Discussion: View Thread

Solving Business Problems: Lessons Learned in the Navy

  • 1.  Solving Business Problems: Lessons Learned in the Navy

    Posted 07-31-2005 10:36
    The subject line of this message also serves as the title of August's
    featured article on my web site. It refers specifically to what I learned
    in the Navy about solving the fire control problem (i.e., how to hit a
    moving target).

    Here is the gist of the article:

    Most problems encountered in organizations are dynamic. They are, as people
    so often say, "moving targets." There is not and can never be a static
    solution to a dynamic problem. The first lesson to be learned from the fire
    control problem is this: to hit a moving target requires a continuous or
    "running" solution, one that is regularly updated to reflect the current
    situation. Dynamic problems are not "defined" and then "solved." Instead,
    the definition of this kind of problem evolves over time, as does its
    solution. Dynamic problems must be measured and monitored, just as targets
    are tracked. If you do not approach dynamic problems in this fashion, you
    are likely to solve the problem that was, not the problem that is.

    If you are interested in this article, go to my web site (www.nickols.us)
    and click on the link to the article. As always, it's available for single
    user reading at no charge.

    Regards,

    Fred Nickols
    "Assistance at A Distance"
    nickols@att.net
    www.nickols.us