The School Of Innovation

Glossary

  • a

  • Adjacent Innovation is a strategic approach that focuses on leveraging existing capabilities to explore new, yet related markets or technologies. It's an important concept in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity as it allows organizations to expand their reach while mitigating risk.
  • The ADKAR Framework is a well-recognized model for managing change in businesses. It emphasizes the human side of change, focusing on the transition individuals must make during organizational transformations.
  • Agile Project Management is a modern, flexible approach to project management. It emphasizes iterative progress, team collaboration, and customer value. Agile is crucial in today's fast-paced, innovation-driven business environment.
  • An Antipattern is a common response to a recurring problem that is usually ineffective and risks being highly counterproductive. In the context of Agile, Innovation, and Creativity, it's crucial to identify and avoid these pitfalls to ensure successful outcomes.

  • b

  • Big Room Planning (BRP) is a critical component of the Agile framework, specifically SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). It's a synchronous, face-to-face event that brings together all teams and stakeholders to align on a shared vision and roadmap, fostering collaboration and transparency.
  • Brainstorming is a powerful creativity technique widely used in business and innovation. It encourages free thinking and spontaneous ideas, fostering an environment where no idea is considered wrong or irrelevant, thereby promoting open innovation.
  • Breakthrough Innovation refers to the introduction of new ideas, products, or services that drive a paradigm shift in technology or the market, creating significant value for both the company and its customers.
  • Build Measure Learn is a fundamental principle of the Lean Startup methodology, emphasizing an iterative process for product development and innovation. It underscores the importance of rapid prototyping, data-driven decision making, and continuous learning in achieving business agility and(...)
  • The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management tool that allows businesses to visualize, design, and innovate their business model. It provides a holistic view of the business, helping to align activities and clarify potential trade-offs.

  • c

  • A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common interest or passion and actively engage in learning from one another. They are crucial in fostering innovation, problem-solving, and knowledge sharing in Agile environments.
  • Complexity is a fundamental concept in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity, referring to the intricacies and interdependencies within a system or process. It underscores the need for adaptive and flexible approaches in managing projects and problem-solving.
  • Convergent Thinking is a problem-solving approach that focuses on finding a single, optimal solution to a problem. It's a critical skill in fields like Agile and Innovation where finding the most effective solution is essential.
  • Creative Confidence is a transformative quality that, when embraced, allows individuals and businesses to innovate fearlessly. It is the belief in one's ability to create change and solve problems through creative means.
  • Creativity is a critical skill in the business world, enabling individuals and organizations to generate innovative solutions and ideas. It's a process characterized by originality, expressiveness, and the ability to generate and implement novel and valuable ideas.
  • A Cross Functional Team is a group of people with different functional expertise working towards a common goal. This team can include people from finance, marketing, operations, and human resources departments. It plays an essential role in fostering innovation, improving performance, and(...)
  • Crowdsourcing is a strategic model that leverages the collective intelligence of a large group, typically an online community, to solve problems, generate ideas, or gather information. It's an important tool in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity practices, enabling diverse perspectives to fuel(...)
  • Culture, in a business context, refers to the shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and norms that characterize an organization. It's the invisible yet powerful force that guides decision-making, innovation, and collaboration within a team or company.
  • A Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) is a valuable tool used in Agile and Lean methodologies to track and visualize work progress. It provides a graphical representation of work items as they flow through different stages of a process, helping teams identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.
  • Customer Centricity is a strategic approach that places customers at the heart of a business's operations and decisions. It emphasizes understanding and fulfilling customer needs and expectations to drive business growth and success.
  • Customer feedback is a critical aspect of Agile, Innovation, and Creativity domains, providing insights into customer preferences and experiences with a product or service.

  • d

  • A Design Sprint is a time-constrained, five-phase process that uses design thinking to reduce the risk when bringing a new product, service or a feature to the market. It's a significant concept in Agile methodology, Innovation, and Creativity.
  • Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that encourages a human-centered perspective, creativity, and iterative learning. It's a critical tool in innovation, product management, and improving customer experiences.
  • Disruptive Innovation is a game-changing business strategy that revolutionizes industries and markets by introducing new products, services, or ways of doing things that significantly alter how we live, work, or play.

