innovation reference architecture excerpt 20180319€¦ · 19/03/2018  · organize and manage...

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Innovation Reference Architecture A Framework for Enterprise Innovation Abstract Innovation is a concept that most organizations aspire towards, but haven’t formally embraced. The rewards can be immense, but most organizations have no clear path towards innovating. This report is designed to give organizations a model for systematizing innovation leveraging TechVision’s innovation reference architecture. We start with the premise that innovation shouldn’t be a one-time program; it is a continuous process that becomes a source of competitive advantage in a rapidly changing market. Innovation should be a business function just like accounting, marketing, or operations. And as such, innovation requires a distinct set of tools, processes, and skills that are different from the management of an existing business. We can’t expect serious innovation results if we don’t give people who we ask to innovate sufficient skills, resources, time and space. In this report, TechVision Research introduces a reference architecture for innovation to help enterprises organize their innovation efforts into a continuous, sustainable process. TechVision has defined this reference architecture to help our clients better organize and manage their continuous innovation process. This reference architecture is not meant to be prescriptive in that each organization must develop their innovation capabilities according to their own strategy. That said, we do offer recommendations and a framework for your consideration. This report covers The innovation spectrum; the timeframes and types of innovation efforts Strategy and capabilities; the fundamental starting point for innovation Methods and processes; the necessary components for a viable continuous innovation process People and networks: the human side of innovation Execution guidance including specific tools to use in an innovation program. Author: Gary Zimmerman CMO & Principal Consulting Analyst [email protected]

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Page 1: innovation reference architecture excerpt 20180319€¦ · 19/03/2018  · organize and manage their continuous innovation process. This reference architecture is not meant to be

Innovation Reference Architecture AFrameworkforEnterpriseInnovation

Abstract Innovation is a concept thatmostorganizationsaspire towards,buthaven’tformallyembraced.Therewardscanbeimmense,butmostorganizationshavenoclearpathtowardsinnovating.Thisreportisdesignedtogiveorganizationsa model for systematizing innovation leveraging TechVision’s innovationreferencearchitecture.

Westartwiththepremisethatinnovationshouldn’tbeaone-timeprogram;itisacontinuousprocessthatbecomesasourceofcompetitiveadvantageinarapidly changingmarket. Innovation should be a business function just likeaccounting, marketing, or operations. And as such, innovation requires adistinct set of tools, processes, and skills that are different from themanagementofanexistingbusiness.Wecan’texpectseriousinnovationresultsifwedon’tgivepeoplewhoweasktoinnovatesufficientskills,resources,timeand space. In this report, TechVision Research introduces a referencearchitecture for innovation to help enterprises organize their innovationeffortsintoacontinuous,sustainableprocess.TechVisionhasdefined this referencearchitecture tohelpour clientsbetterorganize and manage their continuous innovation process. This referencearchitecture is notmeant to be prescriptive in that each organizationmustdevelop their innovation capabilities according to their own strategy. Thatsaid,wedoofferrecommendationsandaframeworkforyourconsideration.Thisreportcovers

• Theinnovationspectrum;thetimeframesandtypesofinnovationefforts

• Strategyandcapabilities;thefundamentalstartingpointforinnovation

• Methodsandprocesses;thenecessarycomponentsforaviablecontinuousinnovationprocess

• Peopleandnetworks:thehumansideofinnovation

• Executionguidanceincludingspecifictoolstouseinaninnovationprogram.

Author:GaryZimmerman CMO&PrincipalConsultingAnalyst [email protected]

