Working Up

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 review.

Now, that doesn’t sound too painful, does it? A simple discussion of an idea shouldn’t be difficult or costly. Perhaps we can improve the idea during the discussion. Perhaps we can discover that the idea is fraught with perils that I had not foreseen. Perhaps we can save ourselves a lot of cost and misery.

In the day of Agile we don’t hold design reviews much anymore. We can still do these. They can add value to our efforts. And we can do them efficiently, if we choose.

by Dwayne Phillips

Times change, but not all things. We still want to be friends with the rich.

I guess things don’t change much with us through the centuries. We want to be friends with the rich. See, e.g., all the places that want Amazon to come and sit for a while.

The richest person in the world runs Amazon. Every little hamlet pledges to let Amazon come with reduced taxes, utility bills, and everything else. The residents of the hamlet will pay more to curry this favor.

Hmmm, the poor and the “just average folks” will give money to the richest person in the world. I guess that makes sense. We all seem to want the rich to be our friends. There is great potential there, so I perhaps there is some long-term wisdom in play here.

I’m not sure.

by Dwayne Phillips

I contemplate a simple yet still effective management tool—the humble calendar.

What will I do tomorrow? What about the day after? What about next month. Oh, wait, is next week in next month or this month?

How can I keep track of time?

We revisit the humble calendar. If this is insulting to you, sorry, this is not for you. Please read the next bit of writing that I post.

Years ago I supervised about a dozen hard working, always-on-the-road persons. I needed to know where they were on any given day. Sigh. So much to track. I used Microsoft Word to print a table that resembled a calendar. I adhered the calendar to the wall next to my desk using a wonderful temporary spray adhesive, I wrote in pencil on the calendar. Hmmm, paper and pencil and a wall. Hmmmm. Someone told me where they were going and when. I wrote it on the calendar.

Someone asked me, “Where is so and so?” I looked on the calendar and found the answer.

If I went elsewhere, I took the calendar with me. If needed, I put old calendars in a manila folder—another humble tool—for referencing the past.

Silly? Perhaps. Useful? Absolutely. Recommended? Absolutely.

We don’t have to reinvent everything. We don’t have to use a computer for everything. If work or life is overwhelming, use simple, proven tools…like the humble calendar.

Why did I write and post this? Because I know persons who are overwhelmed and who do not use calendars.

by Dwayne Phillips

We often use a simple yet silly algorithm for ranking requirements. It is easy. I guess that is why we use it.

We have a lot of work to do. We have more work than resources. Hence, we have to rank requirements to work the more important ones first.

Well, maybe we should rank the requirements to work the more important ones first.

Well, sometimes we rank the requirements to work the more important ones first.

Well, actually, we, uh, er, sort of work the requirements that we remember.

Uh, you know, uh, the ones that someone told us yesterday. I suppose, uh, er, those were the last ones in, the last ones we scribbled on the white board. Well, maybe we didn’t even scribble them on the white board. We sort of remember them because someone just told us about them, so uh, er, we’re working on them.

Too bad. We work by a simple yet silly process, uh, let’s say “algorithm” as that sounds more scientific and systematic. The last thing someone told me in the hallway is what I will work on today. That way I don’t have to bother with other thoughts.

Besides, no one is paying attention to what we do, right?

by Dwayne Phillips

Want to write a book? Want to write another book? Okay, do it.

A book I am writing

I am writing a book every day. Most people call it a journal. No, I won’t “publish” it. No, no one else will buy it. No, no one else will even read it.

That doesn’t matter. I wrote it. I wrote another book. When that book is finished (six months of writing per journal), I will write another one. If you want to buy one of my journals, contact me, but the price will be outrageous—somewhere in the $1,000 range.

by Dwayne Phillips

Need a decision? Know the last possible minute.

Little Me: Here is the situation. I don’t have the authority to decide the direction. Please decide.

Big Boss: Not today.

Little Me: But, I, we, need…

Big Boss: If I don’t decide now, will we all cease to exist?

Little Me: long pause…I guess not

Big Boss: Hence, we have not reached the last minute, have we?

Little Me: longer pause…I guess not

Big Boss: Tell me when the last minute is.

Little Me: still pausing…I guess I can…

Big Boss: Tell me the time that past that point an indecision will cause us all to cease to exist (in this work context).

