CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Difficult to Explain SDS/POIMS
Skills Deficit
Metrics, Reengineering, TQM
Writing Skills
Thinking Through Writing
Accounting Analogy
Email Degrades Writing, Understanding
Writing Complete, Clear, Concise, Needs
Reengineer Communication SDS Improves Management Adds Metrics Alignme

1611 -
1611 -    ..
1612 - Summary/Objective
1613 -
161301 - Follow up ref SDS 36 0000, ref SDS 33 0000.
161302 -
161303 - The April, 1996 Pmnetwork is deals with the downsizing matter in a way
161304 - that emphasizes the advantages of a career in project management,
161305 - including showing the correlation between Covey's work and project
161306 - management.
161307 -
161308 -
161310 -  ..
1614 -
1615 -
1616 - Progress
1617 -
161701 - Received the new PMnetwork today for April 1996.  The cover story is
161702 - on "Your Career" which is related to the downsizing and skills issues
161703 - in the April issue of Fortune reviewed the past few days.
161705 -  ..
161706 - The first article "Check your Work..." is about quality of mangement
161707 - work, which applies metrics to managers, a TQM idea.  It is
161708 - fascinating that of all the skills that people are told to upgrade, no
161709 - one has noticed that better writing leads to better management, i.e.,
161710 - thinking through writing, and that lack of time to do this may be a
161711 - major cause of poor management causing poor earnings, downsizing and
161712 - so on decryed in the rest of the article.
161714 -  ..
161715 - The article on "Job Security" is the "downsizing" subject.
161717 -  ..
161718 - The article on "Covey" applying "7 Habits to PM," is about skills.
161719 -
161720 -
161722 -  ..
1618 -
1619 -
1620 - Check Your Work Once, Twice, Three Times
1621 -
162101 - This article by Joan Knutson offers the rationale for SDS in writing
162102 - detailed notes as a check on understandings, ref OF 6 line 14, called
162103 - out in the POIMS paper at ref OF 1 line 111, ref OF 1 line 261, and in
162104 - the NWO paper at ref OF 2 line 361.
162105 -
162107 -  ..
162108 - Accounting Analogy - Double Entry Bookkeeping
162109 -
162110 - This is an excellent article on writing that urges managers to invest
162111 - the time to write accurately and professionally....
162112 -
162113 -              Check Your Work Once, Twice, Three Times
162114 -              ref OF 6 0001
162116 -  ..
162117 - It is an effort to apply "metrics" to writing, discussed under the
162118 - accounting analogy developed on 960313, ref SDS 30 1568
162120 -  ..
162121 - Email is the antithesis of "metrics," and thus, overtime, degrades
162122 - understanding, effectiveness and earnings, as reviewed on 951031 at
162123 - University of Santa Clara. ref SDS 18 5545.
162124 -
162125 -     [Later used accounting analogy for a paper by David Buoncristiani
162126 -     at Asilomar, ref SDS 44 3740.]
162128 -      ..
162129 -     [Drucker says accounting is best "information system" for managers
162130 -     and that principles of accounting need to be applied to other
162131 -     types of information managers use. ref SDS 48 1368]
162133 -      ..
162134 -     [On 990803 accounting has 600 hear history developing effective
162135 -     work practices. ref SDS 50 9654]
162136 -
162138 -  ..
162139 - Clear Concise Accurate Writing
162140 -
162141 - The author says in part...
162142 -
162143 -    1.  Have I introduced the purpose of the document clearly, so that
162144 -        the reader will understand the intent? ref OF 6 VT3I
162146 -         ..
162147 -    2.  Have I been politically astute; that is, have I said what needs
162148 -        to be said in a way that will not antagonize anyone?
162149 -        ref OF 6 VT3V
162151 -         ..
162152 -    3.  Are the transitions from one thought or topic to the next clear
162153 -        enough so that the reader can follow the logic? ref OF 6 VT39
162155 -         ..
162156 -    4.  Am I saying what I want to say in the cleanest, clearest way
162157 -        possible? Or have I used 50 triple-syllable words full of
162158 -        double-talk that will take time for the reader to decipher when
162159 -        I could have expressed the same thing in ten single-syllable,
162160 -        sixth-grade-level, readable words? ref OF 6 VT42
162162 -         ..