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Table of Contents

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Executive Summary The vastmajority of executives understand that innovation is a critical success factor forcontinuedsuccess.Theideaofbettingthefutureonasustainablecompetitiveadvantageinaninformationeconomyisbecomingmoreandmorespeculativeandtheonlywaytostayaheadistocapitalizeongoodideasbeforethecompetitiondoes.Thechallengeisthatwhilemostbusinessesdonotlackgoodideas,theylacktheabilitytocommercializetheirideas.Innovationismuchmorethancomingupwithgreatideas.Infact,itismoreaboutdelivery,people,andprocess.Theproperprocesses,mechanisms,andorganizationalstructuresneedtobeinplaceforinnovationtobesuccessful.Thisincludeshavingtherightincentivesinplacetorewardforemployees,andestablishinganopenenvironmentwiththerightteamsandtoolsfor success. Innovation is supported by effective collaboration and decision-makingthroughout an ideas lifecycle as it progresses from elaboration, selection, execution, anddeliveryoftargetedbenefits.Inthisreport,TechVisionResearchisintroducinganInnovationReferenceArchitecturewhichdescribesaframeworkfortheentireInnovationSystem,including:

• Thescopeoftheinnovationeffortscoveringeverythingfromcontinuousimprovementtogame-changing initiativeswhich is furtherdescribed in the InnovationSpectrumsection.

• The springboard of enterprise innovation efforts, current enterprise resources andintellectualcapitalwhichisexpandeduponintheStrategyandCapabilitiessection.

• ArecommendedbusinessprocessforinnovationitselfasdescribedintheMethodsandProcessessection.

• ThehumancapitalinvolvedininnovatingbothwithinandexternaltotheenterprisearedescribedinthePeopleandNetworkssection.

• Some recommended techniques used to execute the innovation program arehighlightedintheExecutionsection.

• The technology platforms that will most likely influence innovation efforts aredescribedintheDigitalPlatformsection.

• Andfinally,theoverallmanagementoftheinnovationsystemitselfislaidoutinCoordinationandGovernancesection.

Werecommendthatourclientsuseittobenchmarktheircurrentinnovationprocessesandfillinanygapstheydiscoverintheircurrentefforts.Forthosethatarejustformingaformalcorporate innovationprogram,thereferencearchitecturecanbethebasis fororganizethevarious,sometimesdisconnected,innovationeffortscurrentlyunderway.

Byadoptingaformalframeworkforinnovation,enterprisescanexpectthefollowingbenefits.

• Afocusoneffortsthatprovidestrategicbenefit.Evenasuccessfulinnovationeffortthatiscountertothecorporatestrategycanbedistractingatbest,destructiveatworst.

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• A disciplined approach that produces less waste. From problem identification andbrainstormingtodevelopmentandtesting,followingasetroad-mapmakesthemostofinnovationefforts.Whentheprocessisclearandrepeatable,andmakesitpossibleforanorganizationtomeasuretheirprogressandefforts.

• Withthemeasurementsystemestablished,theprocessesareimproved,betterformedconceptsemerge,andcompetitiveadvantageandsignificantreturnoninvestmentarerealized.

In the long term, successful companiesshouldunderstand that innovation isnotaone-offeffort;itisacontinuousprocessthatbecomesasourceofcompetitiveadvantageinarapidlychanging market. As a continuous process, innovation is a business function just likeaccounting,marketing,oroperations;itrequiresadistinctsetoftools,processes,andskillsthat are different from the management of an existing business. We can’t expect seriousinnovationresultsifwedon’tgivepeoplewhoweasktoinnovatesufficientskills,resources,timeandspace.

Introduction Digitaltransformationandcorporateinnovationaretwoofthebiggesttrendsinbusinessmodernizationtoday.Innovation,beyondtraditionalR&D,isinfact,becomingacorporatemandatewithinadvancedorganizations.Atthesametime,ourexperiencealsoshowsthatcorporateinnovationisnascentandanopportunityfororganizationstoexplorenewopportunitiesinternallyandexternally.Innovationismorethancomingupwithgreatideas.Infact,itismoreaboutdelivery,people,andprocess.Theproperprocesses,mechanisms,andorganizationalstructuresneedtobeinplaceforinnovationtobesuccessful.Thisincludeshavingtherightincentivesinplacetorewardforemployees,andestablishinganopenenvironmentwiththerightteamsandtoolsforsuccess.Innovationissupportedbyeffectivecollaborationanddecision-makingthroughoutanideaslifecycleasitprogressesfromelaboration,selection,execution,anddeliveryoftargetedbenefits.Inthisreport,TechVisionResearchintroducesareferencearchitectureforinnovationtohelpenterprisesorganizetheirinnovationeffortsintoacontinuous,sustainableprocess. What is Innovation?

nnovate-in·no·vate/ˈinəˌvāt/verbMakechangesinsomethingestablished,especiallybyintroducingnewmethods,ideas,orproducts.Introducesomethingnew,especiallyaproduct.

