We start by using tools from the Guided Innovation Diagnostic Track to assess your project's value potential and chances for success. Not every project can be rescued and if the project doesn't meet expert predictive indicators for new product success, or has other fatal flaws, we'll recommend that you cancel it.
We measure success in one of two ways: either we help you get a struggling project back on track towards commercial success or we help you quickly make the decision to kill the project so that you can redeploy the project resources to a more promising opportunity. Continuing a project that is ultimately doomed to failure is not a successful long-term strategy for either of us.
Promising projects move forward with a workshop where the primary goal is the creation of a revised project plan that the entire team is committed to achieving. During the workshop, we work with your project team and appropriate supporting staff to clarify their targets, develop a map of all of the obstacles they face, put together a plan for overcoming them, and explicitly communicate the assumptions required for success. They'll also develop a Guided Innovation Map, or graphical project plan, for getting around those obstacles and a crystal-clear picture of the key assumptions that must be proven true for the project to succeed.
The format is highly interactive and designed to get everyone engaged and taking ownership for their part of the plan; this helps draw out quiet or passive aggressive members that might otherwise withhold critical information. The entire workshop usually takes 2-3 days at either your facility or a nearby conference center of your choice; workshop participants should be on site for the session.
We customize the agenda for your situation, but it normally includes the following:
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A pre-workshop session where we prepare by reviewing program documentation and interviewing the project manager and several project team members.
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A project review session, where the project manager and cross-functional project leads lay out the key objectives and program requirements and the team members ask questions for clarification; project sponsors and stakeholders should attend this part of the workshop to lay out goals and guidelines.
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An obstacle identification session where the team identifies all of the potential hurdles that the project could face including technical, manufacturing, commercial, and legal or regulatory issues.
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A review of commercial and project success predictors to make sure all key obstacles have been considered.
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A project planning session where the team identifies all of the tasks required to overcome the identified obstacles and highlights the critical assumptions for success.
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A mapping session where the team builds a graphical project plan for getting around each obstacle and verifying assumptions as early as possible.
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A final review session where the team evaluates the detail-level project map and creates an overview-level map for management approval.
With the Guided Innovation Map as their guide and communication tool, the team will be ready to create a revised project proposal and provide company leadership with a clear roadmap for the project and its various stages.
As part of our commitment to a successful project turnaround, we continue to work with the project manager over the rest of the development program; this includes bi-monthly coaching calls and monthly project team reviews that are conducted over the phone or in person. Throughout the program, we assist the PM with innovation tools to help them deliver a successful project and continue to provide an independent perspective for the management team.
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