were discussing. (2) They all wish the group would agree. (3) They all want to do something else.

Now what? Go home. Take a long break. Come back next week and try again. Try to find some items of agreement other than the three points listed in the prior paragraph.

This isn’t easy. No one said it would be.

by Dwayne Phillips

There are many tasks that are difficult and require fine motor control and dexterity. They are darn near impossible—unless you have a tool.

A few years ago, we were building a system that had a sensor. The sensor would sense the state of an other system and relay signals to a processor. The sensor was small—less than a half inch in size. The part of the sensor that attached to the other system was about a quarter inch in size.

Attaching the sensor was difficult. Persons in the lab fumbled with it and usually needed half an hour to attach it just right. This wasn’t going to work. We wanted the sensor to be small, but “small” meant that no one could handle it.

Then someone in the back of the room blurted out the answer, “Unless you have a tool!”

The world changed. Three engineers each drew sketches of a tool that would hold the sensor and allow a person to attach it to the system we wanted to monitor. The tools were the size of a regular wrench. Once prototypes of the tools were built, persons in the lab attached the sensor in a few seconds with ease.

Simple. Obvious. Unless it isn’t.

Struggling with something? Anything. Not just physical, but mental, emotional, financial, any “-al.” Stop struggling. Stop trying harder. Find a tool that removes the struggles. The tool is probably much easier to make than the original task is to accomplish.