Innovation is trulya confusingbuzzwordwhichmanypeople love tohate.Everybusinessleaderagreesthattheirenterpriseneedstobeinnovative,butnobodycanquiteseemtoagreeonwhatitactuallyis,whatitmeans,orhowtorecognizeit.

I

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IfyouaskGoogletodefineinnovation,itislessthanhelpful,comingupwithover300millionresultswiththousandsofdefinitions.Inourreport,“ApplyingStart-upConceptstoEnterpriseInnovation,”weevendefinedinnovationas“Themakingofchangesinsomethingestablished,especiallybyintroducingnewmethods,ideas,orproducts;introducingsomethingnew,especiallyaproduct.”Again,technicallyaccuratebutnotnecessarilyusefulindesigning,developingorimplementinganinnovationprogram.Howdowemakeinnovationuseful?Howdowetakesomethingsoephemeralandmakeittangible?Bylookingatitasasystem;asetofprocessesandassetsassembledforaspecificpurpose–torealizethestrategicintentofthebusiness.

Innovation Strategy Anorganization’scapacityforinnovationstemsfromaninnovationsystem,acoherentsetofinterdependentprocesses,organizationroles,andsupportingplatformsthatdictateshowthe companysearches fornovelproblemsandsolutions, synthesizes ideas intoabusinessconceptandproductdesigns,andselectswhichprojectsgetfunded.

Butorganizationsareextremelycomplexsystems.Rigidruleswillnotaddresstheintricacypresentduringtheinnovationprocess.Whenthevariablesarefew,controlispossible,andrules can apply. But when the variables are many and uncertainty is widespread, aninnovation strategy can direct decisions and guide behaviors. A company’s innovationstrategyshouldspecifyhowthedifferenttypesofinnovationfitintothebusinessstrategyandthe resources that should be allocated to each.TechVision recommends defining aninnovationstrategythataddressesthesequestions:

• Whyinnovate?

• Whereshouldyoufocusinnovationefforts?

• Howmuchinnovationisrequired/desired?

• Howcanyouinnovatemoreeffectively?

• Withwhomshouldyouinnovate?

• Whoisgoingtoberesponsibleforwhatregardinginnovation?

Thereisn’tasingleinnovationstrategythatfitsallcompaniesequallywellorworksunderallcircumstances.Thereisnothingwrong,ofcourse,withlearningfromothers,butitisamistaketobelievethatwhatworksforNetflixorGoogleisgoingtoworkforyourorganization.Anexplicit innovation strategy helps you designa system tomatch your specific competitiveneeds.Inthisreport,TechVisionprovidesguidancetohelpourclientsastheyworktoanswerthesequestions.

Why Innovate? Itusedtotakeyearsorevendecadesfordisruptiveinnovationstodisplacedominantproductsanddestabilizeincumbentindustries.Today,anybodycanwakeupinthemorningwithanidea,designaproductonline,getbidstomanufactureit,crowdsourcefinancing,promoteitandarrangeshippinginthecloud—allwithoutevergettingupfromthebreakfasttable.That

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means that any business can be devastated virtually overnight by something better andcheaper.

Figure1–BusinessatInternetspeed

Thankstoopensourcesoftwareandcloud-basedtools,ithasneverbeencheapertolaunchastartupaccordingtoanestimationbyCBInsights.Justasstartupinitialinvestmentdecreasedsignificantly ina littleoveradecade, sodid time to reach100millionusers.According toAtomico,onaverage,ittakesgrowthstartupsabout25monthstoreachauserbasethatusedto take around 72 months to acquire a decade ago. The irony is that the revolutionaryinventionofthetelephonetook75yearstoreach100millionuserswhenCandyCrushonlyneeded15months.Anewplayercandisruptalmostanymarketbecausetechnologyhasevenedtheplayingfield.Incumbentscannolongerrelyonmarketdominanceandhighbarrierstoentryasameansofcompetitive advantage. This also applies to the enterprise in that large organizations canlaunchinternalpilots,prototypesandadvanceddevelopmenteffortsfasterandatalowercost.

