I've been working on long-term projects which have stopped me starting some new projects.
Should I start the new ones anyway? No. I agree with Johanna Rothman here: put your priority into finishing projects if you can before you start new ones.
Her list method makes sense and helps sort out what you need to do next to take that almost-finished project to the next step before you start something else.
Any new business has to satisfy a need (or convince customers there is a need to be filled). It can answer that question: Why doesn't somebody do something about that?
Paul Graham has written about Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund.
And here are 10 Totally Stupid Online Business Ideas That Made Someone Rich.
The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution from Harvard Business Review points out that implementation depends largely on 2 factors:
Booz has also published an interesting Organization Effectiveness Simulator.
The Australia 2020 summit has issued its initial report.
Although there is doubt about whether the delegates were representative and whether they were the "best and brightest" the report contains a snapshot of contemporary Australian views which the Government will consider.
UPDATE: David Marr comments on the process.
UPDATE: Final Report
The Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific is produced by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), to provide a detailed picture of the major economic, social and environmental trends in Asia and the Pacific. Findings in this year’s edition include increased urban poverty, that energy consumption grew at a pace unequalled elsewhere and increased motorization is improving mobility.
This interview with Google's engineering director gives some insight into how the company maintains its creative culture and innovative operations.
The Rudd Government is convening an Australia 2020 Summit at Parliament House on 19 and 20 April to help shape a long term strategy for the nation’s future.
The Summit will debate and develop long-term options for the nation across 10 critical areas. It is not clear whether the summit will actually do scenario planning.
The objectives are described as:
Whilst I have been aware of Savings & Loans credit union's blog for some time, the Better Banking Blog has drawn my attention to RaboPlus's Executive Blog and its demonstration of the value of interactive communication with customers.
In the comments section on a post about Westpac's online banking downtime, RaboPlus's Head of Financial Services for Australia and New Zealand receives comments both about his site's own downtime and design and responds to both quickly receiving praise from the commenters.
There's no point in being defensive: if you're open about problems and show that you'll respond to comments you'll attract a favourable response.
Venture capital investors are reputed to be hard-nosed, so I found this framework for reviewing a CEO to be of interest.
It assesses the CEO in the following areas:
