This is a copy of a letter I have faxed to my MP this evening (using the excellent FaxYourMP service).  It is in response to a piece today in The Register about the UK government forcing ISP's to keep a log of every page visited and every e-mail sent by anyone using the net in the UK.  Another bonehead scheme to stop terrorists.

Don't get me wrong.  I want to see an end to terrorism but who really believes this is where the solution lies?

So from a technical perspective where does it get us?

• Keeping a log of all pages browsed: I guess that the terrorists and I will start using anonymous surfing services hosted in countries that don't have this kind of legislation.  You have to pay, but that's okay the terrorists will probably be using stolen credit cards anyway.  Maybe it will be your credit card?
• Scanning my email headers:  I and the terrorists will use non-local ISP's to forward our mail and we'll find ways of encrypting it.  The terrorists will probably also use anonymous remailers to hide their identities.

Still think this will work?

Okay so how do you stop terrorists?  Maybe we should take a lesson from Israel's no-nonsense PM Ariel Sharon?  Then again, maybe not. Maybe we should try something radical:  Maybe we should actually figure out what it is these people want, and give it to them.

We in the West keep saying the Israeli's should offer the Palestinians "land for peace." Isn't that dealing with terrorists?  And if it is, so what?  Are their grievances not legitimate (even if their methods are to be abhored).  If you take away all hope don't you create a situation in which people do not value their lives but are angry enough to join armed struggle?

If we want peace with the world we need to find a way to give these people what they want.  Take away the motivation to blow themselves up and us with them.

Just a thought.

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Eight P's of Project Integrity

You might ask, "Where did these come from?" Good question. I made them up. But there's a method to my madness arrogance. We assess integrity situationally. We see it in one setting and not in others. We also assess integrity as it regards those things we care about. So, looking at projects I began looking at what could be out-of-integrity. That it nicely fit into a list of words all beginning with "P" makes it easy to remember, even if it is suspicious.

1. Purpose
   Why are we doing the project? or For the sake of what does it matter that we succeed? Purpose changes or evolves through time. We learn; conditions change; clients' views change. We must talk about purpose to maintain integrity of purpose.
2. Promise(s)
   What is it specifically that we will produce? One way to think about a project is as a collection of promises that when fulfilled will satisfy the customer and the purpose of the project. Promises may need to change as the purpose changes. Further, as we learn, we see we can make better promises than those made early on. Revisiting our promises produces integrity.
3. Process
   How will we go about delivering on our promises? We've all learned there is more than one right way of doing something. What looks good to begin may not work at all. Further, we may agree to all do something one way, but find that we are not following through.
4. People
   There are two issues here:
   • Are people well-matched for the roles they are performing?
   • Are you doing all you can to have them succeed in those roles?
5. Planning
   By now you know my position is that planning is an on-going activity on projects. Are you doing that? And, are you embracing planning as an opportunity to incorporate learning and innovation on your project?
6. Practice(s)
   Each organization has makes their own declarations about the (best) practices that support successful projects.
   • What are those declarations?
   • Are you doing what you say?
7. Performance
   You can't improve if you are not measuring. What are the measures you say are important to project success? Are you measuring? Are you informing? Are you investigating and taking action based on those measures?
8. Place
   Is the work setting conducive to what we are doing? For instance,
   • Is the setting clean and orderly
   • Is material presented appropriately?
   • Is it a safe place to work?

We'll use the Eight P's of Project Integrity as the basis for our work next Friday. In the meantime, begin observing your project with these distinctions. Look for both what you are already doing well and where you see what you could be doing better.

I'll write you again on Monday.
[Reforming Project Management]

There's a good deal of wisdom in those P's.