Little Me: But, I don’t know…

Big Boss: Come back to me when you do know.

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 words in meetings when we look around and say, “You do that.” Too bad. Perhaps we should say those words. Perhaps remembering the context will help us all.

This is the humble action item. Add this item to your “To Do” list. We do still have “To Do” lists, right? Or has that one been forgotten as well?

Tips:

Have a notebook and pen. Don’t like notebooks? Get a blank book that you do like. Something you want to be seen carrying. Leather, vinyl, trimmed, emblazoned, whatever it is you like. Get a pen. Something you like. Go to all the trouble and expense. “Hey look everyone. Look at the pen and book I have with me here at the table.” Love it.

Make notes. Yes, write things in that great book with that great pen.

When you are assigned a task—one of those action items—draw a small square in the left margin. Write the task. Write just enough in the meeting so you will remember it later. Leave a few blank lines so later you can fill in details to help you accomplish the work.

When you complete the task, fill in the square. Make a check mark. Get a pen with gold ink and use that to fill in the square. Find something you love.

You flip through the great book you carry and you see all those things you are still working and all those many, many, many things you have accomplished.

Simple? Yes. Easy? It becomes easier with practice. Practical? Yes. Try it for a while.

by Dwayne Phillips

Questions often accompany learning. Not everyone, however, wants to provide me with opportunities to learn.

I have two grandchildren. They are growing, changing, learning, and questioning everyday. It is a joy to observe and participate.

They ask questions. My granddaughter, ever the good school student, even raises her hand sometimes when she wants to ask me a question. They spur me to ask questions more often. Yes, even at my age, I learn from my grandchildren.

Still, my colleagues are not always thrilled at my questions. Hence, I try to ask questions that:

• make sense
• have answers

Not a good use of time to ask a colleague, “Why do you have errors in your software?” or “Do you have to cough so much?”

I would learn something if my colleagues would answer these questions. Do these questions, however, have answers? Would these questions merely waste time? I could go on and on with the philosophical benefit of causing a mind to churn and such. Still, is it my place to cause others to think they way I want them to think?

Ask questions. And try to ask questions that make sense and have answers.

by Dwayne Phillips

Spending resources is far easier when those resources belong to someone else.

Return on Investment: what comes back from what I spend. That is a tough thing to consider.

Where should I spend my limited resources?

Now consider,

Where should I spend another person’s resources?

Oh, that one is much easier. No pain for me. Just go try something. Why ponder the Return-on-Investment question? It doesn’t matter. Do the easiest thing.

Spend a lot of resources where the return will be small.

That option carries little risk and requires little work on my part. I can spend millions of dollars to save hundreds of dollars. Great stuff, and I will succeed every time.

But, uh, er, no matter. It is someone else’s money. No one will ask what I did. Right?

by Dwayne Phillips

We work in the real world; not in one where what we wish is true. Sometimes we simply need to teach a little.

A: I told these people what to do…and AARGH (pained expression interrupts speech).

B: How did you teach them how to do that?

A: What? What do you mean?

B: That task. Before you told them to do that task, how did you teach them how to do it?

A: Teach? What?

B: You know. They didn’t know how to do what you wanted, so you taught them how before you told them to do it, right?

A: Teach? What?

B: Let me try again. These people didn’t know how to do what you wanted. You taught them how to do it. How did you teach them how to do it?

A: Teach? What? I’m not a teacher.

B: (a least we are making some progress) So you assumed that they knew how to do that task?

A: Assumed? What? Teach? What?

B: You told me last week that your organization did unique things, things no one else could do, that is why you are a leader in the market or something.

A: Right. We are.

B: Well, if what you do is unique, your colleagues couldn’t learn it anywhere else or from anyone except you. Right?

A: silence.

B: They couldn’t learn it in college or elsewhere. So, you have to teach them before they can do it. Right?

A: Teach? What? Of course they know how to do this. They must have learned this somewhere.

B: What did you see or hear to convince you that they already knew how to do this task?

A: See? Hear? Teach? Look, people need to know some stuff to get by here.

B: Yes. I agree. So, what teaching methods did you employ to teach them so they would know some stuff?

A: Teach? What?

B: Who taught you how to teach? Who taught you how to supervise?

A: No one. I just knew.

B: Perhaps that explains the current situation. Perhaps we can start this conversation again.