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The Price Today is not the Price in the Future

The Price Today is not the Price in the Future

Prices fall We have all noticed, or should have noticed, that manufactured products tend to get cheaper with time. The extreme case is computing. The first personal computer I used professionally in 1978 was the Commodore PET. This beast had

richardmiller 23/11/202023/11/2020 Blog No Comments Read more

You Hate Bureaucracy, But What is Your Alternative?

You Hate Bureaucracy, But What is Your Alternative?

It may be old-age or being locked down by Covid-19, but I’m feeling rather grumpy. As soon as I had finished my previous blog on the dangers of so-called ‘best practice’, I heard myself saying “and another thing!”. So here

richardmiller 26/10/202003/07/2023 Blog 5 Comments Read more

When Best Practice is a Terrible Idea

When Best Practice is a Terrible Idea

I don’t know about you, but I react badly to the label “best practice”. What gets touted as best practice is often terrible practice. Or at least the wrong practice in the wrong place at the wrong time. It starts

richardmiller 05/10/202005/10/2020 Blog 2 Comments Read more

What are the Characteristics of Innovative Companies?

What are the Characteristics of Innovative Companies?

In an earlier blog, I warned about thoughtlessly following the practices of successful companies, hoping the magic would rub off on you. Buying in to the latest management fad. What I called “cargo cult management”. But human nature is human

richardmiller 15/06/202016/08/2020 Blog No Comments Read more

The Joy of the 2×2 Matrix

The Joy of the 2×2 Matrix

We have all heard variations of the joke “A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then keeps the watch”. They get a lot of flak; some of it richly deserved. Their methods and

richardmiller 02/06/202002/06/2020 Blog No Comments Read more

Coronavirus is Pushing Remote Working – Make It a Success

Coronavirus is Pushing Remote Working – Make It a Success

In the current coronavirus epidemic, one recommendation from health authorities is for people to work from home. There are lots of jobs where this is impossible. It is hard to be a taxi driver, or a nurse, or a professional

richardmiller 10/03/202011/03/2020 Blog No Comments Read more

SMART Objectives Can Be So Dumb

SMART Objectives Can Be So Dumb

We have all heard the famous Peter Drucker phrase from his 1954 book the Practice of Management – “what gets measured, gets managed”. It is a cliché of management practice, and like all clichés it contains a truth. If you

richardmiller 09/12/201909/12/2019 Blog 1 Comment Read more

Experiment To Improve The Chance Of Innovation Success

Experiment To Improve The Chance Of Innovation Success

We know that business needs to innovate. Whether a startup, established SME or major industry player, new customer offers are critical for survival. We also know that most innovations fail in the market; despite our enthusiasm, creativity and persistence. We

richardmiller 27/11/201821/01/2020 Blog 1 Comment Read more

The “Abominable No-Man” and Innovation

The “Abominable No-Man” and Innovation

In 1955 C. Northcote Parkinson wrote an article in The Economist that introduced the world to Parkinson’s Law – “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. An observation so universal in application that it is instantly recognisable

richardmiller 13/11/2018 Blog No Comments Read more

Understanding Your Project Portfolio with the Consumer/Technology Matrix

Understanding Your Project Portfolio with the Consumer/Technology Matrix

When you are only working on one innovation project at a time, you can give it all the care and attention it needs. There are no competing resource demands; at least for creating new products and services. Life gets more

richardmiller 31/07/201816/06/2020 Blog 2 Comments Read more

Why Do Startups Fail?

Why Do Startups Fail?

A while ago I wrote about why innovations fail, and I wondered about start-ups. Do they have the same problems, or are they completely different? How often start-ups fail is a matter of debate. A commonly quoted figure is that

richardmiller 14/05/2018 Blog 2 Comments Read more

Making Progress Means Changing the Team

Making Progress Means Changing the Team

Getting the right people doing the right jobs is one of the major challenges in a small, growing business. We each have our particular strengths and our favoured working styles. Teams need to evolve as the business develops, and getting

richardmiller 02/05/201802/05/2018 Blog No Comments Read more

Beware of Cargo Cult Management

Bamboo and thatch plane used by Cargo Cult

Cargo Cults During World War II, Melanesian islanders were astonished when the Japanese and American militaries arrived with vast quantities of supplies of all sorts, delivered by plane and parachute drop. These supplies found their way into the local economy

richardmiller 24/04/201725/04/2017 Blog 1 Comment Read more

Recent Posts

  • Why don’t we learn from projects and what can we do about it? 15/07/2024
  • Hoping to Grow? Beware, There is a Dragon Lurking in the Matrix! 19/01/2024
  • Electricity Storage 8 – So What Have We Learned? 23/01/2023
  • Electricity Storage 7 – Power-to-X, Chemicals as an Energy Reservoir 17/01/2023
  • Electricity Storage Options 6 – Batteries Included 09/01/2023

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