Introducing The Innovation Recipe

Just like cooking, there are no hard and fast rules for innovation, but

there are some general principles that can dramatically 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 entire process in 15 minutes.

For a major innovation, like a new product or a new system, your

process might take 12 months or more. That’s the good thing about a

recipe – you can adapt it to suit the situation.

Prepare

Illuminate

Explore Choose

Implement

Evaluate

Why six steps?

Prepare

Illuminate

Explore Choose

Implement

Evaluate

The first four steps in The Innovation Recipe focus on the

idea, and the final two steps focus on implementation.

Implementation

Idea

Typically, more than 90%

of time and resources are

spent on implementation...

Implementation

Idea

However, more than 90% of

critical mistakes are typically made

in the business case or idea phase

Implementation

Idea

Prepare

Illuminate

Explore Choose

Implement

Evaluate

Even though steps 1-4 are relatively quick, they play such a

critical role in project success that it’s worth stepping

through each element mindfully.

Implementation

Idea

Introducing

the six steps

Prepare

Illuminate

Explore Choose

Implement

Evaluate

Prepare

Illuminate

Evaluate

Get clear on the problem

and the root cause

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 some key questions:

1. What’s the problem I’m trying to solve?

2. What’s my goal – what am I trying to achieve?

3. Can I find a solution on my own or do I need a team?

Prepare

Illuminate

Explore

Ask the right

questions

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 the 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! Get away from the computer. Find a

whiteboard or pen and paper. Give yourself even just five minutes

to identify all the ideas you can think of that might help solve the

problem. At this stage, no idea is too ambitious or small. No idea is

too silly – just put them all down so that you can better illuminate

the problem. or do I need a team?

Illuminate

Explore

Choose

The easiest, and most influential

way to explore is to get out of

the office and talk to people

EXPLORE

Take a look at the ideas you’ve formed. Which ideas stand out as

the best fit to solve your problem and achieve your goal? Do you

need to research some of the alternatives, for example, to find out

how much they’d cost? Perhaps phone someone who’s done something

similar to see how they went about it.

Explore

Choose

Implement

Does the Return on

Investment stack up?

CHOOSE

Once you’ve done any required research, you’re ready to make a

decision. Is the decision a group or a solo one? Perhaps you’re making

a recommendation to a manager or client. Some of the questions

you might like to revisit or ask afresh are:

1. Does this solve my problem?

2. Will this achieve my goal?

3. Do I have the resources to implement this idea? (the skills and

experience, staff, budget, time, tools and equipment)

Once you’ve picked your solution, it’s vital to translate that solution

into a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time

bound) so that everyone on your project team is clear about your

aims.

Choose

Implement

Evaluate

• Building your team

• Managing the project

• Managing the impact

• Leading the change

IMPLEMENT

Implementation is critically important, and is often a complex phase

of innovation projects. Many project and innovation processes focus a

lot more on Implementation than the critical elements of the idea and

business case. When you’re a business leader impacted by a major

project, you have a critical opportunity to influence the success of

projects at that important business case phase.

For major projects, you’re much more likely to bring in a professional

project team to manage your implementation, and this is why The

Innovation Recipe covers Implement as a single step.

Prepare

Implement

Evaluate

Tracking throughout the

life of the project:

• On time, on budget

• On track to achieve our

Return on Investment

EVALUATE

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 Recipe process? What worked well

that we’d repeat next time? What would we do next time

differently?

Even if, you say ‘No’ or ‘Not quite,’ to the first set of questions, if you

answer the second set of questions 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?’

Wait! Don’t turn on the oven yet

What if you already have a great idea? When you find yourself in this

situation, it’s tempting to jump straight to Implement and start

cooking up your brilliant concept. No matter how brilliant your idea is,

jumping straight into implementation is always risky. Going through

the first four Innovation Recipe steps doesn’t need to be a long

process; you can get through all four in under an hour for a small,

straightforward project.

If you’re just too hungry, there are some critical questions to ask

before you jump into implementation.

Are you confident you’ve clearly

diagnosed the problem?

Are you confident you’re attacking the root

cause, not just the symptoms?

Are you confident your solution

comprehensively addresses the root

cause?

Did your team also answer, ‘Yes’ to

questions 1–3?

Did the sales team also answer, ‘Yes’?

Pre-implementation checkl ist

Are you confident you’ve clearly

diagnosed the problem?

Are you confident you’re attacking the

root cause, not just the symptoms?

Are you confident your solution

comprehensively addresses the root

cause?

Did your team also answer, ‘Yes’ to

questions 1–3?

Did the sales team also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did the product and marketing teams

also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did the operations and customer service

teams also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did the leadership team also answer,

‘Yes’?

Did your customers also answer, ‘Yes’?

In choosing your idea, was the robustness

of your decision making criteria

appropriate to the consequences of your

project failing?

If you and your teams mostly answered, ‘No’ to these 10 questions, proceeding straight to implement-

ation will be risky. You will be much more likely to succeed if you step through all six steps of The

Innovation Recipe to ensure your idea is robust before you invest time and resources in implementation.

Prepare Get clear on the problem and the root cause

Illuminate Ask the right questions

Explore The easiest, and most influential way to explore

is to get out of the office and talk to people

Choose Does the Return on Investment stack up?

Implement ● Building your team

● Managing the project

● Managing the impact

● Leading the change

Evaluate Tracking throughout the life of the project:

● On time, on budget

● On track to achieve Return on Investment

Hungry for more?

Buy the book, download a chapter sampler,

or find more innovation guides and cheat sheets:

www.zumbara.com.au/the-innovation-recipe.html