Keeping the Critical Path Clear

Lately I've learned something. It happens from time to time, and - as they say - the day is not wasted when it does. Yet again, it's thanks in some part to those very clever engineers at Toyota and it comes to me while learning about how they manage to design cars about twice as fast as their closest competitors. It's nice that something I picked up around a month ago and have told my product and program managers I want to apply is echoing back to me via other members of the management team as a principle they wish to pursue.

Lesson one is simple:

Keep technological innovation off the critical path of new product development

Let's look at this in detail.