Using Failure as a Springboard for Success

C.S. Lewis once said, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” It’s something to keep in the back of your mind anytime you go out on a limb and take a risk, because you can always change your path.

In 2008, I led a team to design and develop a composite outer bypass duct for the HTF7500E turbofan engine. At program launch our team signed up for aggressive weight and cost targets on a tight schedule. We knew we were taking a risk to develop a new concept, but we also knew we needed an innovative solution to meet the customer requirements

Our team went into the process without a thorough understanding of the interface and assembly constraints, and without a clear understanding of the overarching supply chain strategy. The team iterated on the concept many times, and ultimately came up with an expensive but workable technical solution. Unfortunately, that solution had to be scrapped when the supplier we selected was blocked over contractual issues.

Our team was 10 months into a four-year program and had to start over. We were disappointed and disheartened.

While some may see this scenario as a failure, at Honeywell Aerospace our philosophy is, “failure can lead to success.” If employees are willing to take risks and have a fail-fast mentality – meaning take risks and recover quickly - the outcome is likely to be successful.

We didn’t have time to wallow – we had a schedule to meet. The failure had a galvanizing effect on the team. We regrouped and focused on the critical tasks required to recover the lost time. We developed a practical concept using conventional metal materials and laid out a preliminary design in only six weeks. We reached outside our established supply base to identify motivated suppliers capable of making the parts we needed.