162163 -    5.  Have I followed the golden rule of writing: Tell them what you
162164 -        are going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told
162165 -        them. ref OF 6 V95O
162166 -
162168 -  ..
162169 - The article does not say that writing is a double check on personal
162170 - understandings, as defined in POIMS, ref OF 1 8936, ref OF 1 3084; nor
162171 - that sending writings to others is another check on understandings.
162172 - ref OF 1 7822 and especially at ref OF 1 9225.
162174 -  ..
162175 - There is no suggestion that if mistakes are being made in writing,
162176 - which is a more careful, deliberate medium than conversation and
162177 - personal reflection, i.e., thinking, then why should it not be assumed
162178 - that more mistakes are occurring in these primary relms of leadership,
162179 - dialog and personal thinking, and if so that they can they be trapped,
162180 - recognized and corrected by more writing, which is subjected to the
162181 - "metrics" of review cited by the author of this article on checking
162182 - our writing?
162183 -
162185 -  ..
162186 - Too Busy to Read and Write
162187 -
162188 - The article does not say how managers who are too busy to read and
162189 - write ref SDS 29 line 107, can accomplish the several checks called out
162190 - as needed for quality work, ref OF 6 line 26.
162191 -
162192 - The implication is that the role of management is to provide clear,
162193 - sensible thinking and effective communication.  That is where the time
162194 - of management should be devoted.  An accountant is supposed to check
162195 - the figures, the scheduler is supposed to check the schedule.  The
162196 - manager is supposed to check the communications.  If there is not
162197 - enough time, then get someone to do it:  Communication Manager.
162198 -
162200 -  ..
162201 - Reengineering, Metrics, Skills, Earnings, Downsizing
162202 -
162203 - There is no correlation between reengineering management by better
162204 - writing, per se, but the idea of improving skills is inherent in the
162205 - article.  There is no indication that management can be reengineered
162206 - by greater use of writing, particularly when there is no time for it.
162208 -      ..
162209 -     Email Degrades Writing
162210 -
162211 -     The harmful effect of using email, primarily from not taking the
162212 -     time to craft a careful, coherent, accurate message, ref SDS 19
162213 -     line 217 and ref SDS 18 line 125, is not specifically mentioned in
162214 -     the article.
162215 -
162216 -         [See example of not checking at Intel, ref SDS 43 line 231;
162217 -         example of checking email at Varian, ref SDS 42 line 112.]
162219 -      ..
162220 -     It could be assumed this application is implied, execpt for the
162221 -     fact that many managers distinguish between email and a signed
162222 -     document that is mailed or faxed.  Yet from the standpoint of
162223 -     impact on organizational productivity and earnings, email that is
162224 -     poorly written has the same bad effect as sending out a printed
162225 -     letter, and so warrants the same scrutiny described in the article
162226 -     for careful, quality work.  This means we need better editing
162227 -     tools.
162229 -      ..
162230 -     Knowledge Access
162231 -
162232 -     The author fails to mention the advantage of and need for
162233 -     automated organization and retrieval of knowledge that permits
162234 -     fast cross-checking of facts for accuracy.  Without the ability to
162235 -     do the work quickly, the Information Highway effect will always
162236 -     overwhelm the immediate perceived need for verification, ref SDS 18
162237 -     line 122 and the NWO paper at ref OF 2 line 109, ref OF 2 line
162238 -     259, ref OF 2 line 649.  Time is the 22emy of good habits, ref SDS
162239 -     1 line 229.
162240 -     1
162241 -
162243 -  ..
162244 - Writing/Grammar Tips
162245 -
162246 - It offers good tips on effective writing and good grammar, ref OF 6
162247 - line 58.
162248 -
162249 -     Distinguishing passive from active voice is at ref OF 6 line 66.
162251 -  ..
162252 - Procedures for writing review are at ref OF 6 line 76.
162253 -
162254 -
162255 -
162256 -
1623 -

SUBJECTS
Skills Deficit
Downsizing, Future of Project Management
PM Career Opportunity, Career Link,
Reengineering, Meltdown, Management Imploding on Itself
New World Order, Automated Management
Computers Replace Managers
People Skills, EQ - Emotional Quotient
Reengineer Where People Work, Who They Work
Paradigm Shifts
Reengineer Fire People Streamline Downsize Remove Management Levels G

3412 -
341301 -  ..
