- RECOGNIZING THE PETER PRINCIPLE
Describes how to identify the attributes of the Peter Principle. - A CORPORATE POLICY FOR PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Describes a proposed policy for controlling personal electronic devices in the workplace. - SOCIALISTI MANAGEMENT
Describes the problems of "flexible management." - COVERING FOR INCOMPETENCE
Describes your options when your boss is ineffective. - SUFFERING FROM TUNNEL VISION
Does anyone see the big picture anymore? - UNDERSTANDING EFFECTIVENESS
Discusses the use of worker time and how it impacts estimating and scheduling in Project Management. - THE PROBLEM OF OFFICE POLITICS
Discusses common political problems found in the office. - WHO MAKES THE BEST SYSTEMS ANALYSTS?
Describes the attributes of Systems Analysts, both good and bad. - THE PROBLEM WITH VACATIONS
The only problem with vacations is that Americans don't know how to enjoy them. - RESISTING CHANGE
Discusses why people resist change. - OFFICE GOSSIP
Discusses the problems and politics of Office Gossip. - IS SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AN ART OR A SCIENCE?
Good question; what do you think? - OFFICE NOISE
Discusses the effect of noise in the workplace. - ESTIMATING BY PERCENTAGES
Discusses the fallacy of project estimating by percentages of phase development. - JUNK FAXES
Discusses the problem of unsolicited fax messages received. - STRESS
Discusses the effect of stress and how much of it is self-imposed. - SHAPETH UP AND GET THINE ACT TOGETHER
Discusses the benefits of being organized. - HAS IBM BECOME IRRELEVANT?
Is IBM still a viable force in the I.T. Industry? - CRAFTSMANSHIP: its Cultural and Managerial Implications
Discusses the state of craftsmanship and what is needed to do revive it. - STANDARD SYSTEM STRUCTURE
Proposes a standard model of Information Systems for use in design and development. - OFFICE TEMPERATURE
My "Pet Peeve of the Week" is "OFFICE TEMPERATURE" - hot or cold; what do you prefer? - PROJECT MANAGEMENT REQUIRES A ROAD MAP
Discusses the differences between methodologies and Project Management. - $3 WORDS
Examines our excessive use of words used to impress others. - PROACTIVE VS. REACTIVE MANAGEMENT
Compares and contrasts two different styles of management. - SMALL BUSINESS OWNER CONCERNS
Are the problems experienced by small business owners any different than their corporate counterparts? - KEEPING DOWN WITH THE JONES'
Questions why we find it necessary to keep up with the Jones'. - WHO CONTROLS THE WORK ENVIRONMENT?
Discusses who controls the work environment, the worker or the manager? - BEING TAKEN FOR GRANTED
Discusses why we, as consumers, are taken for granted. - PERSONAL ADVERTISING
Questions why we find it necessary to personally advertise other companies. - WHO REALLY ASSUMES RISK?
Discusses who really assumes risk in a company; the employer or the employee? - LIFETIME WARRANTIES
Explains why lifetime warranties make good business sense. - CHINESE FIRE DRILLS
Discusses the need for controlling the work environment. Do we really like operating in a helter-skelter mode? - REARRANGING THE DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC
Questions whether we are working on the right priorities or not. - THE COST OF TECHNOLOGY
Discusses the rising cost of technology and how it affects us. - REINVENTING THE WHEEL
Examines the human compulsion to reinvent the same things time and again. - THE SECRET TO SUCCESS
Describes the attributes of success. - SISTERS
Describes the relationship between Brothers and Sisters. - APATHY & BONUS: TODAY'S WRITING HABITS
Here I describe how apathy affects us and how we are being conditioned to be so. Also, I have a Bonus section on "Today's Writing Habits." - CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Discuss techniques for a person to constantly improve themselves professionally. - DEFRIEFING
Discusses considerations for young new hires when joining a company. - THE DRIVING TOP TEN
Ten driving habits that drives me nuts. - SUBURBAN NAZIS
Discusses the problem of who is watching who in our neighborhoods. - THE AGE OF SPECIALISTS
Discusses the need for generalists as well as specialists. - THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY - PART II
A continuation of an earlier piece, "Adverse Effect of Technology." - YOU CAN PUT YOUR EYE OUT THAT WAY
A favorite expression among mothers. - SENDING THE RIGHT MESSAGE
Discusses how we transmit messages in the work place. - THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY
Discusses the effects of technology on our socialization skills. - MISSING SAM KINISON
Reviews what might have been had this "heavy metal" comedian survived. - HOW WELL ARE WE PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION?
