Could a Small Improvement Create Value by Making Failure Less Likely?
Success is visible. Prevention often is not.
Yes. Small improvements often create value by reducing the probability of larger failures.
An airline slightly improves its maintenance inspection process. Most passengers never notice any difference.
The hidden mechanism is failure prevention. Many valuable improvements work by reducing risks rather than creating visible benefits.
Because the negative outcome never happens, the improvement's impact can be difficult to observe.
People naturally count what occurs. Many of the most valuable systems earn their value through what never occurs at all.
