The Innovation Recipe

I think of the innovation process as a recipe.  Just like cooking, there are no hard and fast rules for innovation, but there are some general principles that will help increase your success rate.  The Innovation Recipe can be used for innovations of all shapes and sizes.  For a small problem, like "how am I going to tell staff about our new sales training?" you might go through the whole process in 15 minutes.  For a major innovation, like a new product or a new system, the process might take 12 months or more.  That's the good thing about a recipe - you can adapt it to suit the situation.  Whether your project is big or small, the first step is to prepare.

Step One: Prepare

Too often we jump straight into solution mode - sometimes this means we select a solution without having a clear picture of what's causing the problem.  It's incredibly valuable to take a step back, and ask yourself some key questions before you dive in:

• What's the problem I'm trying to solve? 
• What's my goal - what am I trying to achieve?
• Can I find a solution on my own or do I need to pull together a team?

Step Two: Illuminate

This is where again you need some self control.  Avoid the temptation to jump straight in with the first solution that comes into your head.  Avoid the temptation to pick the solution you used last time this problem came up.  It may well be that that first solution is the right solution, but take the time to brainstorm your options, either on your own or with your team.  Power up your brainstorming by getting away from the computer.  Find a white board, or pen and paper.  Give yourself even five minutes to identify all the ideas you can think of that might help solve the problem.  At this stage no idea is too big or small.  No idea is too silly - just put them all down.

Step Three: Explore

Ok, now take a look at the ideas you've come up with.  Which ideas stand out as the best fit to solve your problem, to achieve your goal?  Do you need to research some of the alternatives, to find out how much they'd cost?  Maybe phone someone who's done something similar to see how they went about it.

Step Four: Choose

Once you've done any required research, you're ready to make a decision.  Is this a group decision or are you making the decision on your own?  Perhaps you’re making a recommendation to your manager, or your client.  Some of the questions you might ask are:

• Does this solve my problem?
• Will this achieve my goal?
• Do I have the resources to implement this idea (including: skills and experience, staff, budget, time, tools and equipment)

Step Five: Implement

Again, sometimes this might be quick and straight forward.  On a major project, though you'll need to assemble a team, and it's worth getting a professional project manager on board.  On a major project, your chance of success is greatly increased with the use of project management disciplines, including planning, status reporting, risk management, and change management.

Step Six: Evaluate

So you've done it - congratulations!  Once your idea is implemented, it's so important to again, take a step back, this time to reflect on how you went.  Successful innovation can be measured in two ways:

1. Did we deliver?  Did we achieve our original goal?  Did we solve our original problem?
2. Did we follow the innovation process?  What worked well, that we'd repeat next time?  What would we do differently next time?

Even if you say "no" or "not quite" at Question One, if you answer Question Two, and apply what you've learned in your business, you will significantly increase your chances of success next time. In fact, on your next project, a key part of the "Prepare" step is to ask "what similar projects have we done before, and what can we learn from those projects?”

So there you have a sampler from the Innovation Recipe.  Just like any recipe, you might refer to a cook book or two when you're first starting out, but as you become more comfortable, more experienced, you play around with the recipe, experimenting with different flavours:

• Swap out ingredients depending on what you feel like, or what you've got in the cupboard
• Use different cooking methods - maybe swapping grilled for barbecued
• Use store bought ingredients rather than starting from scratch, to save time or because you're not as experienced in that part of the recipe
• Call a friend to see how they do it, swapping notes
• Mix it up, with a technique from your favourite TV chef

What are your key ingredients for innovation?