The Innovation Process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtPYr4XiaY

1. The Innovation Process
Thomas J. Howard
thow@mek.dtu.dk
Unless otherwise stated, this material is under a Creative
Commons 3.0 Attribution–Share-Alike licence and can be
freely modified, used and redistributed but only under the
same licence and if including the following statement:
“Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark”

2. The Generic Design Process
Howard, T. J., Culley, S. J., & Dekoninck, E. (2008). Describing the creative design process by the
integration of engineering design and cognitive psychology literature. Design Studies, 29, 160-180.
2 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

3. 3 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

4. Stage-Gate Model
Stage-gate model R.Cooper
4 Original material by Design Council© adapted byby R. Cooper
The Stage-Gate Model Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

5. The Scrum – Agile Product Development
5 Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

6. The Double Diamond Process
The following content was adapted from a process developed by and owed
under the copyright of the Design Council
The published work can be found here:
Design Council, “Eleven lessons: managing design in eleven global brands”
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/documents/documents/publications/eleve
n%20lessons/elevenlessons_design_council.pdf
6 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

7. A Typical Development Process
breadth of perspective
time
7 Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

8. Concept Generation
Initial number of concepts
based on PDS
Apply controlled
Controlled convergence (CC) Convergent Stage (CS)
Convergence Apply concept
generation (CG) Divergent Stage (DS)
(CS)
(CC)
(CG) (DS)
(CS)
(CC)
(CG) (DS)
(CS)
(CC)
Concept Selection
8 Pugh S (1991). TOTAL DESIGN - INTEGRATED METHODS FOR SUCCESSFUL
Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
PRODUCT ENGINEERING. Strathclyde, Addison-Wesley Publishers Ltd. DTU
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering,

9. A Typical Development Process
breadth of perspective
?
time
9 Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

10. Where to start?
•A problem?
•A technology?
•A market need?
•A brand?
•A process?
•A service?
An idea that provides an opportunity
to capture value
10 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

11. breadth of perspective
Discover Phase: Thinking up as many
opportunities as possible, developing them
and combining them
time
11 Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

12. Discover
Sources of Inspiration:
• The problems you face in your own life or those observed in others
• Innovation Challenges:
https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/browse
• Campus Technologies: What DTU technologies are available for spinning
out into a business in particular from DTU-Fotonic
• Contact the commune to ask there social challenges and their areas
greatest expenditure
• Some great ideas from Ideo: http://www.openideo.com/open
• Funding availability: http://innovationsradar.dk/radar
• DTU-Fotonik's patents can be found listed
here: http://www.fotonik.dtu.dk/Innovation/Patents.aspx
• Your own creative thoughts.
12 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

13. Discover
Background Research:
• Where does the value reside?
• How much is it worth and to who?
• What other opportunities are associated?
– Possibility for expansion
• What are the future trends of the technology, market and user
behaviour?
• What products and services may result from
Social, economic, legislative or environmental change?
• Brainstorm and use mind maps to diverge.
• Try to combine an build on opportunities.
13 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

14. Mind Maps
14 Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

15. breadth of perspective
Define Phase: Rejecting less valuable
opportunities and refining the formulation of
promising ones.
time
15 Original material by Design Council© adapted by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629: 2012
Innovation and Product Development Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU

16. Define:
Partial List of Questions (Kepner-Tregoe)
• What is the scope of the problem?
• What is distinct about the problem?
• Is it connected to other problems? How?
• What events caused this problem?
• How long has it existed?
• Why is it a problem?
• Who has been involved?
• When and how was it discovered?
• Where is it located?
• What changes in surroundings, equipment, procedures, or
personnel occurred that could possibly be related to the
problem?
• Does the problem pose a threat?
• In what way?
• Does it have long-term or short-term effects?
• Can some of the factors be dealt with separately?
• How would this affect the overall problem?
16 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

17. Define
A quick and dirty approach
to evaluate your business
opportunities in the Define
phase.
17 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

18. Is it worth it?
- A quick and dirty guide to killing your darlings.
• Before convincing others
(investors, partners, customers etc.) you should
make sure that you have convinced yourself.
• Initial validation and qualification of your idea and
business is crucial for every subsequent step.
• Before betting it all, look in to the following:
o Who is my (first) customer?
o Number of customers / market size?
o How do I get there / Who and what do I need?
Slide by Jakob Andersen
18 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