341302 - Job Security:  An Oxymoron?
341303 - Not for the Project Manager
341304 -
341305 - This article at ref OF 14 line 10 asserts that the project manager
341306 - role is a secure position in the current downsizing climate.  It
341307 - contrasts sharply with the cover of Fortune reviewed at ref SDS 33
341308 - line 154, showing a laid off AT&T project manager, and meeting with
341309 - Morris at ref SDS 21 line 330, and the Raychem story as "Project of
341310 - the Year," per ref SDS 22 line 77.
341311 -
341312 -    [See use in letter to PMI Comm, ref SDS 41 line 138.]
341314 -  ..
341315 - Project Manager Dinasaur or Beacon of Future
341316 -
341317 - Analysis on 950705 assessing the future of PM seems to be coming true.
341318 - ref SDS 11 PD3S and ref SDS 11 9784
341319 -
341320 - The author says the need for project managers is growing.  He is a
341321 - Planning and Budget Manager, rather than the "Project Manager" on an
341322 - AT&T project, ref OF 14 AG8J, whereas the project manager, who lost
341323 - his job, cited in the Fortune article, reviewed on 960309, maintains
341324 - there is no security, ref SDS 33 6922  This seems to reflect Morris'
341325 - idea that project managers are being eliminated and the team functions
341326 - are being kept, ref SDS 21 line 329. Under that prescription, the
341327 - author can only hope he does not do his work well enough to be
341328 - promoted to Project Manager. The author was a former computer
341329 - programming coder, ref OF 14 line 339.
341330 - ..
341331 - The author says the "Good Old Days" are gone, ref OF 14 line 29
341332 - and asserts those conditions will never be seen again, ref OF 14 line
341333 - 33, which is a recurring theme in the Fortune articles and those in
341334 - the this issue of Pmnetwork.
341336 -  ..
341337 - A paradigm shift is cited as the model of a "good job" being one with
341338 - responsibility to a job that has high risks, ref OF 14 line 24.
341339 -
341340 -     Loyalty is viewed as an attribute that previously was valued above
341341 -     skill, but is now changed in the New World Order, ref OF 14 line
341342 -     12.
341344 -      ..
341345 -     Downsizing, rightsizing, reengineering are identified as different
341346 -     ways of describing re-structuring organizations, and are viewed as
341347 -     a staple of the economy in the period ahead, rather than an
341348 -     interim phase, ref OF 14 line 39.
341349 -
341350 -
341352 -  ..
341353 - Management Imploding in New World Order
341354 -
341355 - Organizations are downsizing too far, becoming anorexic; current
341356 - staffing levels make it very difficult for them to perform the work
341357 - needed to exist, ref OF 14 line 41.  This is supported by another
341358 - article reviewed below, citing surveys that organizations are
341359 - understaffed, ref OF 18 line 56.
341360 -
341361 -     See discussion with Morris on "total meltdown" of American
341362 -     Mangement, at ref SDS 21 line 344, imploding on itself, ref OF 2
341363 -     line 504.
341364 -
341366 -      ..
341367 -     Quick Fix Financial Improvement
341368 -
341369 -     Downsizing is occurring to cut cost and improve short term
341370 -     financial condition, not improve productivity. ref OF 14 line 111,
341371 -     reflecting point in Fortune article ref SDS 33 line 150.
341372 -
341373 -
341375 -  ..
341377 -  ..
341378 - Tools of Self-Destruction
341379 - Computers Are Rationale for "Quick Fix" of Downsizing
341380 -
341381 - The author discusses this perspective at ref OF 14 line 60, as
341382 - rationale for firing managers, which was expressed by Morris at
341383 - ref SDS 11 line 173, but Landauer says computers have not improved
341384 - productivity, ref SDS 12 line 282.  The point is made in this article:
341385 -
341386 -      Currently, computers, whether mainframes, mid-ranges, or PCs, can
341387 -      process, but they cannot, in the true meaning of the words, think
341388 -      or create. They cannot interface or react constructively. So why
341389 -      are corporations letting go of the only resource they possess
341390 -      that can think, create, or interface?