  • e

  • Empathy, a crucial skill in the Agile, Creativity, and Innovation domains, refers to the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is a central element in fostering collaboration, driving customer-centric innovation, and promoting effective leadership.

  • f

  • A Feedback Loop is a critical mechanism within Agile methodologies, Innovation, and Creativity domains. It fosters continuous improvement by enabling the iterative process of implementing changes, reviewing results, and making necessary adjustments.
  • Fit for Purpose is a term used in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity domains to indicate that a product, system, or service meets its intended purpose and satisfies the needs of its users or customers. It is a critical concept in ensuring customer satisfaction and business success.
  • Flow, in the context of Agile and Innovation, is a state of optimal productivity and creativity where an individual or team is fully immersed in a task, resulting in increased efficiency and quality of work.
  • Framestorming is a creative brainstorming technique that encourages innovative thinking by shifting perspectives. It's a key tool in Agile environments, fostering creativity, and driving innovation.

  • g

  • A Gantt Chart is a visual representation of a project schedule, used to plan, coordinate, and track specific tasks in a project. It's a critical tool in project management and Agile methodologies.

  • h

  • Human-centered design is a creative approach to problem-solving that puts the human needs and experiences at the center of the design process. It is a key strategy in innovation and product development, focusing on understanding the users' needs and developing solutions that address these(...)
  • Hypothesis Driven Development (HDD) is an approach to software development that prioritizes the validation of assumptions through testing. This Agile methodology encourages teams to make informed decisions based on data, promoting innovation and reducing risk.

  • i

  • Ideation is a crucial phase in the creative process, involving the generation, development, and communication of new ideas. It's a key element in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity, serving as the fuel for problem-solving and strategic planning.
  • Incremental Innovation refers to the process of making small, iterative changes to existing products, services, or processes to enhance performance and add value. This approach is important as it allows businesses to stay competitive, improve customer satisfaction, and increase market share(...)
  • Innovation is a crucial aspect of business strategy, driving growth and competitive advantage. It involves the creation and implementation of new ideas, solutions, or methods that result in improved products, services, or internal processes.
  • Innovation Accounting refers to the process of evaluating progress in innovation, providing actionable insights to guide decision-making. It is a crucial aspect of Agile and Innovation management, offering a systematic approach to measuring, managing, and communicating risk and innovation progress.
  • The Innovation Funnel is a crucial tool in the business world, aiding in the systematic filtering of ideas from conception to implementation. It is a key component in the innovation process, allowing for the efficient management of ideas and resources.
  • The Innovation Matrix is a strategic tool used to navigate the complex landscape of business innovation. It helps organizations identify, assess, and prioritize their innovation efforts.
  • The Innovator's Dilemma refers to the challenging decision that businesses face when they must choose between sticking with their current, successful products or services and innovating to create new ones. This dilemma is a fundamental concept in the field of business strategy and innovation.
  • An Intrapreneur is an individual within an organization who applies entrepreneurial skills, such as innovation and risk-taking, to their role. They are change-agents, driving growth and transformation from within.

  • k

  • Kaizen, a cornerstone of lean manufacturing, is a Japanese philosophy emphasizing continuous, incremental improvement. In the business realm, it fosters a culture of sustained quality and efficiency enhancement.

  • l

  • Lateral Thinking is a crucial concept in creativity and innovation. It represents an unconventional approach to problem-solving, encouraging individuals to view challenges from different perspectives and explore novel solutions.
  • Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) is a critical approach in Agile methodologies that helps align strategy with execution. It ensures resources are optimally allocated to deliver maximum value.
  • The Lean Startup is a modern approach to business development that promotes rapid iteration and customer feedback to drive innovation. It's a crucial methodology for entrepreneurs and innovators looking to build successful products or services in uncertain markets.

  • m

  • Marketing Innovation refers to the process of creating and implementing new, unique marketing strategies, concepts, or ideas to better meet customer needs and improve business performance. It's a crucial aspect of modern business, helping to drive growth, increase competitiveness, and foster(...)
  • Market Pull refers to a situation where customer needs or expectations drive the development of a product or service. This strategy focuses on identifying and addressing customer needs as a primary source of innovation.
  • Mind mapping is a powerful tool used for capturing thoughts, ideas, and strategies in a visual format. It fosters creativity, enhances problem-solving, and aids in organizing complex information, making it a valuable asset in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity domains.
  • The Minimum Marketable Product (MMP) is a key Agile concept that emphasizes the importance of speed and customer value in product development. It is the smallest set of features that a product can have while still providing value to customers and being marketable.
  • The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a fundamental concept in Agile and Product Management, focusing on rapid product development, customer feedback, and iterative design.
  • The term 'Multidisciplinary' refers to the integration of knowledge and methods from different disciplines, leveraging a diverse set of skills to solve complex problems. It is a crucial concept in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity, enabling more comprehensive and holistic solutions.

