Open Innovation Checklist
When you’re planning an open innovation initative, there can be a lot to keep up with. We’ve boiled down the key steps of open innovation into this infographic. Feel free to print out this infograph or the accompanying checklist as a quick tool to use for your next innovation project!
□ What challenge are you trying to solve? Tip: Start small and add more depth as you go. The more concrete your challenge is the better feedback you get.
□ Can you boil down this challenge down to one key question? Tip: Ask your question like you’re telling a story. Setting a frame around the whole process is very important to keep the focus.
□ How do you get stakeholders to participate? Tip: Involve from the beginning critical stakeholders such as the management.
□ What kind of feedback and ideas are needed to solve this challenge? Can that be done online or offline? Or will a combination work best? Tip: Collecting and discussing ideas works well online. Implementation of ideas needs some stronger commitment and is mostly better offline.
□ What are the incentives to participate? Will you offer a prize? What else might motivate someone to participate in your project? Tip: Financial incentives are one way. Recognition of ideas is much stronger. A combination of awards will attract the most participants.
□ Where could be potential resistance to the process show up? Tip: You’ll never be able to predict everything in advance, but study other projects that have used a similar method to yours and see what you can learn from them.
□ Who is invited (specific skillsets, specific community, international, local, staff, customers, etc.). Tip: Think big if you work online as there is no limit for participants.
□ Every day action is needed for an online phase and an offline event. Tip: The moderation and facilitation of such a process is critical for more engagement and better outcome. But with at least a little facilitation a lot can be achieved.
□ I have a plan how the ideas will be implemented. Tip: Think about the way ideas can be implemented ahead of the journey. It is critical what happens with the feedback and ideas after the process. That also decides whether people participate the next time.
□ I hit a nerve with my story and challenge. Tip: Open Innovation is all about engagement. People participate if they identify with the topic and it really addresses them. Have you addressed that?
