ROTFLMAO...
I don't want to go off on a rant here, but I've apparently been feeling a bit rambunctious lately...
If you know that Frank has the goods, why the detour through Gantthead?
;-)
Whoops -- I hope that comment doesn't get me in trouble. But it has some real merit, I believe, regarding the interesting dilemma expressed by Mr. Anonymous.
In order to understand possibilities for solutions, he feels he must review a range of lists of "excellent resources," which may very well introduce conflicting suggestions and recommendations that require time not only to read and digest, but also reconcile and judge.
On the other hand, he expresses a need to actually do work in assessing business models, developing strategies, etc., and "do it quickly." This suggests that he doesn't really have the time to do all the study involved in the first request.
We see this sort of thing all the time on internet venues, people who obviously have work to do requesting "anything you can think of" to help them do what they need to do. This reminds me of a mode of management in a former employer of mine, one that they usually referred to as "management by fact." The general impression of how this worked was that the decision-maker searched out a pile of "facts" and reports and studies and articles and benchmark studies and didn't make a decision until that pile, if placed behind him, would suffice to "cover his ass" so he couldn't be blamed for a "poor decision."
The pity of it was the the best decisions were usually the obvious ones. These decision-makers and their support staff were not stupid people. They had plenty of intuition about their operation and the subject of their inquiry but didn't trust it. I'm not suggesting that one goes into situations completely blind, but a good enough understanding of the circumstances is more than often good enough.
Use your intuition and common sense. They are worth a lot more to your situation than anything outsiders can suggest for it sight unseen.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
...and if I am, there's always my website content on projects and on an approach for the design and scrutiny of goal-focused process improvements.
;-)
