CONTACTS 
0201 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers         202 761 0011
020101 - Mr. James V. Lovo; Team Leader =202 761 4804 fax 4783
020102 - Construction Management Team, CEMP-EC

SUBJECTS
Gov Format Practices
Address Staff Positions Correctly
Construction, Design Branch, Jim Lovo
Construction Management Team, Jim Lovo
Feedback Accuracy Metrics Listening

1307 -    ..
1308 - Summary/Objective
1309 -
130901 - Follow up ref SDS 41 0000, ref SDS 40 0000.
130902 -
130903 - Jim provides feedback on distinguishing email from memos in government
130904 - practices and submits address corrections.  Could not get updated
130905 - organization information from USACE web site.  Corrected the record
130906 - based on Jim's letter.  Reviewed email practices in relation to memos.
130907 -
130908 - Need feedback on...
130909 -
130910 -                 Common Administration, ref SDS 0 3071,
130911 -                 AIS, ref SDS 0 2795
130912 -                 S&A, ref SDS 0 8943
130913 -
130914 -     [On 990512 sent letter to Bob on CEMP-EC organization information
130915 -     on the web. ref SDS 43 5400]
130916 -
130917 -     [On 990513 sent letter to Jim on AIS. ref SDS 44 0788]
130918 -
130919 -
130920 -  ..
1310 -
1311 -
1312 - Progress
1313 -
131301 -  ..
131302 - Feedback Corrects Record; HQUSACE has Organization Changes
131303 -
131304 - Follow up ref SDS 41 4956.
131305 -
131306 - Received ref DRT 1 from Jim dated today, providing feedback to correct
131307 - errors in the record of his memo to Bob and Jeff, ref DRP 12, reported
131308 - on 990507. ref SDS 41 4956  This occurred in connection with my
131309 - letter to Bob and Jeff on 990507. ref DIP 10
131310 -
131311 -    [On 990513 sent response to Jim on this issue. ref SDS 44 9876]
131312 -
131313 -  ..
131314 - Jim is not...
131315 -
131316 -                  Chief
131317 -                  CEMP-EC
131318 -
131319 -     ... there is no Construction and Design Branch. ref DRT 1 3718
131320 -
131321 -  ..
131322 - Jim is now the...
131323 -
131324 -                  Team Leader
131325 -                  Construction Management Team
131326 -
131327 -     ...per ref DRT 1 6615  On 950705 reviewed industry trends toward
131328 -     reliance on team leaders. ref SDS 3 7409
131329 -
131330 - This updates information on 971015. ref SDS 11 9760  Later, USACE's
131331 - web site showed Jim as the Chief of CEMP-EC Construction and Design
131332 - Branch.
131333 -
131334 - Made corrections to the memo. ref DRP 12 4860
131335 -
131336 -  ..
131337 - Investigated USACE web site for update on organization.
131338 -
131339 -     Personnel Locator returned HTTP Error 403 preventing access. This
131340 -     new feature prevents getting current organization information.
131341 -
131342 -     USACE Home Page
131343 -
131344 -       There is information on CEMP-E and on CEMP-EC, but no personnel
131345 -       information showing assignments and organization.  Bob Chesi has
131346 -       a link to email for getting information.
131347 -
131348 -    [On 990512 sent letter to Bob asking for help. ref SDS 43 5400]
131349 -
131350 -    [On 990513 sent response to Jim on this issue. ref SDS 44 9876]
131351 -
131352 -
131353 -
131354 -
1314 -
1315 -

SUBJECTS
Gov Format Practices Email, Like Talking, Fools Gold,
Feedback Accuracy Metrics Listening Email Causes Mistakes
Noise Too Noisy Cannot Understand Content,
Email Degrades Writing, Communication, Email Different from Memos
PDF Pictures Not Efficient for Com Metrics KM Takes Too Much Time
Email Informal Communication Link Align Objectives Requirements Commi
Legal Email Microsoft Litigation Established Email Accuracy Alignment
Email Informal Communication Accuracy Alignment Critical Chatting in
Communication Biggest Risk Email Stream of Conscious Communication Li
Lovo, Jim USACE Regards Email Regarded as Less Formal than a Memo so

