Author Archive | Scott Propp

An R&D Playbook for the Next Decade

As the year comes to a close, we’re all preparing to turn the calendar page – and looking forward to a new decade. But the tools that got us here will not be effective going forward. And honestly? When we look back, we’ll wonder why we hung on to these old notions so long. You […]

Continue Reading ·

The Three Big Reasons Why Most Business Cases Don’t Succeed

I had an energetic conversation during a workshop session recently – it  was one of those moments when ideas are just flowing. We were talking about the very low success rate of new projects inside established firms (it’s about 1 in 5), and the role that the “business case” plays in the success or demise […]

Continue Reading ·

3 Strategies for Building Resilience in a Recession

There is dialogue in the press these days that suggests we have hit the top of our ability to drive economic growth – and a recession may be around the corner.  What this means to many people, is that we should begin to be conservative with our firm’s investments and pull back to essentials only.   […]

Continue Reading ·

Finding Your Focus: Why the Source of Your Insights Matter

I was working with an R&D leader in a large manufacturing firm with the focus of jumpstarting vibrancy in their core markets.   The presenting issue was the sales force was reporting that their portfolio did not have the gravitas it once did, and the competition was taking advantage in some of their most profitable […]

Continue Reading ·

Wondering Why Your Leaders Lose Initiative?

I was recently updating some credentials through a major government agency and was reminded of a recurrent blindspot I see with clients who engage my help with their business growth plans.  This issue is the kind of thing that is buried deep in the organization, and are what we call “gumption killers.” They are silent […]

Continue Reading ·

What a Process Cannot Do…

I spoke at a conference recently that focused on building project management competency.  The theme of the event was Energize, Transform, Succeed.  It was a high energy and engaging time. The topic of my presentation was “Why Great Projects Fail: How to Move Your Team from Concept to Concrete Results Every Time.”  One of the […]

Continue Reading ·

If You Step on the Throttle Can Your Ideas Really Scale?

How to avoid the coffin corner. When pilots were first probing the sound barrier, there were several aircraft that were inexplicably lost.  As pilots and designers learned more about how air behaved when being pierced at the speed of sound, they discovered a small window of time where supersonic aircraft have no chance of recovery.   […]

Continue Reading ·