Can you turn a crisis to an opportunity?
History:
While working at Texas Instruments, Dr. Miller identified a new failure mechanism in the organization’s latest generation technology node. We had already shipped early samples to high profile, lead customers.
His team quickly developed a solution that not only solved the problem using existing equipment and processes, but also improved the device’s overall performance. He put together a project plan, aligned stakeholder support, and oversaw fabrication and testing of devices.
Replacement parts shipped as a “free upgrade”, making customers happy to swap out their old devices. Failures were never seen in the field.
It took nine months between identifying the failures and shipping the first solutions. The dramatically enhanced performance won Texas Instruments an Eddy Award for technical achievement.
Not bad for a program whose goal was simply to avert a crisis.