Today, it’s all about doing things differently and doing different things. Did you know Google runs 50 to 200 search experiments at any given time? Innovation and creativity is the lifeblood of growth – organizations who think differently and act quickly are the ones who will break from the pack.
Today, while companies focus on cost cutting, people cutting, and project cutting, the new business frontier requires organizations to identify and test new ideas to differentiate themselves in the market—new products, new solutions, new steps in a process—all areas are open game for how we conduct business in a world that now operates at high-velocity and within lean boundaries.
While Lessons Learned workshops produce the information you need to address what worked and did not work for each project, it does not produce honest feedback throughout the life of the project or on an ongoing basis. So line up the white boards and ditch the judgment. Create an area for your project team members to exchange ideas and solutions.
Make sure there are plenty of ways for people to externalize their ideas. Hang a white board in a common area, offer a few guidelines, a bunch of markers, and let folks at it. Remind staff no idea is a bad one and encourage drawings, pictures and color. Make sure there are plenty of ways for people to externalize their ideas by providing other mediums such as Post-it Notes, an easy and inexpensive way to promote expression.
Lisa DiTullio, Principal, Your Project Office, www.yourprojectoffice.com
