The Practices

Methodology Library

Each practice below is a method we use on client engagements. This library describes what we do and how we do it — each one part of the same method: see the business clearly, find the real constraint, and build a focused system around it.

First Practices

How We Work

Each practice here has been used on a real engagement, and is written so you can apply it yourself. More are added as engagements complete.

01

A working demo before any proposal

In early meetings, we spend the first hour understanding how the business runs, then build a short demo of one of the client's actual workflows rather than a generic product pitch. The demo is prepared from what the client describes.

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02

Sorting the problem from the system it arrived in

Before replacing a system, sort every complaint into two piles: what would exist on any system, and what belongs to this one. Most replacement projects fail because nobody did — they replace the second pile and the first one survives.

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03

Writing down what you know about someone who matters

Most of what you know about an important counterparty is real, useful, and has never been written down — which means it leaves when you do, and everyone after you has to work it out again from scratch.

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Every practice comes from real engagements.

Each practice described here has been used on a client engagement and can be applied again where the situation fits.

Discuss your situation with us

Engagements start with a conversation. Contact us to discuss whether a practice fits.

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