Managing & Technology — www.ddmcd.com

Website copyright © 2002-2025 by Dennis D. McDonald. From Alexandria, Virginia I support proposal writing & management, content and business development, market research, and strategic planning. I also a practice and support cursive handwriting. My email: ddmcd@ddmcd.com. My bio: here.

Who Needs Reports to Congress? We Do. Here’s Why.

Jul 27

Jul 27 Who Needs Reports to Congress? We Do. Here’s Why.

Dennis D. McDonald

Management, Open Data, Peer Review, Performance

What we don’t know from the Post article is why anyone would defend useless reports. Are they really useless? Does someone still find them useful? Have they turned into consultants’ and staff employment programs? Or would the programs being reported on feel “slighted” if a congressionally mandated report were no longer required?

Jul 19
Jul 19 Using A New Windows 8.1 Machine With Two Clouds

Dennis D. McDonald

Change, Cloud Computing, Google, Google Docs, Media, User Interface, Windows

We have entered a very complex computing landscape where, if you do not have an affiliation with an organization that is in a position to specify an official computing and file sharing architecture and infrastructure, things can get complicated.

Management Needs Data Literacy To Run Open Data Programs

Jul 16

Jul 16 Management Needs Data Literacy To Run Open Data Programs

Dennis D. McDonald

Competency, Data Access, Literacy, Open Data, Project Management, Strategy, Transparency, Data Program Management, Data Literacy

Whether you have useful information stored in documents or in data sets you also need at some point to have the ability and skill to manage or at least understand the processes involved in gathering and analyzing the data.

Don’t Let Tools Drive Enterprise Data Strategy

Jun 30

Jun 30 Don’t Let Tools Drive Enterprise Data Strategy

Dennis D. McDonald

Accountability, Big Data, Data, Data Access, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Strategy

Isaac Sacolick’s Friend or Foe? How Microsoft Excel 2013 Creates New Data Governance Challenges is a refreshing look at the challenges organizations face as the capabilities of data management tools outstrip the policies and processes for governing how such tools are used.

Data Transparency Needs Data Strategy!

Jun 11

Jun 11 Data Transparency Needs Data Strategy!

Dennis D. McDonald

Big Data, Collaboration, Open Data, Project Management, Standards, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Transparency

We want systems and processes to be more effective and transparent, we want to be able to take advantage of improved standards and technologies when they make sense — but we also need to balance the cost benefits of change in a fiscally austere and change resistant environment.

Jun 3
Jun 3 How Should DATA Act Implementation Impact Federal Project Management Practices?

Dennis D. McDonald

DATA Act, Data Access, Data Conversion, Project Management, Transparency

While a central program management operation can define detailed technical requirements, technical approaches, and management tools, implementation work needs to be occurring locally – while the “train is still running.” How this overall governance process is managed will determine how long DATA Act implementation takes, how much it costs, and whether or not it is successful.

May 28
May 28 Possible Pitfalls in Comparing Performance Measures Across Programs

Dennis D. McDonald

Best Practices, Collaboration, Data Access, Open Data, Performance, Standards, Strategy

You do need to avoid adopting standards and processes developed by other organizations without first understanding how and why they were developed. That requires research, communication with the other organization, and thoughtful planning.

Government Performance Measurement and DATA Act Implementation Need to be Coordinated

May 23

May 23 Government Performance Measurement and DATA Act Implementation Need to be Coordinated

Dennis D. McDonald

Cost Analysis, Costs, DATA Act, Data, Data Access, Performance, Standards

Hopefully a coordinated data management strategy is something that Treasury, OMB, GAO, and the White House are already working on.

May 21
May 21 Open Data and Performance Measurement: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Dennis D. McDonald

Data, Data Access, Metrics, Open Data, Performance, Standards, Statistics

Now we’re seeing more attention being paid in the public sector to data management strategy as data assets become a more visible — and public — components of government action. That’s a good thing.

