Working Up

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

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One Thing at a Time

January 12th, 2023 · No Comments

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 […]

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Tags: Concepts · General Systems Thinking · Lifecycle · Problems · Process · Solutions

We Don’t Have to Write It All

January 9th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips If AI wrote this, is that okay? The question isn’t that difficult. In the past few months, we have all sorts of artificial intelligence or machine learning sites “writing” things for us. Well, this isn’t that intelligent or learned (in my humble opinion), but clever mimicry. Still it is quite useful. Why […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Concepts · Ideas · Information · Intellectual Property · Research · Work · Writing

The CONOPS

December 12th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips This is a reminder of one of the fundamental documents or documentations in creating systems that delight users. It is the Concept of Operations. First things first. We want to provide a system that delights users. Where do we start? Let’s talk with the users; watch the users; learn from the users, […]

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Tags: Communication · Concepts · Conversation · Engineering · General Systems Thinking · Listening · Systems

Reading a Product Catalog Does NOT an Engineer Make

December 8th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The ability to read a product catalog does not make a person an engineer or an architect or someone who can think and reason. I have encountered this for 30 years. It is as if someone had a cue card in their hand. They spew product names. Things like: Kafka HDFS TensorFlow […]

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Tags: Clarity · Concepts · Design · Engineering · Ideas · Systems

Augmented Reality in 1980

February 21st, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Forty years ago I saw what Augmented Reality could do. I’m still waiting for it. Back in 1980, I spent much of my workdays repairing electronic equipment (yes, I am that old). Pull a piece of equipment out of the rack, put it on the workbench, remove the cover, and trace through […]

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Tags: Concepts · Engineering · Help · Information · Knowledge · Technology

The Denial of Service Attack

August 30th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips What we saw with gas stations is known as a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Flood a business with customers and the business fails. The scary part is that someone learned from the situation. Back in May of 2021 (boy, that seems like a long time ago), a pipeline was closed due […]

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Tags: Concepts · Customer · Failure · General Systems Thinking · Observation · People · Reaction

Three More Explanations, Please

August 16th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Things are the way they are because… Fine. That is one explanation. Let’s have at least three more. Few things are as difficult as explaining why something is the way it is. We see more brown leaves on trees this year than we have in the past. Well, the reason is… Really? […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Analysis · Concepts · Experiment · General Systems Thinking · Science

Let Me Explain Myself, Then I Might Understand Myself

March 1st, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There is much good in the act of sitting down with another person and explaining to them what I think I am doing. It isn’t always easy to explain to another person what I am about to do. It is, however, a good use of time. That act usually shows me what […]

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Tags: Communication · Concepts · Ideas · Talk · Visibility

Can I have a Flat, Horizontal Surface, Please?

February 15th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The flat, horizontal surface is a natural. Home architects know their value. The designers of automobile interiors, however, seem to be living on another planet. In automobiles, the dash (the area above the displays) is curved and sloped. Flat surfaces don’t exist. So where do I set something that I want to […]

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Tags: Concepts · Design · Fun · Ideas · Improvement

Gold Mine and Coal Mine

February 1st, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Are we spending time in gold mines or coal mines? Of course we want to be in gold mines. Untold riches. Right? Consider a few things. Gold Mine resource: Now and then we find a nugget of gold that is valuable almost beyond measure. Most of the time, most of the days, […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Choose · Concepts · Resources · Time