THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700
rodwelch@pacbell.net


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: July 9, 2000 02:16 PM Sunday; Rod Welch

Bill DeHart identifed "organization" as perceived value added by SDS.

1...Summary/Objective
2...SDS Provides Better Organization for Information
3...Benefits of Organization are Deferred, Require Front-End Investment
4...Organizing by Time Enhances Alphabetic Mind by Adding Context
5...SDS Flexible Structure Manages Chronology, Emulates Human Thinking


..............
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CONTACTS 
0201 - Intel Corporation
020101 - Mr. Morris E. Jones; Business Unit Manager
020103 - Cable Network Operation
0202 - Pacific Gas & Electric Company
020201 - Mr. Bill DeHart, PMP
020202 - Project Manager
020204 - Project Management

SUBJECTS
Organize Complexity Benefits SDS Flexible Structure Organize Complex
Time SDS Meets Demand for Organizing Information to Produce Knowledg
Context Management SDS Organization Saves Money Avoid Mistakes Bumbl

3805 -
3805 -    ..
3806 - Summary/Objective
3807 -
380701 - Follow up ref SDS 90 0000, ref SDS 89 0000.
380702 -
380703 - Bill identified "organization" of information as a benefit of SDS, and
380704 - indicated the program needs a "hook" to attract customers by having a
380705 - stronger user interface.  Morris noted that organization is not an
380706 - emotional reward that holds customers attention long enough to
380707 - experience benefits.
380708 -
380709 -     [On 000710 Jack Park submits article by Gelernter that supports
380710 -     using time for organizing information. ref SDS 92 3961
380712 -      ..
380713 -     [On 000710 sent letter to Morris and Bill asking about Gelernter's
380714 -     article that seems to support the idea of time as an organizing
380715 -     method for information. ref SDS 91 0001
380717 -      ..
380718 -     [On 000717 sent letter to Bill for clarifications of added value
380719 -     from organization. ref SDS 97 5551
380720 -
380721 -
380722 -
380724 -  ..
3808 -
3809 -
3810 - Progress
3811 -
381101 - Talked to Pat.  Bill is at the store.  Explained conference call will
381102 - be closer to 1900 - 2000 rather than 1500 today, following up the
381103 - letter, ref DIP 6 0001, yesterday. ref SDS 90 0001
381104 -
381105 -
381106 -
381108 -  ..
3812 -
3813 -
3814 - 2043 called Morris, Bill DeHart
3815 -
381501 - SDS Provides Better Organization for Information
381502 - Benefits of Organization are Deferred, Require Front-End Investment
381503 -
381504 - Morris got Bill DeHart on the line for a conference call, but I could
381505 - barely hear Bill.
381507 -  ..
381508 - Bill had not reviewed the letter, ref DIP 6 0001, with a link to the
381509 - telecon with Morris on 000708. ref SDS 90 4125  As a result, Morris
381510 - and I visited for a few minutes, while Bill took time to read through
381511 - the record on 000708 for background to support this call.
381513 -  ..
381514 - Bill came back on line and said "Okay, I have reviewed the record."
381516 -  ..
381517 - Morris asked Bill what reward people experience using SDS at PG&E?
381518 - What do people "care about" that SDS accomplishes better than other
381519 - methods, following up analysis Morris and I made during a meeting on
381520 - 000706? ref SDS 89 RX3K
381522 -  ..
381523 - Bill explained that SDS provides "organization" that aids daily
381524 - management by placing information in context that is missing in other
381525 - methods he uses, such as IE, Outlook, Word, Powerpoint, Weblogs, etc.
381526 - This confirms comments yesterday. ref SDS 90 2915  On 990909 Bill
381527 - explained how SDS links aids understanding and follow up that is
381528 - missing from email. ref SDS 40 5Z4J and ref SDS 40 8112
381530 -  ..
