www.WorldTimeBuddy.com is not a sponsor of INCOSE's Certification Program, but we use it so much you might think we are getting paid to do so. When interviewing intern candidates from seven different countries, it was important that we offer interview time slots within their waking hours and that we communicate the agreed-to times. Calendar invitations are also a great help. During two meetings during the past week, a time was proposed an accepted in email, but a different time appeared in the invitation. It is a wonderful reminder of the communication problems that can occur with more complex topics. 

This post is appearing on 25 November 2022, the day after American Thanksgiving, aka Indigenous People's Day. That holiday always falls on a Thursday, and many individuals take the whole week off from work to spend time with family. As a result of this, many recurring meetings are canceled. By identifying early that participation may be low, we can reschedule meetings, focus the agenda on those who will attend, or progress offline. Sounds a lot like Risk and Opportunity Management, doesn't it? 

If you are looking for a way to earn PDUs to renew your ASEP or CSEP certification, consider learning more about your colleagues or potential colleagues. When is Chinese New Year? Will Ramadan fall during a planned conference? Does your noon meeting fall at 2AM for someone who wishes to attend? Learning about all of these topics - with an intention to apply them to your work - is relevant to you being a better systems engineer.