Perhaps this is why The Boeing Company, one of the largest…
![“Perhaps this is why The Boeing Company, one of the largest airplane design and engineering firms in the world, keeps a black book of lessons it has learned from design and engineering failures.[4] Boeing has kept this document since the company was formed, and it uses it to help modern designers…” quote by Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/b87/scott-berkun-12409_black-books_perhaps-this-is-why-the-boeing-company-o_1819992.png)
““Perhaps this is why The Boeing Company, one of the largest airplane design and engineering firms in the world, keeps a black book of lessons it has learned from design and engineering failures.[4] Boeing has kept this document since the company was formed, and it uses it to help modern designers learn from past attempts. Any organization that manages to do this not only increases its chances for successful projects, but also helps create an environment that can discuss and confront failure openly, instead of denying and hiding from it. It seems that software developers need to keep black books of their own.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Documenting past failures creates a shared learning resource, fostering openness and improving future project success.
In simple terms: Keeping a record of mistakes helps teams learn and avoid repeats.
Key Takeaway
Create and maintain a “black book” of lessons.
Themes
learning
transparency
continuous improvement
risk management
Mood
reflective
proactive
Type
practical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- software development
- aerospace engineering
- project management
- team retrospectives
Key Concepts
organizational memory
psychological safety
systems thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you encourage honest reporting of failures?
- What processes ensure lessons are actually applied?
A Different Perspective
It may be hard to capture all nuances of failures, and some may resist sharing.