381531 - This aligns with the report on 000309 of an engineer who found SDS
381532 - improves "organization" of the work, and complained that other methods
381533 - are inadequate. ref SDS 54 8799  On 940527 creating structure for
381534 - effective organization requires a lot of cognitive overhead that
381535 - discourages people from creating organizational memory using other
381536 - methods. ref SDS 12 F95N  SDS provides a flexible structure that helps
381537 - reduce cognitive overhead, explained in POIMS, ref OF 1 HP6J, and
381538 - earlier on 890523. ref SDS 2 P13O
381539 -
381540 -      [On 010425 Morris reported that using SDS, where everything is in
381541 -      the right place at the right time, is a utopia compared to using
381542 -      other methods. ref SDS A7 EP7F
381544 -       ..
381545 -      [On 010916 Eric Armstrong reported SDS organization obviously
381546 -      works, enables amazing memory of the record. ref SDS B0  0001 In
381547 -      another record same day, Eric reported it is too hard to find
381548 -      anything using other methods. ref SDS B1  KA6H
381550 -       ..
381551 -      [On 011003 report that other methods are hopeless to solve
381552 -      quagmire of information overload. ref SDS B2  EC5N
381554 -       ..
381555 -      [On 020531 Mike Poremba reports SDS optimized for organization
381556 -      and linking, has not seen another program with SDS functionality.
381557 -      ref SDS B3 5M3G
381559 -       ..
381560 -      [On 020820 Murray Altheim reports that technology for linking
381561 -      called Purple Numbers is not effective for adding links to email.
381562 -      ref SDS B4 YR6F
381564 -       ..
381565 -      [On 071212 Morris describes plans to create Windows application
381566 -      for SDS using nested, collapsible fields to replace line numbers
381567 -      for flexible structure. ref SDS B5 RK9M
381569 -  ..
381570 - Bill explained that SDS linking enhances this advantage, but creating
381571 - links was difficult to accomplish in the earlier version of SDS,
381572 - because it required several clicks that were hard to remember.
381574 -  ..
381575 - He feels improvements that create links in SDS with just one click,
381576 - following work on 990530, ref SDS 37 0001, will make SDS easier to
381577 - learn.
381579 -  ..
381580 - Bill indicated this advantage can be more readily recognized by using
381581 - a Windows user interface; he used the word "hook" to characterize his
381582 - sense of what is missing from SDS marketing, i.e., the ability for
381583 - customers to quickly recognize, or sense, the power of the design.
381584 -
381585 -      [On 000711 sent letter to Jack Park citing Bill's point.
381586 -      ref SDS 93 1242
381588 -       ..
381589 -      [On 010315 research shows classical thinkers from Plato's time
381590 -      recognized context of time, i.e., past, present, future, as core
381591 -      of human reasoning. ref SDS A5 C24O
381593 -  ..
381594 - Morris commented that the benefit of knowledge created by SDS takes
381595 - weeks, even months to actually sink in.
381597 -  ..
381598 - This aligns with experience at USACE reported on 961101 that after
381599 - several months of experience, SDS turned out to be much more powerful
381600 - than initially expected. ref SDS 26 8888
381602 -  ..
381603 - SDS started at PG&E in San Francisco on 940808. ref SDS 13 3S6M
381605 -  ..
381606 - The first few days were used for configuring a computer and office
381607 - space at PG&E, for reviewing contracts and background, and for setting
381608 - up a Subject Index and Contacts.
381610 -  ..
381611 - SDS was first used to support a meeting of PG&E staff in Fresno on
381612 - 940811. ref SDS 14 0001
381614 -  ..
381615 - SDS was first used for a meeting in Sacramento with the State of
381616 - California on 940818, ref SDS 15 0001,
381618 -  ..
381619 - At a follow up meeting in Stockton on 940901 the State's project
381620 - manager requested an explanation of SDS, and in particular of the SDS
381621 - record prepared for the meeting in Sacramento two weeks earlier on
381622 - 940818. ref SDS 16 9009
381624 -  ..
