Innovation Funda

Conflicting Ideas and Idea Integration

2010-01-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Idea integration is structured methodology to resolve the conflating ideas constructively without choosing one at the cost of other. This methodology results in a new idea that contains best of the each opposing ideas but is better than each individual idea.

Leveraging the conflicting view and integrating all advantages in the new view is an art and always challenging for novice. The very fist thing one should do in this process that can yield more result, is setting up an objective. The objective of this resolution process should be following two:

- Take a broader view of all salient features in all different conflicting ideas.

- Search for creative resolution of conflicting ideas, rather then accepting unpleasant trade-offs.

As Idea Integration is a complex process, particularly while dealing with large stakeholders. Objective should not be lost in the mess. Modelling tools can be utilized to ensure the uniform attention to all different salient features. It is important because in absence of such tools decisions may to bias to mess.

Having an architectural framework for decision making is always helpful. It helps keeping entire problem firmly in mind while working on its individual parts. It also allows complexity to compound as you progress your decisions.

Following are three elements that facilitator must leverage while working on Idea integration and Conflicting Idea Resolution.

- Believe in Continuous Improvement.

- Tools to organize salient features in all different ideas

- Domain experience of individuals

Facilitator must carry the belief in change, and should have confidence to say team is capable to find better solution.

Choosing the tool for modelling the idea and having good practice on tool is also important.

All the inquiry made during the discussion should be very assertive in nature. Assertive inquiry promotes generative reasoning and causal modelling.

Idea first versus Needs first approach of Innovation

2009-12-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

Innovation is the key to Growth in any Business. Every one knows it and does it but, not every one tests the success in this competitive and rapidly changing Business Environment. Key to all success lies in the way to approach the innovation.

Idea first approach generates the more number of ideas. People often say during brainstorming the more the best. It’s correct to start-up the innovation process but defining the Requirement statement and putting all time and energy to target the innovation across the needs is very important.

Idea first approach provides wide scope for innovation and brainstorming however not necessarily adding value to the business. On the other hand, Needs first approach is highly focused and often yields greater Business performance.

Innovation is part of product development, and it should be well understood by team that only few idea will go to product development. Sooner the team reaches to those few ideas greater would be the utilization of bandwidth.

I recommend Needs first approach because I firmly believe success comes by luck if innovation is done without knowing the actual needs of customer. The start should be from talking to the customs.

Customer buys produce or service to get his work done. Success of a product or service is measured by customer satisfaction or delight at every stage of consumption of product and services.

Majority of teams spends little time and resource in knowing the customer needs and the framework around which the needs are gathered. All customer need should be known preferably in quantitative terms before actual product development process. The innovative process should be build around the fundamental principal that customer will strike your product and service to get their challenges resolved. Customer will strike product just because its an ideal product.

It is important to understand, analyze and come up with a framework to measure the success of product and services consumed by the customer. It provides a systematic way to map value creation innovation with customer defined matrix to measure the success. Now the challenge is how to come up with such matrix. How to measure the success of process steps that customer goes through to get job done. Usually customer does a process to perform the day to day job/task call it Business Process. Try and understand the business process. Try and break business processes into process steps and figure out how to measure it for predictable output.

In other word deconstruct the business process that customer does to get their work done into process steps and come up with the matrix that defines the success of each process steps. Success measurement should includes parameters from both cost and revenue side of equation.

A job map or process map can be created to capture the needs at every step.

This constitutes a framework to capture the actual needs of customers. If actual needs and the associated success matrix have been created in this manner, it lays the foundation of innovation with focus. Successful commercial innovation required two ingredient, focus and creativity.

Focus

à Right Innovation

Creativity

If both revenue and cost side of equation has been considered while defining the needs and success measurement matrix, the innovation often yields greater business value.

But a word of caution, Creativity should be influenced positively to keep the team focused. Often less experienced and enthusiast likes to move from needs first approach to idea first approach. Sometimes instead of problem, the idea takes the centre-stage. Such situation should be resolved actively and positively. Always the focus of team should be problems/needs not the Idea.

In next post I will talk about need Assessment process.

-Vivek Kumar

Agile Project Management Strategy across Industry

2009-08-22T05:33:00.000-07:00

Flexibility is the key to the success of any business in the current market. The variation in the expectation of customer has become quite often. More often what customer wants at the time of sales is quite different to what they want later. The focus of any business is sifting from just product or service to complete customer delight.

Agile provides structured way to deal with requirements that are subject to change and require flexibility. Aim of any business is to continue to build products or render services that customer wants. Thus, the biggest risk is building things or rendering things that customer does not want. Agile emphasizes on frequent interaction with the customer and hence avenue to inspect and amend the progress.

This methodology has born and applied in Software Industry first but it can be applied across the Industry & Domain. It is a continuous improvement process which provides opportunity to innovate, discuss and apply creativity iteratively.

Agile keeps workforce more engaged and liberated in addition to a culture to spend creative energy in finding ways of to improve day to day activity.

Agile creates ability to be flexible with revisions and changes to the original specification. It results in dramatic reduction in time to market and maximizes return on investment.

Agile promotes disciplines project management in steps or iterations. Right from beginning to the end of the project progress is reviewed and adapted, allowing the process to be extremely responsive to changes. It also promotes face-to-face teamwork, stakeholder interaction regularly.

