CONTACTS 
0201 - Corps of Engineers, SFD            415 977 8400 fax 8483
020101 - Mr. Herb Cheong,; Project Manager =415 977 8705; Department

SUBJECTS
Corps of Engineers, SFD, Oakland Project
Orientation Comm Metrics, SDS
Project Manager, Herb Cheong

0505 -    ..
0506 - Summary/Objective
0507 -
050701 - Follow up ref SDS 10 0000, ref SDS 8 0000.
050702 -
050703 - Showed Herb SDS and explained Communication Metrics.  We considered
050704 - steps for wider implementation at COE of POIMS and Communication
050705 - Metrics using SDS.
050706 -
050707 -     [On 961020 submitted notes of the meeting to Herb, ref SDS 14 0001
050708 -
050709 -
050710 -
050711 -  ..
0508 -
0509 -
0510 - Discussion
0511 -
051101 - We used the drawing board in the small open conference area for
051102 - Project Management.  Drew a diagram with a table showing primary SDS
051103 - concepts that are presented during the demonstration, similar to the
051104 - procedure used for the training session conducted on 960925 for Tom
051105 - Keesling. ref SDS 3 8338
051106 -
051107 -        SDS
051108 -
051109 -           Schedule    =     Time          +
051110 -                                           +- integration
051111 -           Diary       =     Information   +
051112 -                               Meetings, Calls, Analysis
051113 -                               Documents, Correspondence
051114 -
051115 -           Contacts    =     People  (who, what, when, where, why)
051116 -
051117 -           Subjects    =     Objectives/Filing
051118 -
051119 -
051120 -
051121 - Defining Terminology
051122 -
051123 - Initially I noted that Welch brings three elements to the contract
051124 - with COE:
051125 -
051126 -    Software program:     Schedule Diary System (SDS)
051127 -
051128 -    Computer Technology:  Personal and Organizational Integrated
051129 -                          Management Support (POIMS), ref OF 1 0001
051130 -
051131 -    Management Science:   Communication Metrics, 950327. ref SDS 1 0001
051132 -
051133 - SDS is a POIMS software program, in the same way that Wordperfect and
051134 - MS Word are "wordprocessing" programs, Lotus 123 is a "spreadsheet"
051135 - program, and MS Project is a "CPM" program.  So "POIMS" is a spec or
051136 - standard for what a program must accomplish in order to support the
051137 - management process.
051138 -
051139 - Communication Metrics is the support that results from using the SDS
051140 - program as it is designed to be used.  It adds a "control" to human
051141 - understanding which is central to successful management, similar to
051142 - cost and schedule control.
051143 -
051144 -
051145 -
051146 - SDS Line Numbers
051147 -
051148 - We used the record of the demonstration for Tom Benero to get an
051149 - explanation of the line numbers in the SDS record format. ref SDS 4
051150 - 8850  In doing so, we used information developed over the past several
051151 - years.  This showed the SDS method of "recycling intellectual
051152 - capital," discussed in the POIMS paper at ref OF 1 4662, which Herb
051153 - had read to prepare for this meeting, from the submission on 961017.
051154 - ref SDS 12 0003
051155 -
051156 -
051157 -
051158 - Communication Manager
051159 -
051160 - After the demonstration we considered the question Herb asked on
051161 - Tuesday, on 961015, about the Welch role with COE, ref SDS 9 4907
051162 -
051163 - We looked at the Welch contract scope, ref DRP 1 line 202, including
051164 - the requirement for Communication Metrics, ref DRP 1 line 257.  I
051165 - explained my sense that one dimension of the Welch contract is to
051166 - define tasks and responsibilities in relation to COE work practices
051167 - for implementing Communication Metrics.
051168 -
051169 - In this regard, we looked at Marcus' concerns expressed yesterday, ref
051170 - SDS 11 line 143.
051171 -
051172 - As we examined these collateral sources from within the SDS program,
051173 - Herb noted that SDS is very powerful.
