Channeling Innovative Esprit at MP Channeling Innovative Esprit at MP Spontaneity is actually a matter of careful planning. Instead of investing significant effort into spontaneous ideas that may find little or no echo in the marketplace, the author explains how innovation is now being evaluated in terms of what can be achieved and how long it will take. Some teams work in parallel on the same things, and projects are often not checked against business goals. Now, however, is the time for changing this way of doing things, by moving away from chance and toward a well-defined process that gives order to the innovative spirit of plant engineers. Similar to our business processes, which were restructured several years ago, there is no alternative in the development process to a clearly-structured sequence of events leading from the idea to the product.
New strategy Turning spontaneous ideas into marketable products is, at best, a gamble.
To minimize this gamble, market success must be planned and implemented via the innovation process. Assessing the risks involved in a particular project correctly is essential to determining which projects receive priority and will be allowed to move forward. During actual implementation, controlling plays a dominant role. It is necessary to take a close look at the development project in light of the entire life cycle of a product and to remain critical throughout. Although their fundamental nature makes it virtually impossible to assess the marketability of research project results, development projects can be much more easily judged on their business merits.