Nine practical tips to consider before starting an innovation or ideation project. Based on LinkedIn discussions and our own experience in running innovation projects for our clients.

1. cc doitintheroad

2. Hi, we run an
innovation office
Helping organizations find
better ways to make money,
is what we do.

3. We handpicked
9 valuable lessons for
innovation managers who want to...
• Start a new innovation project
• Set up a kick-ass innovation team
• Impress Miss Lucy from Marketing
• Take out risk when launching
a new product or service
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4. ...all based on our experience with
...
And feedback from people in our
Linkedin Group +4500 members
already !
Many thanks for your replies
!

5. 1. One eye, one target
2. Buy-in or you’re out!
3. You’re not the expert
4. Game on!
5. Go stealth mode
6. Hold on tight
7. Annoy people
8. Do the alpha
9. Back to square one

6. 1/9
Don’t try to solve all problems at once - stay focused
cc jkunz

7. 1. One eye, one target
You don’t start an innovation project to do some “image building”
A clear goal is crucial - Define why you innovate!
Michael Schoultz
Director, Business Development - Northrop Grumman
Making sure (before starting) that you know and
understand the problem you are trying to solve.

8. 1. One eye, one target
But be aware! Over time, during your project you might have to
redefine your target when the context changes. Be flexible!
James Gardner
Director - Bondaii Ltd
The initial goal or target may change dramatically as
the project proceeds and better market
opportunities emerge.

9. 2/9
Know the importance of management buy-in
cc pgoyette

10. 2. Buy-in or you’re out!
Don’t start without commitment from management.
Don’t waste energy by pushing ideas upwards in the chain!
Dick Lee
CEO and Chief Innovation Officer - Value Innovations, Inc
The CEO must be a full supporter.
Laura Handrick
Principal - Pearl Consulting
Executive buy in is critical.

11. 2. Buy-in or you’re out!
Create multidisciplinary teams, select cross-departmental groups.
We go for 1 core team (max 5) + an extended group (max 20)
John Brooker
Expert facilitator - Yes! And...
The basic mantra "involve all functions!"
... if all functions are involved in the innovation there
is likely to be much more support moving forward.

12. 3/9
Don’t be too shy to involve experts.
cc tim_ellis

13. 3. You’re not the expert
>
Only
As an innovation manager you can’t do everything by yourself.
Involve experts at every step & yes, clients can be experts too!
Sebastian Grodzietzki
Head of Product Management - datango AG
Tip #1: Involving the target group (selected clients)
in a very early stage.

14. 4/9
Innovation should be exciting! - Live it up!
cc nathaninsandiego

15. 4. Game on!
There is no better incentive to create commitment and ensure a
continuous flow of ideas.
Example: Our process is repacked in a “Movie Making” theme
So we have ‘a Cast’, ‘Scenario sessions’, ‘Premiere’, ‘Shooting’,...
Luis Oliveira
Innovation Director at DYB
Use your hands to think, play... but play serious
games, as often as you can.

16. 1. One eye, one target
2. Buy-in or you’re out!
3. You’re not the expert
4. Game on! We’re halfway!
5. Go stealth mode
6. Hold on tight
7. Annoy people
8. Do the alpha
9. Back to square one

17. 5/9
Know when to stay low profile.
cc alltheaces

18. 5. Go Stealth mode!
Innovation = Change = a red flag for many people
Be prepared to face resistance, often from within the company.
Tim Wright
Managing Director - StepChange Strategy
Don’t kill creativity at its roots. i.e., less exposure
is better in early stages.
Nathalie Picard
Project Leader - Abbott
Don't make it look like it's potential innovation.

19. 6/9
Keep firm control on the process.
cc adamfranco

20. 6. Hold on tight
Innovation is about doing & creating new stuff,
by definition you’re taking a deep dive.
Lower the risk in your project by taking small incremental steps
Be sure to have structured innovation process in place
Chris Turner
Director, Brand Strategy - TAG Media LLC
Coming up with good ideas is never the problem.
Execution is where the challenges lie

21. 7/9
If you don’t annoy people, you’re not innovating. Simple.
cc tf28

22. 7. Annoy people
Mixing the informal culture of innovation with traditional
corporate culture might be your biggest challenge.
Pay enough attention to reporting and communication
Kevin Paylow
Vice President of Strategy at Sabre Energy Services, LLC
Never underestimate 'corporate antibodies’
Bill Wyatte
Manager, Strategic Directions at Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland
People nodding doesn't mean that they agree with
your proposition.

23. 8/9
You’ll learn the most via prototypes and testing
cc kenstein

24. 8. Do the alpha
Test your ideas in a real market environment.
Make a business prototype to get feedback on your project
Be careful, this is not an easy task!
Sebastian Grodzietzki
Head of Product Management - datango AG
Expect more clients (guinea pigs) to jump off
their commitment for “preview – alpha – beta”
testing.

25. 9/9
You will have to start over.
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26. 9. Back to square one
Innovation is not a one-time process. Document all lessons
learned from your project and iterate.
Allocate enough resources in order to keep your pipeline filled up
Sebastian Grodzietzki
Head of Product Management - datango AG
Have a system/infrastructure in place to track
progresses, feedback and (agile) requirements
changes.

27. Our structured way to create innovation blockbusters
Board of Innovation has delivered a surprising, We very much enjoyed the training and will
very well structured and productive approach to definitely use all the content and the method in
our ‘innovation challenge’. Their strengths? A the future.
good planning (that was strictly followed!), very Steffi Wolring, Innovation Lead at Otto Group
short response times, and a continuous focus, in
combination with a pleasant way of taking us out
of our comfort zone and letting us think ‘out of the
box’.
Caroline Ameloot - Marketing & Sales Director, Carglass / Belron

28. Let’s have a virtual cup of coffee &
discuss your innovation challenge!
coffee@boardofinnovation.com
@philderidder
@nickdemey
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