The Innovation Blog

Product launches are complex.  That was the main takeaway of the PDMA 2010 Lab E – Launch for Commercial Success which I had the privilege of attending today.  The session kicked off with an apt and literal example: a NASA shuttle launch.  When NASA launched the Saturn V rocket, its engineers were depending on the successful integration of 2 million distinct systems.  2 million!  And, as Richard Koppel pointed out, NASA operates in a space (get it?) where getting it right the first time is “mission critical” – if something goes wrong, not only are millions of dollars wasted, but people die.  Fortunately, product launches are not as high stakes as shuttle launches, but you still want to ensure your innovation is brought to market as seamlessly as possible.  So how do you launch successfully given all of the variables, risks and uncertainties inherent in the process?  Here are the top 7 themes of the day which will help you make sure all systems are go when you blastoff.

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Topics: Innovation Roadmap, Launch, Product Launch, Design, Brand Experience, Chris Dolan, Innovation, Cross Functional Teams, Risk, M.A.S.H, Test & Learn

Topics: Chris Dolan, creativity, Ideas, Relaxed Concentration, creative thinking skills

Clayton Christensen is an inspiring guy. Not only has he disrupted the business world throughout his career as one of the foremost innovation academics, he has also overcome a bout with cancer and a recent stroke. Introduced as "the Kobe Bryant of the innovation world," he kicked off the 2011 World Innovation Forum. He began by informing the audience of close to 1,000 that after his stroke one year ago, he had to relearn to speak one word at a time. He then went on to discuss some of the reasons good companies falter. He offered two particularly surprising explanations:

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Topics: Chris Dolan, Learning From Failure, Innovation

At Creative Realities, we have identified some critical ideation skills that anyone can develop to become better at creative problem solving.  The first one I will discuss involves the way we listen. 

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Topics: Chris Dolan, Jay Terwilliger, passive listening, critical ideation skills, creative problem solving skills, pay attention

Paddy Miller told the audience at the World Innovation Forum that one of the keys to innovation is correctly framing the problem before you search for the solution. Consider Miller's amusing example:  

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Topics: Chris Dolan, Learning From Failure, creative thinking, creative problem solving

In the last Ideation Skills post, we discussed Passive Listening, the problematic way people typically tend to listen in creative problem solving meetings.  Here I will outline two simple techniques to enhance your ability to listen, generate ideas, and communicate your ideas to the group.  These two skills will make you a creative problem solving meeting All-Star in no time.

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Topics: Chris Dolan, active listening, headlining, critical ideation skills, creative problem solving skills

It's 2015, we posted this blog in 2010, five years ago.  How are we doing? Take a look at our predictions and decide for yourself how many are still viable and on-track!

 

Two weeks ago, I attended the PDMA 2010 Global Conference, where innovators gathered and traded tips on the latest in innovation business practices.  Several themes consistently emerged from the various presentations – the emergence of open source ideation, the importance of engaging the customer, and a shift toward business model innovation, to name a few.  Reflecting on the conference, I got to thinking about the business trends that seem to be unfolding.  Innovation is happening not just in product development, but in how businesses are run.  What does the company of the future look like?  Here are 10 predictions for 2020.  Some of these developments are a lready happening on a large scale, others are more esoteric.  Although stemming from things I have read or heard, these predictions are admittedly (un)educated guesses.  If any of these predictions came to fruition, they would undoubtedly bring with them new set of challenges, but I believe that in each case, the opportunity far outweighs the complications.

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Topics: Chris Dolan, Jay Terwilliger, Future, Stage Gate, trends, Open Source, 20% Time, 20 Percent Time, Innovation