341392 -                ..
341393 -           ... ref OF 14 line 68
341394 -      ..
341395 -      An example is the report by Millie of failure to replace
341396 -      manual filing with a better automated version on PCs. People are
341397 -      wasting time looking for information in a "sea of details" that
341398 -      has no structure; when they cannot get it, they are winging it,
341399 -      ref SDS 37 line 197.
341400 -
341402 -     ..
341403 -    Reengineering on the Cheap
341404 -
341405 -    This is a consequence of false belief in automated management, that
341406 -    having invested heavily in personal computers under the rhetoric of
341407 -    the Information Revolution of reengineering, ref SDS 3 line 97,
341408 -    also the Information Highway, reviewed in the Wired article at ref
341409 -    SDS 14 line 179, executives feel such investment justifies a
341410 -    conclusion that fewer managers are needed, which seems to have
341411 -    occurred at Raychem, see ref SDS 14 line 137 and ref SDS 23 line
341412 -    384.
341414 -  ..
341415 - This is the end of game of acquiring tools of self-destruction
341416 - explained in the NWO paper, ref OF 2 line 601.
341417 - ..
341418 - Downsizing as merely a quick fix rather than to take the
341419 - medicine of reengineering the practice of management, as mentioned in
341420 - the thesis developed for Asilomar, ref OF 24 line 20.
341421 -
341423 -  ..
341424 - Employee v. Employer
341425 -
341426 - The author moves off the central issue of improving productivity and
341427 - earnings and pitting the company against the employees, ref OF 14
341428 - line 82.
341429 -
341430 -     I believe this misses the main point.  If the people being laid
341431 -     off were instead to remain on the job and be put in charge, they
341432 -     would lay off the folks who have laid them off.  The allure of a
341433 -     quick fix, to grab the golden eggs, rather than protect the goose,
341434 -     is overwhelming.
341436 -      ..
341437 -     This is not a matter of good guys and bad guys.  It is a matter
341438 -     of recognizing that the environment has changed by virtue of the
341439 -     Information Highway, and so lax, feel good, management practice
341440 -     will no longer suffice.  Time and distance have been compressed,
341441 -     placing us in competition with people willing to work for $1 per
341442 -     day.  This means we have to work smarter.
341443 -     ..
341444 -     We have created an Information Highway that gives us an
341445 -     opportunity to work smarter, but instead we are drowning in a sea
341446 -     of details that cry out for being connected up into useful
341447 -     knowledge.  Since we are not doing this, we are imploding in a
341448 -     spiral of mistakes and missed opportunities.  If we start
341449 -     converting information into knowledge, it will produce a
341450 -     cornocopia of riches, far exceeding the labor cost differential,
341451 -     because immagination and insight always trumps physical effort,
341452 -     per analysis to improve use of mental capacity, ref SDS 1 line
341453 -     211.
341455 -      ..
341456 -     The key is to turn people loose connecting up all that information
341457 -     into knowledge.  The size of the job is growing, so there is ample
341458 -     opportunity for deploying the management force productively.
341459 -
341460 -
341461 -
341462 -
3415 -

SUBJECTS
Continual Learning
Conversation Fast and Easy Knowledge, Fools
Add Value to Existing Staff, Early Retirees
Influence Replaces Control/Authority of

3806 -
380701 -  ..
380702 - Adding Value - Piece Work, Projects
380703 -
380704 - Author correctly urges managers to consider what they can do to add
380705 - value to their work, their business, their organization?
380706 -
380707 - Without first reading this section I will predict the author does not
380708 - suggest any of the following ways for a manager to add value:
380709 -
380710 -            Improve understanding by writing
380711 -            Improve follow up by integrated scheduoing and reporting
380712 -            Be prepared by reading background, preparing agendas
380713 -            Invest intellectual capital by writing
380714 -            Verify conversations by linking to prior/other sources
380715 -            Read your mail and answer your mail
380716 -            Read professional material
380717 -            Integrate new information into the workstream
380718 -            Organize your work (subject index)
380719 -
380720 -       ...all of the above is derived from traceability and continual
380721 -       learning called out in the NWO paper.
380722 -
380723 - ..
