Process Improvements for Those in the Knot Know

Alexander the Great got it right when he took the sharp edge of his blade to the Gordian Knot.  Sometimes it takes a fresh eye to solve an intractable tangle. Recognize that Alexander's strong arm could have been any extension of his will and intellect, but also that he was a warrior trained to succeed.

I thought of Alexander as I admired on the front page of The New York Times this morning an image of a PowerPoint slide that purports to represent the complexity of the path to peace in Afghanistan.
Now this is a knot worthy of vanquishing.  Here is the article link, 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?hp

and it is worth reading if you are a technical writer, although it was written not for us, but instead as an examination of how the limits of a software application impede free thinking and decisive action.  The article is about warfare, and the dull-headed representation of it in military briefings these days.  I write not really knowing this, but I can look at this slide and wonder what the heck, too.  Out there is a bright young Ender just waiting for her moment in the game, and she knows all about cutting the Gordian Knot.

Comments

[Moretta]

This should be made into a poster. Fascinating, and I love the post it inspired you to write.