CONTACTS 
0201 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers         415 977 8501 fax 8483
020101 - San Francisco District
020102 - MAJ Erik Blechinger; Deputy District Engineer
020103 - Office of the Commander

SUBJECTS
COE Evaluation Communication Metrics
District Support, Reduced Paper handling
Orientation for DDE, Major Blenchinger
Institutionalize Communication Metrics
Humbolt Project
Fear Accountability Metrics Second Guessing
Denial Managers Making Mistakes Reject
Fear Communication Manager Replaces
Expertise Needed for Communication Manager
Communication Manager Embarrasses Leader
Bumbling Comedy of Errors, Guess Gossip

3113 -    ..
3114 - Summary/Objective
3115 -
311501 - Follow up ref SDS 26 0000, ref SDS 25 0000.
311502 -
311503 - The Major does not want to use Communication Metrics for weekly staff
311504 - meetings.  We reviewed the goal to engage the military in the process
311505 - of Communication Metrics to accomplish a broader evaluation. The Major
311506 - indicated that use on projects would provide this opportunity, and
311507 - that he would support a request from Max to use Communication Metrics
311508 - for projects.
311509 -
311510 - Submitted ref DIT 1 0000 with link to this record.
311511 -
311512 -     [On 990224 met with Tom and Max. ref SDS 29 0000]
311513 -
311514 -     [On 990225 talked to Major Blechinger. ref SDS 30 2288]
311515 -
311516 -
311517 -
3116 -
3117 -
3118 - Discussion
3119 -
311901 -  ..
311902 - Communication Metrics Not Needed for Weekly Staff Meetings
311903 -
311904 - Follow up ref SDS 26 3432.
311905 -
311906 - The Major said he received my letter, ref DIP 4 6468, while traveling
311907 - last week, but he has not had an opportunity to respond.
311908 -
311909 - I explained understandings from Tom on 990211, that the Major will not
311910 - support using Communication Metrics in the District. ref SDS 28 3407
311911 - ..
311912 - The Major seemed to clarify this understanding today.
311913 -
311914 - He said that support for staff meetings is his job.  If Communication
311915 - Metrics was used for this, which is one of the applications discussed
311916 - on 990204, ref SDS 26 6510, it would encroach on his responsibilities
311917 - and authority.  This concern was reviewed on 960721. ref SDS 4 7456
311918 -
311919 -      [On 990225 clarified Max's understanding. ref SDS 30 2288]
311920 -
311921 - He cited "systems" he is using for staff meetings that are adequate
311922 - for District needs, and he expressed worry that Communiation Metrics
311923 - work product is only accessible through software which requires
311924 - special expertise.
311925 -
311926 -      [On 990225 Tom Keesling advised this "system" notifies people of
311927 -      assignments via email. ref SDS 30 0416]
311928 -
311929 - On 990204 we used the Internet to get the agenda for our meeting, and
311930 - to access records, documents and analysis extending over a period of
311931 - 10 years. ref SDS 26 6600   This was accomplished with web browser
311932 - skills.  On 981027 District Counsel reported that SDS information on
311933 - the Internet solves the access problem. ref SDS 15 5208  More
311934 - experience in the District with Communication Metrics will make access
311935 - easier for everyone, and show how this method strengthens existing
311936 - systems and skills.
311937 -
311938 - We considered briefly that "intelligence" is a support role to assist
311939 - command in meeting responsibilities, similar to the NSA support for
311940 - the president, as cited in the District's report. ref DRP 1 6172
311941 - ..
311942 - The Major disagrees with General Hatch that "intelligence" can
311943 - improve management, which he recalled reading in the District's
311944 - report. ref DRP 1 6172
311945 -
311946 - He concludes that cost savings on the Oakland project attributed to
311947 - Communication Metrics could have been achieved by anyone, because of
311948 - severe problems on Oakland.  He feels a senior Project Engineer would
311949 - have helped, along with better engineering, management reviews,
311950 - contract administration and leadership.  On 971017 Jim Jones, HQUSACE,
311951 - made a similar point. ref SDS 10 4814 and ref SDS 10 2849  Limited span
311952 - of attention impacts HQUSACE. ref SDS 10 4212 and ref SDS 10 6352
311953 -
311954 - As a result, the Major advised that savings on the Oakland project do
311955 - not support continued use of Communication Metrics by the District.
311956 -
311957 - Savings on Oakland were analysed on 981027. ref SDS 15 9152
311958 -
311959 -
311960 -  ..
311961 - Military Needs Opportunity to Work with "Intelligence"
311962 - Major Supports Staff Using Communication Metrics for Projects
311963 -
311964 - He feels more experience on a wider range of projects is needed to
311965 - fully establish cost savings, which aligns with Max Blodgett's memo on
311966 - 970406, ref DRP 1 1489, and more recently from the Construction
311967 - Services Branch on 981103. ref DRP 3 3857
311968 -
311969 - The Major explained different perspectives between military and
311970 - civilian management in the Corps of Engineers.
311971 -
311972 - Civilian management uses contracted services, while the military
311973 - relies on internal resources.
