Give us the tools and we will finish the job. Winston Churchill 1941. Just as true today as is was then. So why is it that so many businesses
don't use the right tools and get the wrong result?
Starting from scratch
When Wilbur and Orville Wright decided that they wanted to build an aeroplane, they had little information to go on.
There were no tools and few experimental results to start them off.
Traction shifts us into first gear
They seized on the work of Otto Lilienthal, who had found a way or measuring the lift of an aerofoil. Although Otto had
concluded that a flat aerofoil was impractical for a flying machine, it was in a glider fitted with such an aerofoil
that he died.
With few resources, the Wright brothers conducted their own experiments using different aerofoils attached to the
handlebar of a bicycle as they cycled around their home town. It was these experiments that convinced them that a
heavier than air powered aeroplane could be built.
Think out of the box and exploit to win
As their knowledge grew, so they designed a wind tunnel, in which they continued to understand the problem they were
trying to solve until a number of prototype gliders were successively tested at Kitty Hawk. As we now know, eventually,
hey got it right, and the rest, as they say, is history.
They recorded their progress, successes and failures in notebooks and by the most up-to-date technology, the camera,
which helped them to review and document their remarkable achievement. They started from the back of the pack, and by
sheer hard work and determination made a world shattering discovery.
Innovate to succeed.
But if they were starting today would they allow themselves to be dogged by the same technology.
I believe not.
Leading edge developments save time and money
When Burt Rutan developed Spaceship 1, he didn't rely on the established technology of wind tunnels and
experimentation. To do so would have consigned him to thousands of man hours of hard work, just like the Wright
brothers. Instead, he stood on the shoulders of others and used computers and their applications that would help him to
shortcut the experiment cycle.
Algorithms and modelling were the modern tools that helped Burt Rutan to throw away the rule book and design amazing
and improbable machines.
Time is the enemy of every business, and any business that doesn't re-equip to exploit technology will always lose its
competitive advantage.
If you stick with old technology and practices it will cost you time and money. Old processes become inefficient
processes, and these days every business needs to embrace innovation all the time.
Getting off the cycle
It's not a five year cycle.
It's not optional.
Review technology every project.
It is a life saver.
Its time to get out of your comfort zone, and embrace innovative ideas that will save you time, and your money. Buy
some space for a holiday or reduce stress by learning new ideas.
I upgrade regularly, with new apps, new means of keeping in touch and by improving my technical knowledge to give offer
more efficiency to my customers.
Do you?
