Under (perpetual) Construction
I have a lot of articles floating around cyberspace, published in a variety of places. I wanted to make it easier for people (including myself) to find them all. So, I am working on creating a single page that links to pretty much everything I've written. I hope you find it useful.
Defense AT&L Articles
These articles are all in the public domain and can be reprinted or posted online. When reprinting, please credit the author(s) and Defense AT&L.
The Top 5
The Rogue Program Manager’s Art of War, May/Jun 05. This one captures the core concepts of program management, leadership and ethics which Quaid and I try to practice and teach.
Modern Acquisition Myths, Mar/Apr 03. My first good article - this one sort of started it all for me, and it's still a favorite.
Heroics, Process & Program Management, Sep/Dec 03 This is the first one Quaid and I wrote together. Got quite a huge response, both positive and negative.
Everything We… Learned From Punk Rock, Jul/Aug 05 They almost didn't publish this article, but I'm glad they did because it generated so much buzz and was even republished in Harpers. You can see it here (subscription required).
The Pursuit of Courage, Judgment and Luck: A Rogue Risk Rant, Mar/Apr 07
Wrote this one in response to some truly bad articles on risk management.
The FIST Series
It’s About Time, Jan/Feb 06
Exploring ways to cut development timelines
Doing Less With More, Nov/Dec 04
Highlights the difficulties caused by being overfunded.
The Simplicity Cycle, Nov/Dec 05
Simplicity, complexity and design - this one eventually became a book in its own right.
FIST Part 5, May/Jun 06
The capstone article in the FIST series, it looks at the importance of being small and puts all the pieces together.
FIST Comic #1, Mar/Apr 06
A superhero comic that literally illustrates the FIST principles.
The Danger of Caution (Comic #2), Nov/Dec 07
The FIST heroes are back in another comic with a new opponent.
Programmatic Fiction
Optimizing Bi-Modal Signal/Noise Reduction, A Fairy Tale, Sep/Oct 05
I wanted to write something my kids would enjoy and which still would be helpful to my peers. This fairytale was the result. I love how it came out (so did my daughters), but mostly I love the illustration Jim Elmore provided.
I wrote this film noir style story in about half an hour, in a hotel room somewhere. I'm particularly proud of it. I wish everything I wrote came out this easily and this well.
Krog's New Weapon, Mar/Apr 08
A science fiction story about a futuristic alien program manager who asks some very good questions.
Socrates in DC, Jul/Aug 08
An odd-ball homage to Ted Cope, Dee Hock and Tom Robbins, this follows a group of program managers as they follow Socrates on a tour of various monuments.
The Rest
Weird Leonards Through History, Jan/Feb 08
Boy this one was fun to write (I'm seeing a common theme here) - it's about intuitive decision making and risk taking.
Postmodern Program Management, May/Jun 08
An exploration of two different worldviews - modern and postmodern - and their impact on program management approaches.
The Process Cycle, Jul/Aug 07
Gabe and I sketched this one out on a whiteboard, then a year or so later finally got around to writing it up.
Knock, Knock, Knocking on Newton’s Door, Mar/Apr 05 Largely inspired by Duncan Watt's book "Six Degrees," this is about social networking and innovation.
Requirements: The Root Of All Evil, Mar/Apr 04
The Program Manager’s Dilemma, May/Jun 04
I'm not an expert in game theory, but that didn't stop me from writing about it. And now almost four years after writing this article, I still get emails from people asking for advice and insight on game theory. Most of them know way more about it than I ever will.
Now For Something Completely Different, Jul/Aug 04
Presents an approach we call SAWABI - Start Again With A Better Idea.
Make Room for Generation Net, May/Jun 05
Something happens to you when you're exposed to certain technologies at a young age. This looks at the impact of things like Google, MapQuest and Amazon (and it's already dated...)
We’ve Come A Long, Long Way, Sep/Oct 06
Quaid was the prime mover on this Arthurian article, examining defense technology methodologies used by the Knights of the Round Table.
Acquisition On The High Seas, Jan/Feb 05
We describe this as a fake interview with real 18th century pirates.
It’s All In The Talent, Nov/Dec 06
Quaid actually called a modeling agency and did a little phone interview with a talent scout as part of his research for this article about the importance of talent.
Villains – The Necessary Evil?, Jan/Feb 04
A follow-up to our first Heroes article.
Heroes II: Attack of the Process Clones, Sep/Oct 04
Another follow-up to the Heroes article.
Quitting Time, Jan/Feb 05
A New Years Resolutions article I wrote on a lark. I was surprised how much of a reaction it got.
Starting The Conversation, Jul/Aug 05
A poem. In fact, as far as I know it's the only poem Defense AT&L has ever published. I briefly considered writing a bunch of poems, and having them publish one every issue... but then decided not to.
Project Blue Lynx, Jul/Aug 06
An article about an innovative mentoring program I ran.
The Trouble With Action Items, Nov/Dec 02
My very first article. The best part is the illustration - I include it here simply for completeness.
Other Stuff