outcomes – Link

It’s a mystery

August 15, 2015

There’s a scene near the beginning of the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love:

The theatres, we have heard, are all closed by the plague. And then:

HENSLOWE: Mr. Fennyman, let me explain about the theatre business.The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster. Believe me, to be closed by the plague is a bagatelle in the ups and downs of owning a theatre.
FENNYMAN: So what do we do?
HENSLOWE Nothing. Strangely enough , it all turns out well.
FENNYMAN How?
HENSLOWE I don’t know. It’s a mystery

Published by: Lorien Pratt

Decision engineering Government Legal Wicked Problems

What to do when complexity starts to eat you alive: in law, government, and organizations

March 4, 2015

I had a house once with a lot of stuff, and a big basement. Sometimes when I needed to find something quickly – a Philips screwdriver maybe, or a glue gun – there were just too many places to look, and it would have taken hours. So, I’ll confess, there were times I just went and bought a new screwdriver. Which added to the pile, and made it worse for the next time around. At the time, I always seemed to be too busy to take the time to organize things so this would stop happening. So for a few years it just kept getting worse.

I’m starting to see this pattern more broadly. Continue reading

Published by: Lorien Pratt

Data, and its limits Decision engineering Decision intelligence Outcomes

The ten most important things to improve complex decisions

February 21, 2015

If you’re facing a high-value decision in a complex environment, and you want to collaborate with your colleagues to maximize your chance of reaching your business objectives, here are the ten most important things to do: Continue reading

Published by: Lorien Pratt