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The
Idea Bucket: Three Steps for Improving Your Idea Generation, Tracking, and
Assessment Process
Gary C. Hinkle - President, Auxilium, Inc.
Do you have enough ideas in your organization for new products? Can you have
too many ideas? Yes, but the best ideas won't be lost if you have an
effective and efficient system for managing them.
In an R&D
organization, there should always be a flow of ideas for new products and
product enhancements. You probably have some sort of system for turning ideas
into products, but are you managing the ideas effectively? Consider these
questions about your current system:
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Does your system
track many more ideas than you will develop into products? If
so, are all ideas assessed in a timely manner?
Does your system allow any
employee to enter an idea and receive feedback about the assessment?
Are
you possibly losing excellent ideas that are discussed in meetings or
hallway conversations but are not captured in a repository?
Does management or a
designated person or committee evaluate a constant
stream of new product proposals?
Does your system
consolidate, track and
assess ideas from all relevant sources such as customer input, sales
channel, manufacturing, marketing, engineering, etc.?
If you would like to improve
your idea generation/tracking/assessment process, these three steps can be
applied to fit any organization:
1) Store your ideas in
an appropriate "bucket." There are many ways to implement a simple repository,
the most simple being a spreadsheet or database program. Starting simple
is a good idea, but it’s important to plan ahead so your system will meet your
needs. For example, a group might start by using a simple database or a
spreadsheet, but soon may find that they have hundreds of ideas that aren’t
easily managed in that type of system. The system may not be friendly for
any employee to add new entries. Consider implementing a database system
accessible via the Internet or a local intranet. A basic, but versatile system can be set up by your IT
staff or an employee with those skills.
2) Promote generation of
ideas throughout your organization. People are generally very enthusiastic
when they have the opportunity to contribute ideas for your products or
services. Create an environment that assures employees that their ideas will be considered.
3) Assign people to
assess the ideas regularly and provide feedback to the idea contributors.
Ideas can be grouped to form concepts for new products or services, which are then evaluated for
business potential.
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