Business Plans Don’t Work Nine out of ten business start-ups, and one in six business transformations will confirm it. Learning from the failures of the past, it becomes clear that we have been missing a key step in the execution of our business plans. That key step is the discovery of what works. In this three part series, I’ll look at the way in which business plans lead to failure, the way in which business model innovation can help, and the mindset that is needed to succeed in discovering a new path towards business success. What’s Wrong with a Business Plan? The business plan is widely accepted as the starting point for most major business initiatives, whether they are launching a new start-up, creating a new product line, or transforming existing operations. Our first problem is with the business plan itself. As an execution document, it is hardly surprising that 9 out of 10 new businesses will fail. What are the Risks of Getting it Wrong? image credit: freelanceswitch.com
Following A Web Design Process - Smashing Magazine The Hardest Part The hardest part is not the code. The hardest part is not the writing. The hardest part is not even the work, itself. Time and time again, I come back to this truth. Am I really good enough to take this on? Too many “ifs” – and then, naturally, the justifications for tabling the project or endeavor begin to crop up. Of course I don’t have time to start this project. What’s sad is that we all know that “next year” is psuedo-speak for “one day,” and “one day” is pseudo-speak for “probably never.” There’s a reason why writers will be the first to tell you that, easily, the most difficult aspect of writing a book is…starting. Why? It’s impossible for a negative comment to be posted on an article that isn’t published. So why do we do this to ourselves? Maybe if we’re honest, we all know the reason why we, from time to time, sit on our hands: putting yourself out there is really, truly scary. The Solution No self-help book is capable of rewriting your emotions. Solution?
Frog Design: 3 Things Wile E. Coyote Teaches Us About Creative Intelligence Bruce Nussbaum was right to close the book on Design Thinking. It is time to move on. Business never really got the message. There's a notion that you find out early in life whether you are creative. Creativity is generally viewed as an inherent quality within a person; there's a notion that you find out early in life whether you are creative or not. Putting HR in the Driver's Seat Why do I say that? The underlying message coming from Richard Florida, Vijay Vaitheeswaran, and others is that creativity should be viewed as a critical resource that is undervalued within most organizations and thus, represents a huge area for growth in the 21st century (hence the "Human Potential" referred to in the title). Misconceptions about Creativity The frog team spent two days injecting a series of games into the conference to inspire collaboration among participants and to challenge this assumption. 1. You would probably argue that Wile E.' 2. 3. Wile E. Group Intelligence
Useful Ideas And Guidelines For Good Web Form Design - Smashing Magazine Advice for design students A get a lot of emails from students asking for help. I can’t reply to everyone unfortunately, but I spend a fair bit of time publishing blog posts that answer common questions. With 700+ pages on this site, here’s a selection of content I think’s most helpful. Advice for design students On getting hired On self-employment On learning On commercial printing I also pieced together a resources page on the Work for Money, Design for Love website. Photo by Steve Kay, thank you Related posts
Why the Business Case is Killing Innovation Most business cases outline a problem, some potential solutions, and an investment strategy in the hope of gaining approval. Unfortunately this no longer works. Innovation is a Process We know that innovation is more than just a single activity involving a group of ‘creatives’ getting together and inventing wacky but wonderful ideas. Understand the problemClarify your vision of successDevelop the right questionCreate lots of ideasDevelop the most promising ideas into solutionsExperimentLaunch (this is where you should use a business case) For the sharp eyed amongst you, you may have noticed that we do still use a business case. Separate Ideas from Solutions It seems obvious that you should spend time up front defining the problem, understanding what a successful solution would look like (or at least eh benefits it will bring) and making sure you are asking the right question. But why separate ideation from solution building? This is an important shift in focus.
Website Planning Guide - Smashing Magazine