Something for the Weekend - Grin and Bear It

Innovation is quickly becoming another Holy Grail of business, something that everyone wants to tap into, but few can reach. I strongly believe that creativity lies in everyone and that simple environmental changes can really help to make creativity a daily event rather than the specialist realm of the few. Geoff Butler kindly shared a story with me last week, it goes a little like this…

In the wilds of Canada during heavy winters or ice storms, thick ice builds up on power lines to the extent that the lines snap under the weight - costing the power companies dearly every winter. Clearing the ice manually is expensive and dangerous. A brainstorming group was formed. The first engineer, having had a few run ins with bears, suggested that getting them to climb the telegraph poles would create enough vibration to shake the ice loose. Another engineer suggested that to get the bears to perform such a feat would require some meat or honey to be placed at the top of the poles. And to get the bear food to the top they proposed using helicopters to drop it from above.

And that’s when the solution was born, they realised that the helicopter at low altitude would create enough down draft to break the ice off the lines and that both the bears and the food would be redundant.

I can't trace the validity of the story (although there are some references out there connecting the story to Pacific Power & Light) but I understand that is actually the solution employed today saving huge repair costs each year and keeping employees (and bears!) safe.

There are lots of lessons about creativity in the story but the one that particularly stands out is about creating an environment were 'non-linear' thinking is encouraged. Trusting that a tangent can be explored as part of a group to get to a fully formed idea. A true belief that there are no bad ideas, rather than assessing feasibility in the same breath as generating an idea.

A fun idea to play with if nothing else…

Something for the Weekend - Off Your Trolley?

Many of you will have seen that one of our projects from last year (CDD Online) won a Financial World Innovation Award last week. It's a great achievement by all those involved and adds recognition to the relentless quality focus and sheer effort of the team.

I've been thinking about the recipe for that success (too long to share here) and about innovation and creativity generally. David Owens shared a video with me* which I really think sums up some of the key processes of creative teams in just 8 minutes. It's a few years old (note the hair!) but follows IDEO tackle a project to reinvent the shopping trolley in just 5 days. Check it out here

Here are the key things I observed:

• They started with a clear problem statement covering what's wrong today and clarity on constraints (e.g. if it's not stackable it's not viable)
• The brief was kept as open as possible 'how might we improve a shopping trolley' not 'we need a shopping trolley with a scanner' - leaving room for creativity.
• Cross functional teams of experts working together with equal voices, as opposed to a room of engineers or designers in common agreement, or worse, everyone looking to a single person (probably the most senior) for the answers.
• Time spent with experts (some unexpected) and observing usage to gain insights.
• Not narrowing in on a single solution immediately - you'll notice in the example they divided the group into four and each focused on a particular problem and then brought together the best of each towards the end. Creating divergence before converging on a single solution.
• The leader takes a facilitation role - carefully balancing creativity with productivity without imposing themselves.

It seems to me that going forwards creativity will be major factor in setting competitors apart, those who can understand their customers and offer something new and refreshing... a great space for BAs to work in and a terrific aim for all projects.

Sources and Credits
* David Owens - via IIBA Group on LinkedIN
IDEO
Financial World Awards

Something for the Weekend - The Back of the Napkin

The European Business Analysis Conference was great. Lots of inspirational material, which I'll no doubt share over the next few months.

But I thought that I would start with the most fun thing! Penny Pullan gave a fantastic presentation on the role of the BA in Creativity, Engagement and Clarity - one of the many aspects covered was techniques for drawing.

Those of you who've worked with me closely will know two things about me; firstly that I'm a visual thinker - I simply can't resist filling an empty whiteboard. And secondly, that both my handwriting and drawing could do with some work - a sometimes messy combination!

The old cliche that a picture paints a thousand words is very true and I think it's an important tool for our roles in group facilitation to be able to bring concepts to life as clearly as possible. Two things that might help;

• Penny recommend a book (which I've ordered today), it's called The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures (Dan Roam).
• She's also collaborated with artist Venessa Randle and offering some free material at http://www.graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/

Simple tips to make your white boarding easier, clearer and more impressive.

Sources and Credit
Penny of course - http://www.makingprojectswork.co.uk/

Penny and Vanessa's work at http://www.graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/
European Business Analysis Conference http://www.irmuk.co.uk/ba2010/

Something for the Weekend - Applied Imagination

In 1953 Alex Faickney Osborn published a book called 'Applied Imagination'. In it he suggested a technique that proposes that groups could double their creative output through a process called brainstorming… a technique still commonly used (and misused) nearly 60 years later.

It's suggested that a Brainstorming session should generate between 50 - 100 ideas and that made me think about whether I'd actually ever been to a brainstorming session(!)… whether we actually allowed sufficient divergence in our thought processes to get all the good stuff out.

It sometimes feels like people aren’t prepared to share ideas (or even just thoughts) that aren't fully thought though and that a has to be a huge constraint to creativity. It also means that we lose the collaborative edge, and therefore the effectiveness of, brainstorming sessions.

I suppose the other question is whether we just stop at the first suitable idea (the quickest, cheapest, easiest) or whether we're prepared to spend another 20 minutes to carry on? Would that 20 minutes deliver the idea that's truly the best… perhaps the game changer?

In my mind, creativity is always enhanced through teams. And brainstorming, when conducted as intended, is a great first step in harnessing the power of collective ideas. So I thought it might be a good time to share the 5 golden rules which help in creating the best possible environment Click Here

I hope you can put them to use.

Sources and Credits
www.brainstorming.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming

Something for the Weekend - Anti-Theft Lunch Bag

A light hearted (though not very attractive!) one this week.

If you've ever had your sandwich stolen from the fridge at work you'll be familiar with the long standing issue of lunch pilfering! Anti-theft lunch bags are a new product to help combat that. By simulating mould on the bag, it deters would be thieves, and keeps your food safe!

Of course there are flaws - for instance, someone might throw your 'mouldy' sandwich out or you might actually be put off eating it yourself! However, the level of simplicity and creativity are impressive - a useful reminder that the best solutions are often the simplest and least expected.

PS. Sorry if you're having your lunch whilst reading!

Sources & Credits
FreshBump