Working Up

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

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When the Solution is Worse than the Situation

November 1st, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Will the solution solve anything? Will the solution make the situation worse? “Let’s fix that!”—the cry of the optimistic solution-er. Will the solution improve our situation or only make it worse? A long-time colleague once described a situation he faced decades ago. Things at home were a mess. His wife and kids […]

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Tags: Problems · Questions · Solutions

Questions

September 20th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Questions often accompany learning. Not everyone, however, wants to provide me with opportunities to learn. I have two grandchildren. They are growing, changing, learning, and questioning everyday. It is a joy to observe and participate. They ask questions. My granddaughter, ever the good school student, even raises her hand sometimes when she […]

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Tags: Questions

The One or Two Question to Always Ask

May 31st, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I can’t seem to think of the right questions at the right time. There are a couple of questions that I can always ask to compensate. I sit with someone trying to learn something from them. I ask; they answer, and we repeat. Our time together ends. Fifteen minutes later, after we […]

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Tags: Questions

Questions That Have No Good Answers

May 17th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips One way to stay out of trouble. Twin girls. You date one of them. Someone comes up to you and asks, “So, you tried to date the pretty one, but she said no and you have this one?” There is no good answer. Do you still beat your wife? No good answer. […]

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Tags: Questions

Which People are Important to Me?

May 14th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips “Are you a people person?” is one of the most moronic questions ever asked. What is more important to me, people or projects? What is more important to me, people or products? People or things? These are silly questions. If a building is on fire, and I can only save a product […]

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Tags: People · Questions

The Hostile and Friendly Audiences

August 28th, 2017 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips A speaker can lead an accepting or friendly audience just about anywhere. Hostile audiences, however, can uncover holes in thought. I recommend the questioning group—especially when the stakes are high. It was a senior-level course in Electrical Engineering. The teacher, I can’t recall his name, but I do remember that he didn’t […]

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Tags: Adults · Learning · Questions

Please Don’t Answer My Question

August 7th, 2017 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Why is it that people ask questions when they don’t want to hear the answers? Let’s go in reverse order here. Result: Dead silence. My Answer: I want to work with good, smart people on difficult problems whose solution enhances national security. Recruiter’s Question: What is it you like to do? What […]

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Tags: Adults · Communication · Questions · Reaction

Analysis of Questions about Analysis

June 12th, 2017 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips For 30 years persons have asked me questions about analysis. I continue to give the wrong answer. “How are your analysis skills?” I remember the question as if was asked this morning. I was coming out of grad school and trying to find a job. It was 1986 (yikes, that long ago). […]

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Tags: Analysis · Questions

What are We Doing Here?

April 27th, 2017 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Another fundamental question in systems engineering. Like the rest of the questions, ask with caution. Ever ask the titular question at work? Ever ask it out loud and expect an answer? Perhaps you are a systems engineer. Perhaps your workplace needs a systems engineer. The question seeks to find the reason behind […]

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Tags: Analysis · General Systems Thinking · Questions · Systems

And Then What Happens?

March 27th, 2017 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There is a fundamental question to ask in analyzing and engineering systems. Why don’t we use it more often? A: We put this into the system. B: And then what happens? A: Well, now the system can do this great function for the users. B: And then what happens? A: For one […]

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Tags: Adults · Communication · General Systems Thinking · Questions · Systems · Thinking