Prototyping - as a tool to bring disparate ideas/contexts together - works best in certain organizational environments. Prototypes can shine light on problems, corporealize complexity, kill bad ideas, and cast vision.

Here are a brief set of observations (in my experience) around what conditions allow prototypers to operate well:

• Prototyping inherently brings together individuals with widely ranging unorthodox skillsets / domain knowledge. These people don't fit neatly into mature industry roles, especially when involving new technologies.

• Prototyping needs space and sponsorship to operate. Without this it will fall back into traditional silos. Within those troughs, there is less transmission of ideas and role specific incentives that can pull away from what’s most critical to the prototype.

• Success of prototyping teams is best measured in demos over other deliverables. The demo has primacy, other artifacts are supportive at best and a distraction at their worst.

• A highly respected Director once said: “Prototyping teams work best when they operate like a band where each member plays their part.” This has been my prevailing experience - while there is redundancy in skillset, each member brings their own set of core competencies.