Managing for Breakthroughs in Productivity

Abstract:     
This article is about creating and managing projects so as to deliberately and predictably produce results well beyond what could have been reasonably expected beforehand. This methodology was originated in the mid-1980's and applied to 20 engineering projects at IBM with spectacular results. In the years since, many projects in a myriad of fields have been managed using the same techniques with similar results. This article describes the original IBM projects and some of the additional projects undertaken since then. It also outlines the methodology used and provides perspective on why the methodology works and the pitfalls to be avoided.

Keywords: Performance, motivation, goals, commitment

Working Paper Series