Working Up

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

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Light Bulbs, Anything Else, and Optimal Performance

January 13th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The humble light bulb reminds us that we want good things, but “good” changes depending on the person and the purpose. The light bulb is going to save the planet. Perhaps destroy it. I confuse the two sometimes. The incandescent bulb is inefficient. It is if we are considering the amount of […]

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Tags: Choose · Government · Leadership · Requirements

Alternatives

November 18th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There are always alternatives. We, however, don’t always admit and use this. Pity us and our results. Person A: This is the situation, this is what we are going to do. Person B: Interesting. What alternatives did you consider? Person A: Well, lots of them. Person B: Interesting. What alternatives did you […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Choose · Decide

Consultant and Consult

November 4th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We hire consultants to consult, i.e., advise us on things which they know better than us. That is the end. We often confuse things. There is so much to do and consider, it is no wonder that we do. One common area of confusion is the consultant(s). We need to know something, […]

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Tags: Choose · Consulting · Expertise

The Future will be Different (???)

October 7th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Change is much easier said than done. We don’t have to let the past determine the future, but otherwise requires change. Consider myself; I can change my future and make it different from my past Consider others. What makes me believe that others will change? That they will behave differently in the […]

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Tags: Adults · Change · Choose · Goals

Boring Meetings or Learning Opportunities

July 15th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Is this yet another boring meeting or a new opportunity to learn? Is this naive? I attend meetings. In my former employment, I attended several meetings each day. My current employment has reduced that to several a week. Most meetings are boring. They are inefficient. They are drudgery. Yuck. Some meetings are […]

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Tags: Choose · Learning · Meetings

Good News: We Did Badly in the Past

March 24th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Past sins? Past poor performance? That is good news. It means we correct mistakes and do better. We have hope for our future. Good News: When we fixed things, we broke things When we changed things, we had unintended, bad consequences. We wasted money. We wasted time. We treated on another badly. […]

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Tags: Change · Choose · Mistakes

Please Remove Your Sticker from My Car

January 31st, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We tend to allow others to use us freely. A simple example. About every ten years I buy a new automobile. Yes, I am “cheap,” and yes, today’s automobiles are built well enough to drive efficiently for ten years or more. After buying my last automobile, I arrived at home and noticed […]

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Tags: Analysis · Choose · Communication · Customer

Do We Have a Reputation?

December 6th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We each have a reputation, something about us that others “know.” What is it? What do I want it to be? I go to a coffee shop on Saturday mornings to view the Internet and write blog posts. On a recent Saturday I found car keys in the bathroom (shows how old […]

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Tags: Choose · Communication · Influence

Last In, Most Important

October 4th, 2018 · No Comments

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 […]

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Tags: Accountability · Choose · Decide · Requirements

Choosing What We will Attempt

July 12th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips You can’t win a vomiting contest with a buzzard. The attempt will be harmful, too. Buzzards are professionals when it comes to vomiting. They practice it daily. I can’t beat them at it. You can’t beat them at it. The trouble is, we think you can. We are educated, smart, capable, and […]

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Tags: Choose · Uncategorized