View: Innovators ask Weird Questions
By Greg Shaw, Ph.D. | Vice President, Mantrose-Haeuser Co., Inc.
Leaders are judged by the questions they ask. This is especially true when leading or sponsoring innovation projects. Without accepting softball answers, pitch these:
1. Why are you doing this project? If the project champion can’t answer this simple question crisply, concisely and decisively she is either missing key information or the passion required to succeed. If we don’t know where we are going, we create a vortex to throw money in.
2. If successful, what problem will this solve? Who has this problem? Do they know it? To have value, the innovation – the product, service, or business model – must solve a real problem. If the champion can’t describe the problem she’s solving it’s unlikely she will solve it! Or worse, they may be working on a solution in search of a problem. The team champion must also articulate the person (it’s always about people!) who has the problem; they must also say if the problem is generally acknowledged or if it is unrecognized.
3. If the customer didn’t recognize the problem, why not? Unrecognized problems represent the greatest opportunity for breakthrough or disruptive innovation. They are also the riskiest innovation targets. Before the team attacks an unrecognized opportunity, be sure it really is an opportunity. Ask the rest of these questions to help ensure you are not headed down a blind alley.
4. What are the key assumptions? Every strategy, every initiative, every project has assumption: markets, customers, price, cost, technology, supply chain, timing are just a few. While it’s impossible to anticipate every variable, success depends on each of those assumptions being correct. Solicit the wisdom of others to ensure you have identified and vetted critical assumptions. And don’t vet with your supporters and fans. Tap the skeptics (not the cynics!), then listen to them.
5. What is the last hypothesis you tested? What did you learn? Each assumption is a hypothesis. Go test it. Start with the scariest and don’t be afraid of what you might learn. Try to disprove your assumption. If you’re wrong, better to know now than after you’ve squandered millions of dollars and irreplaceable time.
6. What is the next hypothesis you are testing? Your plan should be well thought out and flexible. Know the next hypotheses you’re going to test, why and how. Will you need a minimum viable prototype? Is it virtual? Is it real? Is it conceptual or functional? When does it need to be packaged? It’s a cliché, but failing to plan really is planning to fail. Plan, but don’t be afraid to change the plan as you learn.
7. Who are the lead customers? You’re developing a product, a service, an offering and you don’t even know who might buy it?!? Simply put, that’s crazy! Ideally you should know your first target customer by name – why not engage them in the process of developing your prototype? If you don’t have a name, you must be able to depict the persona in detail.
8. What is the biggest risk to the project’s success? At each stage the team must be able to answer this question. If there is no risk, there will be no reward. When the team tells you there is no more risk, it’s time to get a new project. Or a new team.
The best innovators, your most creative team members, are typically anxious to lunge head-first into the latest, greatest idea. They know exactly where they’re going. Don’t discourage them! But make sure they know why they’re going as well as where. A few simple questions, well answered at each stage of the project will dramatically increase the team’s success rate.
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn or via email at greg.shaw.441@gmail.com.