381625 - After this explanation, the project manager said that SDS is exactly
381626 - what the State needs. ref SDS 16 4920  Since, this was the first time
381627 - the State had seen an SDS record, this record shows that recognition
381628 - of added value in some cases is immediate.
381630 -  ..
381631 - Months later on 941208 CDWR commended Bill's management and confirmed
381632 - that SDS was helpful, and so continue even though PG&E would be
381633 - assigning a new project managment team. ref SDS 19 1183
381635 -  ..
381636 - Morris further noted commercial success of software requires customers
381637 - to sense a faster reward.  People don't want to save a lot of time and
381638 - money, if it takes a few months for savings to start showing up.  They
381639 - prefer to save a little time and a little money, or even lose a
381640 - little, if it happens within span of attention, about 10 mintues to an
381641 - hour, as occurs with information technologies.
381643 -  ..
381644 - This may be true for personal information managers (PIM) software, but
381645 - people recognize that improving management, productivity and earnings
381646 - takes time for new systems and methods to pay off by reversing years
381647 - of poor management practices, which become ingrained as habit and
381648 - culture.
381650 -  ..
381651 - Getting your customer to recognize that SDS is "exactly what we need,"
381652 - as occurred with CDWR, is therefore remarkable. ref SDS 16 4920
381653 -
381654 -
381656 -  ..
381657 - Organizing by Time Enhances Alphabetic Mind by Adding Context
381658 - SDS Flexible Structure Manages Chronology, Emulates Human Thinking
381659 -
381660 - Bill used "organization" several times to explain advantages using SDS
381661 - at PG&E that is missing from other software.  This aligns with
381662 - benefits that Glenn West in PG&E's legal department mentioned when he
381663 - asked for a demonstration of SDS on 941116. ref SDS 18 VT6N
381665 -  ..
381666 - I asked for examples to illustrate this advantage?
381668 -  ..
381669 - Why do people care about SDS providing better organization, per above?
381670 - ref SDS 0 0784 and on 000708? ref SDS 90 0784  For example, on 911121
381671 - Morris cited SDS advantages for organizatinal memory, ref SDS 5 0477,
381672 - and on 921127 he worried that small details constantly cause major
381673 - problems that waste time and money, ref SDS 7 0674,
381675 -  ..
381676 - Does anyone care about organizing things?
381678 -  ..
381679 - Bill said organization is important because documents produced with
381680 - wordprocessing, email, Powerpoint, spreadsheets, etc., are difficult
381681 - to manage.  After you create information on the computer it is hard
381682 - too find anything later, when needed.  The investment in time must be
381683 - made over and over to recreate information going by memory.  This
381684 - causes a lot of mistakes, delay, loss and frustration, and aligns with
381685 - the report on 000309 that other methods are inadequate. ref SDS 54
381686 - 8799 and ref SDS 54 2142
381687 -
381688 -     [On 001019 example of customer asking for "intelligence" support
381689 -     that SDS provides, so long as it is free. ref SDS A1 TF5H
381691 -      ..
381692 -     [On 001222 Gary Johnson reports wordprocessing is not effective
381693 -     for management. ref SDS A3 4O9G
381695 -      ..
381696 -     [On 010425 Morris reported that using SDS, where everything is in
381697 -     the right place at the right time, is a utopia compared to using
381698 -     other methods. ref SDS A7 EP7F
381700 -      ..
381701 -     [On 011003 report that other methods are hopeless to solve
381702 -     quagmire of information overload. ref SDS B2  EC5N
381704 -      ..
381705 -     [On 020531 Mike Poremba reports SDS optimized for organization and
381706 -     linking, has not seen another program with SDS functionality.
381707 -     ref SDS B3 5M3G
381709 -  ..
