#353 – RISKS OF HIRING THE WRONG PROJECT MANAGER – JOHN AYERS

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Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Blink. It is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren’t as simple as they seem.  In the book (and I am paraphrasing), it states you can learn more about a potential hire by visiting their living quarters for 5 minutes than you can get by interviewing the person for a couple of hours. Why?  You can see how organized he/she is. You can see how neat he/she is. You can see what reading material he/she does read. All of these attributes help define the person. Continue reading

#352 – HOW TO RELIABLY DESIGN FOR A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE – JOHN AYERS

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Reliability is designed into a product.  Poor reliability is long term, difficult and expensive to rectify because it is woven into the fabric of the product. That is why high reliability products require complete and accurate analyses, simulations, and models to be successful. High reliable components are essential as well. Single point failures are taboo but, in some cases, there is no way to avoid them. Continue reading

#350 – PROJECT REQUIREMENTS ARE A RISK – JOHN AYERS

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Some common reasons why requirements can cause risk to a project are:

  • To be determined (TBD)
  • Late requirements definition
  • Unclear requirement definition
  • Changing requirements
  • Late requirement flow down to subcontractors
  • Incorrect or poorly defined interface documents

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#348 – PROJECT MANAGER LESSONS LEARNED: BAD TECHNICAL DECISION – JOHN AYERS

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This story is an example of centering your design around a high-tech solution to a problem when a low risk proven technology would have more than sufficed.   Technical expertise egos got in the way of a practical low-cost approach resulting in unplanned schedule and cost growth. Continue reading

#347 – NUCLEAR FUSION ADVANCES – JOHN AYERS

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New superconducting magnet breaks magnetic field strength records, paving the way for practical, commercial, carbon-free power fusion energy. MIT and U.S. startup company Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) led the project. This test paves the way for a demonstration device to show a plasma can be created and contained that generates more energy than it consumes. The demonstration device is expected to be completed in 2025. The hope is that in the future there will be thousands of fusion plants powering clean electric grids around the world helping to save the planet. Continue reading