In a word: Lousy! - VERIZON
Discusses customer service problems at Verizon. - EMPTY NESTS
Article considers what happens when the kids finally leave home. - LEADERSHIP: TWO EXTREMES
Article considers two extreme interpretations, neither of which works. - MICROMANAGEMENT
Recently, I had some business friends complain to me how their employees cannot follow directions. But on the other hand, I also know a lot of people who wonder why management doesn't trust them to do their job properly. You see this not only in the corporate world but in nonprofit organizations as well. Today, managers are spending more time supervising the work of others as opposed to actually managing them. - Little League
Article reviews this venerable institution for our youth and baseball. - FAST FOOD
I find people tend to be embarrassed visiting a fast food restaurant. Nobody wants to admit they eat there knowing there is a sleaze factor involved. - TATTOOS
I've never understood the need to paint the human body with tattoos, Some say its nothing more than an example of self-expression. Actually, I think its more of a cry for attention than anything else. - THE MORAL MINORITY
Discusses the causes of the decline in morality and offers suggestions for correcting it. - THE BRUTAL REALITY OF IRM
Even though IRM is a beautifully simple concept, its only weakness is the management needed to implement it. If you are considering the acquisition of an IRM Repository for your development efforts, consider your management skills first. - ENTERING THE TWILIGHT ZONE
I am often asked by younger people as to the direction of the I.T. industry and what they should be thinking about. I tell them three things; first, this is an illogical industry devoid of commonsense. What was logical in my day will not be the same in theirs. Second, I tell them if they are going to stay in the I.T. industry, they should find a solid niche and immerse themselves in it. And third, be prepared to change and evolve. - IMPLEMENTING A METHODOLOGY
The use of organized methodologies for the development of systems and software have been around for 35 years. Today, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of methodologies available for use. Regardless of what methodology you elect to use, there are some serious implementation considerations to ponder and it would be foolish not to look before you leap into one. - EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING
The interviewer must be one part detective, one part lawyer, and one part translator. The interviewer must be a detective in order to know how to investigate a problem and know what to look for; he must be a lawyer in order to know how to ask the right questions, and; he must be a translator to interpret what the user is saying. - WHAT PRICE QUALITY?
f we lived in a perfect world, systems and software would be developed rapidly and inexpensively, they would effectively satisfy business needs, and would be easy to maintain and modify. There is only one problem with this scenario: it is a fantasy. - THE MINI-PROJECT MANAGER CONCEPT
Unlike Theory X, the MPM concept seeks to empower workers and make them more responsible for their actions. It promotes more management and less supervision. Actually, under the MPM concept, the individual is expected to act professionally and supervise themselves. - PUTTING THE BOOMERS OUT TO PASTURE
"The Baby Boomers will be more remembered for the problems they left behind as opposed to anything they accomplished during their tenure."
- Bryce's Law - The Dichotomy of Systems Development Management
In order to be a Systems Development Manager, you have to be a lot of things: front man, educator, mentor, sage, politician, etc. Oh yea, something else, you also have to be a hypocrite. - HOW EFFECTIVE WERE YOU TODAY?
Okay, you believe you had a great day at work today; that you accomplished a lot. And maybe you did. Then again, maybe you didn't do as much as you might think. - MANAGING VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS
These are interesting times for managing systems development projects. In the old days (as late as the 1980's), whenever a development project was initiated, it was necessary to form a project team at a centralized geographical location in order to expedite communications between project members. But now we live in an age of electronic communications that provides greater flexibility in terms of allowing workers to work just about anywhere. - BOXES AND LINES
Until such time as we can master the Vulcan "mind meld," whereby we can transfer knowledge telepathically, there will always be a need for documentation. Its an inherent part of the design process and the principal deliverable produced by engineers and architects. Don't deny it, accept it. - THE PROBLEM WITH BEING AHEAD OF YOUR TIME
Not too long ago Panasonic's corporate slogan was, "Just slightly ahead of our time." It was catchy and it inferred their products were on the cutting edge of the industry. There was only one problem with this, as Panasonic found out, people feel uncomfortable using products ahead of their time. - The Ratio of Analysts to Programmers
Whether you call them Systems Analysts, Business Analysts, Systems Engineers, or Enterprise Architects, it is very encouraging to see this vital function being reintroduced to companies. As far as I am concerned, it was inevitable. - Bryce Management Analysis Service Introduced
New service introduced to analyze management styles. - Parkinson's Law in I.T.
Ever wonder why our computers typically last no more than three years? Many contend it is because of the fast pace of technological advancements. Maybe. But I tend to believe there is a little more to it than just that, namely "Parkinson's Law." - THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! THE LOST CHAPTER
Review items in the training program not covered by the book.
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