- The CIO is not considered a strategic partner. The business may be satisfied with IT services, but no one is looking to IT to solve business problems or drive the enterprise forward.
- Even if IT staff do generate ideas that will improve operational efficiency or enable the business, few are ever assessed or executed upon.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Business demand for new technology is creating added pressure to innovate and executive stakeholders expect more from IT. If IT is not viewed as a source of innovation, its perceived value will decrease and the threat of shadow IT will grow. Do not wait to start finding and capitalizing on opportunities for IT-led innovation.
Impact and Result
- Start innovating right away. All you need are business pains and people willing to ideate around them.
- Assemble a small team and arm them with proven techniques for identifying unique opportunities for innovation, developing impactful solutions, and prototyping quickly and effectively. Incubate a reservoir of ideas, both big and small, so that you are ready to execute on innovative projects when the timing is right.
- Once you have demonstrated IT’s ability to innovate, mature your capability with a permanent innovation process and program.
Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should create innovation processes, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation Storyboard – Phases 1-4
1. Launch innovation
Sponsor a mandate for innovation and assemble a small team to start sourcing ideas with IT staff.
- Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation – Phase 1: Launch Innovation
- Innovation Working Group Charter
2. Ideate
Identify critical opportunities for innovation and brainstorm effective solutions.
- Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation – Phase 2: Ideate
- Idea Document
- Idea Reservoir Tool
3. Prototype
Prototype ideas rapidly to gain user feedback, refine solutions, and make a compelling case for project investment.
- Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation – Phase 3: Prototype
- Prototyping Workbook
- Prototype Assessment
4. Mature innovation capability
Formalize the innovation process and implement a program to create a strong culture of innovation in IT.
- Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation – Phase 4: Mature Innovation Capability
Infographic
Workshop: Kick-Start IT-Led Business Innovation
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Launch Innovation
The Purpose
Introduce innovation.
Assess overall IT maturity to understand what you want to achieve with innovation.
Define the innovation mandate.
Introduce ideation.
Key Benefits Achieved
A set of shared objectives for innovation will be defined.
A mandate will be created to help focus innovation efforts on what is most critical to the advancement of IT's maturity.
The group will be introduced to ideation and prepared to begin addressing critical IT or business pains.
Activities
1.1 Define workshop goals and objectives.
1.2 Introduce innovation.
1.3 Assess IT maturity.
1.4 Define the innovation mandate.
1.5 Introduce ideation.
Outputs
Workshop goals and objectives.
An understanding of innovation.
IT maturity assessment.
Sponsored innovation mandate.
An understanding of ideation.
2 Ideate, Part I
The Purpose
Identify and prioritize opportunities for IT-led innovation.
Map critical processes to identify the pains that should be ideated around.
Brainstorm potential solutions.
Assess, pitch, and prioritize ideas that should be investigated further.
Key Benefits Achieved
The team will learn best practices for ideation.
Critical pain points that might be addressed through innovation will be identified and well understood.
A number of ideas will be generated that can solve identified pains and potentially feed the project pipeline.
The team will prioritize the ideas that should be investigated further and prototyped after the workshop.
Activities
2.1 Identify processes that present opportunities for IT-led innovation.
2.2 Map selected processes.
2.3 Finalize problem statements.
2.4 Generate ideas.
2.5 Assess ideas.
2.6 Pitch and prioritize ideas.
Outputs
A list of processes with high opportunity for IT-enablement.
Detailed process maps that highlight pain points and stakeholder needs.
Problem statements to ideate around.
A long list of ideas to address pain points.
Detailed idea documents.
A shortlist of prioritized ideas to investigate further.
3 Ideate, Part II
The Purpose
Ideate around a more complex problem that presents opportunity for IT-led innovation.
Map the associated process to define pain points and stakeholder needs in detail.
Brainstorm potential solutions.
Assess, pitch, and prioritize ideas that should be investigated further.
Introduce prototyping.
Map the user journey for prioritized ideas.
Key Benefits Achieved
The team will be ready to facilitate ideation independently with other staff after the workshop.
A critical problem that might be addressed through innovation will be defined and well understood.
A number of innovative ideas will be generated that can solve this problem and help IT position itself as a source of innovative projects.
Ideas will be assessed and prioritized for further investigation and prototyping after the workshop.
The team will learn best practices for prototyping.
The team will identify the assumptions that need to be tested when top ideas are prototyped.
Activities
3.1 Select an urgent opportunity for IT-led innovation.
3.2 Map the associated process.
3.3 Finalize the problem statement.
3.4 Generate ideas.
3.5 Assess ideas.
3.6 Pitch and prioritize ideas.
3.7 Introduce prototyping.
3.8 Map the user journey for top ideas.
Outputs
Selection of a process which presents a critical opportunity for IT-enablement.
Detailed process map that highlights pain points and stakeholder needs.
Problem statement to ideate around.
A long list of ideas to solve the problem.
Detailed idea documents.
A shortlist of prioritized ideas to investigate further.
An understanding of effective prototyping techniques.
A user journey for at least one of the top ideas.
4 Implement an Innovation Process and Program
The Purpose
Establish a process for generating, managing, prototyping, prioritizing, and approving new ideas.
Create an action plan to operationalize your new process.
Develop a program to help support the innovation process and nurture your innovators.
Create an action plan to implement your innovation program.
Decide how innovation success will be measured.
Key Benefits Achieved
The team will learn best practices for managing innovation.
The team will be ready to operationalize an effective process for IT-led innovation. You can start scheduling ideation sessions as soon as the workshop is complete.
The team will understand the current innovation ecosystem: drivers, barriers, and enablers.
The team will be ready to roll out an innovation program that will help generate wider engagement with IT-led innovation.
You will be ready to measure and report on the success of your program.
Activities
4.1 Design an IT-led innovation process.
4.2 Assign roles and responsibilities.
4.3 Generate an action plan to roll out the process.
4.4 Determine critical process metrics to track.
4.5 Identify innovation drivers, enablers, and barriers.
4.6 Develop a program to nurture a culture of innovation.
4.7 Create an action plan to jumpstart each of your program components.
4.8 Determine critical metrics to track.
4.9 Summarize findings and gather feedback.
Outputs
A process for IT-led innovation.
Defined process roles and responsibilities.
An action plan for operationalizing the process.
Critical process metrics to measure success.
A list of innovation drivers, enablers, and barriers.
A program for innovation that will leverage enablers and minimize barriers.
An action plan to roll out your innovation program.
Critical program metrics to track.
Overview of workshop results and feedback.