Skunkworks

Words, okay. But definitions can make you think differently.

A skunkworks is a group of people who, in order to achieve unusual results, work on a project in a way that is outside the usual rules. A skunkworks is often a small team that assumes or is given responsibility for developing something in a short time with minimal management constraints.

Typically, a skunkworks has a small number of members in order to reduce communications overhead. A skunkworks is sometimes used to spearhead a product design that thereafter will be developed according to the usual process. A skunkworks project may be secret.

The name is taken from the moonshine factory in Al Capp’s cartoon, “Lil’ Abner.”

Now that sounds like a good idea for more than a few projects. For more on this see the skunkworks entry on Wikipedia.

Kevin Harrington Partner

Kevin Harrington is a Partner at Exit Factor UK, helping SME owners increase business value & build a rewarding, well-planned exit. Former CMO at BBC Worldwide.

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