www.forth-innovation.comwww.brightsparksinnovation.com

Jump-Start Innovation

With the FORTH Innovation Method

In a fast-changing world innovation becomes essential

Innovation is essential but difficult

At the fuzzy front end a lot can go wrong

Where do I start?

In which direction do we

want to go?

We don’t get a lot of time to work on

innovation

So we brainstormed, now what……?

All our ideas are really vague

There is hardly any internal support

for new ideas

Top management rejects all our

ideas

Don’t know what is relevant

for our customers!

We stick to the usual market conventions

We are coming up with the same ideas over and

over

Not invented by me

Stage-gate process after Robert Cooper

‘The fuzzy front end of innovation’

We developed an effective structured methodto jump-start innovation

Stage-gate process after Robert Cooper

Second Dutch edition 2009

English edition 2011

FORTH is effective by connecting three essential elements

Focus

Connecting the board, management

and employees

Connecting customers to the innovation process

Connecting business reality with outside the box

creativity

With FORTH your organisation jump-starts innovation

“An internal team using the FORTH innovation method will ideate four innovative products or

services, which are really attractive and feasible, in 14 weeks.

Unlike brainstorms or hiring external creators to come up with ideas, the FORTH innovation method

leads to concrete new concepts which are attractive because they have been tested by customers and are

worked out as mini new business cases.

These innovative concepts have great internal support because your employees have created them themselves and customers and decision-makers were

closely involved in the ideation process”.

Wat is VOORT®?

Start: Concrete innovation assignment Team: internal team with core team

members and extended team members Process: in five structured steps from

business to creativity and back Focus: customer-centric Output: three to five mini new business

cases Time needed: 14 weeks from kick-off Time effort: 1 ½ days per week for a

core tam member

How?

FORTH will take you from business to creativity and back in five steps

In step 1 Full Steam Ahead the innovation assignment is drafted and

you will kick-offActivities

• Choose internal sponsor, project leader and facilitator

• Draft an innovation assignment and planning

• Choose and invite team members

Workshops

• Innovation focus workshop

• FORTH Kick-off

Deliverables

• A SMART concrete innovation assignment

• a committed internal sponsor

• a motivated ideation team

• discover 6-8 innovation opportunities

Activities

• Explore innovation opportunities

• Explore trends & technologies

• Meeting customers

• Discovering customer frictions

Workshops

• Focus groups with customers

• Observe & Learn workshops

Deliverables

• Most promising innovation opportunities

• Most relevant customer frictions

In step 2 Observe and Learn the team explores innovation opportunities and discovers customer frictions

In step 3 Raise Ideas the innovation team creates 12 concept statements

Activities

• Choose brainstorm venue

• Draft braistorm programme

• Invite outsiders

• Facilitate a 2-day Brainstorm

• Improve concrete concepts descriptions

Workshops

• 2-day brainstorm

• Concept development workshop

Deliverables

• 400 – 600 ideas and 12 concept descriptions ready for customer feedback

In step 4 Test Ideas the most attractive concepts are identified

Activities

• Set up customer research

• Visit customers

• Improve concepts based on feedback

• Choose the best concepts

Workshops

• Concept improvement workshop

Deliverables

• 3-5 well tested concept descriptions to be worked out as mini new business cases

In step 5 Home Coming 3-5 mini new business cases are drafted and presented

Activities

• Draft mini new business cases

• Present mini new business cases

• Transfer concepts to development teams

• Evaluate the FORTH process

Workshops

• 4 mini new business case workshops

• Presentation

Deliverables

• 3-5 attractive mini new business cases ready for further development

Every phase has concrete deliverables

A smart innovation assigment

6 - 10 innovation opportunities5 - 10 customer frictions

Best innovation opportunities

400 - 600 ideas

12 concept descriptions

12 tested concept descriptions

Best 3 - 5 chosen

3 - 5 mini new business cases

‘Unfuzzying’ the front end of Innovation

FORTH is a real team effort

5 Advantages of FORTH

1. The innovation assignment gives you focus

2. Discover customer insights yourselves

3. Concepts are approved by your customers

4. Return with mini new business cases

5. Team approach creates internal support

More than 20 organisations use FORTH as their innovation method

Clients are very satisfied withthe FORTH innovation method

“FORTH is a wonderful trip with great discoveries and a great catch. All new concepts are innovative, attractive to our customers and fit our brands”.

Henk Scheenstra COO Print Sanoma Media

More information?

www.forth-innovation.com

Nello SpiteriBrightsparks !nnovat!on

nello@brightsparksinnovation.com+31-618431799+31-727431111

www.brightsparksinnovation.com