Everyone has sometime said “this is not rocket science.” Well on second thought some things may in deed be so. I just read The Seven Secrets of How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist, authored by a rocket scientist no less. The author, Jim Longuski, says that “thinking like a rocket scientist is a valuable skill because the same general methods apply to the completion of any project.” The 167-page book is arranged in seven parts: Dream, Judge, Ask, Check, Simplify, Optimize and Do. Within each section he elaborates on related sub tasks. Dream, relates to visioning such as President Kenney’s goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely before the end of the 1960s.Judge, assess the vision.Ask questions about it; dumb ones, big ones, what if, and then ask one more question.Check for potential problems.Simplify simple systems or processes have fewer opportunities for breakdown or failure.Optimize resources to get the job done, but let form follow function.Do, we learn by doing. Just as with driving, remember to look through the rear view mirror. While certainly the technology of rocket science is complicated the planning that goes into it isn’t. That is the same approach regardless of the endeavor.The book is a quick read and can be accomplished within a few hours. I read it because the title amused me. However, doing so was worth it.