Aaron PearsonThe first known mention of the proverb “measure twice, cut once” dates back back to 1591 when John Florio published Second Frutes. He could not have dreamt how relevant his words would still be to companies developing products in challenging economic times more than four centuries later. Here’s an excerpt from a recent editorial by 3D printer maker, Stratasys CEO, Scott Crump, who applies it to rapid prototyping. Over the next four weeks we will publish brief excerpts from the article.
In these uncertain economic times, I remind myself to “measure twice; cut once,” a lesson my father taught me as a boy. It’s advice that is obvious and wise but so easy to ignore, especially when resources are tight.
In tough times, you might be tempted to skip those second measurements to save a few minutes and a few dollars. If “the cut” is correct, there are savings. But if the cut is wrong, the gain you had hoped for pales in comparison to the effort and expense of making it right. Though the risk is much greater than the reward; it’s nevertheless tempting to take that risk when time or money is tight.
In the R&D arena, “measure twice” translates to “prototype early and often.” As with measuring twice, prototyping offers the confidence that there will be only one tool cut and no rework. Unfortunately, the similarity doesn’t end there. For very little financial gain, companies take a big risk by ignoring the wisdom of prototyping early and often.
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