380724 - I thought so.  The author points out that many businesses are
380725 - trying to use project management as a way to minimize permanent
380726 - payroll, so this means a greater demand for project managers.  Why
380727 - didn't this help the PM with AT&T on the cover of Fortune, ref SDS 33
380728 - line 99.
380730 -  ..
380731 - How will these ideas help Morris recognize the "value added" of a
380732 - Project Manager? ref SDS 11 line 287?
380734 -  ..
380735 - The only specific skill the author cites is doing a CPM schedule,
380736 - ref OF 14 line 196, and ref OF 14 line 272 and I suspect that most
380737 - Project Managers who work on internal projects being described by this
380738 - article, don't really do this very well.  The stuff about building
380739 - "cross-functional" teams, recognize skill sets, and having people
380740 - skills, being an added value skill is very tenuous, because most
380741 - managers get to be managers by being able to deal well with people.
380742 - ..
380743 - A particular "skill" the author imparts to PMs by decree is that
380744 - they can "negotiate" solutions to conflicts without any authority,
380745 - ref OF 14 line 294.  This is gaining popularity as the idea of
380746 - "influencing," which means talking people into things.
380747 -
380749 -  ..
380750 - Dr. Spock for Adults = Modern Project Manager
380751 - Managing by Negotiation Rather Than Authority
380752 -
380753 - The author discusses the lack of authority on internal projects as an
380754 - obstacle at ref OF 14 line 284, but does not offer a solution.
380755 -
380756 - An AT&T rep is cited as saying that negotiation, nurture and empower
380757 - rather than control, ref OF 14 line 287.  Where is the record showing
380758 - a negotiation can proceed without consideration of cost and benefits.
380759 - If there is no authority to impose costs and offer incentives, where
380760 - is the incentive for people to perform?   This is more Dr. Spock for
380761 - adults.  The role of authority was discussed with Turner at ref SDS 35
380762 - line 150.
380763 -
380764 -     [See follow up at PMI monthly meeting where expert says authority
380765 -     is crucial, ref SDS 39 line 134.]
380766 -
380767 -
3808 -

SUBJECTS
Leadership is Talking & Listening, Not
Leadership Talking; Needs Understanding &

4004 -
400501 -  ..
400502 - Leadership is Talking
400503 - Skill Sets and Training
400504 -
400505 - This is the obigatory comment for project managers to increase skill
400506 - sets and professional training, ref OF 14 line 347.  The author has
400507 - just said the main stuff the PM brings is people skills, i.e., being
400508 - able to negotiate with nothing to negotiate with.  This ultimately is
400509 - the skill of the "leader" -- he talks people into things, ref OF 1
400510 - line 652, ref OF 1 line 662.   The article below makes a similar point
400511 - under "Project Manager is a Good Talker."
400513 -  ..
400514 - However, the author suggests signing up for PMI training.  Where in
400515 - the PMBOK does it say how to negotiate without authority?
400516 - ..
400517 - What training is given on how to align people through
400518 - communications?
400519 -
400521 -  ..
4006 -
4007 -
4008 - Your Career:  Project of Lifetime
4009 -
400901 - This article ref OF 18 line 8, is by Jeannette Cabanis, who edited the
400902 - NWO piece, ref SDS 32 line 251.
400903 -
400905 -  ..
400906 - Career Stability Antithetical to Change
400907 -
400908 - The author initially explains the work environment that is more
400909 - volatile than earlier periods when large companies retained people for
400910 - long periods, ref OF 18 line 18, echoing the point in the Fortune
400911 - article reviewed at ref SDS 33 line 82.  It is not clear in the
400912 - article the impact of pension fund liability that may be motivating
400913 - companies to limit exposure by limiting long term employment.
400914 -
400916 -  ..
400917 - Career Link
400918 -
400919 - It explaines PMI's "Career Link" ref OF 18 line 166, which is
400920 - accessible via internet ref OF 18 line 348, to assist in finding
400921 - Project Management positions.
400922 -
400923 -
400925 -  ..
400927 -  ..
400928 - Emotional Quotient, EQ v. IQ
400929 - Project Manager is a Good Talker
400930 -
400931 - The author says the dominate talent of successful management are
400932 - people skills, ref OF 18 line 94, analysed above under "Leadership is
400933 - Talking."
400934 -
400935 -    Emotional Quotient describes these "people skills." ref OF 18 line
400936 -    93.
400938 -     ..
400939 -    [See later discussion with Marsha Rideout on various learning
400940 -    capacities, ref SDS 38 line 81.]
400941 -
400942 -
400944 -  ..
400945 - Quotes to Liven up the Day
400946 -
400947 - The author offers the following quotes:
400948 -
400949 -         The only security we have is the ability to fly by the seat
400950 -         of our pants.
400951 -                              Brad Blanton in Radical Honesty
400952 -
400953 -      ...at ref OF 18 line 67, which seems to be the credo that
400954 -      results from the fast lane of the Information Highway.  The
400955 -      whole system is running itself into the ground.
400957 -               ..
400958 -              Try to get fired.
400959 -              ..
400960 -              Career advice from Tom Peters in The Pursuit of
400961 -              Wow!
400962 -
400963 -      ...at ref OF 18 line 373, which might be rephrased in today's
400964 -      climate, "Get fired without trying." or, "Succedding without
400965 -      trying" assuming the goal is to get fired.
400966 -
400968 -  ..
400969 - Continual Learning
400970 -
400971 - This is described as the watch-word of skills development, ref OF 18
400972 - line 389, and begins with the assumption that all project managers
400973 - have the skills to:
400974 -
400975 -                      Plan
400976 -                      Track
400977 -                      Prioritize
400978 -
400979 -      ...per ref OF 18 line 391.  This assertion conflicts with the AP
400980 -      report that managers are wasting 70% of the day and the main
400981 -      reason is failure to be prepared, ref SDS 25 line 99.  There is
400982 -      considerable evidence that managers claim
400983 -                  ..
400984 -                  There isn't enough time
400985 -
400986 -      ...to read and write, ref SDS 29 line 108 and ref SDS 16 line
400987 -      247, much less plan, track and prioritize. There is barely enough
400988 -      time to get from one meeting to the next, ref SDS 31 line 184.
400990 -  ..
400991 - The author says continuous learning should stretch abilities or
400992 - imagination; investigate a different industry; learn more about
400993 - finance, marketing, or writing; make your learning not only
400994 - continuous, but global-and always remember: It's the soft skills, ref
400995 - OF 18 line 395
400997 -       ..
400998 -      Sharpening the Saw - Covey
400999 -      Diary of Daily Events Rejected
401000 -
401001 -      The author does not cite continual learning called out in ISO
401002 -      10006, ref SDS 13 line 496, which reflects Covey's idea of
401003 -      keeping a daily journal of thoughts and understandings, in order
401004 -      to sharpen mental acuity, ref SDS 2 line 126.  No explanation is
401005 -      offered about why this skill could not improve earnings for an
401006 -      organization.
401008 -       ..
401009 -      The rejection of Covey's call to keep a journal is repeated in
401010 -      another article devoted entirely to Covey, per next record
401011 -      segment, and reflects the rational from the record reviewing a
401012 -      letter on 950517. ref SDS 10 7229
401013 -
401014 -
401015 -
4011 -

SUBJECTS
7 Habits Highly Effective People
Executive Training, Covey
Covey, Implementing 7 Habits
Leadership is Talking
Communication More than Talking and
Communication Main Factor Management Productivity Success 90% of Time

4808 -
480901 -  ..
480902 - Personal Development, Executive Skills
480903 -
480904 - The article at ref OF 22 line 13 discusses the correlation between
480905 - project management and Covey's book
480906 -
480907 -                 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
480908 -
480909 -    ...which was reviewed at ref SDS 2 0000.
480910 -
480912 -  ..
480913 - PMBOK Not Compared with Covey
480914 -
480915 - Nowhere in the entire article is there a single PMBOK section or
480916 - requirement cited to support a correlation between these sets of well
480917 - established ideas.
480918 -
480920 -  ..
480921 - Communication 90% of Manager's Time
480922 -
480923 - The author cites the PMBOK and other unnamed sources as establishing
480924 - that managers spend 90 percent of the day engaged in some form of
480925 - communication, ref OF 22 9500.