19. First: The perfect Business Idea
- A touch of utopia
• My Idea and business plan has/is:
• A "need to have" product/service for customers.
• A huge market.
• Fully scalable.
• One size fits all.
• Free (100% profit).
• No risk in execution.
• Ready tomorrow.
• Better and cheaper than existing solutions.
• Impossible to replicate.
Slide by Jakob Andersen
19 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

20. 1: Who is my (first) customer?
• Who is going to buy my product
• Are there segments?
o And if so, which segment should I target first?
• Why are these companies/organisations/ persons
buying?
o Perhaps specified by segment
• How am I better or different?
• Is the product and/or service:
o "Nice to have"
o "Need to have"
• Leads to: What is my value proposition?
Slide by Jakob Andersen
20 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

21. 2: Number of customers /
market size?
• How many customers are there?
o Include segments if relevant
• Where are they?
• Maybe I should look into:
o National statistics
o Sales from rivaling companies
o Market intelligence
o ... Be creative
Slide by Jakob Andersen
21 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

22. 3: How do I get there /
Who and what do I need?
• Identify the main barriers - are they manageable?
• The biggest problems should be handled first
o Reduce risk and validate business.
• Can I come up with a realistic plan for this?
• Do I have the competencies needed?
o Can I out-/crowdsource?
o Can I team up / form partnerships?
• What amount of $ do I need?
o When do I need the funds?
Slide by Jakob Andersen
22 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

23. breadth of perspective
Problem/Opportunity Definition
time
23 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

24. Definition of Opportunity
• What is the essence of you idea?
• Should be describable at several levels:
– One sentence
– Three sentences
– One page
– A business plan and technical document
• Try to describe the main purpose of the design (from the users
perspective) in a Verb and a Noun
– To Verb Noun
– To Squeeze Oranges, To Clean Windows, To Transport
Children
• Define the opportunity in the form of a Project Mission Statement
(Be as solution neutral as possible!)
24 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

25. Improving a Problem Definition (Example)
Statement #1: Secondary school students have a
hard time understanding the concept of centripetal
force.
 Where is the spotlight?
Statement #2: Design a mini merry-go-round that
will let students experience centripetal force.
 Would a broader definition encourage other creative
solutions?
Statement #3: Teachers need an inexpensive device
(presently unavailable) to use in the classroom to
enable students to experience and experiment with
rotational motion and the forces involved.
 This broader definition also provides some criteria.
25 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

26. Improving a Problem Definition (Exercise)
Step #1: Think about a simple problem you
have encountered recently. As a
team, discuss and select one for the
exercise. Write up a problem definition.
Step #2: Pass the definition to another
team. Improve the definition you have
received by making it broader to encourage
creative ideas.
Step #3: Pass the definition to a third team.
Try to incorporate evaluation criteria into
the definition you received—what positive
goals are you trying to accomplish?
Step #4: Return the definition to the first
team. Review the improvements and share
the results with the class.
26 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

27. breadth of perspective
Develop Phase: To generate as many
feasible solutions to the problem as possible.
time
27 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

28. Develop
•Imagine success or imagine the worst – this
temporarily reframes the problem.
•Force-fit two unrelated ideas – this can be
played as a game with two teams.
•Free association stimulates the imagination.
•Big dream/wishful thinking can loosen up a
practical-minded group.
•Biomimetics (use analogy from nature).
When creative ideas start flowing after applying one of these
tools, resume regular brainstorming of the defined problem.
28 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

29. Develop
SCAMPER
Substitute
Combine
Adapt
Magnify or Modify
Put to Other Uses
Eliminate
Rearrange or Reverse
See example at www.mindtools.com
 PRACTICAL CREATIVITY  SCAMPER.
This site has many tools for creative thinking.
29 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

30. breadth of perspective
Deliver Phase: Evaluation, Selection and
Validation of final design and business.
time
30 Material adapted from “Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation”, Lumsdaine and Binks 2012
for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development, DTU

31. Deliver
• Use of Pugh matrix to evaluate the design concepts
against the selection criteria laid out in the specification.
• Prototyping and testing of various aspects of the design an
business
LAUNCH
31 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

32. Questions
?
32 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark

33. For Friday
• By Friday, remember to:
– Register your 3 business ideas, and
– fill in you Belbin tests
• See you Friday in building 303A room 44 at 13:00
33 Original material by Thomas J. Howard for course 42629 – Innovation and Product Development 2012
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Technical University of Denmark