Artists, Engineers, and Entrepreneurs: Don Reinertsen
In this episode of ae2, we talk to Product Development Consultant, Business Owner, and Author Don Reinertsen. Don works works with companies who are thinking about process improvement methodologies to apply to their product development cycle. More specifically, he helps people who are thinking about these various approaches in a non-critical way. For example, someone who read in an article or heard at a conference presentation that Method X will improve your product development process and then decides that’s what his team will do. Almost inevitably, Method X fails.
That’s when these people turn to Don.
It isn’t necessarily the company’s fault that Method X failed. Nor is it that Method X is flawed. The problem is that the organization hasn’t thought critically about what adds value to their product and how they can improve on that value. Don’s approach to helping companies find the best way to improve their processes is to turn product development into engineering development.
For many companies, their desire to improve their product development process is driven by metrics, but Don says that not all metrics are created equal. How do I measure better?
To find the right metrics that will show whether or not process changes are making a difference, you need to measure the parameters that ultimately influence the economic outcome, and create a control system based on those things that make the most impact on your economic outcome.
Watch the episode below to learn more about Don’s approach to product development.
If you are unfamiliar with ae2, this Web-series from Hiller Measurements is a long-form interview-style program that explores thought leaders at the “business end” of companies, creative works, and research. In each episode, Hiller Measurements’ President Jeff Olsen explores the creative drive, personal motivations, and stories of perseverance of visionaries who are still “in the hunt.
Through ae2, our aim is to find the business model in the engineering mind, the drive and technique a gifted artist is developing, and the impact for good that outweighs the personal risk taken on by bold business creators. Overall, the goal of our series is to inspire viewers to step out, build, and create.
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