GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: OPM letter

  • OPM.20 Unnecessary Steps

    Happy Thanksgiving, all the best in your travels and gatherings.

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    Unnecessary Steps

    For our last couple of projects, we added envelope consultants to the team.

    One of them recommended conducting a whole building air test at the end of the project even though it is essentially impossible to do anything actionable with the results.

    Since I had extra money in my budget, I went ahead and approved the extra work so we could judge if it would be valuable for future projects. After getting the results, I think the test turned out to be a good value – both for long-term data collection and during construction.

    When the team knows there will be a final exam, the game is played a little sharper. Even though this test had no teeth (there were no contractual consequences to failure), the team was well aware of its looming eventuality.

    Of course, it is far more important to have contractors who take pride in their work and their attention to detail, backed up by a proactive envelope consultant who made regular site visits. But then again, it didn’t hurt to know that would be a big double-check at the end of the job.

    Sometimes technically unnecessary tasks are ultimately productive.

    ~

    A Link

    The concept of “additional productive steps” to work in the office, is one of the fundamental principles of Cal Newport’s book A World Without Email. Diving into the inbox might be fast, but may not be the best workflow for knowledge work. Even though it’s an extra step, one may be well served by taking the time to shuffle actionable emails out of the inbox to a separate task management system before actually executing the billable work.

    This concept has also made me reevaluate one of the crowning achievements from the past couple of years – assisting the implementation of digital signatures. Even though contracts are now processed much quicker than before, it has resulted in a lot of extra paperwork for the Owner PMs. By making it easier for us to execute administrative work, we’ve now been granted the task, distracting us from our primary duty of managing projects (not pushing contracts).

    Of course, we’re never going back to hard copies and snail-mail. So the next step is to get these improved processes reassigned to our admin staff who used to manage these documents so we can return to focusing on issues that require architect and engineer licenses.

    ~

    A Question

    Does your team have quick processes that might be improved by adding extra steps?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    … and a photo.


     
    Vivian Leroy Crisler (1885-1953), an acoustics researcher at the National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C., looking over a loudspeaker horn used in sound penetration tests, Harris & Ewing, photographer, ca 1923 and 1929]

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.19 (notes on) Enter Sandman, Drumeo and Larnell Lewis, 2021

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    (notes on) Enter Sandman, Drumeo and Larnell Lewis, 2021

    This is an impressive display of craft. Drummer Darnell Lewis has never listened to “Enter Sandman”, so he listens to it once and then plays it. No problem.

    His active listening during his first listen is a masterful example of analysis on the fly.

    Watching this video brings back fond memories of starting a new project when I was in private practice. The air was filled with possibilities as we were briefed on the program. This excitement would be viscerally manifested during field verification of a building for a renovation project.

    When entering a structure for the first time, the senses would kick into overdrive. The building had much to say, but we didn’t know what was critical, so everything mattered. With such stakes, my perception was on high alert. These moments of crossing a strange threshold were among my favorite as a practicing architect.

    Though less tangible, the excitement of starting a new project also applies to my work as an Owner PM. Any project is a function of invisible forces – state and local regulations and constrained by industry conditions, budget, and schedule.

    Beyond the hard constraints, the OPM is the leader of a new temporary team. My most important task at the start of the project is to grasp and develop the network of relationships within the user group and project team.

    No project is truly new, it is always set within an intricate context. Our first job is to sit down and actively listen before we pick up sticks to make a ruckus.

    ~

    A Question

    What are the moments that make you excited in the course of a project?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    A Links

    My daughter recently took a liking to Linus and Lucy, so it has been playing on loop throughout the past week. Looking up the Vince Guaraldi on Wikipedia, this paragraph jumped out. I envy folks who have settled comfortably into their niche.

    His desire to continually perform at small, local clubs was not due to financial necessity but because he wanted it like that. The monumental success garnered from his Peanuts work resulted in lucrative offers coming in from all over the U.S., all of which he declined. “Once the Peanuts music became famous, Vince could have gone out and done a whole lot more,” Mendelson said. “But he was very provincial; he loved San Francisco, and he liked hanging out and playing at the local clubs. He never branched out from there; he never really wanted to. He’d get offers, but he’d tell me, ‘I just want to do this; I’m having a good time, and I’m satisfied with it’.”

    … and a photo.

    Olive Thomas, Bain News Service, ca. 1915 and ca. 1920

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.18 (Holiday Season)

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    (Holiday Season)

    We officially entered the holidays a couple of weeks ago, when we observed Nevada Day on the last Friday of October. We’ll be having an official day off every other week culminating in President’s Day in February.

    These holidays are a reminder of the basic tradeoff that one chooses as a government employee. One forgoes the financial profits of climbing the corporate ladder for a saner working environment.