480926 -
480927 -      [See book saying communication is primary process of management,
480928 -      ref SDS 47 6666.]
480930 -       ..
480931 -      [On 980630 article in PMJ says communication is 70% to 90% of
480932 -      work day, but does not cite an authority. ref SDS 49 2476]
480934 -  ..
480935 - The PMBOK was reviewed on 950721, ref SDS 13 0001, and "communication"
480936 - requirements in the PMBOK is specifically analysed. ref SDS 13 1740
480937 - There is no mention in the PMBOK of:
480938 -
480939 -                     90%
480940 -                     90 percent
480941 -
480942 -      ...so the source of this observation, whether correct or not, is
480943 -      needed.
480945 -  ..
480946 - Communications has been analysed at ref SDS 5 3851 where Peter Drucker
480947 - notes a tendancy to just give up on communications.
480949 -  ..
480951 -  ..
480952 - Communication is cited as the primary role of a project manager,
480953 - reported on 940219. ref SDS 6 3553  An article in HBR reported studies
480954 - showing managers get 2/3 of their information from conversation and
480955 - 1/3 from documents, ref SDS 7 0034,supported by Morris' view that
480956 - executives like to work by conversation, ref SDS 26 line 927, and
480957 - reject reading and writing at ref SDS 9 line 163.
480958 -
480959 -      [See article in PM Network on 970525 that communication is the
480960 -      single most important overall management function, ref SDS 46
480961 -      line 680.]
480963 -  ..
480964 - A recent article on Risk Management found communications and related
480965 - issues of "understanding" and "problem solving" are primary factors of
480966 - project success, ref SDS 20 line 133; another reported communications
480967 - play a primary role in management, ref SDS 6 line 133.
480968 -
480970 -       ..
480971 -      What Does Communication Mean?
480972 -
480973 -      To many it means "leadership," explained on 950327 in developing
480974 -      Communication Metrics, ref SDS 8 8492, which is equated with
480975 -      talking -- telling people what to do or discussing problems,
480976 -      ideas, background, optinons, per POIMS. ref OF 1 ST8M and
480977 -      ref OF 1 1265
480979 -       ..
480980 -      Reading and writing documents is another aspect of communications
480981 -      that is typically simply jotting short-hand written comments,
480982 -      similar to talking, telling what to do, what was done, conveying
480983 -      background, asking instructions.
480985 -       ..
480986 -      If it means "understanding" this entails independent research to
480987 -      correlate talk and documents, i.e., what was communicated, with
480988 -      prior communications and other sources.
480989 -      ..
480990 -      If it means "follow up" to integrate understandings into
480991 -      controllable action items reflecting personal and organizational
480992 -      needs, this entails an enironment that links scheduling to the
480993 -      knowledge base.
480995 -  ..
480996 - My sense is that this author reflects the current state of play that
480997 - 90% of the time is devoted to talking, almost none to reading and
480998 - writing, per Morris' observations, ref SDS 28 4882, and less to
480999 - "understanding" and "follow up."
481000 -
481001 -      [See paper for Morris on Asilomar to address this, ref SDS 45
481002 -      8201.]
481004 -  ..
481005 - Lip service is given to "understanding" on the executive training
481006 - circuit.  The author offers a Covey prescription described as a
481007 - communication "differentiator" to support "active listening, ref OF 22
481008 - line 356, which offers "understanding on the cheap" discussed above
481009 - under Covey and at ref SDS 2 line 396, and reviewed recently from
481010 - article in WSJ ref SDS 31 line 184, with Dialogos, ref SDS 27 line
481011 - 161.
481012 - ..
481013 - This is the recipe for imploding management that leads to
481014 - downsizing, reported in the Fortune articles at ref SDS 33 line 164.
481015 -
481016 -
481018 -  ..
481019 - Covey's Habits Supported by Technology
481020 -
481021 - The analysis in this article offers an agenda to present Covey's ideas
481022 - under the framework of the Asilomar theme "Leadership and Technology,"
481023 - ref OF 25 line 51.  This may address the concerns at ref SDS 34 line
481024 - 231.
