I forgot to write yesterday!! Completely forgot. So, I’ll do two today. Yes it violates my rule of “yesterday is done and you can’t make up for what you didn’t do yesterday” but I am going to cheat. I have been working on a book on my free time. I sat down today to write the outline (using the Foolscap Method). So I’ll write it here…

ACT I

Company is notified that the FDA is taking regulatory action against them.

• Board room with suits
• Grim looks
• Confused looks
• Warning Letter on the table

“NOW WHAT??”

ACT III

Company is out of trouble. FDA has lifted the Warning Letter

• Board room with suits
• Content looks
• Determined looks (with new sense of purpose)
• Out of trouble but not done
• Management Control Quality Plan on the table
• Plan for continuous improvement on the table

ACT II

Try to fix it themselves – FAIL

Go through phases of grief

Hire a big consulting firm – FAIL

Go through phases of grief

Talk to other companies who have done this before; collaborate with FDA and other experts to write a comprehensive plan to get out of trouble

Try to implement plan themselves – FAIL

Go through phases of grief

Hire hotshot project leadership and organizational change experts to implement plan – SUCCEED!!

The acts are out of order on purpose. Act I is the reason people will pick up the book in the first place. Act III is the reason they will remember it. Act II is the filler. Act II is simultaneous the least important and most important part of the book. Least important because it won’t sell a single copy and most important because the few who follow the approach will get to write their own happy ending.