    In today’s hustle culture, settling for a good job may be considered a mark of shame. But work is ultimately a business decision, and joining the government is a trade forgoing upside for limited volatility. It’s not just financial boom or busts; it’s also the heavy hours that are often commanded of employees in private practice.

    I was able to take this deal because my parents chose to live frugally and pay for our college educations. This Christmas present has been a continual gift to me and my sister, letting us pursue the lifestyles that best fit our needs.

    Outside of the cold calculus of hours-to-dollars, there is something nice about spending a career serving the public. Admittedly, the State compensates me nicely, so leaving the private sector was not as a difficult decision as it might be for other professions.

    So I count my blessings. One is lucky to find a job that pays well in exchange for reasonable demands, suits one’s personality, and works towards a greater good.

    And of course, dear reader, in this time of Thanksgiving – many thanks again for reading!

    Take care and be safe during the festivities.

    ~

    A Question

    What has brought you joy in your career?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    A Link

    Another insightful post from Seth Godin about dreams. He differentiates between strategic and tactical dreams, and he discusses how they need to be analyzed differently.

    … and a photo.

    Veterans of the 1914 Mons battle in France marching on Anzac Day, Brisbane, Queensland, ca. 1954

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.17 (notes on) Team of Teams, General Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, Chris Fussell, 2015

    I hope you enjoyed your Halloween and Nevada Day!

    Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you’d like the next letter in your inbox.

    (notes on) Team of Teams

    This new world moves too quickly for top-down, optimized entities.

    The twin narratives of this book are the rise of the hyper-efficient organizations (exemplified by the work of Fredrick Winslow Taylor) in the 20th century and the rise of the hyper-connected network (exemplified in the structure of Al Qaida) in the 21st century.

    After Saddam was crushed in Iraq, the occupying forces were constantly harassed by the flexible amorphous cells of the terrorist organization. This underground operation was running laps around the awesome might of the great American military machine. General McCrystal’s task was to reverse this trend.

    He accomplished this by “shared consciousness” and “empowered execution”. He merged the information silos in multiple organizations so that all the data was shared throughout the forces. He also delegated decision-making power as low as possible, allowing the staff who were most familiar with the situation to respond in an agile manner.

    These twin endeavors ultimately turned the tide of the war. While history was being made, I had thought that the “surge” was merely an issue of applying more resources. I did not realize that the eventual defeat of Al Qaida was the result of better management techniques.

    At first glance, it does not seem that the lessons in this book are immediately applicable to the much more methodical work of a government OPM.

    However, timing is always an issue. Sooner is generally better than later, but our processes with multiple peer reviews tend to push the schedule longer. It’s a bit of a conundrum. Budgets for state buildings are tight. This one renovation may be the only project in this building for the next twenty years. With such timescales, losing a couple of months is worth the tradeoff of ensuring the design is dead on.

    But still, the needs are immediate. It would be nice to move more quickly so we can better serve our users. This book makes me wonder if I should experiment further to speed up my projects. It also makes me question if our system of multiple checks is truly effective. Are we getting proper value for the delay? Each extra step incrementally improves the project, but at what hidden cost?

    In all, this book is a good read. It is a compelling story of how a top-down behemoth adapted in response to the networked resilience of its opponent. Restructuring the team was the key to the endeavor, the nature of the organization is its strategy. As such, this book is a great case-study companion to Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Anti-Fragile.

    The other concept that intrigued me is the regular status update meetings that were instituted by General McChrystal. Along with transforming their main base into a large open office plan, his team started running a 2-hour meeting every day. All relevant parties could attend these meetings, and he touts it as his primary tool to achieve “shared consciousness”.

    There is a prevailing trend in Tech to avoid such meetings. In that vein, I’ve been pondering how to minimize my OAC meetings. Maybe that is the wrong approach. Maybe I should be thinking about how to maximize the effectiveness of those meetings.

    As OPM’s, we tend to think in a top-down fashion, after all, we are the “owners”. However, delegation (empowered execution) is the primary job of our work. Empowered execution is only effective when there is true coordination, so how does one create a shared consciousness between the multiple parties in our team?

    ~

    A Question

    How do you handle regular status meetings?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    A Link

    As an employee of the State of Nevada, I’m contractually obligated to mention that October 31 is Nevada Day when we joined the Union. Unfortunately, we observe it on the last Friday of October, akin to celebrating Independence Day on the first Monday of July.

    … and a photo.

    Baby in Pumpkin, Gippsland Australia, John Flynn 1880-1951

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM. 16 (Swerve to go Straight)

    Autumn has finally hit Las Vegas, I think we’ll finally shut down the AC for the rest of the year.

    Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you’d like the next letter in your inbox.

    Swerve to go Straight

    Nicholas Nassim Taleeb’s Anti-fragile recounted a story of a science demonstration with a vibrating table covered with bouncy balls. When the tabletop was activated at a purely regular rhythm, the balls would bounce around chaotically on their own. However, the balls would fall in sync after random noise was inserted into the vibration pattern.

