Why do some programs deliver their product under cost, while others bust their budget? Why do some deliver ahead of schedule, while others experience endless delays? And most importantly, which products work better – the quick and thrifty or the slow and expensive? Which situation leads to superior equipment?
In this story-filled blend of quirky pop culture and practical engineering insight, Dan Ward presents an entertaining and useful framework for pursuing rapid, frugal innovation.
*FIRE* has something for strategic concepts leaders can use as they cast a vision, actionable principles for managers as they make business decisions, and practical tools for workers as they design, build, assess, and test new products. This remarkable book will make you laugh, make you think, and equip you to leverage the power of constraints. You’ll learn how
Build strategies for speed that enhance accountability and ensure your products are well aligned with market needs Design your organizations, products, and processes with thrift in mind, solving problems with intellectual capital instead of financial capital Unleash the power of small teams, using short schedules, tight budgets, short meetings, and short documents Streamline your designs and cut through unnecessary, unproductive layers of bureaucracy
With unflinching candor, Ward also shows how the FIRE method can lead to failure. Taking a deep look at several negative outcomes, he show how to make failures optimal rather than epic.
Tech professionals and curious amateurs alike will come away with a deeper understanding of innovation. Plus there’s a funny story about a dishwasher that just might change the way you buy major appliances.