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Tag: tool sprawl

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Leadership

The Innovation Trap: When ‘Diversifying’ Means ‘Panic Buying’

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series The Brick that Saves It's Self

When performance wobbles, ‘innovation’ can turn into panic buying with a bigger budget. LEGO’s near-collapse is a reminder that too many initiatives create operational whiplash and hidden work. Use a simple 1–3 scorecard and a stoplight portfolio to separate real strategy from shiny distractions.

October 3, 2025 David Carneal

Process Improvement

Complexity Is a Tax: Find Your 13,000 Parts

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series The Brick that Saves It's Self

Complexity doesn’t show up as a single problem. It shows up as thousands of tiny choices, templates, exceptions, and workarounds. LEGO learned the hard way that uncontrolled variation turns into a tax on your people, your systems, and your supply chain. This post gives you a fast ‘13,000 Parts Audit’ to find the mess and remove one version that’s slowing everything down.

October 1, 2025 David Carneal