Enterpriseinvestmentsindigitaltransformationaremakingcompaniesfungible–capableofchange.Butdigitaltransformationisadouble-edgedsword.Youhavetotransforminordertobefungibleenoughtocompeteandgrowinanincreasinglyunpredictablemarket,butasyoudigitizeandcodifyyourcorebusiness,youalsoopenyourselfuptoahostofcompetitorsthatwerepreviouslyconstrainedbyhighcostofentryandproprietaryknowhow.

The implicationsofdigital transformationaremovingbeyond theoriginalobjectivesof ITdigitaltransformationefforts.Technologyisbecominginfusedintoeveryaspectofbusiness.

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Products and production are merging as emerging technologies such as fog computing,IndustrialInternetofThings(IIoT),digitalmanufacturing,and3Dprintingmovefromthelabinto themainstream. Knowledgework is becoming increasingly digitized aswell throughbreakthroughs in advanced analytics and cognitive robotic process automation (RPA). So,whetheryourbusinessmonetizes“makingthings”or“knowingthings,”youhavetobeabletochangeandinnovateatspeed;becauseyoucanbettherearecompetitorsouttherethataredoingjustthat.Innovatorsandthenextgenerationofcategoryleadersaretakingadvantageofthreeshiftsinthenewproductdevelopmentlandscapetodelivercompellingalternativestoexistingoffers.Theyarethedecliningcostofproduct/servicecreation,pervasiveinformationavailabilityandtherapidlydecliningcostofexperimentation/iteration.

The Declining Cost of Product / Service Creation

ClaytonChristensendescribeddisruptorsasthecompaniesthatenteranestablishedmarketwithalowerqualityproductwithfewerfeaturesandalowerprice.Thesedisruptorsattractcustomersthatarenolongerattractivetoestablishedleaders.Disruptorsfocusonpriceandthen increase quality and features over time to eventually displace the incumbentmarketleaders.However,thisconceptofdisruptiveevolutionisunderpressure.Nolongerdoesanewplayerhavetostartatthebottomofthevaluechain.Steepdeclinesinthecostofkeyrawmaterials,includingcomputerhardwareandsoftware,alongwith increasinglyefficientglobalsupplychains, empowers innovators large and small to compete on all three traditional strategicdimensionsatonce:productsandservicescanbeginlifewithhigherquality,atalowerprice,andmoreeasily customized that thoseof traditional competitorsdealingwithan installedbaseandlegacyinfrastructure.

The Increasing Availability of Information

Associalnetworks,microblogging, and independent reviewservicesproliferate, corporatecustomers and consumers now have easy access to near-perfect market information.Successful product and service offers (experiments) can be discovered and adoptedinstantaneouslybycustomersacrosseverysegment.Innovatorsnolongerneedtocultivate“earlyadopters”toestablishnewmarkets.Acustomerwithajobtobedonecanfind,evaluate,andadoptasolutioninamatterofminutes.

The Declining Cost of Experimentation

Thanks to global broadband networks, ubiquitous computing devices, cloud computing,skilled freelance labor, and open-source components, innovators and users can now beconnectedinanenvironmentoptimizedforcollaboration.Newproductsandservicesoftenbeginlifeassimplecombinationsofexistingcomponents,testedwithlittlecostorriskdirectlyin the market with real consumers. Compared to traditional proprietary R&D, theseexperimentsareputinthehandsofcustomersfarfasterandcheaper.Inthelongterm,successfulcompaniesunderstandthatinnovationisnotaone-offeffort;itis

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acontinuousprocessthatbecomesasourceofcompetitiveadvantageinarapidlychangingmarket.Asacontinuousprocess,innovationisafunctionjustlikeaccounting,marketing,oroperations.Innovationrequiresadistinctsetoftools,processes,andskillsthataredifferentfromthemanagementofanexistingbusiness.Wecan’texpectseriousinnovationresultsifwedon’t give people who we ask to innovate sufficient skills, resources, time, space andincentives. In this report, TechVision Research introduces a reference architecture forinnovation in order to help enterprises organize their innovation efforts into such acontinuousprocess.

Innovation Principles Our innovation reference architecture starts with the core principles; the foundationalphilosophyandstrategycoretoanorganization.Theseprinciplesareanoverlayforspecificdecisions that an organization makes. TechVision typically applies this to our referencearchitecture in the technology spaces we cover. For example, a principle may be if anorganizationprefersabestofbreedvsasinglevendorsolution.Thisprinciplewillbeappliedtospecificvendordecisionsthatwillbemadedowntheroadandarepartofthebasisforthefinal decision. In this case we are applying principles and an overarching referencearchitecturetoinnovation.Innovationisindeedimportantformostcompaniesbuthastobecarriedoutinasystematicwayinordertokeeprisks,costandopportunitiesbalanced.Whileweareputtingsome“stakesintheground”withrespecttorecommendationsforinnovationwithinthecontextoftheseprinciples, eachorganizationshouldevaluate theseprinciplesandother core foundationalstrategiesandapplythem,asappropriate, toyour innovationreferencearchitecture.Eightprincipleshaveemergedashavingasignificanteffectontheoutcome–and intheendongrowth:

1. Innovate with strategic intent – Innovation efforts should be aligned with theinnovation strategy of the company. It sounds obvious, but different parts of anorganization can easily wind up pursuing conflicting innovation priorities. Salesrepresentatives hear daily about the pressing needs of important customers.Operationspursuesefficiency.Businessunitheadsarefocusedontheirtargetmarketsand their particular P&L pressures. Technologists and engineers tend to seeopportunities in new technologies. Diverse perspectives are critical to successfulinnovation.Butwithouta strategy to integrateandalign thoseperspectivesaroundcommonpriorities,thepowerofdiversityisbluntedor,worse,becomesself-defeating.We recommend developing this innovation strategy and broadly communicating itthroughoutyourorganization.

2. Thinkbigbutstartsmall–Innovationeffortsshouldaddressproblemsworthsolvingbutlimitinvestmentsandeffortsinearlystagesuntilitcanbeconfirmedtheproblemisworthsolving,thesolutionworks,andthebusinessmodelscales.Thismitigatesriskandencouragessubstantialdiverseactivitiestobeinitiated.

3. Don’tfailfast,failwell–Tobeclear,failureisnotagoal,and“failingfast”canleadtoimpatience and sabotage.One has to also give enough breathing room to allow for

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success,whichdoesn’talwaysarriveonasetschedule.Youmustalsoexpectthatalongthe way, many of the ideas and experiments won’t work out. Failing well meansconverting these experiences into continuous learning andmaking the knowledgeavailabletoeveryonesothatitcanbeappliedinotherefforts.Whileeveryorganizationisdifferentandwill approachexperimentationand iterationdifferently,webelievethatmostwillbeservedbyacceleratingactivity,quicklylearningfromitandmakingpragmaticdecisionsastowhento“holdemandwhentofoldem”.

4. Strive for continual innovation, not big-bangperfection – View innovation as aprocessnotanevent.Ifyouwaittolaunchuntilyoucompletelyunderstandanddelivereverything a customer wants, the customer will have moved on. The notion is torelease, probe, and learn from the market response to the product. Each iterationimprovestheproductandevolvesittomatchcustomerpreferences.Amazonstartedas a book-seller not a marketplace. Uber started as a ride-sharing service, not areplacement for commercial livery services. This is consistent with the previousprinciple; most enterprises looking to innovate will be well served by striving forcontinuousinnovation.

