Case Stories

The Implementation can be Right, and Still be Wrong

Sometimes the key to a solution lies in discovering the questions that have not yet been asked.  A large multinational corporation developing a crucial piece of a new DoD system was stymied.  Even with their huge team of experts, they had been unable to resolve a technical issue.  They had the skills and technical acumen, but needed a fresh perspective.

A New Trick Can Save the Day

Medical device manufacturers face a steep regulatory burden.  Even the least critical medical systems must receive FDA approval before they can be placed on the market.  This Fortune 500 medical device manufacturer was preparing to ship an important, but low-risk upgrade to a stalwart family of institutional medical equipment.  Then at the last minute, the program hit a wall – at least it looked that way.

Make a Choice to be Trusted

First certification efforts often succeed or fail long before the assessor arrives.  This was not a routine product roll-out. It was the company's first effort to bring one of their devices through a formal functional safety certification process, and that meant both the product and the development process would be subject to outside scrutiny.

Find the Right People, Ask the Right Questions

Technical jargon can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when the customer is a foreign company whose employees speak English as a second language, if they speak it at all.  Sometimes, a seemingly insurmountable difference can be resolved by a quick sidebar conversation between the right people.

The Dreaded Do-over

It can be hard to discard work that came at a high cost.  Sometimes fixing poorly written software is the costliest path.  Sometimes the right move is just to start over. 

Dare to Explore the Possibilities

The client understands the outcome they are seeking, but they don't always have full visibility into the best technical paths for achieving those outcomes.  Sometimes you have to look beyond the task list to identify better alternatives

The Best Argument isn't Always a Technical One.

Sometimes the hardest problems faced in a technical program are the ones that can't be solved with computers and calculators.  Engineers are human, and the best of us can fall into the trap of defending a position that doesn't need defending.

Exceed Expectations by Looking Ahead

Sometimes the fastest way to improve performance is to stop waiting for a system that is already ready. A fresh perspective and a systematic approach to design can yield benefits that haven't even been imagined by the people who are close to the system.

An Architectural Solution to an Integration Problem

People can become accustomed to inconvenience and expense when it seems inevitable.  A large group of engineers attempting to integrate a complex group of applications in an equally complex device containing a large collection of sensors – why should that be easy? 

Punt for the Win

The most valuable thing a consultant can offer isn't always the work they do — sometimes it's the work they choose not to do. Knowing when an existing solution outperforms an independent one, and knowing how to secure it on the client's terms, is a discipline in its own right.

Keep Calm and Carry on

Generally, market forces evolve over time. Sometimes they are altered overnight by events outside anyone’s control. When that happens, organizations do not just need speed. They need people who can integrate quickly, work across boundaries, and help keep important work disciplined while the pace changes around them.