
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works 14 Rules of Operation (1943) - pbrown
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/aeronautics/skunkworks/14rules.html
======
quantumhobbit
"14. Because only a few people will be used in engineering and most other
areas, ways must be provided to reward good performance by pay not based on
the number of personnel supervised."

This is something large corporations struggle with today. The prevalence of of
startups seems to indicate that there isn't a good alternative to the track of
promoting good engineers to management. Engineers who want to do design work
don't want to be managers.

I'm reminded of a charter school I read about in the NYT(don't have the link
sorry) that was unusual for paying its best teachers more than the principal.
They had a principal who understood that even though he was the teachers boss
he needed to attract good teachers with high salary.

------
TrevorJ
#1 and #9 seem really important. (Managers must be given actual control over a
project, contractors must be allowed to test the work they do.)

I've seen how destructive not having those two policies in play can be, even
in a small organization. You have to give the people on charge the authority
and ability to get things done, and you have to make sure the people who do
the work get the chance to see firsthand whether or not the work "flies" in
the real world.

------
jwb119
It is amazing how relevant most of these rules are more than 50 years after
they were published. Kelly would have been one heck of a founder.

I found this one on documentation particularly applicable.. 5. There must be a
minimum number of reports required, but important work must be recorded
thoroughly.

------
pbrown
Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works were responsible for some of the most innovative
aircraft designs from WWII. These were the 14 rules put in place at the birth
of the Skunk Works.

Looking past the military stuff, some of them are quite applicable to startups
even to this day.

~~~
ggrot
#3 almost sounds like the definition of a startup:

The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted
in an almost vicious manner. Use a small number of good people (10% to 25%
compared to the so-called normal systems).

------
dag
There was an unofficial 15th rule: Don't work with the Navy. (From the book
Skunk Works by Ben Rich who succeeded Kelly. Great book. Read it.)

~~~
herdrick
That is a good one, but I got the feeling he was holding a lot back. Not just
tech secrets, I mean.

