Comments on: Killing Innovation with Corner Cases and Consensus http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/ Entrepreneurship and Conservation Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:39:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: What posts and articles are a must read for early-stage entrepreneurs? - Quora http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-7923 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:59:48 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-7923 [...] Making: http://steveblank.com/2009/06/05…Killing Innovation with Corner Cases and Consensus: http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22…“Speed and Tempo” – Fearless Decision Making for Startups: [...]

]]> By: Building a Company with Customer Data – Why Metrics Are Not Enough « Steve Blank http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-2120 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:01:41 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-2120 [...] Even with information from all three views, founders need to remember there will never be enough information to make a perfect decision. [...]

]]> By: Richard Freytag http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-617 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:50:43 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-617 Steve,

I am slowly reading and enjoying all of your site. Most all of the comments are good as well.

Apropos to this post’s topic, on nearly every one of your posts there is a comment that seems to be a perfect example of taking some kind of exception over a corner case. The problem is that it takes experience to know what is exceptional and what is probable. And the confidently inexperienced are many … and vocal.

Thanks for the posts!

]]> By: Michael F. Martin http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-347 Tue, 12 May 2009 18:17:55 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-347 The fact that the cutoff for corner cases gets to smaller and smaller probabilities as a company grows larger and larger is the Arrow effect in a nutshell.

]]> By: John Coker http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-346 Tue, 12 May 2009 17:05:25 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-346 I especially like the “calculate the odds” part. There is an infinitude of things to worry about so it’s important to be able to figure out what’s *not* worth further concern.

]]> By: Process for the Enterprise » Blog Archive » The Role of Corner Cases in BPM http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-302 Tue, 05 May 2009 22:40:55 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-302 [...] recently read Steve Blank’s article on killing innovation with corner cases, and it really struck a chord for me.  He correctly points out that this problem is even more [...]

]]> By: Brett Owens http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-248 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:40:20 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-248 Wow been there, done that, and I hadn’t realized what happened until reading Steve’s excellent explanation here.

In the early days, we did exactly the type of exercise to breed corner cases – gather really smart people together and whiteboard some blue sky brainstorms. Dangerous stuff, to be sure!

]]> By: James Governor’s Monkchips » Corner Cases Can Kill Innovation 2: The Big Dogs Are Too Big http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-230 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:57:35 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-230 [...] Dion Hinchliffe pointed to an article this morning – Killing Innovation with Corner Cases and Consensus – I assumed I knew what it was about, and wanted to read [...]

]]> By: links for 2009-04-22 « Blarney Fellow http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-189 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:13:21 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-189 [...] Killing Innovation with Corner Cases and Consensus « Steve Blank in startups, you can’t allow a “corner case” to derail fearless decision making. (tags: startup productivity) [...]

]]> By: steveblank http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-187 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:22:28 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-187 A commenter on Hacker News got what I was saying better than I did:

“… the problem is when people attempt to use corner cases to destroy a good idea.

Having a valid metric of when corner cases become truly important is a great way of avoiding people destroying ideas before they have a chance to come to fruition, simply because of corner cases that may or may not have major impact.

In the article he even states that it’s good to hear the corner cases. You just have to make sure they don’t rule the day unless they actually will have major impact.”

Yep, that’s what I meant.

steve

]]> By: David Locke http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-186 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:57:52 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-186 The processes used to generate consensus typically are just used to get everyone to get it off their chest. Then, business as usual.

To build consensus you must work back to the generic. You cannot get consensus on specifics.

]]> By: Angela Hey http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-185 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:57:49 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-185 But you can’t go on false assumptions – 45% of the youth in CA are hispanic – so it might matter even if the only market is the US!

But over analysis may imply paralysis.

]]> By: Gregory Y http://steveblank.com/2009/04/22/killing-innovation-with-corner-cases/#comment-184 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:25:17 +0000 http://steveblank.com/?p=1212#comment-184 Thank you for legitimizing my “dictatorial” behavior. The heuristic you are suggesting is particularly helpful, as I don’t like to shot people down during the brainstorming sessions, but don’t want to drown in pointless details. Excellent advice I will practice relentlessly :-)

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