Comments on: The 1000 Cell Spreadsheet Kills an Innovation http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/12/1000-cells-in-a-spreadsheet-cant-be-wrong/ Designed in Brisbane by Tim Kastelle & John Steen Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:15:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tim http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/12/1000-cells-in-a-spreadsheet-cant-be-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-3058 Tim Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:03:10 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=988#comment-3058 Thanks for the feedback Josh. I think that your first sentence is an excellent summary, and I probably should have been more clear in saying that myself. The other point that I didn't get around to making is that we often mistake precise-looking numbers for precision in thinking, which is what was happening here. Their numbers looked great (especially in the spreadsheet), but the thinking was sloppy... Thanks for the feedback Josh. I think that your first sentence is an excellent summary, and I probably should have been more clear in saying that myself. The other point that I didn’t get around to making is that we often mistake precise-looking numbers for precision in thinking, which is what was happening here. Their numbers looked great (especially in the spreadsheet), but the thinking was sloppy…

]]> By: Josh Gluckman http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/12/1000-cells-in-a-spreadsheet-cant-be-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-3057 Josh Gluckman Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:44:53 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=988#comment-3057 I think this is more of an indictment on poor market analysis, as opposed to analytical thinking more generally. Market size and growth rates alone shouldn't dictate prioritisation - rather, they should be part of a mix of criteria that might include accessibility, risk, speed to maturity, etc. And it's sometimes similarly the case that a LACK of 'spreadsheeting' or modelling, is a key contributor to innovation failure - especially given that execution/commercialisation is so frequently the innovation hotspot. However, your point around poor assumptions (i.e. garbage in, garbage out) is a good one. And one particularly evident in the overly hopeful business cases which frequently accompany 'pet' ideas. So I'd put a foot firmly in both the analytical and intuitive/design-thinking camps. I think this is more of an indictment on poor market analysis, as opposed to analytical thinking more generally.

Market size and growth rates alone shouldn’t dictate prioritisation – rather, they should be part of a mix of criteria that might include accessibility, risk, speed to maturity, etc.

And it’s sometimes similarly the case that a LACK of ‘spreadsheeting’ or modelling, is a key contributor to innovation failure – especially given that execution/commercialisation is so frequently the innovation hotspot.

However, your point around poor assumptions (i.e. garbage in, garbage out) is a good one. And one particularly evident in the overly hopeful business cases which frequently accompany ‘pet’ ideas.

So I’d put a foot firmly in both the analytical and intuitive/design-thinking camps.

]]> By: Twitted by timkastelle http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/12/1000-cells-in-a-spreadsheet-cant-be-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-2992 Twitted by timkastelle Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:20:25 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=988#comment-2992 [...] This post was Twitted by timkastelle [...] [...] This post was Twitted by timkastelle [...]

]]>