311974 -
311975 - We did not discuss changes that have "flattened" management structure
311976 - throughout the government, and that this increase in span of control
311977 - produces a need for "intelligence" to make these changes cost
311978 - effective?  (see discussion with Tom on 990204. ref SDS 25 6448)
311979 -
311980 - We also did not directly discuss changes in the work environment that
311981 - cause information overload.  (Max noted in a separate discussion this
311982 - morning that he has 270 email to read as a result of being out of the
311983 - office for a week on assignment. ref SDS 29 6797)
311984 -
311985 - In any case, the Major's main point is that, if everybody does their
311986 - job, then communication does not need a system of business metrics to
311987 - ensure information is organized, analysed, aligned and summarized to
311988 - facilitate feedback that establishes accuracy.
311989 -
311990 - We did not review the correllary that command must enable people to do
311991 - their job, and provide leadership for continual improvement, also
311992 - called "continual learning," called out by ISO criterial. see review
311993 - on 950721. ref SDS 2 2846
311994 - ..
311995 - The Major questioned using "intelligence" to support projects,
311996 - as noted above on General Hatch's point. ref SDS 0 4018
311997 -
311998 - He indicated that the Project Manager, RE, Project Engineer and
311999 - Contracting Officer, need to gather "data" and that dredging projects
312000 - require dredging experience to produce useful communications.
312001 -
312002 - Communication must synthesize and align cross-functional skills in
312003 - order to make a project successfull in today's environment.  The Corps
312004 - has a lot of dredging expertise.  Communication Metrics is a new skill
312005 - for a new business climate.  I mentioned briefly the role of timely
312006 - "intelligence" to organize, analyse, align, summarize and obtain
312007 - feedback, which is different from gathering "data." ref OF 1 0582
312008 -
312009 -      [On 990225 obtained feedback from Max and DDE. ref SDS 30 5400
312010 -      and ref SDS 30 2288]
312011 - ..
312012 - The Major mentioned again the importance of "data" and that
312013 - currently assigned staff can do this work adequately if they work hard
312014 - enough and are properly led.  On 980808 "hard work" for problem
312015 - handling was proposed to solve information overload at IBM. ref SDS 14
312016 - 3379
312017 -
312018 - I asked if he is willing to test this view by supporting further use
312019 - of Communication Metrics in the District?
312020 -
312021 - Suppose, for example, that Tom, Max, Herb, Leonard, Tom Benero, when
312022 - he was here, Tom White, Marc McGovern and others, who have worked with
312023 - Communication Metrics, have correctly assessed the potential of this
312024 - method to help the District carry out its mission, based on hard won
312025 - experience. see for example analysis on 981027, ref SDS 15 9152
312026 - ..
312027 - What should responsible leadership do to support those assigned
312028 - to carry out the work, as Max posed on 970919? ref SDS 9 8849
312029 -
312030 - Tom Keesling noted on 961101 that, after gaining experience with
312031 - Communication Metrics, he and others in the District discovered that
312032 - their initial concerns, as voiced by the Major today, were not
312033 - justified. ref SDS 7 8888  How can can we help others gain experience
312034 - to support judgement on this matter?
312035 -
312036 - We discussed the goal to give the military side in the Corps a chance
312037 - to work with Communication Metrics in order to test the usefulness of
312038 - an "intelligence" role.  Support for weekly staff meetings would
312039 - accomplish this by directly engaging the Major in the effort.
312040 - ..
312041 - The Major feels that using Communication Metrics on projects
312042 - will provide an opportunity for him to interact with the process in
312043 - order to assess viability.
312044 -
312045 - He cited considerable email he has seen on Communication Metrics by
312046 - District staff who favor this initiative.
312047 -
312048 - This record supports deferring use of Communication Metrics for staff
312049 - meetings until there is more confidence that it can truly help, rather
312050 - than impose on command authority, as the Major cites. ref SDS 0 5200
312051 - ..
312052 - I asked if the Major would support Max using Communication
312053 - Metrics for projects?
312054 -
312055 - The Major said that it is entirely Max's call.  If Max wants to use
312056 - Communication Metrics, then command will support him.
312057 -
312058 - We considered briefly the prospect of the DE asking the Major for his
312059 - opinion.  If the Major says it is not cost effective because savings
312060 - on Oakland do not count, as discussed above, ref SDS 0 4018, then
312061 - there is no point in going through the exercise.
312062 - ..
312063 - The Major said that if Max submits a request for Communication
312064 - Metrics then he will support Max's decision.
312065 -
312066 - I asked the Major to go down the hall to Max's office so we can share
312067 - our thinking this morning.  I don't want to relate information to Tom
312068 - and to Max in a way that the Major does not intend.
312069 -
312070 - The Major said it is not necessary.  Since Max has the authority to
312071 - use Communication Metrics, he does not need to discuss it with the
312072 - Major.
312073 -
312074 -    [On 990225 report Major Blechinger met with Max and confirmed these
312075 -    understandings. ref SDS 30 8640 and also at ref SDS 30 2288]
312076 -
312077 -    [On 990323 Max wants Leonard to initiate procurement. ref SDS 31
312078 -    9054]
312079 -
312080 -    [On 990426 Leonard wants to defer Com Metrics. ref SDS 32 9066]
312081 -
312082 -
312083 -
312084 -
3121 -