http://www.common-sense.com An frequently updated journal from Common Sense Systems. Topics typically include software engineering (with a focus on embedded systems) and process improvement (usually from a Theory of Constraints perspective.) daily 2 2007-01-11T09:50:07Z http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/the-red-curve People with a background in TOC know about the red and green curves. In this blog entry I describe those curves and point to a new blog I have started on Wordpress. No publisher admin 2008-01-07T16:10:33Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/mac-and-pc-meet-linux-linux-meet-mac-and-pc Unless you have been living in a cave the last year or so you have probably seen the Mac vs. PC ads on television or at apple.com. They are a riot. Well, now there are at least three new ads featuring a third party -- Linux. Check it out! No publisher john 2007-03-24T17:05:55Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/the-physicist-and-the-amazingly-stupid-business-people Here's an article from Maverick magazine on Eli Goldratt. It's a hoot and well worth a read! No publisher john 2007-03-20T17:10:36Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/a-rare-freebie Here's a chance to get a glimpse of the Total Matrix material at no charge. No publisher john 2007-03-19T14:55:09Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/responding-well-to-anothers-ideas Most of us have learned that we should be very careful in how we respond to ideas brought to us by others. As might be expected the presence of a conflict is responsible for the need for care in handling such situations. In this article I present the conflict -- as I understand it -- that Eli recognized so long ago. My hope is that by learning how to respond much better to ideas from others we can avoid wasting the many opportunities that surround us -- if only we will do the work necessary to seize them. No publisher john 2007-03-20T23:28:05Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/made-to-stick A free introduction to the book "Made To Stick" is available on-line. I found it interesting and wanted to share it. No publisher john 2007-03-12T17:39:04Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/premature-parallel-development In the last few posts I have been writing about what I call "Opportunity Wasting Behaviors" or "OWBs." Continuing that thread, this article is about "Premature Parallel Development." No publisher john 2007-03-11T18:05:32Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/multitasking-as-an-opportunity-wasting-behavior Multitasking is common in product development and other organizations. But I claim it's a behavior that often causes us to waste the business and other opportunities that we recognize and want to exploit. In this article I present a simple Gantt chart that supports this claim. No publisher john 2007-03-03T16:38:56Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/opportunity-affecting-behaviors Over the last few weeks I have been focusing my efforts on preparing for an upcoming presentation of Tony Rizzo's "Total Matrix" two-day workshop. So, I apologize for the relative dearth of posts on this blog. In this post, I want to open a new topic -- that of "Opportunity Wasting Behaviors (OWBs)" and "Opportunity Exploiting Behaviors, (OEBs)." No publisher john 2007-03-02T03:33:08Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/paul-graham I enjoy essays that are well-written and though provoking. And I'm trying to learn from the masters. Paul Graham strikes me as such a master. In this article I share some information on Paul's work and his essays. No publisher john 2007-02-06T05:53:44Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/good-multitasking-vs-bad-multitasking In my view, the debate over "good" multitasking vs. "bad" multitasking is just like the debate that used to rage over whether inventory is an asset or a liability. If this is correct, then perhaps we can look to that debate for guidance with respect to multitasking No publisher john 2007-02-06T04:23:18Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/software-archeology Often, software development isn't so much about new development as it is about maintaining existing software. But few of us have any real experience in maintaining <em>very</em> old software. Recently, my interest in the history of the Apollo project brought me to discover a complete working simulation of the Apollo Guidance Computer. No publisher john 2007-02-02T17:02:33Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/a-touch-of-grey Recently, I have seen several articles on the aging population of engineers in the USA. This will likely require the development of some new rules for managing. But how can we find these rules? No publisher john 2007-01-29T00:09:53Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/twenty-science-attitudes The Theory of Constraints isn't just about businesses and bottlenecks. The Theory of Constraints is also a set of core values based on beliefs about reality. No publisher john 2007-01-28T20:05:42Z Blog Entry http://www.common-sense.com/common-sense/critical-chain-pilot-projects Is it reasonable to consider evaluating Critical Chain via a pilot project? In this article I discuss a few of the issues that I believe can affect the integrity of Critical Chain pilot projects. No publisher john 2007-01-27T17:56:39Z Blog Entry