Introducing The Innovation Recipe
Just like cooking, there are no hard and fast rules for innovation, but there are some general principles that can dramatically increase your success rate. The Innovation Recipe can be used for innovations of all shapes and sizes.
For a small problem like, ‘How am I going to tell staff about our new sales training?’ You might go through the entire process in 15 minutes. For a major innovation, like a new product or a new system, your process might take 12 months or more. That’s the good thing about a recipe – you can adapt it to suit the situation.

Prepare
Illuminate
Explore
Choose
Implement
Evaluate

Why six steps?

Prepare
Illuminate
Explore
Choose
Implement
Evaluate
The first four steps in The Innovation Recipe focus on the idea, and the final two steps focus on implementation.
Implementation
Idea

Typically, more than 90% of time and resources are spent on implementation...
Implementation
Idea

However, more than 90% of critical mistakes are typically made in the business case or idea phase
Implementation
Idea

Prepare
Illuminate
Explore
Choose
Implement
Evaluate
Even though steps 1-4 are relatively quick, they play such a critical role in project success that it’s worth stepping through each element mindfully.
Implementation
Idea

Introducing the six steps

Prepare
Illuminate
Explore
Choose
Implement
Evaluate

Prepare
Illuminate
Evaluate

Get clear on the problem and the root cause


PREPARE
Too often we jump straight into solution mode – sometimes this means we select a solution without having a clear picture of what’s causing the problem. It’s incredibly valuable to take a step back and ask some key questions:
1.What’s the problem I’m trying to solve?
2.What’s my goal – what am I trying to achieve?
3.Can I find a solution on my own or do I need a team?

Prepare
Illuminate
Explore

Ask the right questions


ILLUMINATE
This is where again you need some self-control. Avoid the temptation
to jump straight in with the first solution that comes into your
head. Avoid the temptation to pick the solution you used last time
this problem came up. It may well be that the first solution is the
right solution, but take the time to brainstorm your options, either
on your own or with your team.
Power up your brainstorming! Get away from the computer. Find a
whiteboard or pen and paper. Give yourself even just five minutes
to identify all the ideas you can think of that might help solve the
problem. At this stage, no idea is too ambitious or small. No idea is
too silly – just put them all down so that you can better illuminate
the problem. or do I need a team?

Illuminate
Explore
Choose

The easiest, and most influential way to explore is to get out of the office and talk to people


EXPLORE
Take a look at the ideas you’ve formed. Which ideas stand out as
the best fit to solve your problem and achieve your goal? Do you
need to research some of the alternatives, for example, to find out how much they’d cost? Perhaps phone someone who’s done something
similar to see how they went about it.

Explore
Choose
Implement

Does the Return on Investment stack up?


CHOOSE
Once you’ve done any required research, you’re ready to make a decision. Is the decision a group or a solo one? Perhaps you’re making a recommendation to a manager or client. Some of the questions you might like to revisit or ask afresh are:
1.Does this solve my problem?
2.Will this achieve my goal?
3.Do I have the resources to implement this idea? (the skills and experience, staff, budget, time, tools and equipment) Once you’ve picked your solution, it’s vital to translate that solution into a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound) so that everyone on your project team is clear about your aims.

Choose
Implement
Evaluate

•Building your team
•Managing the project
•Managing the impact
•Leading the change


IMPLEMENT
Implementation is critically important, and is often a complex phase of innovation projects. Many project and innovation processes focus a lot more on Implementation than the critical elements of the idea and business case. When you’re a business leader impacted by a major project, you have a critical opportunity to influence the success of projects at that important business case phase.
For major projects, you’re much more likely to bring in a professional
project team to manage your implementation, and this is why The
Innovation Recipe covers Implement as a single step.

Prepare
Implement
Evaluate

Tracking throughout the life of the project:
•On time, on budget
•On track to achieve our Return on Investment


EVALUATE
Successful innovation can be measured in two ways:
1.Did we deliver? Did we achieve our original goal? Did we solve our original problem?
2.Did we follow The Innovation Recipe process? What worked well that we’d repeat next time? What would we do next time differently? Even if, you say ‘No’ or ‘Not quite,’ to the first set of questions, if you answer the second set of questions and apply what you’ve learned in your business, you will significantly increase your chances of success next time. In fact, on your next project, a key part of the ‘Prepare’ step is to ask, ‘What similar projects have we done before, and what can we learn from those projects?’

Wait! Don’t turn on the oven yet
What if you already have a great idea? When you find yourself in this situation, it’s tempting to jump straight to Implement and start cooking up your brilliant concept. No matter how brilliant your idea is, jumping straight into implementation is always risky. Going through the first four Innovation Recipe steps doesn’t need to be a long process; you can get through all four in under an hour for a small, straightforward project. If you’re just too hungry, there are some critical questions to ask before you jump into implementation.


Are you confident you’ve clearly diagnosed the problem?

Are you confident you’re attacking the root cause, not just the symptoms?

Are you confident your solution comprehensively addresses the root cause?

Did your team also answer, ‘Yes’ to questions 1–3?
Did the sales team also answer, ‘Yes’?
Pre-implementation checklist

Are you confident you’ve clearly diagnosed the problem?

Are you confident you’re attacking the root cause, not just the symptoms?

Are you confident your solution comprehensively addresses the root cause?

Did your team also answer, ‘Yes’ to questions 1–3?

Did the sales team also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did the product and marketing teams also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did the operations and customer service teams also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did the leadership team also answer, ‘Yes’?

Did your customers also answer, ‘Yes’?

In choosing your idea, was the robustness of your decision making criteria appropriate to the consequences of your project failing?
If you and your teams mostly answered, ‘No’ to these 10 questions, proceeding straight to implement- ation will be risky. You will be much more likely to succeed if you step through all six steps of The Innovation Recipe to ensure your idea is robust before you invest time and resources in implementation.


Prepare
Get clear on the problem and the root cause

Illuminate
Ask the right questions

Explore
The easiest, and most influential way to explore is to get out of the office and talk to people

Choose
Does the Return on Investment stack up?

Implement
● Building your team ● Managing the project
● Managing the impact ● Leading the change

Evaluate
Tracking throughout the life of the project: ● On time, on budget ● On track to achieve Return on Investment

Hungry for more?
Buy the book, download a chapter sampler, or find more innovation guides and cheat sheets:
www.zumbara.com.au/the-innovation-recipe.html