Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips If you use tools at work, and who doesn’t, have tool experts around. I am a big believer in having specialists working on a project – people who know one thing well. Yes, there is a place for other people, but most projects I have experienced have all generalists and no specialists. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I attempt to get a million dollars by inventing a new three-letter acronym about project management. TQM, Agile, Heavy – all nice words used to describe different types of project management. So, here goes, my three-letter acronym that summarizes my recommendation for project management: TPM That stands for Thoughtful Project Management. What […]

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by Dwayne Phillips When writing management tips, I always try to apply the “Oh Yeah?” test. I sometimes write about management and how to manage better. One things I try to apply at the end of such writing is the “Oh Yeah?” test. In applying this test, I ask myself something like, Oh yeah? Really, […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I have met managers who acted as though electrons, concrete, steel, wood, and other things could hear them screaming, “Work Right!” I never quite understood that, but the idea seems popular. I have overseen and managed many projects in the last few decades. Back in the mid-1980s (yes, I am that old), […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Profanity is not an indication of passion. There are many other explanations for it. In a recent meeting, a colleagues let loose a stream of profanity. A moment later he said, “Please excuse my passion.” Sigh. Here we go. Profanity is not an expression of passion. I know plenty of passionate people […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Configuration Management is concerned with the integrity of the product. It isn’t complicated. It may not, however, be liked by all. I had a conversation with a co-worker recently about configuration management (CM). We had sat through a series of meetings where CM was tossed about in a swirl of angst and […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Resource leveling is an obscure term in project management. It is, however, paramount to project success. You are planning a project or planning some work that involves a limited number of people. You lay out all the tasks that must be performed and record all the resources needed to perform each task. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I was once told that “silence is agreement” and that “everyone who has a brain knows that.” I disagree. Silence is silence. If you want to know what is behind silence, ask. It was 20 years ago. I had sat through some meeting on some forgotten topic where I rolled my eyes […]

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by Dwayne Phillips “You get what you inspect, not what you expect” (source forgotten, lesson relearned painfully too often) Relearning can be painful. At least “learning” is in there somewhere, and I believe that learning is a fruitful use of time. Here’s a recent conversation: Manager: I can’t believe how bad the quality of work […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The later in a project you correct a mistake, the more it costs. Confirmed again. There are many wise sayings associated with managing and working  projects. Many of the wise sayings are myths that have been busted. Many, however, are true, and we stubbornly refuse to believe them. Our stubbornness is evidenced […]

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