“Diversity of thought” is the “all lives matter” of corporate inclusion efforts
Diversity and inclusion means making sure that teams are actually diverse, across a range of visible and not-visible features. Why does that matter?
Category: Thoughts
Agile SE Part Zero: Overview
“Agile” is the latest buzzword in systems engineering. It has a fair share of both adherents and detractors, not to mention a long list of companies offering to sell tools, training, and coaching. Dive into a thoughtful, reasoned discussion about when and how agile can work for systems engineering projects.
Learn from the mistakes of others
he problem with being too busy to read is that you learn by experience… i.e. the hard way. By reading, you learn through others’ experiences, generally a better way to do business…
General James Mattis
Board man gets paid
Pro basketball player Kawhi Leonard found his niche as “The Board Man”. What’s your niche?
Diversity in engineering careers
We’ve come a long way. It’s never been a better time to enter the workforce as a woman/person of color/LGBTQ/etc. Diversity in the workforce and leadership of engineering companies is on the rise, barriers are falling, and the value of diversity is being recognized. And yet, we still have so far to go.
Thoughts on “A Message to Garcia”
“A Message to Garcia” is a brief essay on the value of initiative and hard work written by Elbert Hubbard in 1898. It is often assigned in leadership courses, particularly in the military. There are a number of interpretations and potential lessons to be extracted from this story. It’s important that developing leaders find the valuable ideas.
It’s time to get rid of specialty engineering: A criticism of the INCOSE Handbook
The INCOSE Handbook “Specialty Engineering” section is a hodge-podge of roles and skillsets with varying scope. It does a disservice to many of the aspects, particularly human systems integration (HSI).
Visiting an operational missile cruiser
I was recently offered an incredible opportunity to spend a day aboard an operational U.S. Navy ship, meeting the crew and observing their work as they conducted a live fire exercise. The experience blew me away. I came away with new appreciation for our surface forces as well as observations relevant for defense acquisition policy and systems engineering.