    I often think about this story while pulling my boy in the wagon. My in-law’s backyard has a tight side yard where it is easy to pull in. However, there isn’t any room to turn around, making it’s a challenge to push back out of it.

    Like the science demonstration, I’ve found that adding a little swerve to the push gives me control over the direction of the wagon. Jamming the wagon straight requires a perfect line; any lean will compound into crashing with the fence or house. Adding a slight serpentine undulation allows me to fine-tune the trajectory as I push the wagon and avoid hitting the edges.

    I suspect this lesson could also apply to the office. We live in a world of optimization and standard operating procedures. I have a hunch that we should occasionally mix it up, even if we think we’ve locked in a best practice. Little experiments will keep things fresh and explore the parameters that constrict us.

    On paper, testing suboptimal processes is inefficient. Most of the time, we’ll rediscover that the tried and true is best. But occasionally, we’ll discover that a good process is keeping us from finding a better innovation.

    ~

    A Question

    What accepted wisdom should you challenge?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    A Link

    One idea that haunts me is the concept of a Local Optimum. Is this solution truly the best? Or have we settled into something that is good relative in its immediate context? Have we artificially constrained ourselves to the settling into a least-worst solution? Is there a more optimal solution out there?

    … and a photo.

    Sail Wagon, Brooklyn, Bain News Service, ca. 1910-1915

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.15 (notes on) Anti-Fragile, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2012

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    (notes on) Anti-Fragile

    Taleb’s core premise is that we can’t predict the future, so we can only prepare in the present.

    Pretty basic advice for an uncertain world. So what can we do?

    His counterintuitive elaboration is to posit the idea of “anti-fragility”. Anti-fragile things are not merely robust – they don’t merely avoid failure under stress. Anti-fragile systems improve when they encounter variability. For example, our bodies get stronger when we practice a wide variety of exercise routines.

    What an inspiring concept!

    Anti-fragility provides a framework for developing improvements. As individuals, there isn’t a ton we can do to fix the big problems, but we aren’t completely powerless. Don’t obsess over massive single-shot wins. Focus on making lots of experiments. A bunch of little mistakes will come up with the occasional win. Transform one of those discoveries into a big victory.

    He recommends that one starts with a life that maintains a baseline stability. With this solid foundation one is freed to take some risks that might become big wins. Avoid debt and live freely. Procrastinate thoughtfully – a default aggressive stance isn’t always best.

    To nitpick, I admit that the book is a bit long and would have benefited from a sharper editor. But what the hell, it’s well worth your time. Taleb is a punk. He points out that the emperor has no clothes, and that our castle is a house of cards. I wish this book had been published while I was in grad school, I suspect my master’s thesis would have revolved around this concept.

    As with all audio books, I started listening to it at 1.5x speed. Unlike most of them, I dropped it down to 1.0x speed almost immediately and listened to all 16 hours at the narrator’s natural pace. Highly recommended.

    ~

    One Question

    Where can you start experimenting? How are can you create the variability to make you become anti-fragile?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    One Link

    Along with Anti-Fragile, I recommend checking out Simon Sinek’s book the Infinite Game. It hammers in the point that “winning” in life is being invited to “keep playing”, a critical concept that rhymes well with the themes of Anti-Fragile.

    … and a photo.

    “Dreamland” burned, Coney Island, Bain News Service, 27 May 1911

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.14 (Job Walks)

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    Job Walks

    I’ve never been great at job walks.

    Last year, my weekly walks on my big project had become so unproductive that I called a former intern for advice. He recommended that I study the drawings and re-walk the project after the big team walk.

    When the pandemic surged at the end of 2020, I started walking the job site alone on Sunday mornings. In the quiet of an empty building, I found my stride. I could sense the building and feel its gaps.

    I was completely alert without studying the drawings. I didn’t need to practice this extra step because I wasn’t distracted by people. My mind was purely focused.

    But quiet meditation on a job site is not normal.

    Along with my major project, I started a couple of small quick tenant improvements. I held those walks with the contractor, but I had become complacent with my habits.

    I forgot to check my drawings. I missed obvious items, resulting in significant rework. Contractually, these busts were the contractors’ problems, but I could have been more helpful.

    Back to the basics. Study the drawings. If walking with a companion, I must re-walk the project by myself or insist upon being excruciatingly methodical.

    And don’t get cocky. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

    Coda: Today is my former intern’s first day as an OPM at Nevada State College. The big project I just completed is now his building. JB, all the best in your new gig!

    ~

    Two Questions

    Do you have any tips and tricks for maximizing your job walks?

    Is this a crazy small industry or what?!

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    … and a public domain photo.

