CONTACTS 
0201 - Corps of Engineers, SFD
020101 - Mr. Max R. Blodgett, II, P.E., L.S.
020102 - Chief
0202 - Corps of Engineers, SFD
020201 - Mr. Marc McGovern; Construction Manager
020202 - Construction Operations Division

SUBJECTS
0019   Remove concentrated debris Todd and
Piling encountered, Schnitzer
New World Order; Museum, Communication Manager Takes
Time, Wasting 70% of Day in Unproductive
Remembering (Linked Records - Traceability,
Not Enough Time to Read and Write
Evaluation Communicaiton Metrics at COE
Prepared Nobody Has Time on Information
Decision Support Reasons Why Nobody Can Remember Memory Fails Guess
Conversation Accuracy Contemporaneous Documentation Written Record A

3812 -
3812 -    ..
3813 - Summary/Objective
3814 -
381401 - Follow up ref SDS 12 0000, ref SDS 10 0000.
381402 -
381403 - Reviewed with Tom Kessling Dutra's submissions made on 961213.  We
381404 - initially inventoried the documents.  Decided we need to meet with
381405 - Dutra for an explanation of how the documents relate to one another,
381406 - and particularly to the CPM.  Marc advised that Max cancelled RFP #19
381407 - in his letter summarizing changes to the schedule from the 961213
381408 - meeting.  Tom Keesling and I discussed this with Max and he requested
381409 - a report on the background of RFP #19.  This was prepared in ref DIT 1
381410 - 0000.
381411 -
381412 -
381413 -
381415 -  ..
3815 -
3816 -
3817 - Progress
3818 -
381801 - Marc advised that the letter Max sent yesterday cancelled RFP #19.
381802 -
381803 -     [On 961230 Dutra initial response to para 6, 7. ref SDS 17 ML5N
381805 -  ..
381806 - This letter sets out the specific steps agreed and/or required by
381807 - understandings from the meeting with the Contractor on 961213,
381808 - ref SDS 9 0001
381809 -
381811 -  ..
381812 - People Cannot Remember Cannot Find Reasons Organizational Memory Weak
381813 - Guess and Gossip Crashing on Information Highway
381814 - Not Enough Time to Remember; Nobody Makes It to the Museum
381815 -
381816 - Marc related a meeting yesterday with Jim Stout, the District Counsel,
381817 - the Contracting Officer, Tom Benero, and Max, the Chief of
381818 - Construction Operations (CONOPS) yesterday afternoon in Max's office
381819 - following the discussion on 961217, ref SDS 12 8449, where it was
381820 - recommended that counsel be consulted about linking the Cure Notice to
381821 - changes in scheduling for the Outer Harbor work, ref SDS 12 9694.
381823 -  ..
381824 - Marc recalled that Jim asked about the purpose of RFP #19 that directs
381825 - the contractor to perform the requirement for removing debris, per
381826 - section 02480 para 9. ref OF 1 4868
381828 -  ..
381829 - Marc said that the SDS record was not available during the meeting to
381830 - inform participants on these matters.  It was in filing cabinets, on
381831 - desks next door, in computers, in email, and in people's minds
381832 - commingled with other matters.
381834 -  ..
381835 - Marc suggested calling Tom Keesling or Rod Welch to guide the group
381836 - through the record on RFP #19, since these two had worked the issue,
381837 - and Rod has developed a record.  The record is unclear why this was
381838 - not done, but everybody felt there wasn't enough time.
381839 -
381840 -      [On 970107 Dutra Engineering president demonstrated advantage of
381841 -      working intelligently by relying on the record of organizational
381842 -      memory, after realizing that personal memory failed. ref SDS 19
381843 -      4953
381845 -       ..
381846 -      [On 970110 USACE needs decision support from organizational
381847 -      memory on work history to locate instructions issued to Dutra
381848 -      following the 961213 meeting. ref SDS 21 2487
381850 -       ..
381851 -      [On 970405 similar meeting where "guess and gossip" led parties
381852 -      into heated argument that is not aligned with the record.
381853 -      ref SDS 26 0001
381855 -       ..
381856 -      [On 010420 Jeff Conklin's paper explains organizations have weak
381857 -      ability to find information and learn from experience.
381858 -      ref SDS 33 474G
381860 -       ..
381861 -      [On 020504 study shows professional standards for communication
381862 -      practices and requirements on good management specified in FAR,
381863 -      ISO, Health Care, Covey, Drucker, law, contract notice
381864 -      provisions, and 2,000 years of literacy for contemporaneous
381865 -      documentation for alignment and feedback to work intelligently,
381866 -      quickly, and accurately are ignored in government, business,
381867 -      health care, every sector. ref SDS 34 NS6F
381869 -       ..
