Working Up

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

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Sustainability and Grandparents

October 11th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Well meaning managers often start new activities. The activities are not sustainable, and the well meaning manager gains a reputation as a liar. I am a grandparent. I have one grandson who is now 23 months old (I have to put up a new photo of him sometime :-). Grandparents engage in […]

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Tags: Expectations · Family · Management · Meetings

Deciding Well vs. Documenting Well

September 23rd, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There is a difference between deciding well and documenting a decision process well. The human condition means that we are mistaken a good portion of the time. Processes and documents can help, but they don’t erase that. I once worked in a government organization that prided itself on its excellent decisions. They […]

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Tags: Coffee · Excuses · Government · Lifecycle · Management · Meetings

Actionable Things

July 1st, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Be wary when someone asks for “actionable fill-in-the-blank.” I few years ago, I was working in a prestigious organization (just ask anyone who worked there, they would happily tell you that it was a prestigious place). A division there had an expiring charter and needed to update it. Several senior managers asked […]

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Tags: Management · Meetings · Thinking · Work · Writing

The Technology Imperative

June 7th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The Technology Imperative states that if a new technology exists, we need it. Logic and business school lessons don’t matter. It happened again this week. I was visiting someone at their office in another building. The man I was visiting was slouched over in his chair with a face that asked, “Why […]

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Tags: Apple · Culture · iPad · Meetings · Requirements · Technology

I Hate “Short” Tasks

May 24th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I hate doing something twice. That leads to disliking short tasks. Short tasks are easy to do all over a second time, especially when someone else decides that they want you to do it again. This may not sound right, but I would much rather have a long, time-consuming task that one […]

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Tags: Management · Meetings · Writing

The Dinner Design Review

March 15th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Design reviews can be important parts of projects. At design reviews, we attempt to communicate clearly and minimize misunderstandings. There are several design reviews that are important to the success of a project. This essay describes one design review that people want to have but should never be allowed. We have design […]

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Tags: Communication · Design · Expectations · Health · Ideas · Judgment · Meetings · Requirements · Systems

This isn’t for You, but We’d Like You to Attend

November 26th, 2009 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Knowledge comes with age. Older colleagues don’t need to be taught some things that younger ones do. There are, however, times when you want older colleagues to attend events that are not necessary for them. Explaining the reasoning makes attendance easier. I’m in my 50s. I know much more than people in […]

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Tags: Communication · Learning · Meetings

That’s not What I Heard in the Meeting

November 23rd, 2009 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips People attend meetings. People make decisions in meetings. Two days later, people rarely agree on what they agreed on in the meeting. This doesn’t have to be the norm. I lived through one agonizing week a few years ago because notes were taken in a meeting, but they were not done visibly […]

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Tags: Communication · Meetings

I Hate “Short” Meetings

July 16th, 2009 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I dislike most meetings as they are not a time to accomplish work but merely a time to socialize. The worst type of meeting is one that is going to be short. Short meetings waste more time and last longer than any other type of meeting. I dislike the majority of meetings. […]

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Tags: Communication · Government · Meetings · Volunteer

A Lack of Urgency (Energy)

April 13th, 2009 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Most meetings are a waste of time and most meetings are conducted by educated, intelligent, and accomplished people. These contradictions fit when I realized that the people conducting the worthless meetings simply didn’t have the energy to make them worthwhile. I needed another tact besides sighing and suffering. I have sat in […]

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Tags: Change · Management · Meetings