CONTACTS 
0201 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers                                                                                                                                       O-00000677 0201
020101 - Mr. James V. Lovo; Team Leader
020102 - Construction Management Team, CEMP-EC                                                                                                                            O-00000677 0201

SUBJECTS
Gov Format Practices
Address Staff Positions Correctly
Construction, Design Branch, Jim Lovo
Construction Management Team, Jim Lovo
Feedback Accuracy Metrics Listening
Knowledge Management
Accountability is Burdensome Metric for Executives
Accountability Fear Greases Slippery Slope to Murphy's Law
Collaboration Common Basis 2 KM Groups Tools and People Skills

2011 -
2011 -    ..
2012 - Summary/Objective
2013 -
201301 - Follow up ref SDS 21 0000, ref SDS 20 0000.
201302 -
201303 - Jim has been following progress on Com Metrics over the past few
201304 - months.  He seems to recognize the problem of "meaning drift" that
201305 - defers mistakes and transfers responsibility to others, explained in
201306 - recent correspondence on the high cost of medical mistakes.  Changes
201307 - at HQUSACE may present opportunities to use Com Metrics again, for
201308 - example to support effective Knowledge Management.  Overcoming fear of
201309 - accountability requires experience getting credit for improved work
201310 - using Com Metrics.  There may be small projects where Com Metrics can
201311 - be use to review USACE policy issues that can expose a wider spectrum
201312 - of HQ staff to Com Metrics. ref SDS 0 6750
201313 -
201314 -     [On 991205 follow up. ref SDS 35 0001]
201315 -
201316 -
201317 -
201319 -  ..
2014 -
2015 -
2016 - Progress
201701 -  ..
201702 - Jim has Reviewed Com Metrics to Solve Meaning Drift
201703 -
201704 - Follow up ref SDS 21 0002, ref SDS 20 0002.
201705 -
201706 - Called Jim today after a long pause in our discussion.
201707 -
201708 - His last letter, ref DRP 14 0001, was received on 990524 when Tom
201709 - Keesling was trying again to develop Com Metrics support in the San
201710 - Francisco District, as a result of a new commander.  Jim answered
201711 - questions asked by the Commander, ref SDS 21 5671, who subsequently on
201712 - 990615 refused to try Com Metrics. ref SDS 25 0001  Tom Keesling has
201713 - since retired and so there has not been a lot of opportunity to
201714 - maintain attention on Com Metrics.
201716 -  ..
201717 - I have,however, been copying Jim on efforts for the NSF proposal,
201718 - ref DIP 14 0977, submitted in 990616, ref SDS 27 0001, and other
201719 - correspondence about Com Metrics, for example on the High Cost of
201720 - Medical Mistakes, ref DIP 2 0001, submitted on 990924. ref SDS 28 0001
201722 -  ..
201723 - Jim advised this morning that he has been reading this information.
201725 -  ..
201726 - This is a plus, because he could be just deleting them.
201728 -  ..
201729 - He understands "meaning drift" and how Communication Metrics solves
201730 - the problem with alignment using SDS, per my letter, ref DIP 3 0001,
201731 - to Jeanne Bradley sent this morning, ref SDS 32 0001, and linked to
201732 - the record on 991101. ref SDS 31 2800
201733 -
201734 -     [On 991130 developed explaination of resistance to feedback which
201735 -     is a critical metric of communication. ref SDS 34 2703]
201737 -  ..
201738 - Jim sees the value of Communication Metrics to improve medical
201739 - practice.  He related news in the Washington D.C. area recently about
201740 - a patient dying because a doctor's handwriting was read incorrectly.
201741 -
201742 -
201744 -  ..
201745 - HQUSACE Changes Provide Opportunity for Further Review Com Metrics
201746 -
201747 - Jim advised there are a lot of new players at HQUSACE.
201748 -
201749 - There is a new Chief of Information Directorate because the last one
201750 - was not getting things done.  He never responded to Jim's report on
201751 - Com Metrics which was submitted on 990106, as shown in the record on
201752 - 990126. ref SDS 8 8503
201754 -  ..
201755 - Jim said there is now an effort to use...
201756 -
201757 -
201758 -                      Knowledge Management (KM)
201759 -
201760 -
201761 - ...at HQ to support communication among people working on a project
201762 - who are located in different offices around the country.  This is the
201763 - "Virtual Office" and "Enterprise Management" idea reviewed on 980613,
201764 - ref SDS 7 0001, and cited in the proposal to the National Science
201765 - Foundation, ref OF 4 0001, developed on 990615. ref SDS 26 4928
201767 -  ..
201768 - KM was reviewed on 990213 and found to be a document management
201769 - effort. ref SDS 9 7696
201771 -  ..
201772 - Jim indicated progress has been slow on improving team communication.
201773 - He indicated Communication Metrics might accomplish their goal for
201774 - supporting collaboration of dispersed team members, based on HQ
201775 - experience the past year interacting with Welch web mail.
201777 -  ..
201778 - Jim will submit the SDS record on 991101 explaining meaning drift,
201779 - ref SDS 31 2800, to two people developing the Knowledge Management
201780 - effort for HQUSACE, and recommend consideration of Com Metrics.
201781 -
201782 -     [On 991205 follow up. ref SDS 35 0001]
201784 -  ..
201785 - He said HQ has spent $6M converting documents to PDF format.
201787 -  ..
201788 - This is a $6M waste of money, similar to IBM buying Lotus Notes for
201789 - $4B, because PDF does not support linking documents, which is critical
201790 - to effective "Knowledge Management."
201792 -  ..
201793 - We could spend $2M and convert CE forms to HTML and this would support
201794 - effective..
201795 -
201796 -                      Knowledge Management
201797 -                      Enterprise Management
201798 -                      Business Intelligence
201799 -                      Data Mining
201800 -                      Virtual Office
201801 -
201802 -
201803 - ...and any other buz word someone comes up with that doesn't help
201804 - anything, by enabling links into everything.
201806 -  ..
201807 - Jim seemed to like this idea.  He feels the connections of cause and
201808 - effect in SDS records that show alignment are the key to useful
201809 - technology for management.
201810 -
201811 -
201812 -
2019 -

