Working Up

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

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(too) Big Data

March 28th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Big data? What we usually do is automate work on data that is too big to work manually. I used to work on a project where the project leader would tell people, “We work big data.” I was frequently asked (later after the project leader left the room), “What is big data?” […]

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Tags: Cloud Computing · Computing · Data Science · Work

Fake Jobs

March 24th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Caution to the unemployed: beware of “just do this test” before we interview you. There are plenty of fake jobs out there that use one con or another to obtain free work. This recent article is about fake jobs. Con artists on the Internet are tricking people into believing they have been […]

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Tags: Jobs · Learning · Scam · Work

It is Still About People

March 10th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Pandemic, hybrid, remote—it is still about people. “Nobody quits companies. They quit managers.”—Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft How do you manage distributed or remote teams? Same way you manage in any situation. (1) You don’t manage people. You manage work. You lead people. (2) You lead people who are remote the same way […]

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Tags: Communication · Leadership · Management · People · Remote Work · Work

Salary

March 7th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Hiring managers and job applicants are often poor with words. We all seem to be pretty good with numbers—especially the numbers that have a dollar sign in front of them. The week I wrote this post I applied for a bunch of jobs and talked to an equal number of hiring managers. […]

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Tags: Clarity · Jobs · Money · Salary · Work

The Great Embarrassment

February 24th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The Great Resignation? The Great what-do-we-call-it? How about the embarrassing realization that we have been grossly inefficient in much of what we have been doing the last 20 years? We are in the midst of the Great Resignation. Record numbers of us are quitting our jobs and moving on to something better. […]

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Tags: Jobs · Management · Mistakes · Resources · Stupid · Work

In Plain English, Please

January 17th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We usually understand one another better when we speak in simple, real-life terms—also know as plain English (for us English speakers). Please speak in plain English. Instead of: What are the Key Performance Indicators in your organization this reporting period? Try this: What keeps you awake at night? Instead of: Red, Green, […]

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Tags: Communication · Management · Work

We Don’t Need an XX on the Team

November 29th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We don’t need an expert in this or that to build better systems. We need a desire to learn and a desire to please. We don’t need a User Experience (UX) person on the team. We don’t need a Customer Experience (CX) expert on the team. We don’t need an XX (fill-in-the-blank […]

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Tags: Customer · Experiment · Expertise · Learning · Resources · Systems · Work

Rules We Cannot Enforce

October 14th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We make rules. Why? Sometimes it is petty and to serve our ego. Pause and think (two pretty good rules about rules). We make a rule for or over or against the persons we know or our work colleagues. We cannot enforce that rule over all the persons who are supposed to […]

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Tags: Adults · Purpose · Respect · Trust · Work

Welcome Back to the Office (?)

August 12th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Folks long for the good old days. That includes rich and famous CEOs. Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building. Many in Apple’s workforce don’t want to return to the office building. Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building. Did […]

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Tags: Apple · Employment · Expectations · Leadership · Remote Work · Work

Back to the Office? On What Occasion?

August 5th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips After the pandemic, some of us will return to the office building on some days. When? Why? Let’s think a bit. The pandemic is over, I guess. It is time to commute to the office and work there. Right? Well, maybe. There are several activities for which online telecommuting doesn’t fit. This […]

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Tags: Management · Meetings · Remote Work · Resources · Thinking · Work