381710 - Bill said SDS has a natural organization and flexible structure that
381711 - gives information context, which makes it faster and easier to find
381712 - when needed, without a lot of time and thought, per above, ref SDS 0
381713 - 0784, and as explained in POIMS. ref OF 1 HP6J  Data base programs
381714 - waste time and are frustrating trying to make natural flowing
381715 - sequential thinking fit into rigid structures.  On 940527 creating
381716 - this structure with other programs takes a lot of time for cognitive
381717 - overhead. ref SDS 12 F95N  SDS makes it easy to segment information on
381718 - who, what, when, where, why and how things happen into logical
381719 - context. Bill feels contextually organized information is very useful
381720 - for daily management, but this is hard to accomplish using
381721 - wordprocessing and email.
381722 -
381723 -      [On 010420 cognitive overhead takes time to create links and to
381724 -      open links. ref SDS A6 SU6K
381726 -       ..
381727 -      [On 010425 Morris reported use cases show SDS is a utopia
381728 -      compared to using other methods. ref SDS A7 EP7F
381730 -       ..
381731 -      [On 010916 Eric Armstrong reported SDS organization obviously
381732 -      works, enables amazing memory of the record. ref SDS B0  0001 In
381733 -      another record same day, Eric reported it is too hard to find
381734 -      anything using other methods. ref SDS B1  KA6H
381736 -  ..
381737 - On 930112 research shows literacy uses flexible structure of alphabet
381738 - technology to create context. ref SDS 8 1004  SDS adds value by
381739 - managing context.
381741 -  ..
381742 - POIMS explains advantage of organizing information with flexible
381743 - structure. ref OF 1 M17I
381744 -
381745 -      [On 001220 support for SDS flexible structure design, cited by
381746 -      Gary Johnson. ref SDS A2 RD9N and ref SDS A2 DR6I
381747 -
381748 -      [On 010131 analysis indicates SDS is the only file format that
381749 -      supports flexible structure needed for KM. ref SDS A4 V2WP
381751 -       ..
381752 -      [On 010517 meeting with Pat Lincoln at SRI demonstrated flexible
381753 -      structure for subjects; explains why people do not value
381754 -      intelligence. ref SDS A8  UN4L
381756 -       ..
381757 -      [On 010725 report from DNRC cites SDS flexible structure for
381758 -      effective Knowledge Space. ref SDS A9  GL7J
381760 -       ..
381761 -      [On 010425 Morris reported use cases show SDS is a utopia
381762 -      compared to using other methods. ref SDS A7 EP7F
381764 -  ..
381765 - This aligns with Bill's explanation on 990909 about SDS organization
381766 - and context adding value to daily management. ref SDS 40 8112
381768 -  ..
381769 - On 941010 Bill reported these advantages to PG&E, saying SDS is the
381770 - most powerful management method introduced in the past 30 years.
381771 - ref SDS 17 7777
381773 -  ..
381774 - "Context" was defined on 990427 for a proposal to NSF. ref SDS 34 7503
381776 -   ..
381777 -  On 000703 Morris cited "context" as an advantage of SDS that improves
381778 -  management. ref SDS 87 5936   On 991222 Doug Engelbart calls for
381779 -  collecting "intelligence," ref SDS 48 8064, which has become the
381780 -  OHS/DKR project sponsored by SRI.  It aligns with Peter Drucker's
381781 -  call to routinize good management practices that apply cognitive
381782 -  science. ref SDS 43 0785
381784 -  ..
381785 - This may address Morris' question on 000706 about pent up demand.
381786 - ref SDS 89 1886
381787 -
381788 -     [On 000717 sent letter to Bill for clarifications of added value
381789 -     from organization. ref SDS 97 5551
381790 -
381791 -     [On 000804 cited context as selling point for SDS business plan
381792 -     strategy. ref SDS 99 0001
381794 -      ..
381795 -     [On 001222 Gary Johnson uses outline methods for information
381796 -     hierarchial structure; wordprocessing does not support.
381797 -     ref SDS A3 4O9G
381799 -      ..
381800 -     [On 010420 Jeff Conklin cites demand for organizational memory is
381801 -     growing due to information overload. ref SDS A6 MU7O
381803 -  ..
