Effective Innovation Project Steps

EFFECTIVE INNOVATION PROJECT STEPS

STEP 1

Make yourself an EXPERT on the problem you are trying to solve.

Be able to define and describe the problem in detail.

Know all the known causes of the problem.

Know all the previous and current solutions to the problem.

Know WHY the previous solutions failed.

Know WHY the current solutions are not doing enough.

STEP 2

Ask smart questions.

Who benefits from the problem remaining a problem?

Follow the money - what cost barriers exist to a solution?

Follow the science - what practical factors are barriers to a solution?

Who cares about the problem and why?

Who doesn’t care about the problem and why?

Keep asking questions.

STEP 3

Brainstorm new and creative ideas stemming from the answers to all the questions you have asked.

STEP 4 

Now is probably a good time to write your "Problem Statement"

"Problem Statement".  

As a team, clearly define the problem we wish to address Meet with your team Review the information you have found including the answers to any questions that were generated. Decide on a clear statement that defines the problem you wish to address for your innovation project.

 Example: Solar power does not work at night. Solar panels can often generate more power in the daytime than is needed, and that power is often wasted. Current methods of battery storage is expensive and requires mining of rare earth metals. We would like to find a better way to store energy from solar panels that does not get used in the daytime so that it can be used at night. 

Your "Problem Statement" must have these four parts:

1. Identify the problem. 

2. Briefly explain or describe why it is a problem. 

3. Describe the shortcomings of current solutions.

4. Clearly identify the aspect of the problem you wish to address - note! - this is NOT you actual solution yet.

STEP 5

Narrow your focus and research more deeply.

1. Start with Google - BE SKEPTICAL AND DO LATERAL READING

2. Level up to Google Scholar - start looking at current research from peer-reviewed journals. These are journal articles that document primary research. They are written at a high level, so you may need me to help you to understand the material.

   1. Open a Google search page and type in “Google Scholar”

   2. From Google Scholar, you can filter your search results by year to get the most recent studies.

   3. When you find an article, check the authors, the institute with which they are affiliated and if there are any conflicts of interest. (i.e. A drug study sponsored by a drug company is not likely your best source for unbiased information.)

**If you find an article in Google Scholar that you want to use but cannot access, or that you can access, but that is written at a level beyond your comprehension, tell me and I will help you with it.**

STEP 6 

Using your newly found knowledge, design your new approach, new solution or new invention. MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL. You don’t want to spend a lot of time inventing something that already exists.

Once you have your idea finalized and refined, you will need to present it. You need to keep in mind that your audience has not done any of the research you have done, so you will need to explain everything to them and be ready for lots of questions.

For your PRESENTATION, you will need the following:

INTRODUCTION:

Introduce the problem you want to solve in an interesting way. If you wanted to receive funding or support for your project, you need to get your audience listening and interested.

DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM

Give an explicit, detailed explanation of the problem your team has chosen to mitigate or solve.

SUPPORTING DETAILS

Provide facts, such as costs, human impacts (number of people affected and how they are affected), amount of habitat loss, etc. that will help to illustrate how and why your problem needs to be addressed.

OVERVIEW OF EXISTING SOLUTIONS

Briefly describe what is currently being done to mitigate the problem you have researched. Give pros and cons of each mitigating effort. You need to let your audience know why these other solutions are not as good as yours. You don’t want anyone saying, “Well, why don’t you just do “x” instead?”

INNOVATION HOOK

Introduce your team’s proposed innovation in an interesting way.

INNOVATION DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION

Give an explicit, and detailed description of your innovation. Explain HOW it will work.

INNOVATION ARGUMENT

Give an explicit, and detailed description of your innovation. Explain HOW it will work.

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Compare your innovation to current mitigation efforts. 

Explain HOW your innovation will be an improvement on current efforts.

Provide FACTS that support your explanation such as costs, impact reduction, reliability, longevity, efficiency, reduction in toxicity/pollution… ANY FACTS that support how your idea is a realistic possibility.

PREPARE FOR DETRACTORS

Anticipate criticism of your plan and prepare responses. 

example: Imagine someone says your project is too costly. You may want to compare the cost or your idea to the costs that occur as a result of the problem or compare the costs of other existing solutions.

example: Imagine someone says that your project is too big and will use up too much space and harm habitats. You will need to explain how your idea will either NOT do what they say or you will need to have a compelling explanation as to why it is better than the alternatives.

You will need FACTS to back up your argument.