Philosophy

“Information is not knowledge. Let's not confuse the two.” W. Edwards Deming

Rule One: Slower is Faster. We hear all the time about moving fast and breaking things. That may (or may not) work in the world of VC funded “services” but in the world of tangible products, that is a good way to build failure into your future. Instead one can adopt the Buddhist mindset of taking the time to think through the opportunity and the risks and then make the one decisive action that creates leverage. As Sun Tsu wrote, "“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”

Rule Two: Better to do the task well the first time. With clear consideration, and a temperate mind, plans can be developed that are truly actionable. Thus employees and partners are able to do their good work with efficiency, and management needs only to provide the tools, the leadership, and the time to allow the best possible outcomes.

Rule Three: Only touch it once. Whatever it is, only touch it once. Use IT systems to prevent redundancies that create confusion or worse - contradictions. Less meetings and better documentation save time and allow everyone on the team to go to work with clear understanding and access to all the necessary information. In manufacturing there should be process controls so that at any step in the process there is only one activity, only one touch, and not more.