THE COMPONENTS OF AN INNOVATION PROCESS

 

Whole Sale Custom Packaging innovation process establishes a framework that structures and implements the development of new products, services, or business models in a methodical manner. We show you which components an innovation process should contain and how they work together.

Goals and perfecting as part of the process

The presentation of an innovation process usually begins with the Generation of ideas and ends with the market launch. In practice, however, it has proven to be useful to understand innovation goals as higher-level components of an innovation process and to coordinate the process with the goals.

The innovation process does not start with the generation of ideas, but with the definition of innovation goals. In coordination with the corporate strategy, the individual goals should be clearly defined, i.e.: which Types of innovation are aimed at? Where is the focus? How high should that Degree of innovation be? How many innovations are strived for in which areas?

The decision for certain innovation goals marks the starting point of the innovation process and defines the strategies and process steps derived from it (generation of ideas, concept, development, etc.).

Paper innovation process

Furthermore, the innovation process should not end with the market launch, but rather integrate a phase of perfection, since improvement measures are often required in the first year after the market launch.

The 7 phases in the innovation process Components of an innovation process

Based on these premises, in addition to the innovation goals as a superordinate process component, seven further process steps can be determined in the innovation process. A decision is always required between the individual steps (red arrows) in order to get to the next phase:

 

·         Definition of strategic search fields

·         Generation of ideas

·         Concept phase

·         development

·         construction

·         Launch

·         Perfecting

 

 

·         The successful trio: process-method-structure

The innovation process encompasses the innovation method as well as the innovation structure, in addition to the process in its broader sense. Each phase in the innovation process (WHAT) therefore includes appropriate methods (HOW) and structures (WHO):

·         WHAT is implemented:

·         The individual steps of the innovation process (generation of ideas, conception, etc.)

·         HOW is it implemented

·         Innovation roadmap, LEAD user method, LEAD transfer, Innovation family tree.

·         WHO makes the decisions:

·         On the level below - the structure - it is determined who is responsible for the respective process step and who makes decisions in the company.

·         These three levels require appropriate coordination with one another in order to guarantee the holistic design of the innovation process.

Structured process in the fuzzy front end

In the early, upstream phase - the Fuzzy front end- Often there is no clearly defined process in companies on how to come up with ideas and which of them should be further processed in the concept phase. A holistic innovation process also maps these process steps in a structured manner in the innovation process in order to make innovations easier to plan.

The phases after the fuzzy front-end correspond to the "normal" product development process in a company, which usually begins with the development of a product (or a service) in the R&D department.

Decision-making through Build-Measure-Learn

The focus of the so-called “Lean Startup Method” is the feedback cycle “Build-Measure-Learn” according to Steve Blank - that is, make, measure and learns. The method's goal is to figure out which ideas, concepts, goods, and so on are the most popular as rapidly as possible. Are promising but shouldn't be explored any further

The permanent evaluation process increases the likelihood of success for innovative projects, as undesirable developments come to light early on and well-founded decisions can be made based on them. Innovation development should therefore generally follow this evaluation process, and do so very early in the innovation process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two phases then alternate until a suitable solution has been found, which then goes into development.

So it's not just about building a product, service or process step by step, Custom Packaging USA  also testing different, alternative solutions.

Conclusion: 6 phases in the innovation process

A holistic innovation process is based on the innovation goals and consciously integrates a phase of perfecting that serves for refinement and adaptation. Each phase should follow a structured process that defines appropriate methods and decision-making responsibilities. A permanent evaluation at every stage of the innovation process makes it possible to use R&D resources in a targeted manner and to focus innovation activities on future-oriented ones Innovations to focus.