| Your company recognizes that you need to | | | | their design when it accomplished 80% of what |
| change some systems to improve your process. | | | | they were looking to accomplish. After reading |
| Maybe you have a sales force that you would like | | | | example after example of how they applied this |
| to manage better. Perhaps your company has an | | | | idea when designing such a complicated and |
| outdated telephone system that must be | | | | potentially dangerous piece of machinery, it |
| replaced. Could it be that your company is | | | | occurred to me that maybe I could apply this idea |
| struggling with SPAM and your email | | | | to my business life. |
| communications? Possibly you have an old website | | | | What if my contact manager did MOST I need it |
| that isn't up to current standards. | | | | to do in the way that I wanted? |
| Let me save you endless hours of aggravation | | | | What if my telephone solution did the same? |
| and suffering with one idea: 80%. | | | | How about my email system? |
| 80%? What is that? It's a change in philosophy | | | | You get the idea. What I found was that I was |
| that has simplified my life and has helped my | | | | able to suddenly concentrate on my business, |
| company get things done. | | | | rather than the tools that I was using to get my |
| When going through your selection process for | | | | business done. While I couldn't sacrifice absolute |
| any of your important systems in your business, | | | | feature requirements, I could certainly deal with |
| it is best to look through the telephoto, rather | | | | some differences in how things operate. The |
| than the macro lens. The fact is that most | | | | benefit for me has been that I find that I have |
| offerings that address your common business | | | | more time and can focus my efforts on |
| problems should cover most of what your | | | | performing tasks that are core to my business |
| company does on a day to day basis. Sure, the | | | | rather than fussing about the details of the tools |
| details of each process may not line up exactly | | | | that I use. |
| what you do today, but aren't you looking to | | | | My Recommendation for Systems Selection |
| make a change anyway? Focus on the big goals | | | | Identify what is an absolution necessity on a |
| and be prepared to sacrifice on some of the | | | | more general basis. Accept that while most things |
| smaller points. | | | | will operate exactly like you want them to, some |
| A few years ago I read a book by Ben Rich | | | | will not. For sure. The Skunkworks determined |
| called "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My | | | | that they had previously spent 80% of their time |
| Years of Lockheed". While I enjoyed the book for | | | | and money achieving the last 20% of their design |
| the original subject matter, I've gained more from | | | | goals. If they are able to adjust to produce their |
| this book than I have from anything else that I | | | | product faster and more efficiently, don't you |
| have read. Here's the idea: When building the | | | | think that you could do the same for most of |
| fastest and most stealthy airplanes in the world, | | | | your business system tools? Is it worth the extra |
| Lockheed and their "Skunkworks" design team | | | | 80% expenditure of time and money to achieve |
| proceeded with a simple concept. They accepted | | | | the last 20% of your goals? |