In many project management offices, the term “smart failure” is shunned. It’s not smart to be associated with any project or initiative with even a hint of failure. Thomas Edison begs to differ:
On progressive elaboration, iterative development, and lessons learnt:
• Results! Why, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work.
• Never get discouraged if you fail. Learn from it. Keep trying.
• Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
• Nearly every [person] who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.
• When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.