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


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: September 19, 1997 12:33 PM Friday; Rod Welch

Visited Max at the Corps of Engineers, delivered article on IT.

1...Summary/Objective


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CONTACTS 
0201 - Corps of Engineers, SFD            415 977 8400 fax 8483
020101 - Mr. Max R. Blodgett, II, P.E., L.S.
020102 - Construction Operations Division   =415 977 8480

SUBJECTS
CBD Procurement Communication Metrics
Welch Contract Oakland Claims, 97072401
Sole Source Justification
Conventional Management Not Enough Time to
Increase Budget 4 months on Oakland Harbor
Organization Changes to CESPN
Planning, COE SFD

1109 -    ..
1110 - Summary/Objective
1111 -
111101 - Follow up ref SDS 19 0000, ref SDS 17 0000.
111102 - ..
111103 - Max liked the article I delivered Wednesday on communication
111104 - feedback that explains the problem of not having enough time to think,
111105 - due to information overload, ref SDS 19 7242,
111106 - ..
111107 - I gave Max the 970915 article in Computerworld that reports
111108 - computers have not improved productivity in using information, ref OF
111109 - 3 line 105, received at ref SDS 20 7400, ref SDS 20 4739.
111110 -
111111 - I suggested that Max provide this article to LTC Thompson and point
111112 - out evidence which causes the author to say that CEOs (and commanders)
111113 - are being misled, ref OF 3 4972, into believing that mainstream
111114 - technology (the principle one being Windows 95) improves productivity.
111115 -
111116 - Since the DE objected to Communication Metrics because it is not cost
111117 - effective, ref SDS 8 7388, this article and the one submitted on
111118 - Wednesday, ref SDS 19 1142, reporting the problem of productivity is
111119 - that managers do not have enough time to think, ref SDS 13 3479, may
111120 - spawn further review of technology factors that impact successful
111121 - management.
111122 -
111123 -     [I did not submit a second article downloaded from the Internet
111124 -     later today that reports a study that conventional Information
111125 -     Technology is actually reducing productivity, ref OF 4 0000,
111126 -     received on 970919. ref SDS 20 2349]
111127 - ..
111128 - Max said he saw my email to Jim Jones and to Jim Lovel at
111129 - HQUSACE on using Communication Metrics Corps-wide, ref DIP 2 0000, per
111130 - discussion on 970910, ref SDS 12 0000.  Max feels Communication
111131 - Metrics can be useful to implement RMS, as well as support Contract
111132 - Administration, as specified in Task Order 2. ref DRP 2 4929
111133 - ..
111134 - Max advised that the Richmond project has started.
111135 -
111136 - He expressed concern that the project launch planning we performed in
111137 - April and May, has not been implemented by staff. (see for example on
111138 - 970403, ref SDS 2 7339, and 970501. ref SDS 5 7749
111139 -
111140 - Max recalled the work on Task Order 1, on scheduling project launch
111141 - and on organizing the Construction Service Branch to be more
111142 - effective, including implementing RMS.  He feels the staff in the
111143 - Construction Services Branch needs support, possibly changes.
111144 -
111145 - I explained that the CSB has the same problem of being overwhelmed by
111146 - information overload and changing technology, as do the people here in
111147 - the District Office, the people in Washington D.C., the people across
111148 - the street at Bechtal, down the street at PG&E, and up the street at
111149 - IBM, per my discussion with DE on 970624. ref SDS 8 3840
111150 - ..
111151 - All of the people in the offices we see looking out Max's window
111152 - are as inept in dealing with the new realities of information
111153 - overload, as anyone else.  People who do not have enough time to
111154 - think, as set out in the record on 970910, ref SDS 13 3479, need help.
111155 -
111156 - I noted the debacle currently unfolding in the campaign finance
111157 - hearings on today's "Best and Brightest" in Washington D.C.  Each day
111158 - we learn more from the hearings about pervasive ineptitude dealing
111159 - with information overload that blinds people and excuses failed
111160 - leadership.
111161 -
111162 - If those testifying in Washington, as our "best people" in the
111163 - governement, were working in the Construction Services Branch, the
111164 - problems Max is having would still exist.  It is always nice to have
111165 - better people, but if the system is broke, as reflected by the article
111166 - reporting people do not have enough time to think, ref OF 1 2778, and
111167 - Information Technology is reducing productivity, ref OF 4 1525, then
111168 - that is the thing that should be fixed.
111169 - ..
111170 - Leadership means giving your people a chance to succeed, as we
111171 - discussed on 970501, ref SDS 6 2207, and again on 970703. ref SDS 9
111172 - 9603
111173 - ..
111174 - Max feels Task Order 2 scope developed for Communication Metrics
111175 - should be implemented, ref DRP 2 4929, but recognizes the DE does not
111176 - grasp this methodology because he has not had a chance to work with
111177 - it.  You can't get it, just by reading about it.
111178 -
111179 - Max said they have a curious situation in the District...
111180 -
111181 -     Construction managers responsible for the details of getting the
111182 -     work done, and District counsel responsible for the details of
111183 -     finalizing closure on the work through dispute resolution, are
111184 -     both anxious to have support of Communication Metrics. (On 970805
111185 -     a claim support contract was being prepared, but was not finaled,
111186 -     ref SDS 11
111187 -
111188 -     But the District Engineer, who is unfamiliar with the details of
111189 -     construction requirements on Richmond, and feels that claims
111190 -     management on Oakland is beyond his experience, as related on
111191 -     970722, ref SDS 10 7488, is unwilling to give his people the
111192 -     support they believe is needed to carry out the work. The District
111193 -     Engineer role was previously reviewed on 970131. ref SDS 1 9963
111194 - ..
111195 - He feels "politics" aimed at protecting feelings and reputations
111196 - is impeding achievement of the work that would improve both feelings
111197 - and reputations by improving performance of the work on which feelings
111198 - and reputations are founded.
111199 -
111200 - Only leadership with a broader vision can meet this challenge, as set
111201 - out in the New World Order ... paper. ref OF 6 5653
111202 -
111203 - On 970502 article on Caltrans adopting Project Management, says
111204 - leadership is biggest factor of success. ref SDS 7 3588
111205 -
111206 -      [On 980403 concern about accountability cited. ref SDS 21 6581]
111207 -
111208 -      [On 980405 reviewed accountability. ref SDS 22 5065]
111209 -
111210 -      [On 990224 reviewed issue with DDE. ref SDS 23 7271]
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Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"