While the needs of every client are different, there are a few big decisions to land in framing an engagement to make sure we deliver the most business value as quickly and consistently as possible. These articles steps through the four big points to scope before we build or implement new tools:

1. Clarify the Exam Question

2. Work Backward from “Done”

3. Walk & Document the Gemba

4. Set the Leading and Lagging Indicators

While the needs of every client are different, there are a few big decisions to land in framing an engagement to make sure we deliver the most business value as quickly and consistently as possible. These articles steps through the four big points to scope before we build or implement new tools:

1. Clarify the Exam Question

2. Work Backward from “Done”

3. Walk & Document the Gemba

4. Set the Leading and Lagging Indicators

While the needs of every client are different, there are a few big decisions to land in framing an engagement to make sure we deliver the most business value as quickly and consistently as possible. These articles steps through the four big points to scope before we build or implement new tools:

1. Clarify the Exam Question

2. Work Backward from “Done”

3. Walk & Document the Gemba

4. Set the Leading and Lagging Indicators

While the needs of every client are different, there are a few big decisions to land in framing an engagement to make sure we deliver the most business value as quickly and consistently as possible. These articles steps through the four big points to scope before we build or implement new tools:

1. Clarify the Exam Question

2. Work Backward from “Done”

3. Walk & Document the Gemba

4. Set the Leading and Lagging Indicators

Lesson 1: Know Thyself: Are you a Technology Business Or Not?

Goal tracking systems only deliver value when they follow from a clear understanding of what your team is trying to understand and why.

An introduction to eight lessons learned from interviews with colleagues and friends across the landscape of technology companies and traditional operating companies. As the business world adjusts to a non-zero interest rate environment, and investors stop paying for growth at all costs, I wanted to learn from the smartest people I know about what has and hasn’t worked in bringing smart people together, unleashing them to build compelling businesses, and measuring progress along the way.

Here are the top five lessons learned from ramping up the scale of our vendor operations:

1. Clarify roles and responsibilities

2. Make the work visible with shared infrastructure, even if it’s basic

3. Ride the wave—don’t onboard vendors unless you can engage them quickly

4. Incentives matter—sometimes more than you might expect

5. Write your forecasts in pencil, not ink, and budget for flexibility

The key to how we land on the “right” set of responsibilities is to document the workflow thoroughly. We then assess the traits and value-creation in each step to see where field employees can make the biggest difference, and where central employees are needed to deliver the most consistency in execution. Here are some principals I’ve followed in setting responsibilities for field and central roles…