Working Up

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

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Adventures in Medicare and Other Systems Thinking Principles

October 21st, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips It is only healthcare and security in old age. Not very important, huh? In the recent past, I joined Medicare (yes, I am that old). Let’s see, just go to a government website, fill in the blanks, and viola’. Well, being a technically savvy person, I did that, or tried that. All […]

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Tags: Design · Error · General Systems Thinking · Government · Management · People · Systems

Water Flows Downhill

October 7th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the mountains of the east coast reminds us of a basic. Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast of Florida recently. It hit the coast hard. The worst damage and the most deaths, however, occurred in the mountains up the east coast of the US. This is […]

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Tags: Adapting · Economics · Management · People · Planning

About the Other Day: Feedback

August 5th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Let’s review some basics on telling another person about something they do and did that affects me and us. The basis of this post comes from consultant and writer Esther Derby. Over the years, we’ve discussed this topic, and I have learned much. I hope to pass along some of Esther’s thoughts. […]

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Tags: Adapting · Change · Communication · Management · People · Talk

Oh, You Do Things Well Here

May 9th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Excellence is an exception. It is also a pleasant surprise. Enjoy it. Sometimes I am surprised in that I walk into a new situation with a new group of persons and, WOW, they are doing things well. Best practices, best tools, high expectations, high satisfaction. It is all here. They are well […]

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Tags: Chaos · Competence · Expectations · Expertise · People

The Seemingly Under Qualified

March 7th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips History is filled with great accomplishments accomplished by people who shouldn’t be able to accomplish them. While not accomplishing great accomplishments, I find that I was almost always under qualified. I read history. Some would tell me that I read and reread too much history. One item I read repeatedly is someone […]

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Tags: Choose · Competence · People · Success · Trust · Wishes

Do What Is Best (Or at Least Do What Is Better)

February 26th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes, the better thing to do is let people do what they think is best or at least what they think is better on any given day. “We are a fill-in-the-blank organization. We use best fill-in-the-blank practices as described by fill-in-the-second-blank who described fill-in-the-blank in the seminal blog post on fill-in-the-blank,” said […]

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Tags: Decide · Management · Mistakes · People · Permission · Practice · Reaction

I Want People to Miss Me

January 22nd, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Much of what we pass off as complicated issues comes from something simple, the desire to be missed. I like to listen to the podcast of former Washington Post writer Tony Kornheiser. I laugh a lot while listening. Mr. Kornheiser is a big movie fan and follows the culture as he was […]

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Tags: Change · Coffee · Culture · People · Thank you · Wishes

The Local Phone Call

January 11th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There was a time when a local phone call was special. Today, we have social media. Same thing, but we tend to use it differently. We don’t have to. Many years ago there was such a thing as a long-distance phone call and a local phone call. The long-distance call was charged […]

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Tags: Choose · Conversation · Internet · People

Lower the Bar

November 23rd, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes we simply have to lower expectations when it comes to what other people will do. Too bad. We can do better. It happened again the other day at work. I needed signatures on paper, or at least the digital equivalent of them. It was all set. Go to this building on […]

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Tags: Accountability · Alternatives · Expectations · Failure · Improvement · People · Work

Work a Little, Learn a Little

August 3rd, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips If we work a little, learn a little, and repeat, we can do some pretty impressive things. We don’t, however, like to do this “little” thing. Let’s work a little, talk about what we did, learn a little, and try again. That reduces the misunderstandings. That keeps us from wasting resources by […]

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Tags: Agility · Humility · Learning · People · Work