The Innovator's Toolkit: 50+ Techniques for Predictable and Sustainable Organic Growth, 2nd Edition

Technique 19

SCAMPER

Ask eight important questions.

 

The SCAMPER technique uses a set of directed questions to help you evolve your existing product, service, or solution into one that is superior (more ideal). For example, SCAMPER led to the combining of two shaving solution elements—the razor and the shaving cream—into a razor that holds cream in its handle and dispenses it as a person shaves. SCAMPER is most powerful when you have an idea or set of ideas, and you need to make them even better. It is especially helpful in mature markets where there are many competing solutions.

The SCAMPER acronym stands for:

• Substitute
• Combine
• Adapt
• Modify/Mirror/Distort
• Put to other purposes
• Eliminate
• Rearrange/Reverse

Steps

Scenario: A team was tasked with innovating the sales approach in an organization with 50 locations, keeping each abreast of the company's latest products, technologies, policies, and procedures. The existing approach was to perform on-site training at each location once a quarter using several trainers. The team used the SCAMPER technique to generate ideas for improving the knowledge-transfer process.

1. Define the Job to be Done

Before you use this tool, it's best to make sure you have clarity on how the current process or product is used to achieve the job to be done (JTBD). Articulate the JTBD and the current approach for delivering its solution. Remind the team to stay focused on the JTBD, so that innovative solutions (with higher value quotients) can be generated, ...