ABSTRACT
Rouse was increasingly asked to lecture on the design processes his company employed to create its innovative training and aiding systems. This led to the formalization of the human-centered design methodology first described in his book Design for Success: A Human-Centered Approach to Designing Successful Products and Systems (Wiley, 1991). A central tenet of this approach is that success depends on all the humans involved in a system, not just the users. The success of this book, as well as many requests from the company’s clients, soon led to the business-oriented Strategies for Innovation (Wiley, 1992) and Catalysts for Change (Wiley, 1993). These books provided the foundation for numerous consulting engagements with executives and senior managers in many large technology-oriented companies and government agencies. Working with a wide range of clients, Rouse rapidly accumulated a wealth of experiences in business strategy, new product planning, and organizational change. These experiences are reflected in his books at that time, Best Laid Plans (Prentice-Hall, 1994), Start Where You Are (Jossey-Bass, 1996), and the award-winning Don’t Jump to Solutions (Jossey-Bass, 1998). His human-centered philosophy helped him to
identify the Essential Challenges of Strategic Management (Wiley, 2001). This book described seven central management challenges, why they are difficult, and how best to address them.
