Building an elegant solution

Inspired by the book “The Elegant Solution” – by Matthew E May

Gautam B Ramamurthy

Secrets of Success

Loyalty

Dedication

Positive Attitude

Goal setting

Leadership

Motivation

Relationships

Planning

Strength

Pride

Passion

Belief

KnowledgeSkills

Innovation

One million ideas per year!

The quest for the elegant solution shapes true innovation

Toyota’s 3 underlying principles

• Ingenuity in craft• Pursuit of perfection• Fit with society

Define: EleganceCreativity

Simplicity

Intelligence

Subtlety

Economy

Qualityaha!- Elegance is the simplicity found on the far side of complexity

What is Innovation?

- Innovation is not about technology- Customer’s don’t want products and services,

they want solutions to problems

“Innovation is trying to figure out a way to do something better than its ever done before”

- David Neeleman (Founder of JetBlue)

The Art of Ingenuity

View opposition as an inventive challenge

Always ask “Is there a better way?”

The Pursuit of Perfection

• It’s the discipline of increments and just plain hard work• Optimal solutions result from a rigorous search – not magic• Its not just about choosing between taking small steps or big

leaps, but its how to achieve big leaps through small steps

The story of Toyota’s Lexus brand

The Rhythm of fit

What is a great innovation? • It’s the ability to serve the great needs of society with a valuable &

meaningful contribution• Great Innovation – fits the times; fits within a larger system; shapes

attitudes and behaviors of people; changes how people think & work; allows people to see in it their own opportunity for a new life

• Its like great leadership, aims to create change that matters

Ingenuity

Why? - The current business environment demands it

How? - Dig your own job!

“Observe…without preconceptions and with a blank mind. Repeat “Why?”

five times to every matter”- Taiichi Ohno

Chasing Ingenuity

Ingenuity -> Creativity + Application

Engagement

Exploration

“where to dig?” “how to dig?”

Ingenuity is all about asking the right questions

The story of Clear Rx – How can I make medicine bottles more safe and user friendly?

Business innovation & Evolution - 1

Henry Ford’s Assembly Line

Continuous flow Conveyor BeltsStandardized parts+ +

(mills & canning factories) (machine tooling) (meatpacking & breweries)

“I invented nothing new. I simply assembled into a car the discoveries of other men behind whom were centuries of work” – Henry Ford

Business innovation & Evolution - 2Example of similar traits converging into one new organism

Most of the so-called revolutionary discoveries are in reality smaller ideas combined, synthesized and adapted to a new application

Getting to the chase- Pursuit of Perfection

Toyota Way – Start with an idea > work backwards > remove anything that stands in the way

“What’s blocking perfection?” “What can we improve?”

Lexus Story – They weren't building a car, they were redefining perfectionThe Perfect Plan:1. Assemble the A team (the best of creative minds within Toyota)2. Identify the target (Mercedes S class & BMW 7 series)3. Understand the customer (on-site research)4. Revolutionary design5. Build the perfect luxury car

Tools – IDEA loop

InvestigateWhat? Why?

DesignIdeas/Best solutions

ExecuteSolution pilot/Prototype

AdjustAccess & Improve

question

solve

test

reflect

genchi genbutsu- go and see

Problem: Solutions don’t work as imagined- There’s a gap between what’s offered and what the customer needs!

Cause: The facts aren’t clearly understood- We think we know what the customer wants. Telling isn’t showing

Solution: Learn to see- Live the customer’s life. Watch the problem in the context and environment within which it occurs

genchi genbutsu!

Work through creative tension- You can’t fail in the ‘attempt’, only in the ‘outcome’!

• We are obsessed with solutions, but not with the process of generating the optimal one

• Without thinking, there is no innovation. Thus, no elegant solution

Exercise: Turn this incorrect roman-numeral equation made up of ten sticks

into a correct one by moving as few sticks as possible

XI + I = X

Focus on asking the right question, not seeking the right answer

Kaizen – Continuous Improvement- Its all about idea submission and not acceptance

The 3 step process to achieve Continuous Improvement:• Create a Standard• Follow it• Find a better way

Repeat it!

Kaizen = Ingenuity + Perfection + Fit

Start thinking Lean- Doing more of what matters by eliminating what doesn’t

• Be-all, end-all, feature-rich solutions almost always miss the mark – because they are over scoped and too complex

• Complexity destroys Value, which is what matters most to customers

• Lean = Start with the ideal and little by little remove everything blocking the path to achieve it

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”

- Antonie de Saint-Exupery