  • o

  • Open Innovation is a strategic approach that emphasizes external collaboration and co-creation to drive innovation. It's a key component in today's fast-paced, technology-driven business environment, enabling organizations to leverage external resources, ideas, and technologies to stay(...)

  • p

  • The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a concept in business management that suggests 80% of outcomes can often be attributed to just 20% of causes.
  • Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA), also known as the Deming Cycle, is a systematic series of steps for continual improvement in the business process. It promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
  • Process Innovation refers to the implementation of a new or significantly improved production or delivery method. It's a critical aspect of business strategy, enabling companies to achieve higher efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive advantage.
  • A Product is a good, service, or idea that satisfies a need or a desire and is offered to a market, typically for sale. It's a key concept in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity, as well as in Product Management and Customer Experience.
  • The Product Goal is a key concept in Agile product development, serving as a long-term objective for the Scrum Team. It provides a shared vision, fostering alignment and focus towards a common purpose.
  • A Product Increment is a key concept in Agile methodologies, particularly Scrum. It represents the tangible output of a Sprint, combining all the product backlog items completed during that Sprint, ready for a potential release.
  • Product Innovation refers to the creation and subsequent introduction of a new product or service to meet customer needs. It is pivotal in maintaining a competitive edge, driving business growth, and fostering customer satisfaction.
  • The Product Lifecycle is a vital concept in product management and marketing, describing the stages a product goes through from inception to withdrawal from the market. Understanding it is key to strategic decision-making.
  • A project is a unique, temporary endeavor with a specific objective to be achieved within a defined time-frame. It is crucial in Agile and Innovation as it helps to organize tasks, manage resources, and achieve goals systematically.
  • A Project Manager is a professional responsible for planning, executing, and overseeing the completion of projects, ensuring they meet preset objectives within the agreed timeline and budget.
  • Project to Product is a pivotal shift in the field of software development, emphasizing the importance of product-oriented thinking over project-based work. It's a cornerstone of Agile methodologies and a key driver of innovation and creativity.
  • A Proof of Concept (PoC) is a small exercise to test a certain idea or method's feasibility in real-world scenarios. It's a critical step in the innovation process, helping to identify potential flaws or areas of improvement before full-scale implementation.
  • A Prototype is a preliminary version of a product, built before the final design. It's a tangible, interactive representation of your idea, allowing you to explore your concepts and your audience to interact with them, thus enabling effective feedback.

  • q

  • Qualitative Metrics are essential tools in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity domains. They provide in-depth, non-numerical insights about project aspects, such as team collaboration, customer satisfaction, or product usability.

  • r

  • Radical Innovation refers to a groundbreaking shift in technology or processes that fundamentally transforms a business, industry, or market. It's a game-changer that disrupts existing frameworks and paves the way for new paradigms.
  • Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a crucial concept in Agile and Technology, emphasizing quick, iterative development and frequent collaboration. It helps businesses respond swiftly to market changes and enhance customer experience.
  • Rapid prototyping is a critical methodology in Agile, Innovation, and Creativity domains, enabling faster iteration and innovation. It refers to the process of quickly creating a preliminary model of a product or solution to test its functionality, design, and usability.
  • A Requirement is a necessary condition or capability that a system or product must possess or meet to satisfy a contract, standard, or specification. It plays a critical role in Agile methodologies, product management, and software development.
  • A Retrospective is a critical practice in Agile methodologies that allows teams to continuously improve by reflecting on past work iterations. It is a dedicated time for self-assessment and collaborative problem-solving.
  • Return on Investment (ROI) is a crucial metric in business and finance that measures the profitability of an investment. It helps businesses make informed decisions by comparing the efficiency of various investments.

