Do's and Don'ts

Do establish a relationship with vendors whose products are at the heart of your skunk works, so that they will help you resolve performance problems.

Do encourage skunk works staffers to immerse themselves in the business environments in which the product or technology under development would be used.

Do congratulate the team for its efforts, even if its work doesn't culminate in a project.

Don't allow unfettered experimentation. It can run up costs and stall progress.