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

Part I

Define the Opportunity

Taking thousands of shots at an undefined target (unfocused ideation) won't result in an innovation goal. Yet, the very nature of innovation seems to imply that the target is hazy and disguised–but this is a myth. Those who know how to clear the haze will see that the front edge of innovation isn't as elusive as it may seem; it's only unreachable by those who don't know how to find it and bring it into focus for their own advantage.

This first phase of innovation enables you to bring the aims of organic growth into focus and create viable innovation opportunities. Use the Jobs to be Done (JTBD), Job Mapping, Outcome Expectations, and Value Quotient techniques to identify actionable innovation gaps, or high-potential innovation projects based on the identification of unmet customer needs and new market territory. Also, use the Ethnography technique to directly observe how customers struggle with existing solutions so you can understand their unarticulated needs.

Once you've defined your opportunity, you can scope and focus your innovation projects. The Scenario Planning technique will facilitate your thoughts about the future, so you put some stakes in the ground about the developments you expect to occur in your environment. The Heuristic Redefinition technique will help you do this by identifying all the elements of your current solution and how they relate to one another. The Nine Windows technique will do this as well, adding the dimensions of time ...