Now that the budget is has been approved, all of the new employees are hired, and the engineers and designers are tasked with their projects for the year, oh - and the machine shop is behind getting the work already promised out… Have you ever heard you project manager tell you that it can take up to six months for the new hires to get up-to-speed for effective contribution? What do you do when sales finds a customer that is willing to pay for a new deZein? What if a special project comes along? From where does it get its resources? Has the organization been doing the same thing the same way for years? Is it lacking out-of-the-box thinking? Companies today are tasked with getting more and more productivity from less and less employees. Many large companies have only enough technical bandwidth to manage the projects – not engineer and develop them internally. More and more, companies must outsource technology, innovation, and creativity. Do companies want to take “risks” with new programs? How did your competitor get to market so fast with such a quantum leap? Sometimes if you want something done, you need to cut through the red tape. Sometimes you need to separate the special project from the ordinary. DER SKUNKWERKEN can be your secret weapon! DER SKUNKWERKEN gets its inspiration from the famous Lockheed facility run by Kelly Johnson which started after WWII. Kelly Johnson was a master at engineering and secret development. Fritze DeZein is a much smaller and more personal version - read on to learn more about the original... KELLY’S RULES "Kelly’s rules got their start on the XP-80 project in 1943, but it wasn’t until the early 1950’s that they were formalized and set in place as the Skunk Works’ rules of operation. 1. The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. He should report to a division president or higher. 2. Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry. 3. The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted in an almost vicious manner. Use a small number of good people (10% to 25% compared to the so-called normal systems). 4. A very simple drawing and drawing release system with great flexibility for making changes must be provided. 5. There must be a minimum number of reports required, but important work must be recorded thoroughly. 6. There must be a monthly cost review covering not only what has been spent and committed but also projected costs to the conclusion of the program. Don't have the books ninety days late and don't surprise the customer with sudden overruns. 7. The contractor must be delegated and must assume more than normal responsibility to get good vendor bids for subcontract on the project. Commercial bid procedures are very often better than military ones. 8. The inspection system as currently used by the Skunk Works, which has been approved by both the Air Force and Navy, meets the intent of existing military requirements and should be used on new projects. Push more basic inspection responsibility back to subcontractors and vendors. Don't duplicate so much inspection. 9. The contractor must be delegated the authority to test his final product in flight. He can and must test it in the initial stages. If he doesn't, he rapidly loses his competency to design other vehicles. 10. The specifications applying to the hardware must be agreed to well in advance of contracting. The Skunk Works practice of having a specification section stating clearly which important military specification items will not knowingly be complied with and reasons therefore is highly recommended. 11. Funding a program must be timely so that the contractor doesn't have to keep running to the bank to support government projects. 12. There must be mutual trust between the military project organization and the contractor with very close cooperation and liaison on a day-to-day basis. This cuts down misunderstanding and correspondence to an absolute minimum. 13. Access by outsiders to the project and its personnel must be strictly controlled by appropriate security measures. 14. Because only a few people will be used in engineering and most other areas, ways must be provided to reward good performance by pay not based on the number of personnel supervised." (Kelly’s Rules, www.lockheedmartin.com)