Working Up

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

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We Get One Chance

February 5th, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We each get one chance to share an idea with others. I cannot overemphasize the need to be ready for that chance. I have been working with a colleague for several years now. This colleague has an idea he wants to present to others. He has been talking about the one idea […]

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Tags: Clarity · Communication · People

The Resource Manager

January 22nd, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips What else would a person manage other than resources? I continue to be unemployed. Hence, I look at a large quantity of help wanted ads. Some of the job titles are absurd. One that sticks with me is: Resource Manager What else would a person manage. Managers manage resources—the end. Resources include: […]

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Tags: Communication · Employment · Management · People

Emotions in the Coffee Shop

January 12th, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I go to a coffee shop every morning. Why? I guess there is a community there. I go to a coffee shop every morning at seven o’clock. My hashtag is #coffeeandwifi. I do the 21st century equivalent of reading the morning paper and I put notes and links on a blog. I […]

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Tags: Coffee · Communication · People

Adjectives, Nouns, and Persons

January 8th, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips When we turn an adjective that describes a person into a noun, well, we make a big mistake. We describe persons with adjectives: tall man short woman active boy new employee Sometimes, we use the adjective-person pair so often that we transform the adjective-person pair into a noun. One silly example is: […]

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Tags: Communication · Culture · People

One Benefit of Personality Surveys

January 1st, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The one benefit of personality surveys that I have always seen is that people gather and talk. I have been part of organizations, yes, several of them, that initiated big projects wherein everyone answers personality questions. MBTI is one such set of questions; strength finders is another. I have yet to be […]

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Tags: Communication · Culture · People

Christmas 2014

December 25th, 2014 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Do not take anyone in your life for granted. I am writing this post on December 2nd. Such is the wonder of WordPress and all that. It happens that Christmas Day falls on a Thursday this year, and Thursday is one of the days of the week that I post to this […]

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Tags: People

At Least I Accomplished Something

June 26th, 2014 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips It is easy to let other people control your day and make it a big waste of time. Here is a story, a true story. I was at work. Later in the day I was to brief a roomful of important people. But for now, and the next few hours, I had […]

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Tags: People · Work

Why Pay a Systems Engineer?

June 16th, 2014 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips When you consider it, systems engineers do something that everyone already does. Right? Systems Engineers do a simple task: they ensure that all customer requirements are built, tested, and delivered. They keep lists and tables and all sorts of things that trace all work back to every customer requirement. So why do […]

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Tags: People · Requirements · Systems · Work

Let Your Friends Test Your Software

December 19th, 2013 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Opposite of the conventional wisdom, there is a good reason to have your friends test your work. The conventional wisdom about testing software it to have someone who does not know you do it. That unknown person will dive into the software and try to find every little fault in it. They […]

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Tags: People · Programming

Must See Family Holiday Apple Ad

December 18th, 2013 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips This Apple ad is deep in several aspects. Here is a precedent for this blog: a video inserted and on top of that it is an advertisement. To the reader, first watch the video, then read my comments. Apple Family Christmas Ad (1) There is the lost teenager in a big family […]

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Tags: Communication · Family · Ideas · People · Technology