Another Reminder Why Execution Matters

The September 3, 2011, issue of The Economist is chock full of interesting items, but one of the most revealing paragraphs comes at the end of an article ("Nightmareliner: Boeing’s new 787 has been cleared for take-off. But its troubles continue") on Boeing's woes in getting their newest airplane, the 787 Dreamliner, out the door. Now more than three years late, the plane will ship to the launch customer later in the month. "'We have the technology,' said an insider. 'But the lesson of the 787 is that we could not get the production up to scratch in time.'"

Just a reminder that good design and interesting concept aren't enough. Shipping, with apologies to Seth Godin, isn't even enough. Great execution means also shipping the product well; that is, one that works, on time and on budget. And this applies to schools, too.

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