Across the domain and industry, when the business process is not defined, an agile approach provides an incremental model to explore and define it. Using Scrum you can work with your customers to explore a user story that defines some aspect of the business process. In regular iteration whole objective can be achieved. This method of defining business process provides visibility to customers.

DFSS Methodologies: DMADV, DMADVV, DMADOV & DMADOVV

2009-08-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Traditionally DMAIC is foundation of Six Sigma but it is extremely limited to the improvement in the existing processes, products and services. In addition to existing processes, products and services, the ultimate aim of any of such exercise is overall improvement in how an organization creates and delivers process, products and services including the brand new one. Several structured methodologies exist to address the design of new product, process and services. These include DMADV and DMADOV.

DMADV which is an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Validate is a well- recognized “Design for Six Sigma methodology.” Some authors refer “V” for “verify.” Some author having view that “verify” and “validate” can not be used synonymously & concern is valid here comes DMADVV methodology.

Verify is about ensuring that the design output meets the design requirements and specifications. It can be performed only on the final process, product and service. The Verify ensures that the design has resulted correct process, product and services.

On the other hand Validation is about effectiveness of the design process itself. It ensures that design process is capable of meeting the requirements of the final process, product and services.

Both validation and verification are necessary in any context & hence DMADVV is more appropriate.

DMADOV which is an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Optimize and Validate is another well- recognized “Design for Six Sigma methodology”. The basic difference between DMADV & DMADOV is a refinement action on the design. Many authors and practitioners does not include optimize action. DMADOV forces attention on the need to optimize the design by applying additional tools like Design of Experiments, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), and Evolutionary Operations (EVOP). These tools help in refining design parameters.

As DFSS is usually applied in situations wherein a new product or business process needs to be designed or re-designed from the very beginning. So maintaining such high levels of quality from the very beginning makes Optimize step very crucial.

There are many variant of Design for Six Sigma methodology exists but the not much popular. DMADOV and DMADV are among most popular.

Inventive Brainstorming

2009-08-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

Often group problem-solving technique yields significant Ideality of an invention in one go. What matters is the commitment and patience of each one of the team members participating in the discussion and exercise of structured methodologies.

Often people ask how to initiate Brainstorming session? Well there are many ways. Its all depends on the people and area of interest. There are few ground rule that always helps in making maximum out of it.

Be very informal but never loose the focus, start by explaining the existing solution and problems associated with the existing things.

If you are finding extremely difficult to find scope in your domain, don’t worry look for analogy domains. There are examples where people have brought new solutions derived from known or unknown solution in other domain. Sometimes diagrams and visual aids plays very important role in the Brainstorming.

I would like to high light the two structured methodology Multigenerational transition correlation & System segregation correlation.

Multigenerational transition correlation methodology is about study of transition in the system or solution that has happen over multiple generations with an inventive mindset. This study of transition can be based on feature, advantages or domain specific parameters. The aim of this exercise is to visualize the past transitions and find the scope of further transitions.

This methodology can be exercised in following three steps:

► Study the shape of system or solution in the past generation, correlate it will the existing system or solution.

► Understand and note down the different transitions that has happen over the time.

► Now Imagine the shape of system or solution the can be next step of this transition.

System segregation correlation methodology is about study of interaction between individual subsystems, the whole system and the super system with an inventive mindset. The aim of this exercise to find area of contradiction, problems involved in the interaction and scope for improvements.

► Perform segregation of system or solution & identify individual subsystems, the whole system and the super system.

► Study the interaction and note down all the contradictions and associated problems

► Look at each contradiction in isolation and note down the all possible solution.

► Aggregate all the possible individual solutions of all different contradictions.

One thing should be kept in mind; no idea is good or bad and participant should be very open about all different possible ideas and solutions.

I must repeat commitment of team members and exercise of patience is very important. Team should not lose focus from the problem to an individual idea.

How to Innovate? Innovation methodology

2009-08-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Innovation does not belong to exclusive club; any body can be an inventor. There are two ingratiate that one should have to become an inventor, the first one Inspiration and then Perspiration.

The very first step one should take to become an inventor is coming out of psychological inertia of fear. Irrespective of domain, there is always scope for invention no matter bigger or relatively smaller. If you look into history, even a game changer innovation has failed to stop further innovation on the same area. Ideality of an invention or level of an invention evolves over a period of time & every level presents some new challenges & hence new opportunities.

Once you are out of psychological inertia of fear and you are passionate about innovation, it is most likely that you will acquire good amount of inventive mindset. Start hunting for scope for innovation.
Be confident that earlier you fail, earliest you will test the success. Find a good mentor; make friendship with experienced and expert of your field of interests. Discuss your idea scope with your mentor and trusted colleagues. Here the second ingredient Perspiration comes into picture. Never loose the hope, be passionate and continue your hunt for new things, new ways, and new features.

Never bother about your level of knowledge and expertise at the same time be very keen about learning things quickly. There are examples where people without much knowledge & expertise have cracked the toughest problems with innovative solutions.

With inventive mindset an aspirant should continuously hut for the scope where something new can be brought into. It may take time, scope may not get noticed in the early attempt but what is important is continuous hut for the scope.

Again back to the very first point I made, it’s the inventive mindset one should develop there after it’s your level of desperateness that will decide your level of success. Believe in yourself you can do it.