Is It Possible To Have Too Much Technology and Too Much Data?

May 16

May 16 Is It Possible To Have Too Much Technology and Too Much Data?

Dennis D. McDonald

Attention, Augmented reality, Glass, Media, Mobile, Mobile Tech, Technology, Wearable

The irony is that, in experimenting with various ways to augment our attention with useful and targeted information, we may actually be reducing, not increasing, our ability to pay attention to the really useful information we need to interact with the people and the world around us.

Real World Project Management: The Communications Management Plan

May 9

May 9 Real World Project Management: The Communications Management Plan

Dennis D. McDonald

Business Models, Collaboration, List_AR, Project Management, communications, Communications

you need an online place to go where all the project “basics” are available to all team members and stakeholders as well as up to date information about ongoing work.

Apr 29
Apr 29 DATA Act Implementation: Where’s the Plan?

Dennis D. McDonald

DATA Act, Data Access, Data Conversion, Open Data, Project Management, Standards

On balance I believe passage of the DATA Act will be a good thing as long as its implementation is effectively planned and managed. Before commenting on its ultimate success or failure, though, I’d like to see a detailed work plan with resources, responsibilities, a timeline, and deliverables. That’s just good project management.

Apr 28
Apr 28 Is the “Sharing Economy” Really Here to Stay?

Dennis D. McDonald

Airbnb, Lyft, Media, Mobile, Mobile Tech, Shared, Uber

The data presented in Kevin Roose’s The Sharing Economy Isn’t About Trust, It’s About Desperation doesn’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship between a deteriorating job situation and the rise of “sharing economy” services like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb. Correlation isn’t the same as causation.

“Google Glass Isn’t Dead It’s Just Resting”

Apr 22

Apr 22 “Google Glass Isn’t Dead It’s Just Resting”

Dennis D. McDonald

Change, Glass, Google, Innovation, Mobile, Mobile Tech

I’m not a Google Glass User but even I can spot the shortcomings of Gene Marks’ Forbes online article How Google Screwed Up Google Glass.

Some Implications of the Overlap Between Project and Process Roles

Apr 18

Apr 18 Some Implications of the Overlap Between Project and Process Roles

Dennis D. McDonald

Innovation, Management, Process, Project Management, R&D Management, SoftPMO

Pixar's Lessons for Project Communication & Collaboration

Apr 10

Apr 10 Pixar's Lessons for Project Communication & Collaboration

Dennis D. McDonald

Collaboration, Innovation, List_AR, Project Management

Increasingly I’m of the opinion that, while systems that add communication functionality to project tools can make great deal of sense in some circumstances, what’s more important is to enable staff and stakeholders to use the communication tools they’re comfortable with using.

Why I Like the New COSMOS

Mar 31

Mar 31 Why I Like the New COSMOS

Dennis D. McDonald

Imagination, Media, SETI, Science, Science Education, Genetics

I’ve seen three of the new COSMOS programs so far. I’m really enjoying them. I like the host, the graphics, and how the programs look on a large screen TV.

Who Will Pay for Open Data?

Mar 24

Mar 24 Who Will Pay for Open Data?

Dennis D. McDonald

Cloud Computing, DATA Act, Data Access, Information Technology, Open Data, Policy, Standards

Alicia Green’s Open data is the next iteration of public records shows how the definition of “open data” continues to evolve.

Why I Still Read the Newspaper

Mar 19

Mar 19 Why I Still Read the Newspaper

Dennis D. McDonald

Kindle, Media, Newspapers, Publishing, Reading

What do I like about the paper edition? I can assure you it’s not the smell of the newsprint.

White Paper: Assessing Readiness for Enterprise Social Software

Mar 5

Mar 5 White Paper: Assessing Readiness for Enterprise Social Software

Dennis D. McDonald

Change, Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, Jive, , , Web 2.0

This White Paper was developed under contract to Jive Software. This is from the introduction: