We have a bias toward action. We are drawn toward bold and ambitious initiatives. And like Horace suggests, we must "venture to be wise." Accordingly, we know it is wise (and necessary) to make certain fundamental decisions at the outset when we partner with organizations or initiate our own special projects. We have learned from experience that we need clear answers to the following questions prior to commencing; lacking consensus around such items leads to frustration and waste, at best, or outright failure, at worst:

1. Who is on the project team and what are their talents?
2. How will this project team make decisions?
3. What are the S.M.A.R.T. objectives for this effort and what is the business or social case justifying it?
4. Who is ultimately Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed (RACI) within the project team and for what?
5. How will we measure achievement of these objectives and ultimate success?

If our partners or sponsors do not have aligned answers to these questions when first engaging with A&S we welcome the opportunity to guide them through an efficient and effective process to arrive at both these answers and a clear plan. 

We look forward to your thoughts on the topic. 

We were rereading an older piece from the Winter 2007 edition of the MIT Sloan Management Review called Why Companies Should Have Open Business Models.

Henry Chesbrough illustrates seemingly diverse cases where players "required an open business model in which an idea traveled from invention to commercialization through at least two different companies, with the different parties involved dividing the work of innovation."

We encourage you to review Chesbrough's piece carefully and consider how your organization could innovate faster and better employing such concepts.

A&S associates would be delighted to
begin a discovery with you about how our collaborative models could connect your organization to practical strategic and enabling partnerships to execute more, sooner with less risk.

Andreesen Horowitz publishes excellent content through their a16z Podcast Series. We recommend this one with Michael Raynor, co-author of the followup book on disruptive innovation with Clayton Christensen titled The Innovator's Solution.  Christensen in a 1995 article and later publicized through his 1997 book, The Innovator's Dilemma.