Zachary CollierApr 9, 20202 minHow to Make Better Decisions in Times of UncertaintyAmidst the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, there is a lot of uncertainty in the business world. Shops are temporarily closing their doors, uni...
Zachary CollierFeb 18, 20202 min5 Things I Have Learned from Running a Successful Consulting CompanyHere are some lessons that I have learned since starting my consulting company. 1. Networking is super important. It almost seems like a ...
Zachary CollierNov 24, 20192 minFour Factors for SuccessWhen I was young, (in my teens, I think), my grandfather told me that to be successful, you need three things: competence, hard work, and...
Zachary CollierOct 29, 20193 minPositive Results Through Negative VisualizationIn a previous post, I wrote about how the ancient philosophy of Stoicism can help us with risk management by categorizing things by what w...
Zachary CollierSep 4, 20193 minHow is Risk Management like Swiss Cheese?In previous blog posts, we have discussed risk management. Risk management involves making decisions about what measures to take to reduc...
Zachary CollierAug 5, 20192 minWhat Adam Smith Can Teach Us about ManagementOne of my favorite passages from the great economist Adam Smith is where he describes the so-called “Man of System”: “The man of system, ...
Zachary CollierJul 22, 20193 minWhy Flexibility and Feedback are Essential for ControlIn a recent blog entry, I wrote about the importance of recognizing what is within your control and what is outside of your control. Sinc...
Zachary CollierJul 10, 20193 minEffective Management Requires Effective ModelingRecently, I have been exploring topics on planning and control, which are relevant to business because effectively running and managing a...
Zachary CollierJul 2, 20192 minRisk, and What Is and Isn’t Under Our ControlOne of the core tenants of the ancient philosophy of Stoicism was that some things are under your control, and other things are not under...
Zachary CollierMay 29, 20192 minConsulting or Research? Why Not Both?Sometimes people ask me why, after getting my Ph.D., I did not go into a “research” field, such as a job in academia. Other times, people...
Zachary CollierMay 21, 20193 minProject Schedule Risks – Causes and SolutionsRoughly half of projects finish behind schedule (and many end up over-budget too). Given the importance of projects to businesses and the...
Zachary CollierApr 23, 20192 min4 Reasons Why You Might Need a ConsultantIf, in the course of your work day, you have ever thought, “I sure wish I had some help with this project,” or “I’m not sure which strate...
Zachary CollierMar 6, 20193 minValue and ValuesIn the previous two posts, we explored the concept of value. To recap, we first discussed the relationship between utility and value, con...
Zachary CollierFeb 6, 20194 minWhere Does Value Come From?In out last entry, we explored the nature of value, and the relationship between value and the related concept of utility. We concluded t...
Zachary CollierJan 22, 20193 minUtility and Value – What is the Relationship?Terms that are used frequently in decision making include “utility” and “value”. Value tends to be a particularly difficult concept, and ...
Zachary CollierJan 3, 20192 minData: More than Just NumbersIt seems like everywhere you turn, you can find someone talking about data. Data science, big data, databases, etc. Likely, when you thin...
Zachary CollierDec 19, 20182 minUsing Scenarios Effectively Requires Asking the Right QuestionsIn a previous post, I wrote about the value of using scenarios to inform decision making. Scenarios can be used as a tool to think creati...
Zachary CollierDec 12, 20183 minGroup Decisions and Individual DecisionsThe decisions that we make do not exist within a vacuum – they typically affect other stakeholders, and we often need to gather the input...
Zachary CollierDec 5, 20183 minRisk Assessment: Qualitative or Quantitative? Semi-Quantitative?Sometimes I am asked about the differences between qualitative and quantitative risk assessments, so I thought I would write up a blog en...
Zachary CollierNov 28, 20183 minAssessing vs. Managing RisksThe world of risk analysis contains a fair amount of confusing terminology, especially when it comes to analysis – what is the difference...