GREAT NEWS!!!  The Innovation Manager's Playbook will be available to the general public THIS WEEK via Lulu Publishing!!!

With the upcoming release of The Innovation Manager's Playbook, we will explore the three main categories (Defense, Offense and Special Teams) across a series of blog postings.

To recap, The Innovation Manager's Playbook is a collection of tools, techniques, templates, processes and systems ("plays") designed to more effectively and efficiently lead and manage your innovation management portfolio.


Last week, we walked through the key Defensive play sets :

• Current State Assessments
• Capabilities Audits
• Innovation Management Maturity Scoring
• Problem/Opportunity Identification and Selection
• Strategy/Scenario Planning

Today, let's take a look at the Offensive play sets...

The whole point of “being on the offensive” is to make things happen.  In sports, that goal involves orchestrating a play, moving the ball, obfuscating a defense or scoring points.  In essence, you are being proactive rather than reactive.  Innovation management is really no different.  You are trying to be first to market, add higher value, come to market with lower cost, make the product feature-rich or provide a value-add service.  Again, it’s all about being proactive rather than reactive. It’s about leading the market instead of following the leader.

The easiest way to be on offense when it comes to idea and innovation management is to have a solid process.  A script of plays, if you will, that moves the ball down the field.  At each step along the process, there are also a number of tasks, templates, techniques and strategies available to help make the task easier.

When we talk about “making things happen” from an innovation standpoint, we are specifically referencing the following strategies:

• Idea Management Process Flow
• Innovation Management Development and Process Flow
• Project & Portfolio Management Process Flow

Next time, we will take a look at the key play sets on "Special Teams."

Until then, you can order your own copy of The Innovation Manager's Playbook by visiting the publisher, Lulu Publishing.  Using this method, you will receive the book directly from the publisher in its intended format, a spiral-bound playbook style rather than the normal paperback bound version that will be made available on Amazon.com.  You will also have the opportunity to download a PDF version for your eReader, if that is your preferred method of reading.