THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: June 7, 1997 08:42 AM Saturday; Rod Welch

Called Morris about COE report on Communication Metrics.

1...Summary/Objective
2...Project Management is "Back"
3...Risk Management Requires Adequate Supervision, Communication Metrics
4...What's a Metric
5...Morris Has Glanced at Communication Metrics Report
6...Calculation of Cost Savings Needed
7...Calculating Savings Risks Embarrassing Customers
8...Communication Metrics Cost/Benefit Similar to CEO, Accountant
9...Not Enough Time to Review Communication Metrics
10...Cost/Benefit Analysis
11...Morris Changing from Ecco Pro to Lotus Organizer


..............
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CONTACTS 
0201 - Chips & Tech.                      408 434 0600
020101 - Mr. Morris E. Jones
020102 - Sr. Vice President =4283 Ext

SUBJECTS
Metrics Determine Management Effectiveness,
PM Trends, Changes, Innovations
Feel Good Management Lets Small Problems
Accountability is Burdensom for Executives
Cost/Benefit of Better Communications
Management Unproductive Overhead, Drucker Disagrees
Calculate Cost Savings Hire Project Manager
What's a Metrics Intelligence Alignment Example Bumbling Memory Fails
Mad Frustration Conflict Confrontation Meetings to Identify Conflicts
Angry Pinning Everybody Down Causes Fear Accountability Strengthens L