381870 -      [On 041230 example health care treating cancer patient, doctor
381871 -      does not remember reasons why treatment was changed, and cannot
381872 -      find reasoning in medical records, which related to deciding on
381873 -      whether to resume a previously discontinued chemotherapy.
381874 -      ref SDS 35 Q76L
381876 -       ..
381877 -      [On 041230 doctor asks why AC treatment for cancer was stopped in
381878 -      2002, because starting this treatment again could cause damage to
381879 -      the hear. ref SDS 35 XQ84
381881 -       ..
381882 -      [On 051007 doctor asks when pulmonary emboli was diagnosed that
381883 -      requires treatment with anticoagulants (Coumadin) for life in the
381884 -      case of cancer patients. ref SDS 36 EQ7K
381886 -       ..
381887 -      [On 081027 requirement for brain MRI not specified in project
381888 -      documents; patient remembered brain MRI required, but cannot
381889 -      remember the source of the memory, so the work cannot be
381890 -      scheduled. ref SDS 37 GR8Y
381892 -  ..
381893 - There was then discussion to cancel RFP #19 because no one at the
381894 - meeting could remember the details of what it is about even though Max
381895 - had met with Bob Johnston, President of Dutra Engineering, the
381896 - Contractor, on 961113 and discussed it at length, per ref SDS 4 6388.
381897 - There evidently was not enough time to review the record because the
381898 - record could not be readily assembled, and so RFP #19 was cancelled.
381899 - It was not clear today, what caused RFP #19 to become an issue in
381900 - Max's letter which is about Dutra's updated schedule, a nominally
381901 - distinct subject.
381902 -
381903 -      [On 981027 saving money is a miracle. ref SDS 30 9152]
381905 -       ..
381906 -      [On 991221 doctors do not remember to inform patients adequatley
381907 -      about treatment. ref SDS 32 0001]
381908 -
381910 -       ..
381911 -      Information Entropy Management Comedy of Errors, Bumbling
381912 -      Conventional Management Does Not Have Enought Time to Succeed
381913 -
381914 -      The circumstances of this decision reflect the phenomenon,
381915 -      described in the New World Order... paper, of information density
381916 -      that overwhelms human memory, and the correlary of managing by
381917 -      "guess and gossip," that cause continual mistakes, noted by
381918 -      Kissinger on 940609, because people do not have enough time to
381919 -      check the record using conventional management practice, which is
381920 -      characterized in the NWO... paper by the metaphor of "...nobody
381921 -      makes it to the museum." ref OF 4 3118
381923 -       ..
381924 -      This is an aspect of the subject indexing problem at ref SDS 2
381925 -      7749, and ref SDS 2 7456, that causes information gridlock which
381926 -      reduces executive productivity from the review of the Van Kasper
381927 -      article. ref SDS 1 4757
381929 -           ..
381930 -          [On 961228 idea is presented to report the number of these
381931 -          errors as work product of "Communication Metrics."
381932 -          ref SDS 16 9922.]
381934 -           ..
381935 -          [On 970109 another example of error arising from meeting on
381936 -          961213 meeting. ref SDS 20 5833 124;
381938 -           ..
381939 -          [On 970211 another example on RFP #19 stuff. ref SDS 25 3098]
381941 -           ..
381942 -          [On 970110 example of communication failure on Welch contract
381943 -          modification. ref SDS 22 3351] On 970131 mixup on
381944 -          communication. ref SDS 23 4773]
381946 -           ..
381947 -          [On 970409 proposed report on Com Metrics explain management
381948 -          by "guess and gossip." ref SDS 27 6734  On 970418 COE report
381949 -          on Com Metrics covered this issue. ref SDS 29 5368]
381951 -           ..
381952 -          [On 990126 snafu caused by information overload which leads
381953 -          to rework, extra cost and delay. ref SDS 31 8299]
381955 -           ..
381956 -          [On 020504 study shows requirements for good management using
381957 -          accurate communications specified in FAR, ISO, Health Care,
381958 -          Covey, Drucker, 2,000 year tradition of literacy for
381959 -          contemporaneous documentation and feedback to work
381960 -          intelligently are ignored in government, business, health
381961 -          care, every sector. ref SDS 34 NS6F
381962 -
381963 -
381965 -  ..
381966 - Communication Metrics Provides Timely Decision Support
381967 -
381968 - This morning upon discussion with Tom Keesling and consideration of
381969 - the project record, Max requested a report on the background of RFP
381970 - #19, for further consideration of whether it should remain cancelled.
381971 -
381972 -      This record seems to reflect the condition of the New World Order
381973 -      where there is not enough time to perform the research needed to
381974 -      prepare for decisions, due to the press of daily business,
381975 -      ref OF 3 line 122.
