Project Management

Agencies Can’t Climb Everest Alone

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth. The Himalayan peak’ is more than 29,000 feet above sea level. And only a few more than 5,000 intrepid climbers have ever reached the top. Those who have reached the summit have done so with the help of trusty guides and with the insights of climbers ofRead… Read more »

Who Will Be the Next “Mayor of the Pentagon?”

The selection of the next Secretary of Defense is in the headlines. But there’s a new senior-level Defense position that will be important in coming years, and who is appointed will matter. Years ago, career executive David O. “Doc” Cooke was informally called the “Mayor of the Pentagon.” He was responsible for the internal administrationRead… Read more »

Next Steps in MoneyBall Government

Hope springs eternal! Two recent reports, a new book, and a newly introduced bill in Congress all contribute to a steady momentum toward evidence-based decision making. The legislation, which is bipartisan and bicameral, could have some momentum in the waning days of a lame duck Congress. It would create a commission to strengthen the useRead… Read more »

It Takes Knowledge Management to Harpoon a Comet

Like many earlier this week, I was picking my jaw off the floor when I learned of the success of the Rosetta mission in safely getting the Philae lander on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.  There are not enough expletives to precede the word “amazing” in describing that feat of math and engineering (not to mention good fortune). Read… Read more »

Stop Failing, Start Learning: Try Rapid Prototyping

John Godfrey Saxe, an American poet, introduced the Indian parable “The Blind Men and the Elephant” to a Western audience. In this tale, six blind men touch the same elephant, but each perceives something different about the animal. “And so these men of Indostan disputed loud and long, each in his own opinion exceeding stiffRead… Read more »