The machine is where the “Paprika Effect” is most likely to arise, which explains why business success is so elusive and complex. Suppose you are baking an apple pie. You have the perfect recipe. You’ve bought the same kind of apples Grandma used and they are precisely ripe. The dough is flawless, the sugar correctly measured, the pie tin perfectly proportioned and appropriately greased. The oven is preheated and the temperature accurate. The timer is set. But suppose that during the preparation a teaspoon of paprika was inadvertently added to the mix. Despite everything else being perfect, this one small slip caused the entire pie to be a disaster. The same is true for business. One tiny mistake can derail the entire process. Finding the dash of paprika that is ruining your pie requires careful thinking and close observation. " The Road Less Stupid Keith J. Cunningham