4013 -
401301 -  ..
401302 - Email Different from Memoranda; Identified by "Date" Format
401303 -
401304 - Jim advises that government communication metrics regards email as
401305 - less formal than a memo, and the record should not misrepresent email
401306 - as a memo. ref DRT 1 4350
401307 -
401308 -      [On 990513 sent response to Jim on this issue. ref SDS 44 3625]
401309 -
401310 -      [On 990514 Tom Keesling feels Com Metrics adds value to email
401311 -      that justifies standardized formatting. ref SDS 45 9699
401312 -
401313 -      [On 020820 report that people feel accuracy in email is not
401314 -      important because email is like conversation, rather than like
401315 -      formal communication. ref SDS 46 PO4L
401316 -
401317 -  ..
401318 - This view is, also, common outside the government.  Email is regarded
401319 - like conversation, that becomes "noise," rather than careful analysis
401320 - more often associated with memos.
401321 -
401322 -  ..
401323 - Conversation causes management by "guess and gossip" and information
401324 - entropy, reviewed on 970707. ref SDS 10 0108
401325 -
401326 - In this case, we are trying to demonstrate adding "intelligence" to
401327 - management increases thoughtful analysis that can be delivered
401328 - anytime, anywhere on the Internet, per work on 990506. ref SDS 40 4732
401329 - Key dimensions of "intelligence" are organization, alignment and
401330 - feedback. ref OF 1 0582
401331 -
401332 - Jim's feedback supports this objective.
401333 -
401334 - Effective "organization" of information through AIS was discussed on
401335 - 990506. ref SDS 40 7392  Using email to develop and implement policy,
401336 - noted on 990506, ref SDS 40 4284, requires good "intelligence."
401337 -
401338 -  ..
401339 - On 990202 distinguishing email from memos was reviewed with USACE
401340 - District Counsel, noting Communication Metrics on the Internet clearly
401341 - identifies email based on the "date" format. ref SDS 22 3857
401342 -
401343 - Work on 990507 improving web page conversion, supports this criteria
401344 - that clearly identifies an email. ref SDS 42 4009
401345 -
401346 - People can say "Oh, look at the date, your honor, this was an email
401347 - not a formal memo."  Having established this fact, people can move on
401348 - to explore what was said, how it aligns with objectives, commitments,
401349 - policy..., what was planned, who was contacted, and when action was
401350 - taken.  Communication Metrics supports both after-the-fact review, and
401351 - the dynamics of daily management, so that leadership has a better
401352 - chance to succeed.
401353 -
401354 -  ..
401355 - As discussed with counsel on 990202, ref SDS 22 5904, to benefit from
401356 - structure and integration into a broader contextual knowledge stream,
401357 - we have to "fudge" by using common formats so that automated
401358 - processing can organize the date, subject, from and to fields into
401359 - some minimal structure.  We may throw in a paragraph break to
401360 - facilitate linking. If words seem to be missing, these may be added in
401361 - brackets to indicate supplemental information.  An example is
401362 - adding...
401363 -
401364 -                        [Per your letter]
401365 -
401366 - ...so that linking can be supported.
401367 -
401368 -
401369 -  ..
401370 - PDF Documents are Pictures, Cannot be Connected into Knowledge
401371 -
401372 - Industry practice is moving toward PDF protocols.  USACE has a lot of
401373 - documents in this format on its web site.  These are essentially
401374 - pictures, not text, and so none of these documents can be linked
401375 - because they lack addressability.
401376 -
401377 -     On 940609 Henry Kissenger explained management is a process of
401378 -     continual bumbling because people cannot create connections and
401379 -     maintain alignment of cause and effect. ref SDS 2 4238
401380 -
401381 - Linking is critical to helping the busy mind accomplish the
401382 - connections that comprise human intelligence. Therefore, prudent
401383 - license (i.e., fudging) is essential to help people improve their
401384 - work.
401385 - ..
401386 - Feedback enables people to provide corrections, as Jim does
401387 - today.
401388 -
401389 - "Fudging" to accomplish larger purposes is accepted in government
401390 - practice.  The subject of my letter to Jeff and Bob, was Common
401391 - Administration to support partnering and reduce government costs
401392 - through paperless office environment. ref DIP 10. Jim's letter is
401393 - about a different, though very important, subject.  To save time,
401394 - people don't bother to correct the subject in replying, because the
401395 - email program simply replicates the original subject.  They rely on
401396 - the technology.
401397 -
401398 - On 940609 reviewed Henry Kissinger's complaint about the "Alice in
401399 - Wonderland" character of management. ref SDS 2 4238  He may have been
401400 - referring to the government, but the problem is worse elsewhere (see
401401 - POIMS. ref OF 1 5820)  The basic problem Kissinger addresses is lack
401402 - of understanding that leads people down the wrong path, as occurred to
401403 - Alice.
401404 - ..
401405 - Communication Metrics is a business process to improve
401406 - understanding by adding "intelligence" to management. ref OF 2 4212
401407 -
401408 -      [On 990514 Tom Keesling feels Com Metrics adds value to email
401409 -      that justifies standardized formatting. ref SDS 45 9699]
401410 -
401411 -
401412 -
401413 -
4015 -

