FIRE: How Fast, Inexpensive, Restrained, and Elegant Methods Ignite Innovation Hardcover – April 29, 2014

The best way to learn is to hear a good storyteller talk in simple, straightforward terms that use relatable specific examples to reinforce the stories. F.I.R.E. accomplishes this teaching masterfully. Dan Ward's style hooks you in with something that you can understand and relate to, then makes his point in a way you're sure to remember. I guarantee every time I look at a ridiculously long and over complicated PowerPoint presentation, I'm going to wonder who got stoned before hitting "save". The F.I.R.E. approach, while not difficult to comprehend, is reinforced with great historical and current examples and leaves you nodding your head saying, "I can do that!" He clearly believes in this approach, but also paints it into a frame of reality by illustrating when it is or is not applicable. And while Dan's commitment to this approach is clear and resounding, it never comes off as preachy. F.I.S.T is a great cultural thought piece told in a clear, understandable, and fun way by a brilliant storyteller.

Good insight on project management. Ironically considering it’s emphasis on thrift it could have been shorter.

FIRE should be required reading for all acquisition professionals in the federal government. DAU and FAI should provide copies to every acquisition 101 student to embrace these core concepts at the dawn of their career. Program and project managers in all industries can benefit from FIRE to improve project success and drive innovation. Dan conveys the core messages of speed, thrift, simplicity and restraint through a series of entertaining stories in a truly enjoyable read. You don't have to take Dan's word for it, he shows you how NASA, the Air Force, and many others achieved great success at a fraction of the cost, schedule, and resources of epic failures. FIRE hacks the acquisition environment that was built up on decades of bureaucratic layers, policies, and culture, to show you how smart decisions early in the program can achieve remarkable mission outcomes. Dan is a dynamic writer and speaker whose unique style stands out as an acquisition thought leader.

If you think simplicity is easy, you've never worked in government or tried to launch a product. Complexity waits in every corner to blow up your scope and schedule and ensure your product either a) achieves failure or b) doesn't even get off the ground.Dan's principles for fast, inexpensive, restrained and elegant innovation make for a great acronym but even better advice for product developers. And his storytelling makes for an entertaining read that anyone who has ever worked in government or technology will appreciate. He also backs it up with data, making this a solid manual for product developers and requirement owners everywhere.This book should be required reading for anyone with budget or product responsibility. Enough said!

The ideas in this book are apparently well-known, and have been examined in other books, so why are so many projects late and over-budget? This was my first exposure to the idea that paring things down and moving quickly not only avoids time and budget issues, but often [usually?] delivered a better product. I found the author's conversational style easy to burn quickly through, his examples are entertaining and educational, and overall, the book made a huge positive impression on me. If you're already familiar with and convinced about these ideas, you probably have no need to read this book, but for those of you coming across these concepts for the first time, or who want to give it another look because they weren't convinced earlier, I cannot recommend F.I.R.E. highly enough.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I am very interested in the supporting information as it may well change the way I manage project. The FIRE method lines up with my experience and Ward provides an engaging and humorous experience.

I think this book is terrific. As a self-proclaimed systems acquisition professional, I've read a lot of books detailing how and why things go wrong (and occasionally right) on defense programs and projects. Dan Ward's Fast, Inexpensive, Restrained, and Elegant method for product development, as well as his engaging and fun writing style, present a great antidote to much of the doom and gloom defense acquisition literature out there. The principles for product development that Dan outlines and illuminates are applicable far beyond the defense industry, however, and I finished his book with an encouraged and positive feeling that no matter what I might be working on, the F.I.R.E. approach would help to make the outcome better.

A very interesting point of view on the product design and development process. It challenges the value of innecesary complexity in any kind of product and advocates for speed, cost control, scope control and elegancy.

Fantástico, Inovador, Realista e Elegante.Dan tentou não quebrar ícones quando escreveu o livro. Projetos de defesa sempre foram um assunto delicado. Ele é um novo impulso para lembra-nos a não criar complexidade desencessária. O mundo já é complexo o suficiente ... Não vamos ajudá-lo a detonar nossos projetos!

Nice.

The examples are very good. Everyone that worked in program managing can identify tha F.I.R.E programs are the best ones.

Such a simple premise, it disguises a great and in depth journey into what I can only call enlightened thinking - don't read this with the expectation of new tools but rather real, valuable, useable insights!