THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 10:23:15 -0700
03 00050 61 02091901
Mr. Stuart Harrow
Manufacturing & Production Field Service Representative
sharrow@dcmde.dcma.mil
Contract Operations
Defense Contract Management Agency
Long Island
Mid-Atlantic Sector
605 Stewart Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
..
Subject:
Leadership Circle of Advocates Takes Courage
Transformation at DOD from IT to Culture of Knowledge
Dear Stuart,
Confirming our telephone discussion, you are frustrated today
about how to spread the good news in your letter on September 12
about
discovering that SDS saves time and money for DOD, contractors
and taxpayers by enabling a new way of working intelligently
that
connects the dots of daily work
into patterns of cause and
effect that reveal trends in time to avoid problems by taking
effective action.
..
The letter from
Roy Roebuck
reviewed on February 17, 2002
shows
how a DOD program manager explains SDS support for
getting
things done correclty, on time and within budget.
It is fast and easy to send an email, linking Roy's
analysis of SDS
to colleageus at DOD, who want
a fast and easy way to use good management for improving
contract performance to save time and money.
..
Undoubtedly there are many at DOD who share this objective, so,
the only issue is implementation. One reason people tend to deny
the need for SDS is because it seems beyond reach to learn a new
way of working.
Intelligence
seems funny forien and alien because
investing time for analysis to connect the dots is not a traditional
function of management, as explained in POIMS.
This suggests a new work role, like your assignment as a Field
Service Representative, and like a Contracting Office, is needed
to use SDS for adding "intelligence" to daily management.
..
Not everyone in DOD knows how to prepare a PERT or CPM chart;
not everyone can use a WBS; not everyone is an accountant, nor a
cost engineer who can use C/SCSC; not everyone is a computer
network or software engineer, yet a few people in DOD are
performing each of these tasks that enable everybody else to
work more efficiently. That is the model for transformation to
a new way of working intelligently. Only a few people are
needed to use SDS for analyzing daily communication that enables
everybody else to work more productively by connecting the dots
between daily events and objectives, requirements and
commitments.
..
You related that Contracting Officers and support staff are
focused on ensuring compliance with contract specifications.
This aligns with FAR requirements calling for
documentation of
performance,
shown in the record on May 4, 2002.
..
You feel that DOD people have a hard time
understanding why a new role is needed when they are working hard
every day to ensure contract performance.
Your letter on September 12 shows that SDS support for
connecting the dots
between daily work and requirements is a powerful new capability that has
self-evident benefits.
On October 10, 1994 Bill DeHart explained during a meeting at PG&E
why a new work role is needed to make the team more effective on complex
projects. As well the report to the Contracting Office on 970328 cites
General Hatch observing that using SDS for Communication Metrics
enables support for daily intelligence on the job. ref DRP 3 6172
..
Adding a role for analysis provides a 3-layer architecture that enables
everybody to use the same skills they already have without learning anything
new, except how to use explicit links. You demonstrated the other day on
September 5 that
learning to connect the dots only takes a few minutes,
and your letter a week or so later
on September 12 shows that this
new skill makes it fast
and easy to connect the dots in only a few seconds.
This means
that intelligence is not a burden to existing work practice, but, rather SDS
makes good management fast and easy for complying with
FAR requirements to save time and money.
..
Yesterday and today hearings in Congress demanded to know
why the US did not connect the dots
in time to prevent tragedy on September 11, 2001.
..
Analysis needed for "intelligence" is also missing in daily
management, causing delay that drives up costs because people
are not complying with FAR requirements for effective
documentation showing an audit trail between daily work and
specifications.
..
Cultural inertia from Congressional hearings recognizing
analysis is needed to connect the dots, so that people can work
productively, provides a window of opportunity to strengthen
management. You can demonstrate that SDS work product
containing explicit links makes it fast and easy to connect the
dots that avoid mistakes, loss, conflict, crisis and calamity.
..
I just wonder what you think about
Roy's explanation of
why SDS is important for saving time and money,
as a model for helping colleagues grasp the opportunity at a time
when savings are critical at DOD.
..
Sincerely,