5. Look for ideas everywhere – Innovation is not an ivory tower game limited to“creative people.” Customers,partners, employees all have ideas to contribute. Theinnovationsystemneedstofocuscreativeeffortsandbringtheseideasintothesystem,find a sponsor, then clarify and select projects to move forward. Along with ideageneration,thesystemneedstoincludedifferentperspectiveswithintheinnovationprojects themselves. When people and their different points of viewandexperiencesconverge,theycreatethetypesofinnovationsthatindividualscouldnot have done or found alone. Given the fact that it is faster and less expensive toprototype, experiment and iterate, organizations can pursue multiple disruptiveideas…butorganizationsneedtofigureouthowtocollecttheseinnovativeideas.

6. Sparkwithimagination, fuelwithdata – Innovationbeginswithan idea that theinnovatorbelieveshasvalue.Toprovethatbeliefrequiresinvestmentandeffort.Theinnovationsystemshouldsupport investing inexperiments toconfirmorrefutethehypothesesrequiredtomoveanewproductorservicetomarket.Theseexperimentsmustbedesignedproducedatathatistheproofneededtocontinueorchangecourse.

7. Build innovations around experiences – Successful innovations help consumerssolveproblems;tomaketheprogresstheyneedto,whileaddressinganyanxietiesorinertia thatmightbeholding themback.That’s the thinkingbehind the “jobs tobedone”movement.Identifyingandunderstandingthejobthecustomerwantsdoneisthefirststepincreatingproductsthatcustomerswant—especiallyonestheywillpaypremiumprices for. It’s also essential to create the right set of experiences for thepurchaseanduseoftheproduct.Innovationeffortsneedtolookbeyondfeaturesandbenefitstowardsthefullexperienceofthejobtobedone.

8. Re-useratherthanre-invent–Moreoftenthannot,problemsormajorportionsofthe problem has already been solved. The truth is that important breakthroughs

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usuallycomefromsynthesizingideasfromdifferentdomainsorsources.Apple’siPodwasn’tthefirstmusicplayer.Itwasthefirstinstanceofaplayer,contentplatform,andretail store combined in away that revolutionized themusic business. As anotherexample, a majority of applications developed today contain open-source code,developedtosolveaspecificproblem,but then included inothercreationstosolvemarketopportunitiesno-oneelsehasseenbefore.

Reference Architecture A reference architecture can be thought of as a resource that documents the learningexperiencesgainedthroughpastprojects.Byusingareferencearchitecture,an innovationteamcanpotentiallysavetimeandavoidmistakesby learning frompastexperiences.Thespecific structure, documentation and management should be flexible, reflecting anorganization'suniquestructureandneeds.Tobeeffective,areferencearchitectureshouldbecontinuallyrevisedto include new insights. A reference architecture also provides afoundationorframeworkfordecisionstobemade.TechVision has leveraged our experience as technologists and executives to define thisreference architecture to help our clients better organize and manage their continuousinnovation process. This reference architecture is not meant to be prescriptive. Eachorganization must develop their innovation capabilities according to their own strategy.However,wedoofferinnovationbestpracticesrecommendationsacrosstheframeworkforyourconsideration.

Figure2–theTechVisionResearchReferenceArchitectureforInnovation

Asshowninfigure2,theInnovationReferenceArchitecturedescribesaframeworkfortheentireInnovationSystem,including:

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• ThescopeoftheinnovationeffortscoveringeverythingfromcontinuousimprovementtodisruptiveinitiativesthatarefurtherdescribedintheInnovationSpectrumsection.

• The springboard of enterprise innovation efforts, current enterprise resources andintellectualcapitalwhichisexpandeduponintheStrategyandCapabilitiessection.

• ArecommendedbusinessprocessforinnovationitselfasdescribedintheMethodsandProcessessection.

• ThehumancapitalinvolvedininnovatingbothwithinandexternaltotheenterprisearedescribedinthePeopleandNetworkssection.

• Some recommended techniques used to execute the innovation program arehighlightedintheExecutionsection.

• The technology platforms that will most likely influence innovation efforts aredescribedintheDigitalPlatformsection.