481025 -
481026 -      1.  Be Proactive
481027 -
481028 -          Described at ref OF 22 line 34, to choose and focus on things
481029 -          you can control and influence; by considering "What could go
481030 -          wrong if this happens?" ... "How might we succeed despite
481031 -          this setback?" ... "Is this really what the customer/client
481032 -          wants?"  Covey feels this habit adds value.  It is the
481033 -          precise description of the Communication Manager role that
481034 -          only technology can support, ref OF 2 line 961.
481035 -          ..
481036 -      2.  Begin With the End in Mind
481037 -
481038 -          Described at ref OF 22 line 162, as the vision to set
481039 -          objectives for action.  The SDS technology starts every task
481040 -          with a "Summary/Objective" encouraging leadership to start
481041 -          every action by first defining an objective, what is to be
481042 -          accomplished, what is the end we have in mind.
481044 -           ..
481045 -      3.  Put First Things First
481046 -
481047 -          Described at ref OF 22 line 214 calls for setting priority
481048 -          which requires analysis to obtain detailed understanding of
481049 -          tasks, decisions, and identifying and correcting problems as
481050 -          early as possible.  Covey actually calls for a new approach
481051 -          to traditional "time management" that captures, preserves and
481052 -          enhances relationships needed to accomplish results, ref SDS
481053 -          2 line 135.
481054 -          ..
481055 -          Automated integration of time and information
481056 -          inherently and consistently maintains priority, ref OF 1 line
481057 -          172.  The SDS environment permits the detailed analysis,
481058 -          ref OF 1 line 110, and linking tools preserves and enhances
481059 -          the, correlations and implications for effective decisions,
481060 -          problem sovling and timely action to accomplish results.
481062 -           ..
481063 -      4.  Think Win-Win
481064 -
481065 -          Described at ref OF 22 line 270; SDS lifts the capacity to
481066 -          think, remember and communicate, so whatever "thinking" is
481067 -          desired can be done more successfully using technology.
481069 -           ..
481070 -      5.  Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
481071 -
481072 -          Described at 348 - the critical formulation in Covey's book
481073 -          says at the bottom of p. 242 and middle of 243:
481074 -             ..
481075 -             Seek first to understand and diagnose, then
481076 -             prescribe.
481077 -
481078 -          ...ref SDS 2 line 406 and also ref SDS 2 line 392, describes
481079 -          the whole rationale of the SDS environment to "look before
481080 -          you leap" by capturing, correlating, testing (metrics),
481081 -          linking and analysing everything in relation to
481082 -          organizational objectives, per ref SDS 2 line 418, ref SDS 2
481083 -          line 455, ref SDS 16 line 175.
481084 -
481085 -             [See use of this in PMI article, ref SDS 41 line 162.]
481087 -           ..
481088 -      6.  Synergize
481089 -
481090 -          Described at ref OF 22 line 389, as the whole is greater than
481091 -          the sum of its parts, which is the essence of integration
481092 -          called out in POIMS technology ref OF 1 line 27.  Crafts and
481093 -          skills ref OF 1 line 143, as well as organizations and
481094 -          objectives all need to be melded into a winning team, per
481095 -          discussion with Turner, ref SDS 24 line 512.
481096 -          ..
481097 -      7.  Sharpen the Saw
481098 -
481099 -          Described at ref OF 22 line 405, the author does not cite
481100 -          Covey's explanation of this habit to sharpen mental acuity:
481101 -
481102 -              "Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights
481103 -              and learnings promotes mental clarity, exactness, and
481104 -              context.  Writing ...affects our ability to think
481105 -              clearly, to reason accurately, and to be understood
481106 -              effectively. (296:16).
481107 -
481108 -          ...at ref SDS 2 line 124, reflects the wonder of the ages
481109 -          that we can lift the capacity to think, remember and
481110 -          communicate through automated integration of time and
481111 -          information, ref OF 1 line 81, ref OF 1 line 498.
481112 -
481113 -             [See use of this in PMI article, ref SDS 40 line 106.]
481115 -           ..
481116 -          The rejection of Covey's call to keep a journal is also
481117 -          overlooked in another article reviewed in the previous record
481118 -          segment, and reflects the rational from the record reviewing
481119 -          a letter on 950517. ref SDS 10 7229
481120 -
481121 -
481122 -
481123 -
481124 -
481125 -
481126 -
4812 -