381976 -
381978 -       ..
381979 -      What Does the SDS Record Show???
381980 -      Evaluation Communication Metrics
381981 -
381982 -      On 961011 Max mentioned that, while he appreciated the benefits
381983 -      of Communication Metrics, he had not at that time personally
381984 -      benefited from having the kind of access to information he feels
381985 -      should be a big benefit from Communication Metrics, ref SDS 3
381986 -      3348
381988 -       ..
381989 -      Today, Max discovered how this works, if only someone asks, per
381990 -      below.
381991 -
381993 -  ..
3820 -
3821 -
3822 - 1556 Develop report for Max on Todd-Schnitzer matter
3823 -
382301 - This is actually two matters.  Dutra notified COE of changed
382302 - condition under a claim account:
382303 -
382304 -                      HG 96100701
382306 -  ..
382307 - COE met with the contractor on 961017 and later issued an RFP #19
382308 - under the following account:
382309 -
382310 -                      HK 96110402
382312 -  ..
382313 - Ran a report on the claim account, since it has the background to the
382314 - point that an RFP was issued.
382316 -  ..
382317 - Prepared ref DIT 2 line 30 that transmits the record from inception to
382318 - the date of issuing the RFP to show Max the work performed on the RFP
382319 - by COE.  Actually, Max met with Bob Johnston on 961113 on this matter
382320 - per, ref SDS 4 line 307.  It provides an Executive Summary showing
382321 - just the chronology of major milestones.  The cover letter indicates
382322 - it might not be a bad idea to cancel the RFP to give Dutra time to
382323 - come to the Corps with a sensible plan, if it wants to do the work,
382324 - ref DIT 2 line 33, per analysis of Dutra's 961205 letter on Schedule
382325 - Highlights, received at ref SDS 7 line 170.
382326 -
382327 -    [See similar report for CE District counsel on 970417, ref SDS 28
382328 -    line 77.]
382329 -
382330 -
382331 -
3824 -

SUBJECTS
Schedule for Construction, 52.236-15

3903 -
390401 -  ..
390402 - Schedule Review with Tom Keesling
390403 -
390404 - Began reviewing all of the documents Dutra has submitted on its
390405 - schedule update.  It includes a listing of quantities which needs to
390406 - be verified by Gahagen & Bryant under Tom Keesling's supervision in
390407 - developing the spreadsheet of project quantities.
390408 -
390409 -         [On 970202 completed schedule review, discovered conflicts
390410 -         that require clarification. ref SDS 24 7806]
390412 -      ..
390413 -     Schedule Conflicts with Dutra's Representation
390414 -     Outer Harbor Scheduled for Completion at End of Project
390415 -
390416 -     We examined Dutra's CPM schedule and noticed that a portion of the
390417 -     Outer Harbor is shown to be completed in Nov 1997, and the end of
390418 -     the project, rather than by 970301, as represented by Dutra in its
390419 -     presentation to COE and the Port Managment on 961213.  This makes
390420 -     the schedule conflicting with Dutra's Work Plan step #3, which
390421 -     shows the Outer Harbor would be complete by 970301, which was
390422 -     amended during the meeting on 961213 to complete by 970315, ref
390423 -     SDS 9 line 99.
390424 -
390425 -          [See related meeting at ref SDS 13 line 37.]
390427 -           ..
390428 -          [See analysis of acceleration issue with Marc at ref SDS 14
390429 -          line 233; COE serial letter #120 dated 961220 directs Dutra
390430 -          to correct its schedule, ref SDS 15 line 61.]
390432 -           ..
390433 -          [See later report by Dutra that Work Plan was an "alternate"
390434 -          schedule, ref SDS 18 line 144.]
390436 -  ..
390437 - We decided to meet with Dutra to expedite review of its schedule
390438 - submisison dated 961213 in order to carefully analyse Dutra's ability
390439 - to perform, and thereby formulate an appropriate response by COE of
390440 - this submission including the CPM, the Work Plan, and Dutra's serial
390441 - letter #0205.
390442 -
390443 -
390445 -  ..
3905 -
3906 -
3907 - 1129 Met with Max
3908 -
390801 - Explained preliminary findings from review of Dutra's schedule
390802 - submission, per above, and plan to review and respond.
390804 -  ..
390805 - Max advised that COE should not meet with Dutra until it re-submits
390806 - its schedule to comply with understandings from 8 points in Max's
390807 - letter prepared today.  Max said Dutra is revising its schedule and so
390808 - a meeting should relate to the revisions rather than the 961213
390809 - submission.
390810 -
390811 -
390812 -
390813 -
390814 -
390815 -
390816 -
390817 -
390818 -
390819 -
390820 -
390821 -
390822 -
390823 -
3909 -