  • s

  • The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a set of organization and workflow patterns for implementing agile practices at enterprise scale. It provides a knowledge base of proven, integrated principles and practices to support enterprise agility.
  • Scope, in the context of Agile, Innovation, and Creativity, refers to the extent of what a project will cover or produce. It's a crucial aspect of project planning and management, providing clear boundaries for the work to be done.
  • Scope Creep, a common term in project management, particularly in Agile methodologies, refers to the uncontrolled expansion of a project's scope, often without corresponding adjustments to time, budget, or resources. It is a critical concept as it can lead to project overruns, compromised(...)
  • Scrumban is a hybrid Agile project management methodology combining Scrum and Kanban. It provides a flexible, iterative approach to workflow management, balancing the structure of Scrum with the adaptability of Kanban. Scrumban is particularly effective in projects requiring continuous(...)
  • A Self-organising team is a fundamental concept in Agile methodologies, emphasizing autonomy, collaboration, and shared responsibility. It is critical for fostering innovation, creativity, and efficient ways of working.
  • The Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for decision making, brainstorming, and problem-solving. It encourages parallel thinking and full-spectrum consideration of a situation or challenge, fostering comprehensive and effective thought processes.
  • Social Innovation refers to novel strategies, concepts, ideas, and organizations that meet social needs and create new social relationships or collaborations. It is critical in driving societal progress and addressing complex challenges in a sustainable manner.
  • Story Points are a unit of measure in Agile project management and development, used to estimate the difficulty of implementing a given story. They help teams better predict their work capacity in future sprints.
  • Storytelling is a powerful tool used in various professional domains, including Agile, Innovation, and Creativity. It is the art of conveying messages, concepts, or ideas through a narrative, making them more relatable and memorable.
  • Sustaining Innovation is an essential concept in the business world, particularly within the Agile, Innovation, and Creativity domains. It refers to the process of making incremental improvements to existing products, services, or processes, which helps businesses to maintain or increase their(...)
  • Swarming, in the Agile context, is a collaboration strategy where the entire team focuses on a single task or problem to accelerate its completion. It's a powerful tool for overcoming complex challenges and accelerating project timelines.

  • t

  • Technology Push refers to a situation where an emerging technology or innovation drives the development of new products or services. This concept is crucial in the fields of Agile, Innovation, and Creativity as it emphasizes the role of technological advancements in shaping market trends and(...)
  • The 70-20-10 Rule is a learning and development model that suggests a balanced approach to acquiring knowledge and skills. The model proposes that 70% of learning comes from on-the-job experiences, 20% from social learning, and 10% from formal education.
  • Throughput is a critical metric in both the Agile and business world, representing the rate at which a system achieves its desired output. It's a key indicator of efficiency and productivity.

  • u

  • User Experience (UX) is a crucial aspect of product design and development, focusing on creating meaningful and relevant experiences for users. It encompasses all aspects of a user's interaction with a company, its services, and its products.

  • v

  • The term Value is a fundamental concept in business, Agile methodologies, Innovation, and Creativity. It refers to the benefits a product or service provides to the customer, often measured in terms of monetary worth, usefulness, or satisfaction.
  • A Value Stream is a fundamental concept in Agile and Lean methodologies, emphasizing the flow of value from the initial request to the delivery of the final product or service. It is crucial in identifying waste, improving efficiency, and maximizing value to the customer.
  • Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a fundamental Lean tool that visually represents the flow of material and information as a product or service moves through a process. This method helps to identify and remove waste, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.
  • Visual Thinking is a critical technique that leverages our innate ability to see, both with our eyes and our mind's eye, to discover ideas, develop those ideas and communicate them in a way that others can understand and act on.
  • Voice of the Customer (VoC) is a research method that captures customers' expectations, preferences, and aversions. It is crucial in Agile methodologies and Innovation, as it helps to ensure products or services are customer-centric.
  • Volatility is a vital concept in both Agile and business environments. It refers to the rate at which the price of an asset, or the amount of a particular set of values, increases or decreases for a set of returns. Volatility is often measured by the standard deviation of the annual return.
  • VUCA is an acronym that stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. It is a concept that originated in the military and is now widely used in business to describe the challenging and unpredictable conditions in which businesses operate today.

  • w

  • A wireframe is a visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website or app. It's a crucial tool in the Agile development process, acting as a blueprint for the design, functionality, and structure of a digital product.