Process Development
It has been said that process stifles creativity. Some also believe that creativity stifles productivity. When it comes to innovation, there is truth in each viewpoint. Exploring every blind alley may uncover brilliant insights in brainstorming and ideation. For most, the same level of creativity expended on improving Newton's laws of motion would only confirm a single well-trodden path. For that reason, knowing when to spark creativity and when to work with urgency toward established milestones, is a key element to developing effective processes to promote, rather than stifle, innovation.
Processes are essential to innovation because there are practical limits to the amount of complexity that can be managed without process. A tightly-knit team may manage some tasks well without defining a formal process. However, a project that spans development of a broad innovation value chain involves complexity that, without process, exceeds the abilities of even the most capable teams.
TCG does not prescribe rigid processes but views process as a tool to manage complexity. Some benefits:
- Reinforce broad organizational goals and priorities
- Create accountability and ensure critical tasks are never neglected or managed in isolation
- Integrate interdependence between functional tasks
- Promote communication and coordination
- Establish purposeful tasks and milestones to celebrate
- Capture ideas for future development
The very nature of innovation is to accomplish something that has never been done before. Processes must remain flexible and adapt to new ideas and learning while maintaining a priority on an organization's broader mission.
An example of a development process for commercial launch is shown above. Innovation starts with technology development but with confirmation of scalability, requires coordinated development of market, product, production and service capability to efficiently work toward readiness for product launch.
Due to its proprietary nature, technology development is usually led by a small team of technical experts. In transitioning from technology validation to product development, since they are available and capable, it is tempting to engage these highly qualified technologist to develop other functional capability. However, this can impair the very technical development that they are uniquely qualified to deliver at a time critical to organizing and expanding product develop capability.
TCG understands innovation processes and can help build functional capability that maximizes productivity of your innovation resources. In developing and managing processes, TCG may draw upon experience including:
- Program management: deliverables, resources, schedule, budget
- Quality management: process discovery and documentation, risk assessment, FMEA
- Product requirements: top-down derived from market requirements and bottom-up to confirm design compliance
- Design reviews: preparation, facilitation, managing closure of open issues
- Process coordination between market and product development, supply chain, manufacturing, services and fulfillment operations
In addition to these functional capabilities, TCG consultants have decades of technical experience from a variety of industries that may further benefit your innovation success.
Whether you are just starting out or have long established operations, contact us to learn how TCG may help in refining and managing your innovation processes.
Learn more about other services offered by TCG to support your organization's growth.