This live, interactive innovation course focuses on building new skills to lead the unique attributes of innovation projects. The good news is that as a professional technical leader, you likely already have the background and basic tools in leadership and project management and now just need to learn how to adapt them to the world of innovation.

Key questions we will answer along with many others:

• What is unique about an innovation project from other projects?
• Who should be on an innovation project team to ensure success?
• What is the role of executive sponsors and how can you find the best one for your project?
• How can you leverage rapid learning cycles, and the lessons from startups and VCs in your innovation project?
• How can your agile skills be leveraged to be successful with innovation?
• How do you get rapid customer feedback when you have little more than an idea?
• What’s the best approach to get consistent and incremental funding as a project progresses?
• When do you know the right time to kill or “hold” an innovation project?
• How can you manage a wide range of innovation projects at different stages?

Agenda

PART 1: INNOVATION PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS AND SUCCESS FACTORS

We’ll start with the nature of innovation projects, what makes them unique and how you can be successful.

• Kicking off your innovation project for success: Key challenges and factors
• Identifying the right goals, milestones, prototype plan and endgame
• Estimating schedules, resources and iterations for innovation projects
• Finding and working with executive sponsors
• Case study and example of innovation projects

PART 2: DAY-TO-DAY INNOVATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Using agile techniques as our baseline process, we’ll look at the best approach to managing the inherent uncertainty and subsequent necessary leadership skills needed for innovation projects. In this section, we’ll cover:

• Driving your project to success: Day-to-day innovation project management
• Using rapid learning cycles to learn, refine and redirect
• Developing customer feedback loops with target customers that are quick to set up and easy to manage
• Keeping the team focused when they are only a fractional part of the team

PART 3: HOLDING INNOVATION REVIEWS AND ASKING FOR THE NEXT FUNDING ROUND

Innovation projects are often (and should be) only partially funded as you evaluate the market, prove the technology and make progress on the project. At each stage you’ll need to re-present your status and often ask for the next round of funding.

• Developing your next Minimum Reasonable Ask that gets executives to say “yes” quickly
• Moving your project to the next stage: product line development, incubation, operations or other
• Tips for success: We’ll look at a variety of innovation projects at different stages and look at what worked to keep the momentum moving or in some cases what thwarted what should have been an outrageous success