381804 - We briefly discussed the SDS design based on time that emulates human
381805 - thinking about chronology for tracking the sequence of events in order
381806 - to understand cause and effect.  Bill's explanation aligns with a
381807 - letter to professor Mary Keeler, ref DIP 7 9434, on 000624,
381808 - ref SDS 84 1534, that explains human mental architecture relies on
381809 - "experience" for a basic reasoning strategy to solve problems, i.e.,
381811 -                       ..
381812 -                      Been there, done that!
381814 -  ..
381815 - SDS makes it easier to discover where we have been, and what was done,
381816 - illustrated by this record.  Making it easy to organize human thought
381817 - to recognize cause and effect, is a direct, powerful way to augment
381818 - human intelligence, as set out in the report by the US Army Corps of
381819 - Engineers. ref DRP 5 6172  Augmenting intelligence, also, improves
381820 - creativity, reported on 890809. ref SDS 4 7433
381821 -
381822 -     [On 000713 discussion on semiotics explains advantage of context
381823 -     derived from SDS organization method. ref SDS 94 4267
381825 -      ..
381826 -     [On 000715 notified Jack Park, Eugene Kim and Morris about
381827 -     semiotics that may summarize this benefit. ref SDS 96 5917
381829 -      ..
381830 -     [On 000717 Professor Joseph Ransdell, Texas Tech University, noted
381831 -     that SDS context aids understanding. ref SDS 98 3825
381833 -  ..
381834 - This extends the notion of the "Alphabetic Mind" discussed with Morris
381835 - on 000624, ref SDS 85 9379, and again on 000703. ref SDS 87 5085
381836 -
381837 -     [On 000710 article by David Gelernter supports importance of time,
381838 -     as a powerful way to organize information because it emulates
381839 -     human mental functioning. ref SDS 92 7565
381841 -      ..
381842 -     [On 000711 sent letter to Jack Park citing Bill's point.
381843 -     ref SDS 93 1242
381845 -      ..
381846 -     [On 000907 Jack Park submitted a letter to SRI team citing Welch
381847 -     as standard for Knowledge Management because it uses time for
381848 -     organizing information. ref SDS A0 0001
381850 -      ..
381851 -     [On 010315 classical focus on rules of rhetoric support SDS
381852 -     ability to organize context based on time. ref SDS A5 K19F
381854 -  ..
381855 - Bill had to leave the discussion about this time.
381856 -
381857 -     [On 000714 letter to Bill through Morris asking for clarification.
381858 -     ref SDS 95 0001
381860 -  ..
381861 - Thanked him for taking time from his family visit to discuss our old
381862 - friend Communication Metrics.
381864 -  ..
381865 - Bill did not tackle the w2k conversion on his computer, which he
381866 - mentioned considering in our telecon yesterday. ref SDS 90 0784
381867 -
381869 -  ..
3819 -
3820 -
3821 - 2112 Bill hung up
3822 -
382201 - Morris and I continued the discussion for an hour or so.
382203 -  ..
382204 - Morris asked my impression of SDS rewards based on Bill's comments?
382206 -  ..
382207 - I noted that Bill mentioned "organization," several times, but we did
382208 - not have enough time to really understand his thinking. ref SDS 0 1029
382210 -  ..
382211 - Morris noted that Bill does not seem to be looking for a solution to
382212 - the "organization" problem.  He is not out testing and evaluting
382213 - document management software, like PC Docs, for example.  Morris asked
382214 - if this shows that "organization" is not a big enough "care about" to
382215 - draw customers, per our discussion on 000706? ref SDS 89 RX3K
382217 -  ..
382218 - Bill is not out looking for a solution to the "organization" problem,
382219 - because he has learned from experience that only SDS has this
382220 - capability integrated with other features that strengthen daily
382221 - management.  Without the critical mass of features integrated, there
382222 - is no solution to the organization problem.  He is not pursuing SDS
382223 - because having done this many times over many years at PG&E, he knows
382224 - he cannot explain "intelligence" to busy people.
382226 -  ..
