Roadmap for Implementation

Turning an organisation into a vibrant innovation hot spot is a challenging task. It takes many ingredients to build an efficient and effective innovation management system. This section of the knowledge base shows how Orange Hills designs and implements modern innovation management systems based on Business Design.

We enable companies to unleash their innovative potential in 15 steps:

  1. Short analysis of the current situation

  2. Pilot sprints

  3. Optional: Designing the "Picture of the Future"

  4. Definition of objectives with long-term goals and short-term KPIs

  5. Definition of idea and project portfolios for the coming quarters

  6. Design of the innovation management system – part I

  7. Implementation and restructuring

  8. Enabling + Sprints: Wave I

  9. Review

  10. Enabling + Sprints: Wave II

  11. Review

  12. Revision and extension of the innovation management system – part II

  13. Continuous implementation and restructuring

  14. Regular review meetings

  15. ...ongoing stakeholder management and communication

These 15 steps are a powerful starting point, not the whole journey to becoming an innovation champion. More governance, training, communication, and sometimes even replacing people are necessary to strengthen an organisation's innovation muscle.

The illustration below shows a typical timeline for an implementation project over the first 12 months. We start with pilot projects instead of an extended analysis. This lets us learn under real conditions what works in today's corporate culture – and what doesn't – and adapt the innovation management system based on these learnings. The result: systems that fit the organisation's strengths and deliver results.

Implementation Roadmap for Business Design

Here is a more detailed overview of the key activities:

Phase

Activities

Duration

Analysis

  • Screening past, ongoing and planned projects

  • Organisational strengths

  • Competitive offerings, performance, and market trends

  • Technology ready to be used in innovation projects

3 weeks

Pilot sprint(s)

Typical Business Design projects with a "not too complex" setup for two purposes:

  1. Quick wins that surprise the organisation with tangible results

  2. A stress test that shows the organisation the edges of its comfort zone

10 weeks

"Picture of the Future"

Series of workshops with management and selected employees (or input from other strategy initiatives)

6 weeks

System design

Definition of the organisational setup for innovation activities, including processes, tools, and methods. The entire system is documented in a "System Playbook"

6 weeks

Implementation and restructuring

Ongoing restructuring process to implement the innovation management system design

5 months + X

Sprints

Consecutive "waves" of Business Design sprints, run in the usual format

10 weeks per wave + setup

Review

Definition of implications for the system design, based on real-life learnings from the projects

2 weeks each

Stakeholder management & communication

  • Roadshows

  • Regular management meetings to align on expectations and progress

ongoing