Premium Commentary & Analysis
There is no magic innovation button, there is a boring execution button that can differentiate your business. Consistent execution on complex tasks is a path to profitability – checklists are a key tool to help you get there.
Our mission is to provide cogent commentary and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today’s printing industry. Support our mission and read articles like this with a Premium Membership.
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
About Jennifer Matt
Jennifer Matt is the managing editor of WhatTheyThink’s Print Software section as well as President of Web2Print Experts, Inc. a technology-independent print software consulting firm helping printers with web-to-print and print MIS solutions.
© 2024 WhatTheyThink. All Rights Reserved.
Discussion
By Chuck Stempler on Oct 26, 2017
Jennifer:
Excellent article. I am sure you will not be surprised that AG Seattle is a huge check list fan. One of the keys to our success. Out execute and out service our competition. Every day!
By Eddy Hagen on Oct 26, 2017
Great article Jennifer! And let's make boring hip! ;-)
It's just so basic: once you have a good checklist, many things become so much easier, life just becomes easier. But humans don't always take the best decisions, don't always take the easiest way (the Nobel Prize of Economics this year was on this topic, in case you didn't know).
But to take it a bit broader: the complete innovation process (not just the software release process) can be put into checklist, canvasses, and other easy to use tools. Over the last years I read dozens of books an articles about innovation and all the laws of innovations, the theories, the approaches that deliver, can be turned into easy exercises. Even 'disruptive innovation' can be predicted, there is a checklist for that!
Together with another partner I've put all of this into a training. During the training, there are dozens of exercises, on specific elements of innovation: assembling a powerful team, knowing what business you are in, knowing what customers really want, focusing on different horizons, marketing tactics for each segment in the innovation cycle, innovating beyond product specifications, how to create a 'perfect storm'. All of this can be put into exercises, checklists, canvasses. All of this can be trained, that's what we do at TheInnovation.Menu (https://www.TheInnovation.Menu).