This week's written snapshots.
<h2><a href="https://www.grizzlypear.com/digital-signatures-2/">Digital Signatures</a></h2>
<p><p>When I joined the State, we processed paperwork manually.</p>
- Vendor mails Invoice to Accounting in Carson City
- Accounting interdepartmental mails invoice to Public Works
- Public Works admin mails invoice down to Las Vegas
- Project Manager mails signed invoice up to Public Works in Carson City
- Deputy Administrator mails signed invoice across the street to Accounting.
- Accounting mails Check to Vendor.
Physical paper shuffled across our state 6 (SIX!) times to pay a simple invoice.
Fortunately, a Management Analyst joined the State the same day that I started. One of his goals was to implement digital signatures. I eagerly volunteered.
Ten months later, we finally contracted with a vendor and it took another half year of brainstorming and pushing management before we were approved to process invoices on Adobe Sign.
The vendor emails their invoice to the PM and it takes five minutes to send it out for approvals and payment.
A couple months later, COVID happened.
We were fortunate to have gotten past the fear of digital approvals before the pandemic hit. So the calamity actually accelerated the adoption of digital signatures for rest of our documents.
I also discovered that Adobe Sign can automate much of the process — a godsend for more complicated agreements which consistently go to the same individuals.
Being an evangelist for of this initiative has been my most tangible accomplishment within the State.
Hopefully I’ll discover other awesome process improvements to share over my next two decades with the State. But sometimes it’s just lucky to be new at the right time!
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On net, this digital process is an absolute winner for the State and our partners. However, I must note that has resulted in a perverse result where a PM spends more time processing paperwork than in the old days. The cloud stole tasks from administrative assistants and put it on licensed engineers and architects.
The next step would be to the processes so the licensed professionals can return their focus on their professional expertise. Cal Newport discusses this issue in his book “A World Without Email”, but the solution is still murky in my vision.
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PS: You can “add” email addresses in Google with a “+” (plus sign). If your gmail is “sample@gmail.com” then you can create a limitless sub-email addresses like “sample+vendor@gmail.com” and “sample+chief@gmail.com”… All those emails will just land in your main gmail inbox. It’s an invaluable hack to testing all sorts of digital systems.
16 Apr 2023
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<h2><a href="https://www.grizzlypear.com/402-on-post-news/">402 (on Post.news)</a></h2>
<p><p>It’s fitting that this centennial post doesn’t land on a ’00 because I rePosted right past the landmark this morning.</p>
It’s been crazy busy at work for the past month. Good busy, but it takes a toll on creative output outside of work. (And inside work too!)
Hopefully things will slow down in a month.
In the meantime I’ve been happy finding (and sharing) the cool things everyone else are making. I’ve been using RP’s as bookmarks. Before posting, I enjoyed a quick stroll through through the recent past.
I hope to return to a half-half equilibrium between original posts versus sharing other people’s work, but that might be after the next centenary.
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On Post in general, it feels that this place is going through a lull.
The platform is still young, but no longer new. The limitless promise has worn off so the rough edges have become irritants.
When are we going to get global notifications on comments? How much longer for lists! Why does rePosting something send me back to the top of the feed? Ugh, three columns. Bugs!
I know, #StillinBeta! It helps to feel that management cares. Hopefully the doldrums are just a phase as it matures into a richer platform.
It’s still a great crowd here. And I’ll be here as long as y’all are here.
Here’s to more 00’s!
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Though you never know…which is why I believe everyone should keep their own website as an archive beyond of the whims of others…like here!
14 Apr 2023
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<h2><a href="https://www.grizzlypear.com/test-2/">test 2</a></h2>
<p><p>230412.0730</p></p>
<p>12 Apr 2023</p>
<p>~</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.grizzlypear.com/test-1/">test 1</a></h2>
<p><p>Test 230412.0720</p></p>
<p>12 Apr 2023</p>
<p>~</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.grizzlypear.com/ill-overcome-some-day/">I’ll Overcome Some Day</a></h2>
<p><p>Once in a blue moon, diving into an internet rabbit hole pays off. </p>
This video by Genie Deez tells the story of the song, tying 1960’s Pete Seeger to a Sicilian mariner’s hymn from the 1790’s.
That lead to a flurry of searches, my favorite being this lively congregational call and response from South Carolina.
To go deeper, here is the published hymn by Charles Albert Tindley, a teacher’s guide about the song, and a lovely rendition by Caroline Disnew and Annastasia Victory.
11 Apr 2023
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Thanks for reading!
Justus