SUBJECTS
Accountability 800# Gorilla that Makes Bad Management Preferrable to
Accountability Attitude Resist New Way of Working Fear Organizational
Accountability Deniability Avoid Liability Destroy Records Deniabilit
Accountability Lawsuit Discovery Fear Information Used Out of Context
Accountability Credit Good Management Links Accuracy Audit Trail Obje
USACE Jim Lovo 800# Gorilla Fear of Accountability 700# Solved by Giv
Fear Accountability 800# Gorilla Makes People More Afraid of the Ligh
Darkness of Ignorance Preferred to Light of Knowledge

4010 -
401101 -  ..
401102 - Light of Knowledge More Feared than Darkness of Ignorance
401103 - 800# Gorilla Accountability, 700# We Can Fix with Credit
401104 - Accountability Light of Knowledge Feared More than Darkness Ignorance
401105 -
401106 - Jim noted we still face the "800 pound Gorilla" trying to explain Com
401107 - Metrics enables benefits of intelligence for saving time and money in
401108 - a way that does not raise fear of accountability from capturing an
401109 - accurate record of organizational memory.  An example is a recent
401110 - letter on 991014 where a top IT executive felt relieved to avoid
401111 - responsibility for knowledge by receiving an email without links to
401112 - context, so there is deniability for knowledge. ref SDS 29 3066  A
401113 - week later on 991021 fear escalated into organizational policy for
401114 - destroying intellectual capital needed to avoid mistakes, save time
401115 - and money. ref SDS 30 2695  The same attitude was cited at Caltrans on
401116 - 971104. ref SDS 2 1313
401117 -
401118 -     [010522 Pat Lincoln asked about risk from accurate record of
401119 -     organizational memory, fear of accountability. ref SDS 36 PV6G
401121 -      ..
401122 -     [On 010522 SRI executive team avoids Com Metrics. ref SDS 36 E688
401124 -      ..
401125 -     [On 020504 study shows professional standards for communication
401126 -     practices and requirements on good management specified in FAR,
401127 -     ISO, Health Care, Covey, Drucker, law, contract notice provisions,
401128 -     and 2,000 years of literacy for contemporaneous documentation for
401129 -     alignment and feedback to work intelligently, quickly, and
401130 -     accurately are ignored in government, business, health care, every
401131 -     sector. ref SDS 37 NS6F
401133 -  ..
401134 - We recalled that on 971202, prior to a meeting with Jim Jones at
401135 - HQUSACE, I met with Ed East, who at that time worked for Jim Lovo, and
401136 - has since retired.  Ed showed a Corps of Engineers' policy brochure on
401137 - ISO management standards, that says the Corps "stresses"
401138 - accountability. ref SDS 3 7453
401140 -  ..
401141 - Ed noted that Communication Metrics implements this Corps' policy.
401142 -
401143 -     [On 020504 FAR 4.801 requires documentation of work history,
401144 -     ref SDS 37 XV7L; is generally ignored. ref SDS 37 NS6F
401146 -  ..
401147 - None-the-less fear of accountability was cited by Max Blodgett in the
401148 - San Francisco District on 980403. ref SDS 5 6581  On 980405 fear of
401149 - accountability seems pervasive. ref SDS 6 5065  On 990527 strong
401150 - cultural forces were cited as opposing this method. ref SDS 24 1233
401151 - An example is a meeting at HQUSACE on 971202 where senior people and
401152 - commanders worried and objected that SDS makes it fast and easy to
401153 - capture the record. ref SDS 4 2837
401155 -  ..
401156 - At the same time Max cited a clear need for Com Metrics support in
401157 - cross-jurisdictional regulatory meetings because there is no one with
401158 - authority to generate a record and action items to follow up.
