Domain

Explanation

Experimentation

• In researching & developing new & better methods, skills, products & events, three phases would be necessary:

1. Conception & formulation: ideas, abstraction, theory, hypothesis
2. Experimentation: validation, verification
3. Implementation & maintenance: construction & review

• Experimentation, being the middle-man, is a critical stepping stone towards the eventual finish
• Those that do not pass the experimentation phase are considered failures
• Good experimentation would refine conceptions & smoothen implementation
• Enlightened experimentation would enable experimentation to be conducted well

Enlightened experimentation

• It involves the following four processes:

1. Organisation for rapid experimentation
2. Fail early & often, but avoid mistakes
3. Anticipate & exploit early information
4. Combine new & traditional technology

Organisation for rapid experimentation

• Sharpen & focus routines, boundaries & incentives
• Form small development groups to iterate rapidly
• Always prefer parallel experimentation

Fail early & often, but avoid mistakes

• Mistakes are costly & disruptive - avoid at all costs
• Embraces failures early - we learn most from failures
• Conduct well-designed tests with clear objectives, scope & hypothesis
• Reduce & control variability

Anticipate & exploit early information

• Front-loading: identify problems upstream (ASAP)
• Easier & cheaper to solve upstream problems
• Balance cost & fidelity (accuracy)

Combine new & traditional technology

• Unify the new & the traditional technology in concert
• Be in a state of continual replacement