4412 -    ..
4413 - Summary/Objective
4414 -
441401 - Follow up ref SDS 14 0000, ref SDS 13 0000.
441402 -
441403 - Morris has high hopes for a new Project Manager.  He prepared a
441404 - cost/benefit analysis to justify the position.  He was disappointed a
441405 - similar analysis was not included in the Corps of Engineers report on
441406 - Communication Metrics.  He has not had time to submit the Corps'
441407 - report to his new Project Manager nor to others for opinion on the
441408 - usefulness of this new application of technology to support
441409 - leadership.
441410 -
441411 -     [On 970703 requested cost savings calculation. ref SDS 19 0770]
441412 -
441413 -
441414 -  ..
4415 -
4416 -
4417 - Discussion
4418 -
441801 - Project Management is "Back"
441802 -
441803 - Morris advised he has assigned a colleague to be a project manager.
441804 -
441805 - The new Project Manager evidently has worked with Morris on some of
441806 - the Intel contract work.  Morris found that this person prepares well
441807 - for meetings and is careful and thorough in tracking pending matters.
441808 - Sounded like he attended the Cal Tech seminar with Morris, which has
441809 - given Chips confidence in the capability and dedication of this person
441810 - to be an effective project manager.
441811 -
441812 -  ..
441813 - This is a significant change from the report by Joel Koppleman on
441814 - 950412 that Project Managers do not tell the truth, and frustrations
441815 - on 950705, ref SDS 5 2955, that led to eliminating the project manager
441816 - role on 951228. ref SDS 7 7309
441817 -
441818 -  ..
441819 - It shows growth from discussions on 960301 about managers being mere
441820 - "unproductive overhead." ref SDS 9 4692
441821 -
441822 - Analysis of Project Managers, Diasauer or Beacon to the Future, is on
441823 - 950705. ref SDS 5 0673
441824 -
441825 -
441826 -  ..
441827 - Risk Management Requires Adequate Supervision, Communication Metrics
441828 -
441829 - Morris said that to gain approval to create this new position he
441830 - prepared a cost/Exposure calcualtion to show the value added of his
441831 - decision (see above, ref SDS 0 4403).
441832 -
441833 - We considered briefly the tenuousness of such calculations as
441834 - predicated on conjecture.
441835 -
441836 - Morris seemed to agree, but said that is the best that can be done.
441837 -
441838 -         [On 970620 Turner Construction requested this type of
441839 -         calculation for Communication Metrics. ref SDS 17 8567]
441840 -
441841 -         [On 970703 asked Morris for calculation he prepared to justify
441842 -         hiring the project manager. ref SDS 19 0770]
441843 -
441844 -         [On 971008 received report calculating cost savings with ROI
441845 -         in the range of 10:1, ref SDS 21 5775, using Communication
441846 -         Metrics to reduce management mistakes that cause rework....
441847 -         ref SDS 21 1273
441848 -
441849 -  ..
441850 - It appears Chips has recognized that communication has increased, so a
441851 - dedicated role is needed to coordinate the work.
441852 -
441853 -
441854 -  ..
441855 - What's a Metric
441856 - Morris Has Glanced at Communication Metrics Report
441857 -
441858 - I asked if he has had a chance to read the Corps of Engineers' report
441859 - on Communication Metrics I left with him last week. ref SDS 13 7201
441860 -
441861 - Morris said he has not had enough time to read the report; he has only
441862 - glanced at it.  I thanked him for taking the time to do this in light
441863 - of his heavy schedule.
441864 -
441865 -      [On 970611 analysis showing executives do not having enough time
441866 -      to think, ref SDS 16 6603; supported by professional event on
441867 -      970910. ref SDS 20 3479]
441868 -
441869 -  ..
441870 - Calculation of Cost Savings Needed
441871 -
441872 - Morris was disappointed USACE's report on Communication Metrics does
441873 - not contain calculations of cost/benefit like the one he prepared to
441874 - justify formulating a Project Manager role, per above. ref SDS 0 0550
441875 - He noted that USACE's report says Communication Metrics reduces cost,
441876 - but does not say how much, ref DRP 3 1302 and ref DRP 3 0763
441877 -
441878 - Morris recommended USACE caluclate cost savings.
441879 -
441880 -      [On 970703 asked Morris for calculation he prepared to justify
441881 -      hiring the project manager. ref SDS 19 0770]
441882 -
441883 -      [On 971008 received report calculating cost savings with ROI in
441884 -      the range of 10:1, ref SDS 21 5775, using Communication Metrics
441885 -      to reduces management mistakes that cause rework. ref SDS 21 1273
441886 -
441887 -      [On 971229 management film shows cost poor communication.
441888 -      ref SDS 24 1917
441889 -
441890 -      [On 990526 Morris asked how to calculate cost savings to
441891 -      experiment with Communication Metrics for improving management to
441892 -      reduce costs. ref SDS 26 6132]
441893 -
441894 -      [On 991217 civilization shows cost savings Com Metrics.
441895 -      ref SDS 27 0320
441896 -
441897 -  ..
441898 - We discussed briefly this morning the exposure the Corps has to $45M
441899 - in claims, ref SDS 15  Morris said the Corps could have shown in its
441900 - report the exposure on various claims and then done a comparison with
441901 - the cost of Communication Metrics.
441902 -
441903 -      [On 981027 saving costs by improving management is a miracle...
441904 -      ref SDS 25 7315]
441905 -
441906 - This relates to consideration on 950223 about how to define effective
441907 - a business "metric" for communication. ref SDS 4 5567
441908 -
441909 -
441910 -  ..
441911 - Calculating Savings Risks Embarrassing Customers
441912 -
441913 - I explained it was necessary to avoid expressly stating the exposure
441914 - of loss in the report in order to avoid political backlash from those
441915 - whose decisions might be subject to scrutiny from such a calculation,
441916 - per our prior discussion about avoiding embarrassment to those whose
441917 - work is to be helped, on 961228, ref SDS 11 8823.  Quantifying
441918 - potential loss would conflict with Morris' explanation of Feel Good
441919 - Mangement on 911123. ref SDS 2 1331.
441920 -
441921 -      [On 970624 calculations of cost savings were reported in meeting
441922 -      with Commander of San Francisco District Corps of Enginers as
441923 -      politically sensitive. ref SDS 18 6261]
441924 -
441925 -      [On 971008 calculation of cost savings from using Communication
441926 -      Metrics was issued by the San Francisco District to HQUSACE in
441927 -      Washington D.C. ref SDS 22 2979]
441928 -
441929 -      [On 971017 need to avoid "finger pointing" in evaluating cost
441930 -      savings using Communication Metrics, which is intended to raise
441931 -      issues not temperatures. ref SDS 23 2030]
441932 -
441933 -
441934 -  ..
441935 - Communication Metrics Cost/Benefit Similar to CEO, Accountant
441936 -
441937 - I explained another way to consider the value of a project manager is
441938 - to ask about the value added of Morris' job, or the president or the
441939 - COB, since they perform "overhead" activities which Morris has
441940 - previously questioned.  These people are most likely the only real
441941 - "project managers" at Chips, since they hold the actual authority.  If
441942 - those positions did not exist, the work would not be managed very
441943 - well, per our discussion about Project Managers being "unproductive
441944 - overhead." ref SDS 9 line 148.
441945 -
441946 -      [See follow up on evaluation Communication Metrics report. ref
441947 -      SDS 16 line 115.]
441948 -
441949 -      [See use of this analysis method in letter to Morris at ref SDS
441950 -      19 line 102.]
441951 -
441952 -
441953 -  ..
441954 - Not Enough Time to Review Communication Metrics
441955 -
441956 - I asked if he has submitted the Communication Metrics report to his
441957 - new Project Manager for analysis about using Communication Metrics to
441958 - improve innovation, per our discussion last week, ref SDS 13 7201.
441959 -
441960 - Morris said he has not had enough time to do this, nor to contact the
441961 - Cal Tech seminar folks, nor to discuss this with his boss, per our
441962 - meeting on 970526, ref SDS 13 8002.
441963 -
441964 -
441965 -  ..
441966 - Cost/Benefit Analysis
441967 -
441968 - We considered briefly that Chips invested a week of his time and that
441969 - of his new Project Manager at Cal Tech.  That investment likely cost
441970 - $20K, and most likely no specific action, initiative nor improvement
441971 - will result from that cost, ref SDS 13 5339.  He and his colleagues
441972 - could invest a few hours reviewing the Corps of Engineers report to
441973 - see if there is a way to implement the ideas at the seminar by adding
441974 - a metric to communication, per ref SDS 13 8002.
441975 -
441976 -
441977 -
4420 -

SUBJECTS
Other Solutions, Tools than SDS
Organizer, 921106
Disallusioned by Technology Failed Promise
Echo Pro Adopted Changed from Newton which Replaced Wizard
Lotus Organizer Adopted Changed from Echo Pro Changed from Newton whi

4908 -
490801 -  ..
490802 - Morris Changing from Ecco Pro to Lotus Organizer
490803 -
490804 - I suggested that Morris could follow up on the Communication Metrics
490805 - report at Chips, by entering a reminder in his Ecco Pro schedule.
490806 -
490807 - Morris said he is now using or plans to change to Lotus Organizer
490808 - because it has better features than Ecco Pro, and is possibly more
490809 - conducive to working with Chips customers.  He began trying Ecco Pro
490810 - on 951001, ref SDS 6 0001.
490811 -
490812 - We did not discuss the ideas considered on 951228 for using a
490813 - Communication Manager in order to make technology useful to an
490814 - executive, per ref SDS 7 8804.  Morris had difficulty using SDS
490815 - effectively because there was not enough time to learn it. ref SDS 1
490816 - 8404, ref SDS 3 4459
490817 -
490818 -
490819 -
490820 -
490821 -
490822 -
490823 -
490824 -
490825 -
490826 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"