SUBJECTS
Demo SDS via Web Site
Wider Use Comm Metrics
Common Administration
Partnering

4607 -
460701 -  ..
460702 - Partnering Offers Path to "Paperless" (Less Expensive) Contract Admin
460703 -
460704 - Follow up ref SDS 41 9066.
460705 -
460706 - There is no feedback on how USACE can realize savings under this
460707 - initiative presented in ref DIP 10 4561, and analysis in the record on
460708 - 990507. ref SDS 41 9066
460709 -
460710 - Analysis of "partnering" and competitive bidding may be justified, as
460711 - shown at ref SDS 41 9594.
460712 -
460713 - Possible action items are at ref SDS 41 6848.
460714 -
460715 -     [On 990513 followed up. ref SDS 44 8200]
460716 -
460717 -
460718 -
4608 -

SUBJECTS
District Support
Procurement Memo, Tom Keesling, Max Blodgette
CESPN on Com Metrics, DE, Tom Keesling
AIS Compatibility
Institutionalize Communication Metrics

5208 -
520801 -  ..
520802 - AIS - HQ Wants Uniform Accessibility; Com Metrics Provides via Web
520803 -
520804 - Follow up ref SDS 40 2795, ref SDS 38 8694.
520805 -
520806 - Discussion of consistent organization of information in email for
520807 - effective management is discussed above. ref SDS 0 8064
520808 -
520809 - There is no feedback in ref DRT 1 on the AIS policy issue Jim was
520810 - investigating on 990506, ref SDS 40 4284, to address DE's comment on
520811 - 990504. ref SDS 37 7956
520812 -
520813 -    [On 990513 followed up. ref SDS 44 0788]
520814 -
520815 -
520816 -
5209 -
5210 -

SUBJECTS
Wider Use Communication Metrics
Experience, Need Broader Base
Information Overload
S&A Reengineer Process
Accountability Feared

5908 -
590801 -  ..
590802 - CESPN Found Com Metrics Implements CCA Guide
590803 - CEMP-EC Reengineering S&A Processes; Com Metrics May Be Considered
590804 -
590805 - Follow up ref SDS 40 8943, ref SDS 34 2700.
590806 -
590807 - No feedback on improving S&A and cost savings under this initiative to
590808 - support alignment of District operations with HQ goals, policy and
590809 - instructions, discussed on 990506. ref SDS 40 8943
590810 -
590811 -     [On 990513 followed up. ref SDS 44 8740]
590812 -
590813 -
590814 -
5909 -
5910 -