• Andfinally,theoverallmanagementoftheinnovationsystemitselfislaidoutinCoordinationandGovernancesection.

Werecommendthatourclientsuseittobenchmarktheircurrentinnovationprocessesandfillinanygapstheydiscoverintheircurrentefforts.Forthosethatarejustformingaformalcorporateinnovationprogram,thereferencearchitecturecanbethebasisfororganizingthevarious,sometimesdisconnected,innovationeffortscurrentlyunderway.BenefitsofusinganInnovationReferenceArchitecture:

• Focusoneffortsthatprovidestrategicbenefit.Evenasuccessfulinnovationeffortthatiscountertothecorporatestrategycanbedistractingatbest,destructiveatworst.

• A disciplined approach produces less waste. From problem identification andbrainstormingtodevelopmentandtesting,followingasetroad-mapmakesthemostofinnovationefforts.Whentheprocessisclearandrepeatable,andmakesitpossibleforanorganizationtomeasuretheirprogressandefforts.

• Establishingameasurementsystemresultsinprocessesimprovement,betterformedconcepts, and, ultimately a competitive advantage and a significant return oninvestment.

The remainder of this report is focused on explaining the different dimensions of theframeworkbeginningwiththeInnovationSpectrum.

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About TechVision World-class research requires world-class consulting analysts and our team is just that.Gainingvaluefromresearchalsomeanshavingaccesstoresearch.AllTechVisionResearchlicensesareenterpriselicenses;thismeanseveryonethatneedsaccesstocontentcanhaveit.Weknowmajortechnologyinitiativesinvolvemanydifferentskillsetsacrossanorganizationandlimitingcontenttoafewcancompromisetheeffectivenessoftheteamandthesuccessofthe initiative.Our research leveragesour team’s in-depthknowledgeaswell as their real-world consulting experience. We combine great analyst skills with real world clientexperiencestoprovideadeepandbalancedperspective.TechVisionConsultingbuildsoffourresearchwithspecificprojects tohelporganizationsbetterunderstand,architect,select,build,anddeployinfrastructuretechnologies.Ourwell-roundedexperienceandstronganalyticalskillshelpusseparatethehype fromthereality.This provides organizations with a deeper understanding of the full scope of vendorcapabilities, product life cycles, and a basis formakingmore informeddecisions.We alsosupport vendors when they carry out a product and strategy review and assessment, arequirementanalysis,atargetmarketassessment,atechnologytrendanalysis,ago-to-marketplanassessment,oragapanalysis.TechVisionUpdateswillprovideregularupdatesonthelatestdevelopmentswithrespecttotheissuesaddressedinthisreport.

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About the Authors

GaryZimmermanisanexperiencedexecutiveknownforhelpingcompaniesdelivernewoffersandexpandmarkets.Accomplishmentsincludelaunchingfourcompanies,20+products,buildinghigh-performanceorganizations,andgeneratingmillionsinsales.

HisexperienceatNeustar,RespectNetwork,andSovrinallowshimtoprovideabroadperspectiveonavarietyofsubjectsincludingself-sovereignidentity,blockchain,enterprisedatamanagement,andthedatabrokerageindustry.Hisexperiencebothenterpriseandstartupproductdevelopmentgiveshimauniqueperspectiveoninnovation.

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Related Reports Thefollowingreportsmightbehelpfulinyourcontinuedexplorationofthisdomain:ApplyingStart-upConceptstoEnterpriseInnovationAuthor:GaryZimmerman CMO&PrincipalConsultingAnalyst WhyLargeTechnicalProjectsFailandHowYoursCanSucceedAuthor:JoeTeplitz PrincipalConsultingAnalystOrganizationalTransformationistheKeytoDigitalTransformationAuthor:JohnMellars PrincipalConsultingAnalystEnterpriseInnovationAuthor:FredCohen,PhD PrincipalConsultingAnalystTheEndofEAandITasWeKnowITAuthors:JohnMellars PrincipalConsultingAnalystGaryRowe CEO/PrincipalConsultingAnalyst