To Err Is Human To Keep Repeating Mistakes in Bad Business

Copyright © 2010 HDA ConsultingAll Rights Reserved

To Err is Human, To Keep Repeating Mistakes

is Bad Business:

Learning as an NPD Tool

Kenneth Bruss. Ed.D.

Copyright © 2010 HDA ConsultingAll Rights Reserved

Lew Platt, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard observed:

“If H-P knew what HP knows, we would be three times as profitable. ”

Source: Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What they Know, Davenport &Prusak, Harvard Business School Press (1998)

3Copyright © 2010 HDA ConsultingAll Rights Reserved

Implications for NPD

• The innovative nature of NPD is inherently risky

• While risks can’t be totally eliminated NPD organizations can gain competitive advantage by acting on “lessons learned”

• Successful managers ask new teams how their plans reflect experience gained from similar projects, and delay approval for project teams that haven’t done their homework


NPD Learning Flow


Collecting Actionable Learning• After Action Review (AAR) is a structured meeting providing

a simple but rigorous approach for analyzing the effectiveness of an event or action

• Unlike a post-mortem held upon project completion, AAR’s are held throughout the life of the project, enabling lessons learned to be applied real-time when they can have greatest benefit

• Compares what actually occurred to what was planned

• Identifies what was unique to this program and what is more broadly applicable (e.g., system or process flaws which cut across programs)


Key AAR Questions

1. What were desired outcomes?

2. What were the results

3. What accounted for the results – attaining the goal or variances (+/-)

4. What have we learned?• What contributed to our success, which we should repeat?

• What mistakes should we avoid in the future?

5. What are next steps for the team, and for sharing and acting on the learning outside of the team?


Sample AARI. ObjectivesA. S/W release by 6/5/09B. Hit revised SW release

date of 8/14/09C. Reduce data entry time

from eight minutes to six minutes per report

II. ResultsA. SW release pushed out to 8/14/09B. Missed revised date; released

11/5/09 C. Successfully reduced data entry

time from eight minutes to four and one half minutes per report

III. Reasons for ResultsA. Why was original S/W release date revised?1. Lead developer quit early in the project…..2.B. Why did team miss the revised S/W release date?1. Failure to adequately assess impact of lead developer’s departure:

1.a. Team failed to re-set the schedule to reflect major resource change


Sample AAR (cont.)C. What enabled team to exceed data entry reduction goal?1. Team successfully leveraged tools developed from Adare project2.IV. Lessons Learned1. Faced with major resource change, thoroughly assess impact on

schedule2. Although this was a derivative design, S/W development was not

derivative. Failure to realize this resulted in an unrealistic schedule.V. Next Steps

12/16/09Mark2. Discuss at PL staff meeting the need to revise New Project Assessment to ensure better vetting of “derivative” projects

12/9/09Steve1. Review LM3667 resource plan & scheduleDue DateOwnerAction Item


Sharing Learning: Sample On- Line Library

Key features:• Easily searchable • Contains both AAR and key contact links


Would your NPD Process Benefit from Strategically Managing Lessons Learned?

• Are you satisfied with your new product success rate?

• Do your new products release on time and on budget?

• Do you effectively manage risk?

• Is re-work decreasing?

• Are you leveraging past experience to predict and mitigate bottle necks?

• Are you able to transfer successful practices among teams?


Best practice companies recognize that “before, during and after a project there are opportunities to leverage the experience of others, and thereby increase organizational effectiveness”

Source: Collison & Parcell – Learning to Fly, Capstone Pub., 2004

Documents

To Err Is Human To Keep Repeating Mistakes in Bad Business