Hmmmm … the 4 – 1 seems very dangerous. It would seem that for the first 1 – 2 years ( I am assuming a 2 year timeframe to get a product out the door) , revenue is 0 and cost is everything. There was no way to guage the revenue side of the equation until the product was released. Is this correct?
What this meant is that a team could churn out a complete failure (0 – 1 ratio) and this would seem to have a big negative impact on the company. Yes, the designer and his team would get thrown out the door, but again, they cost the company dearly. Was this system able to thrive because there was always at least 2 teams that could turn out the 4-1 ratio which meant that with only 6 divisions, you were still in the black? or something like that.
You really must’ve had a great deal of faith in everyone you dealt with, and this must’ve really motivated them (out of respect for you if nothing else).