051174 -
051175 - We considered how the power of SDS is derived from its supple and
051176 - natural methods of organizing the complexity of life by applying
051177 - "automated integration" to the management process, per discussion with
051178 - Tom Keesling, ref SDS 3 line 145.  SDS empowers the Communication
051179 - Manager to provide an "intelligence" function by connecting up
051180 - disparate events and understandings into a comprehensible web of
051181 - useful "knowledge." ref SDS 2 line 547
051182 -
051183 -
051184 -
051185 - Need for Communication Metrics Arises from "Information Highway"
051186 -
051187 - The Welch contract with COE is looking at how well the SDS software
051188 - can support the methods of Communication Metrics when applied by an
051189 - "expert."  The need for this new role arises within COE as a
051190 - consequence of the general increase in the pace of business and the
051191 - flow of information, per discussion with Max last February, ref SDS 2
051192 - line 201.
051193 -
051194 - Herb mentioned the challenge executives face today from the constant
051195 - stream of information in meetings, calls, fax and email.  It is hard
051196 - to keep track of Action Items and remember detailed information from
051197 - different sources throughout a busy day.
051198 -
051199 -
051200 -  ..
051201 - Action Items
051202 -
051203 - We examined briefly Action Items in the draft of the record for the
051204 - 961015 Progress Meeting. ref SDS 8 0000  Each item is linked into the
051205 - details of the project record.  Herb seemed to indicate this method
051206 - could be helpful to avoid letting matters slip by due to the pace of
051207 - daily activity.
051208 -
051209 - He said that happens a lot, because people have a lot of meetings and
051210 - calls, go on vacation, get called into ad hoc assignments, etc, that
051211 - distract attention from following up.
051212 -
051213 -      [On 961020 letter to Herb recommends meetings to review action
051214 -      items. ref SDS 14 0001
051215 -
051216 -      [On 961021 follow up discussion with Max. ref SDS 15 0000
051217 -
051218 -      [On 961115 internal action item review meeting with COE, to
051219 -      prepare for meeting with contractor. ref SDS 17 0001
051220 -
051221 -      [On 961118 meeting with contractor to review pending action
051222 -      items. ref SDS 18 0001
051223 -
051224 -      [On 961126 meeting review contractor's progress on action items.
051225 -      ref SDS 19 0001
051226 -
051227 -
051228 -
051229 - Administrative Support
051230 -
051231 - Herb asked how much time I need to create the record.  I explained it
051232 - depends on how extensive the event is and how much new material
051233 - occurs.  An event that has a lot of new material takes a long time.
051234 - However, an event that lasts a long time, but has nothing
051235 - substantively new, can often be prepared fairly rapidly.  In this
051236 - regard, the SDS tool greatly expedites the writing, by offering clues
051237 - about what to write, and permitting linking to avoid having to enter
051238 - information that has already been captured.
051239 -
051240 - We considered the opportunity to increase the value of administrative
051241 - support within COE to its managers and executives/commanders, as
051242 - discussed with Max at ref SDS 2 line 344.
051243 -
051244 - One way would be to get documents received scanned into the system,
051245 - and to get documents issued into SDS via the computer file created to
051246 - generate them.
051247 -
051248 - If COE decides to continue the Welch effort to apply Communication
051249 - Metrics, an area of opportunity to fit the process into COE existing
051250 - culture, would be to train secretaries to perform some of the data
051251 - entry, beginning with documents received and issued.
051252 -
051253 -
051254 -
051255 - Reviewed Notes of 961015 Progress Meeting on Oakland Project
051256 -
051257 - We discussed Herb's comments on the explanation of Gail Staba's
051258 - remarks at the 961015 Progress Meeting about a letter to COE, ref SDS
051259 - 8 line 307, including the background of analysis at ref SDS 6 line
051260 - 134.
051261 -
051262 -     Herb advised a letter on this matter was issued by COE yesterday.
051263 -     Max signed it because Tom Keesling was out.
051264 -
051265 -     [See entering edits at ref SDS 13 line 58.]
051266 -
051267 -     [See correction on date of issue and scope of letter to EPA at ref
051268 -     SDS 16 line 449.]
051269 -
051270 -
051271 -
051272 -