Today marks a big milestone in my journey.
Today my "bodged" production line gave birth to 4 prototypes.
So now I just have to crank up the production to be able to handle a few hundred of these every day... hmmm... easy then! Oh and that's just for the test - I need to build a way of making 6 billion pa for the real thing...
But I'll worry about that another day. Today its worthwhile to just reflect on the journey thus far and take the time to punch the air!
Friday, 29 August 2008
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Formula for Success
Now I started this blog with a post about management books that would be sold in Airport bookshops and I now think I've developed something which I think would probably end up in one of those management books...
Worryingly I came across this when I was cycling the other day (is it me or do some ideas just come when you don't think about it - something to do with subconscious thinking - is that not what Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink is all about?)
Anyway, my formula for success is
Can + Will = Have
Can is the opportunity and / or the capability. e.g. I can do this.
Will is the level of application, the determination, the zeal with which one attacks the Can. e.g. I will do this.
Have is the result of Can & Will. e.g. I have done this.
And here's the logical proof, if I don't Have, I must therefore not have the Can and or the Will.
Furthermore, the inverse holds true, i.e. if I Can't or Won't then I will never Have.
So I will now be challenging myself and others who are involved in this that if they have the Can and the Will, then we will Have.
Quite profound for a Tuesday...
Scrapheap Challenge
For the first time in a while I'm beginning to feel more confident about making progress on my big idea.
For the past year or so, I've been wrestling with the concept, getting excited one moment and the next losing it all when I come across a barrier, and then over time regrouping and trying to overcome the barriers and starting the whole loop all over again.
But now I can kind of see my way through it all and I'm buoyed up by this vision. I think the point of clarity really came when I worked out how I was actually going to do my test, as this then answers many questions. And once I have answered these questions it gave me a sense of direction and momentum behind my direction, that any future obstacles can be answered.
I have been able to "bodge" together a way of making the test happen. The solution is not ideal and will work in a completely different way to how I envisage the long term solution. However, the test version will look identical to the consumer as it will in the long term solution, so I think the bodge is a good proxy for reality. And who knows, the bodge version might actually be refined into offering a simpler solution than the one I currently envisage...
The reason for this bodged solution is basically because I don't know what I don't know about how it will work and I also don't have the money or time to perfect a solution that will work over the long term. So I'm hoping I'll be able to learn loads from the test to help me with the long-term solution and hopefully find me some short cuts and / or cost savings.
But its not all sorted - I still have some things to do to get the test off the ground in October...
For the past year or so, I've been wrestling with the concept, getting excited one moment and the next losing it all when I come across a barrier, and then over time regrouping and trying to overcome the barriers and starting the whole loop all over again.
But now I can kind of see my way through it all and I'm buoyed up by this vision. I think the point of clarity really came when I worked out how I was actually going to do my test, as this then answers many questions. And once I have answered these questions it gave me a sense of direction and momentum behind my direction, that any future obstacles can be answered.
I have been able to "bodge" together a way of making the test happen. The solution is not ideal and will work in a completely different way to how I envisage the long term solution. However, the test version will look identical to the consumer as it will in the long term solution, so I think the bodge is a good proxy for reality. And who knows, the bodge version might actually be refined into offering a simpler solution than the one I currently envisage...
The reason for this bodged solution is basically because I don't know what I don't know about how it will work and I also don't have the money or time to perfect a solution that will work over the long term. So I'm hoping I'll be able to learn loads from the test to help me with the long-term solution and hopefully find me some short cuts and / or cost savings.
But its not all sorted - I still have some things to do to get the test off the ground in October...
- Speak to a customer
- Get a customer to agree to do the test (only a small ask!!!)
- Develop the technical solution (I've only got the theory sorted - I still need to make it work!)
- Test the technical solution in advance of the actual test
- Develop & get legal opinion on the terms & conditions of sale
- Understand the implications of the Data Protection Act
- Develop the customer proposition - what's in it for them...
- Develop an "insight" for the consumer need that underpins all the consumer communication
- Develop & make some POS
- Get public liability insurance (don't want a hefty legal bill if it doesn't work or cause damage to somebody / something!)
- Oh... and develop the actual product!!!!!!
So all in all, I'm feeling energised behind making the test work as I now know how I'm going to make it work and also what I'll do once I've done the test, and I know I still have lots to do and not that long to bring it life...
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