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


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: October 19, 1997 08:52 PM Sunday; Rod Welch

Called Morris on peer review for cost savings report on Comm Metrics.

1...Summary/Objective


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

SUBJECTS
COE Evaluation Communication Metrics
Calculate Risk Management Exposure NPV
100 Subjects Typical SDS Record
Evaluation, Peer Review

0806 -
0806 -    ..
0807 - Summary/Objective
0808 -
080801 - Follow up ref SDS 13 0000, ref SDS 11 0000.
080802 -
080803 - I asked Morris if he has had a chance to read the draft Cost Savings
080804 - report on using Communication Metrics at USACE, which was sent to him
080805 - via ref DIP 1 0000, requesting peer review on 971002, ref SDS 13 5038,
080806 - and followed up by ref DIP 3 0000, on 970106 at ref SDS 15 line 101.
080808 -  ..
080809 - Morris said he has not had enough time to read the report, nor the
080810 - follow up requesting comment on the percentage of savings between
080811 - projects and operations (overhead), ref DIP 3 line 37.
080813 -  ..
080814 - I explained discussions with Jim Jones on 970917 who related that if
080815 - were the Resident Engineer on the Oakland Harbor project communication
080816 - would have been effective enough to have avoided the Navy Sewer Line
080817 - problem, and so Jim feels there are no savings from Communication
080818 - Metrics, ref SDS 18 2849.
080820 -  ..
080821 - We considered the challenge of pointing out to effective managers and
080822 - strong leaders, like Jim, various deviations in even a small part of
080823 - the record that has transpired the past few weeks working with him and
080824 - HQ on Communication Metrics, ref SDS 18 3428.
080826 -  ..
080827 - I asked for Morris' ideas on presenting management improvement without
080828 - causing managers to get upset, per ref SDS 18 6930.
080830 -  ..
080831 - Morris advised he tries to do this by focusing the discussion on the
080832 - business process and not personality.
080834 -  ..
080835 - We recalled our discussion on 951228 where Morris could not present
080836 - Communication Metrics to Chips' executive committee because they were
080837 - not ready to hear about business process improvement, ref SDS 3 1005.
080839 -  ..
080840 - We considered that business process inevitably turns to personality in
080841 - demonstrating systemic shortfalls.
080843 -  ..
080844 - Someone wants an example.
080846 -  ..
080847 - An example is given, and people get upset because it is seen as a
080848 - personal attack on their intelligence, skill, dilligence, and so on,
080849 - rather than recognize that special tools and systems can add value to
080850 - all of these characteristics.
080852 -  ..
080853 - In the case of Communication Metrics, we have to cite actual cost
080854 - savings in order to then estimate cost savings potential.
080856 -  ..
080857 - Morris said he found the concept of limited span of attention in the
080858 - cost savings report was effective, ref OF 1 line 576, but that it
080859 - needs a broader base of experience, which reflects Jim Jones's
080860 - objective as well.  Morris feels managers can readily grasp the
080861 - meaning of limited span of attention, even though, by definition, it
080862 - is not a topic of daily consideration.
080864 -  ..
080865 - I expressed surprise and appreciation for his comments, since he had
080866 - initially said he has not reviewed the draft report. I asked if he
080867 - could send me his comments.
080869 -  ..
080870 - Morris said he has not prepared comments.  He has impressions recalled
080871 - from having read the material a week or so ago.
080873 -  ..
080874 - I explained the usefulness of getting written comments, however
080875 - cursory, in order to grow the ideas.  We considered Morris' earlier
080876 - requests for a calculation that quantifies communication parameters
080877 - that can be correlated to cost. ref SDS 1 5868  Now we have that
080878 - calculation, but it needs careful review to ensure all considerations
080879 - have been applied in the formulation of the theory.
080881 -  ..
080882 - I suggested he provide the government's report to his new project
080883 - manager and request his comments on application at Chips. Morris said
080884 - he might do this.
080886 -  ..
080887 - Submitted ref DIT 1 0000 submitting the government's report,
080888 - ref DRP 3 line 23, received at ref SDS 17 line 99.
080890 -  ..
080891 - Submitted via internet ref DIT 2 0000 to transmit the letter to Max
080892 - Wideman that has the record of our discussion on Max's peer review for
080893 - the USACE Cost Savings report, ref SDS 16 line 90.  This illustrates
080894 - how peer review works and is incorporated into Communication Metrics.
080895 -
080896 -     [On 971020 sent this letter the next day, which is when the letter
080897 -     to Max was issued, ref SDS 19 0001
080898 -
080899 -
080900 -
080901 -
080902 -
080903 -
080904 -
080905 -
080906 -
080907 -
0810 -
0811 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"