401159 - ref SDS 5 4033
401161 -  ..
401162 - Moreover, good management by definition requires accountability, as
401163 - shown by research on 970729. ref SDS 1 6666
401164 -
401165 -     [On 991108 daily management supresses literacy. ref SDS 33 7380]
401166 -
401167 -     [On 991130 explained resistance to feedback, which is a critical
401168 -     metric of communication. ref SDS 34 2703]
401170 -      ..
401171 -     [On 020504 FAR requires documentation of work history enabled by
401172 -     SDS. ref SDS 37 IY4I
401174 -  ..
401175 - Our discussion this morning indicated that 700 pounds of the 800 pound
401176 - Gorilla can be solved by demonstrating that inadvertent mistakes
401177 - people fear will be exposed and cause them to be viewed in a negative
401178 - light, hamper their career, etc., are avoided because Com Metrics
401179 - identifies "meaning drift" in time to avoid mistakes, so that people
401180 - get credit for success rather than blame for problems, as developed on
401181 - 980405. ref SDS 6 1491
401183 -  ..
401184 - Meaning drift is explained in the letter on medical mistakes issued
401185 - 990924. ref DIP 2 1680, and explained again on 991101. ref SDS 31 2800
401187 -  ..
401188 - The remaining 100 pounds of resistance, reflects people who are
401189 - actively attempting to use subterfuge and circumvent organization
401190 - objectives, policies, regulations and laws, in order to attain
401191 - personal benefits.
401193 -  ..
401194 - Jim indicated we cannot expect to overcome every objection to
401195 - improving management.
401196 -
401197 -
401198 -
401199 -
4012 -

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

4506 -
450701 -  ..
450702 - Partnering Offers Path to "Paperless" (Less Expensive) Contract Admin
450703 -
450704 - Follow up ref SDS 21 1674, ref SDS 20 5760.
450705 -
450706 - We considered partnering in the Corps of Engineers is analogous to
450707 - medical practice that tries to accomplish doctor/patient partnership
450708 - for communication. Communication Metrics can support the Corps as
450709 - proposed in the letter on medical mistakes, and discussed with Kaiser
450710 - on Monday, 991101. ref SDS 31 1718
450711 -
450712 -
450713 -
450714 -
450715 -
450716 -
4508 -

SUBJECTS
Wider Use Communication Metrics
Information Overload
S&A Reengineer Process
Reengineer Automate Deming's Management
Change in Right Direction, Add Metrics to Communication
Reengineer Communication SDS Improves Management Adds Metrics Alignme

5808 -
580901 -  ..
580902 - CESPN Found Com Metrics Implements CCA Guide
580903 - CEMP-EC Reengineering S&A Processes; Com Metrics May Be Considered
580904 -
580905 - Follow up ref SDS 21 3462, ref SDS 20 6832.
580906 -
580907 - We reviewed progress on reengineering Supervision and Administration
580908 - (S&A) procedures for projects.
580910 -  ..
580911 - Jim's team completed their study and formulated recommendations.
580913 -  ..
580914 - They have received conflicting comments that present a stalemate.  Jim
580915 - is considering withdrawing some controversial elements of the proposed
580916 - S&A procedures.
580917 - ..
580918 - We discussed the idea of Jim submitting the draft S&A program to
580919 - Welch for proposing consolidation of controversial issues and
580920 - inclusion of a Communication Metrics process.
580922 -  ..
580923 - Jim can review the Welch proposal and distribute to his local team for
580924 - comment on making wider distribution, making revisions by Welch, or
580925 - not proceeding with any distribution.
580926 -
580927 -     [On 991205 follow up. ref SDS 35 0001]
580928 -
580929 -
580930 -
580931 -
580932 -
580933 -
580934 -
5810 -
5811 -