Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips I’ve heard people in meetings tell me stuff that was just pure bologna. Then I had to ask myself why I created an environment where people told me bologna instead of the truth. I once managed a project where an engineer stood in a meeting and explained that a hardware part had […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I ache for the people who say “herding cats.” I really ache for the people who work with the people who say “heading cats.” Almost every week, I hear someone say: Managing fill-in-the-blank is like herding cats. Deep sigh and groan. I ache. How can a person refer to their colleagues as […]

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by Dwayne Phillips If possible, assist instead of advise. I worked in a government bureaucracy for over 25 years. A favorite practice to this day is the review board. Some unlucky and usually young engineer works really hard for weeks and then brings the work before a group of older engineers. The older engineers pick […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I am a problem solver. Sometimes, however, solving a problem is the worst thing to do. This story made the rounds recently about how our military is experimenting with small jolts of electricity to keep sleep-deprived troops awake. The electricity might have fewer bad side affects than the current treatment — lots […]

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by Dwayne Phillips People often choose a development method without any reason other than, “that is what everyone is doing now.” I urge a bit more thought. More thought on day one brings more time and energy the rest of the way. Agile development is all the rage today. I know because I am unemployed […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A sense of urgency is obvious as people think, work, and move faster than when there is no such sense. There is a source of urgency that managers can find to help instill the sense. 1980, (yes, I am that old) I visited several contractors who were working with us. People moved […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A phrase I often heard from my superiors, what “no surprises” really means. I don’t know how many times I heard it uttered in angst, “No surprises, no surprises, no surprises.” That is what my superiors constantly told me and my colleagues. This was one of those things that everyone acted like […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The most important moment in a project is not when you hold your breath during the final system test. Rather, it is a moment of interaction between persons. Quick and to the point: The most important moment in a project is when a person tells the project manager some “bad” news, and […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Further evidence that people tend to do only what they want to do while at work. Years ago, one of the guys in our office went missing. He was safe and sound, but we didn’t know it at the time. He was told to attend a meeting at a motel in another […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I cannot overestimate the importance of starting well. What a person does on the first project of their life is out of proportion in importance. This is quick and simple: The most important project in a person’s life is the first project. Why? Because the new person knows nothing about real-world projects. […]

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