    Second Floor Corridor of the White House, US National Archives, 1950

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.13 (notes on) How to Remember Everything You Learn, Will Schroder, 2018


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    (notes on) How to Remember Everything You Learn

    This is the best video I’ve watched this year.

    The three steps of this practice are Recall, Simple Explanations, and Spaced Repetition.

    “Recall” is as basic as it sounds. Pause and think about what you just read. Information shouldn’t be treated like a page-turner. Pause between chapters and ponder what was just read.

    I stumbled into this practice two years ago, after refocusing this blog as “notes on my consumption”. I try to write a blurb about every bit of extended content that I consumed. At the time, I was trying to force myself to be a more consistent content producer, but it unwittingly made me a better consumer as well!

    “Simple explanations” are called the “Feynman Technique” in the video. Master the subject so you can explain it to a 5-year-old.

    I have used this technique throughout my career.  I’ve always forced my engineers to explain problems so that I can retell the story to the clients. Decision-makers are rarely the subject matter experts, so the consultant’s job includes distilling issues to their core essence for informed action.

    “Spaced Repetition” is the practice to regularly review content. As we internalize the info, we gradually increase the intervals between reviews to lock the information into our long-term memory.

    Again, this blog has come to the rescue because posts involve multiple rounds of edits. For example, this post was initially drafted on June 8th. I edited it in August and I’m now publishing it in October.

    This post regurgitates the actionable advice from the second half, but the first half is worth watching because it provides the neurological context for its recommendations and includes a potent warning that feeling like we know something is not a sign of real understanding.

    Give it a watch, take some notes, explain it to a kid, and watch it again!

    Also, consider starting a blog. This site has hosted a variety of odd experiments. This digital archive of the decade has become a personal infrastructure for further explorations. Maybe it will even unwittingly create a process to help you improve at remembering things.

    ~

    One Question

    Do you have any processes that help you practice spaced repetition? How do you avoid forgetting information as quickly as you learned it?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    One Link

    While this video may be the best single shot I’ve come across this year, I have been really enjoying the Technology Connections Channel by Alec Watson. He explains common technology (such as the dishwasher) in simple clear language with a wickedly dry humor.

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.12 (Highlighting Thoroughly)

    Things have been a little hectic. I’m going to try a simplified letter for a month and see how this works.

    As always, thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you’d like the next letter in your inbox.

    ~

    Highlighting Thoroughly

    It feels like the dumbest hack to remind yourself to highlight text while reading document. However, it is invaluable for reviewing plans and specifications as an Owner’s PM.

    When I started as a draftsman, I didn’t need to highlight things during my drawing reviews, because I drew every line and wrote every letter by hand. I’d highlight my boss’ redlines as I picked them up.

    However, I picked up the habit at my last job in private practice. At first, it felt strange because I never highlighted books in school, but I quickly realized it was essential for keeping me focused on the work of my team.

    More so for an OPM. We are a further step away from from the production, so it is easy to mentally overlook the details – especially the wall of text called a spec book.

    Highlighting, what a basic idea! But if it maintains focus, that’s everything for a knowledge worker.

    When I was in private practice, I used three highlighters. Yellow for reading and verifying coordination in the plan set. Green for redlines that have been picked up (to be applied by the draftsman doing the work). Orange for questions that need further discussion. Orange is the most neglected color, but it is critical because this third color lets the intern take notes and batch them into a single review with the supervisor when she is available.

    ~

    One Question

    Do you have any critical hacks for your job? Are any of them specific to OPMing?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • OPM.11 (Transformational Transactions)

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    Transformational Transactions

    My first two jobs after college were strict hourly – no benefits, PTO, or any other perks. By any metric, these were purely transactional arrangements. There were also the two most influential jobs in my career.

    The first gig was as a laborer moving dirt in a landscape crew. This job taught me more about teamwork than any time spent at a desk.

    The second was a draftsman in a sole proprietorship. Even though the terms of employment was a straight exchange of time for money, I continue to have a rich relationship with my old boss.

    The trappings of transformational leadership and a cool culture pale against the simple act of caring deeply.

    I wonder if trying to create a “transformational” work environment hinders our ability to fully live out our daily relationships. Maybe it would better to manage a company with simple “transactional” rules, respecting the fundamentally raw exchange of time for money that makes up our paid endeavors.

    Strip away all the fluff and maybe we’ll be free to enjoy each other’s company.

    ~

    One Question

    What was the most influential job in your career? Who was the catalyst?

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    Three Links

    Seth Godin about how to attract more customers, a longer post compared to his pithy missives, but well worth the read.

    Matthew Schnipper wrote an amusing essay for the New York Times about dressing our babies to impress others – of the parent’s fine taste!

    Gorgeous photos by Alfons Cabrera of repetitive facades in Benidorm, Spain.

    … and a photo.

    Lateen sails on Magdalene Vinnen, Sydney Harbour, March 1933, Samuel J. Hood

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA