Strategyn Founder and CEO, Tony Ulwick, provides insight into why most ideas are worth nothing and a jobs-to-be-done framework for overcoming this challenge. These insights will be useful for any organization who is trying to accelerate its growth through innovation.

1. Why Your Idea Is Worth Nothing
... and how to create growth plans that work.
Tony Ulwick
September 2011
© Strategyn Consulting, LLC

2. Innovation Begins with an Idea

3. Brainstorming

4. There Are No Bad Ideas

5. Open Innovation

6. IBM Idea Jam:
46,000 Ideas

7. Ideas Drive Innovation

8. Audience Question 1:
Do you agree or disagree that this thinking drives the
types of innovation practices your company uses
today?
Agree
Disagree

9. Endless Supply of Bad Ideas

10. It is exceptionally hard to have an idea
that will accelerate a company’s growth.

12. “PC jr is a flop.”
WSJ
January 1984

13. 17%

14. < 2%

15. 0%

16. Your Idea Is Worth Nothing

17. Your Idea Is Worth Nothing
Market Needs Strategy

18. Isn’t in an
attractive market

19. Isn’t in an
attractive market

20. Doesn’t address the
right needs

21. Doesn’t address the
right needs

22. Isn’t strategically
sound

23. Isn’t strategically
sound

24. Your Idea Is Worth Nothing

25. Growth Is Left to Chance
Idea

26. Growth Is Left to Chance
Idea Market

27. Growth Is Left to Chance
Idea Market Needs

28. Growth Is Left to Chance
Idea Market Needs Strategy

29. Eliminate the Chance
Idea

30. Eliminate the Chance
Market Idea

31. Eliminate the Chance
Market Needs Idea

32. Eliminate the Chance
Market Needs Strategy Idea

33. Creating Ideas for Growth

34. Creating Ideas for Growth
Market Needs Strategy

35. What is an Attractive Market?

36. Financially Attractive

37. Market potential is price
times products times buyers.

38. Traditional Method
Market potential is price
times products times buyers.
Philip Kotler
Kellogg, Marketing Management

39. The iPod Market

41. iPod Growth
220%
180%
140%
100%
60%
20%
-20%
0%
06Q1 06Q3 07Q1 07Q3 08Q1 08Q3 09Q1 09Q3 10Q1 10Q3 11Q1 11Q3
Source: Apple Quarterly Reports

43. “The market reception for
Zune is so disappointing
that many retailers have
even stopped selling it
altogether.”
Marketwatch
July 29, 2009

44. Audience Question 2:
What do you think the chances are that any given idea
will be in a market that is financially attractive to the
company?
less than 5%
6% - 10%
11% - 25%
26% - 50%
Over 50%

45. Traditional Markets
1948 1962 1984 2001

47. Products = past

48. Customers don’t want
iPods any more than they
want CDs or 8-track tapes.

49. Job:
Listen to Music

50. Market
Job Executor
= +

51. Market potential is number
of job executors times
willingness to pay to get the
job done better.

52. Get a Job Done Better
1948 1962 1984 2001

53. Get a Job Done Better
1948 1962 1984 2001 2005

55. 80 million
90,000 per day

56. Creating Ideas for Growth

57. Creating Ideas for Growth
Market Needs Strategy

58. What is a Customer Need?

59. What is a Customer Need?
95%
Don’t have
definition
MIT Sloan Management Review
May 2008

60. Voice of the
Customer

61. Voice of the
Customer

62. Focus on the Job

63. 50 - 150
Customer Metrics

64. Quickly Predictably Successfully

65. Speed Stability Output

66. 150 BC 1670 1940 1985 1999

67. 0% Growth
150 BC 1670 1940 1985 1999

68. Customers don’t want radios
any more than they want
megaphones or smoke signals.

69. Communicate in a
dangerous situation

70. Minimize the time it takes to confirm receipt

71. Minimize the time it takes to confirm receipt
Direction Metric Object of Control

72. Minimize the time it takes to confirm receipt of a communication
Minimize the likelihood that the communication is interrupted
Minimize the likelihood of interference when communicating
Increase the likelihood that the communication is discreet
Minimize the likelihood that a message is misunderstood
Minimize the time it takes to establish a record of the communication
Minimize the likelihood that the communication is intercepted

73. Market Opportunities
10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

74. Market Opportunities
10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

75. IMP SAT OPP
7.3 3.2 11.4
Minimize the time it takes to confirm receipt

76. From 0% to 18% Growth
“ODI was used to create
two of our bestselling
Bob Pennisi
radios to date.”
Advanced Technology Center
Dr. Pennisi is currently a senior Strategyn professional

78. Audience Question 3:
What do you think the chances are that any given idea
will better satisfy a significant number of the right 50
to 150 needs in a market?
less than 5%
6% - 10%
11% - 25%
26% - 50%
Over 50%

79. Creating Ideas for Growth

80. Creating Ideas for Growth
Market Needs Strategy

81. Product Strategy

82. Low Cost Breakthrough
Disruption or Radical
Product
Sustaining
Improvement

83. 20% 10%
50% 20%

84. 10% 50%
30% 10%

85. Audience Question 4:
What do you think the chances are that any given idea
will have correctly chosen the right product strategy?
less than 5%
6% - 10%
11% - 25%
26% - 50%
Over 50%

86. The Market Decides, Not You
Low Cost Breakthrough Product
Sustaining
Disruption or Radical Improvement

87. Opportunities Dictate Strategy
10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

88. Opportunities Dictate Strategy
10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

89. Opportunities Dictate Strategy
10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

90. 10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

91. Product Improvement
10.0 Existing
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

92. Product Improvement
10.0 Existing
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

93. 10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

94. Breakthrough - Radical
10.0 New
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

95. Breakthrough - Radical
10.0 New
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

96. 10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

97. Sustaining
10.0 Existing
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

98. Sustaining
10.0 Existing
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

99. Low Cost Disruption
10.0
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

100. Low Cost Disruption
10.0 New
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

101. Low Cost Disruption
10.0 New
Platform
7.5
Satisfaction
5.0
2.5
0
0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Importance

102. +
Inability of Current Platform to Address Needs
Low Cost Breakthrough
Disruption or Radical
Product
Sustaining
Improvement
-
- +
Dissatisfaction Getting the Job(s) Done

103. Eliminate the Chance
Market Needs Strategy

104. Eliminate the Chance
Market Needs Strategy Idea

105. Idea Types

106. Idea Types
Platform Biz Model Features Go To Market

107. Sequence
1 2 3 4
Platform Biz Model Features Go To Market

108. Criteria to Judge
= Metrics
Metrics, Cost, Risk

109. Experts
Domain Technical

110. Triggers

111. Triggers
26 41 14
Platform Biz Model Features

112. Idea Generation
Type Experts Criteria Triggers
Minimize the
time it takes
to confirm
receipt

113. Growth Is Left to Chance
Idea Market Needs Strategy

114. Growth Is Left to Chance
Idea Market Needs Strategy
25% x 5% x 25% = .003%

115. Predictable Growth
$500M

116. Predictable Growth
$500M 95%

117. Predictable Growth
$500M 95% 95%

118. Predictable Growth
$500M 95% 95% Idea

119. 86% Success
5x Better
Source: Strategyn Track Record Study. Sample size: 22 launches. 19
declared a successes by the companies based on revenue, customer
satisfaction, or industry awards. Study available upon request.

120. Companies 43
Products 49
Pipeline 28
Launched 21
Success 18
Rate 86%
Source: Strategyn Track Record Study. Sample size: 21 launches. 18
declared a successes by the companies based on revenue, customer
satisfaction, or industry awards. Study available upon request.

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