Successful businesses continually look for ways to improve, and applying relevant tools can be beneficial. There are numerous tools that individuals and organizations may use at different levels and functions in the company, and for different purposes. These include, for example, the Balanced Scorecard, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Porter’s Model of Competitive Rivalry and use of Statistical Techniques.

However, not all tools are appropriate for use in all organizations and all situations, and before deploying any tool an evaluation should be made to determine the likelihood that the use of it is likely to enhance the probability of achieving an improved outcome.

We should recognise that sometimes use of a tool that has been instrumental in bringing about a desired outcome in one situation, can be ineffective when applied in a different set of circumstances.

Here’s an example of where some enterprising guys have used a tool that’s designed to help us see things more clearly in a way that has had the opposite effect.