382227 - Executives have given up on improving management, because they have
382228 - learned technology provided by mainstream vendors does not improve
382229 - management, as Dave Vannier reported on 950927. ref SDS 21 7732  Morris
382230 - mentioned his report on 000706 that Microsoft has now successfully
382231 - integrated spreadsheets and pictures into a Word file, ref SDS 89 3740
382232 - He asked if this obviates the SDS advantage?
382234 -  ..
382235 - We reviewed the meeting with Dave Vannier at Intel on 950927 showing
382236 - that wordprocessing and spreadsheets do not improve management
382237 - productivity, because managers do not use these tools very much.
382238 - Wordprocessing, spreadsheets and other technologies are used by staff.
382239 - In order for technology to improve management, it must improve the
382240 - ability to think, remember and communicate so that managers can
382241 - understand and follow up more effectively.  SDS used for knowledge
382242 - work is like a truck for a truck driver, a spreadsheet program for an
382243 - accountant, a backhoe for a backhoe operator, where the more SDS is
382244 - used the better management gets.  This reflects the fact that human
382245 - thinking is primarily concerned with cause and effect, and in daily
382246 - life this is largely determined by time, which is reflected in the
382247 - most popular phrase in management practice.....
382249 -       ..
382250 -      What happened?
382252 -       ..
382253 -      Well, Fred told Tom that yesterday....
382255 -       ..
382256 -      Oh, then what happened...
382258 -  ..
382259 - This drive for understanding sequence in order to understand cause
382260 - and effect that guides decisions, is deeply ingrained in our culture
382261 - that starts bed time stories with....
382262 -
382263 -      Once upon a time.
382265 -  ..
382266 - We reviewed Bill's comments this evening, noting he did not directly
382267 - address spreadsheets and wordprocessing.  He mentioned SDS has better
382268 - "organization" than conventional tools.
382270 -  ..
382271 - In any case, spreadsheets and wordprocessing are such a small part of
382272 - a manager's daily work, that this form of integration does not improve
382273 - productivity, discussed with Dave at Intel on 950927. ref SDS 21 4619
382275 -  ..
382276 - Managers spend most of their time thinking and communicating.  Bill
382277 - mentioned he has what? -- 15 projects he is looking after.  Morris
382278 - reported on 000517 that he has 5 big projects. ref SDS 64 2537  With
382279 - hustle, ingenuity and luck, his communication program at Intel has
382280 - become profitable in a very short period.
382282 -  ..
382283 - Drucker points out that people have given up trying to improve
382284 - communciation, because most communication occurs in the human mind, so
382285 - a technology design is needed that aids human thinking.  Not many
382286 - people have accomplished this design.
382288 -  ..
382289 - As a result, people simply live with defective management, because
382290 - they are well paid to do so, as Morris noted the other day.  An
382291 - executive can fire people. But, executives cannot hire anyone who can
382292 - manage effectively.  This places a premium on talking skills in order
382293 - to get credit when things go well, and avoid accountability when
382294 - mistakes eventually explode into crisis.
382296 -  ..
382297 - SDS provides a solution based on an organizing theory that closely
382298 - emulates human thought, as set out in the letter, ref DIP 7 9434, to
382299 - Professor Mary Keeler on 000624. ref SDS 84 1534
382301 -  ..
382302 - Morris feels this is an incorrect assessment, and suggested asking
382303 - Bill what he thinks about how much SDS actually helps, versus whether
382304 - Rod is simply a good manager who nobody wants to hire because he lacks
382305 - people skills, and uses SDS, rather than tools everybody else is
382306 - using.
382308 -  ..
382309 - I suggested he send Bill a letter on this.
382311 -  ..
382312 - Morris said he is too busy.
382314 -  ..
382315 - I will prepare a draft which he can edit and pass along to Bill, so
382316 - Bill can speak objectively to Morris. rather worry about hurting my
382317 - feelings.
382318 -
382319 -
382320 -
382321 -
382322 -
382323 -
382324 -
382325 -
382326 -
382327 -
382328 -
3824 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"