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SEPs and Avoiding the Body Brothers

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According to “ The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy ” [1] An S.E.P. can run almost indefinitely on a torch or a 9 volt battery, and is able to do so because it utilises a person's natural tendency to ignore things they don't easily accept, like, for example, aliens at a cricket match. Any object around which an S.E.P. is applied will cease to be noticed, because any problems one may have understanding it (and therefore accepting its existence) become Somebody Else's Problem. An object becomes not so much invisible as unnoticed. A perfect example of this would be a ship covered in an SEP field at a cricket match. A starship taking the appearance of a large pink elephant is ideal because you can see it, yet it is so inconceivable, your mind can't accept it. Therefore it can't exist, thus ignoring it comes naturally. An S.E.P. can work in much the same way in dangerous or uninhabitable environments. Any problem which may present itself to a person inside an S.E.P. (such...
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Veto-by-Proxy

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  Veto-by-Proxy   AKA: Are you helping or not? People with the power of approval or with influence over those who do hold power frequently veto-by-proxy . i.e. although they never actually say no or withhold approval, they make it so hard to succeed the project will fail, leaving them innocent in any part of the failure.   The basic tenet of veto-by-proxy is to stop something happening without being identified as being responsible for or initiating negative activity whilst at the same time overtly supporting the initiative. Whilst such behaviour is initially difficult to spot, the accumulation of minor inconsistencies and incongruous behaviour often leads to a vague perception that all is not what it seems. Common behaviours to look out for are:   Inappropriate level focus on minor risks and issues (nit picking) Inappropriate level focus on minor risks and issues (nit picking) Constantly seeking improvements over-and above that which is necessary (gilding th...
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Fuck the Problem........................Fix the People

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AKA:    It’s who you are, and how you do it!.........not what you do or what you’ve done!                                                                                                        When things go wrong, it’s stressful for all involved – it can also be a lonely disempowering place for those who are reliant on, but not able to contribute to the resolution.  The buyers and the customers who have no choice, but to sit and wait.   Providing a great fix is rarely sufficient to restore harmony.   BUT!............................. “ it shouldn’t have gone wrong in the first place!!! ”   An old mentor of mine used to say “F*** the problem, fix the people” a sentiment that is as true today ...
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Governance - WHAT A DRAG!

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       MVG - Minimum Viable Governance                F D =½C P A V 2       FACT:    Drag increases proportionately with the square of speed.         The same principle can be applied to drag in projects,   the more urgently something is needed the greater the impact of those items that cause drag.   To be clear any activity that is not directly associated with producing the goods is a drag.   I.e. if you didn’t do them, in theory, at least, the project would still deliver.   By far the biggest drag on a project is GOVERNANCE . i.e., record keeping, planning, monitoring, report writing, progress updating, change management, risk management and   ATTENDING MEETINGS .   In other-words nearly everything the project management team does and would have the wider project team do (that is not actually expending effort pro...
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