No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along unde… - Peter Drucker

It is as important to decide when to abandon an innovative effort as it is to know which one to start. In fact, it may be more important. Successful laboratory directors know when to abandon a line of research which does not yield the expected results. The less successful ones keep hoping against hope, are dazzled by the “scientific challenge” of a project, or are fooled by the scientists’ repeated promise of a “breakthrough next year.” And the unsuccessful ones cannot abandon a project and cannot admit that what seemed like a good idea has turned into a waste of men, time, and money.

The tool user, provided the tool is made well, need not, and indeed should not, know anything about the tool.

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.