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How to Select your best value innovation project?

Mélanie Beauregard • February 23, 2021

THE SECRET IS IN A WELL MANAGE PROJECT PORTFOLIO!


Innovation is on everyone’s lips as a solution to post-Covid economic recovery. The world of innovation has a very broad definition: it’s often referred to as an information technology innovation… but our worldwide economy is still very reliant on manufacturing and transformation. Selecting the best innovation project is undoubtedly a starting point!

Like every enterprise, there is practically always more ideas than resources – human and financial. Hence the importance of focusing resources on the most promising projects. How can this be done? I suggest few basic steps to build your product project portfolio:


1. List active product projects

The first step is to delimit the sandbox: what are ALL the current product projects. Focus your list on projects and not on products (a project can contain several products). Don’t hesitate to approach the teams in the main departments that work on products – mainly marketing, R&D or design, among others. Those steps apply for a list of 10 to 12 projects. Above that, more complex and complete tools might be required.


What is an active project? An active project consists of an organized, structured project whose concept allows you to know the number of products, the price, the schedule, for example. In contrast, ideas, or more embryonic projects could be placed on a second list: the idea list.


2. Establish criteria for evaluating projects

The next step is to determine how projects will be evaluated, one against the other. I adapted Cooper’s model, the product innovation guru, for SMEs, using the four criteria that I think cover the essential aspects of business and product innovation:


Alignment with corporate strategy

This criterion ensures that the projects at the top of the list contribute to the company’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives.


Market Alignment

This factor helps prioritize projects that are in known markets with known customers. It can be divided into two subcategories:


a. Product and competition: Do customers want the product?

b. Market attractiveness: Is there room in the market for the product?


Alignment with your technical capacity

This criterion puts forward the “easy” projects for the company at the expense of the more technically difficult projects.


Financial alignment

This criterion favors the projects with the most financial potential.


It is always possible to add or adapt them. The important thing is that the team understands how the project is evaluated in relation to other projects.


3.   Evaluate projects in relation to each other

As the 3rd Step, evaluate the list of projects identified in Step 1, using the criteria from Step 2.


Using a scale of 1 to 10 for each of the criteria, it’s now time to assess the projects against each other. Ideally, the expertise of a multidisciplinary team to ensure a good calibration to evaluate future projects.


Simply use a scale of 1 – 5 – 10, or only the odd numbers, to force a ranking of the projects. The difference of 1 unit will not affect the order in the list. The point of the conversation is to determine whether or not the project satisfies the criterion. Then compare all the projects against the same criterion.


  • Alignment with business strategy: Does this project enable the company to achieve its strategic objectives?
  • Alignment with the market: Is it a known market? Do our customers want the product?
  • Alignment with your technical capability: Can we do it? Do we know how to make the product?
  • Financial Alignment: Is the risk worth the return? Would you invest your own money?


One of the main benefits of these criteria is that they measure the project both internally and externally. For example, a project may be interesting for three criteria but not in your company’s area of expertise. It is not automatically eliminated, as it opens the possibility to considering a new business model, for example. Or, if a product project is financially risky, but is favoured by the other criteria, it remains on the list, with less risky projects, in order to maintain a relative risk balance.


Finally, it’s now time to average the 4 criteria, so that each project has a unique value. If you find yourself with ties score, simply re-evaluate the 2 projects against each other. Otherwise, they will remain of equal value in the list, which is not a bad thing, if it is an exception. All that’s left to do is to put the list in order!


You now have a weighted list of the most relevant projects for your company. It makes it easier to communicate with the managers of the different teams which projects to concentrate resources on.


It is as well possible to add two arguments of rating to make discussions between managers better supported by information, while ensuring an alignment with corporate objectives.


4.   Weighted Criteria

In the previous list, each of your new product projects are evaluated with an average score ranging from 1 to 10, based on 4 criteria. Thus, each argument counts for 25% of the final score.


Depending on your business or growth model, it may be relevant to apply a weighting to give more weight to criteria. It is common to see a weight of 50% or 60% assigned for financial (#4) or strategic (#1) criteria, and the other criteria are therefore less dominant. The sum of the weights must always total 100%, in order to keep the final score between 1 and 10.


If you choose to add a weight, and thus add complexity, it is important that it has a significant impact on the ranking the prioritization. You want to avoid a situation of weighting the 4 criteria 20-30-25-25: since the weight of each argument is very close, the ranking will have little or no change. So no point in adding that complexity if you end up with the same result you can have without it.


To ensure good calibration and team buy-in, the simple method is the way to go.


5.   Resource allocation

Projects are often sidelined in favour of day-to-day operational tasks. Projects do not progress as planned due to human resource capacity constrains! Integrating resource allocation by project is probably the most time-consuming step, as data must be collected during few weeks. Data are essential to properly represent the reality. You do not want to opt for the easy solution of estimating resources. Managers might tend to overestimate the actual time their team spends on projects and underestimate the weight of operational tasks.


Target the teams most involved in your product projects, those that are probably bottleneck. It depends of your business model and your industry, as it could be R&D, Design, Marketing, Commercialization, Engineering. Using a simple Excel file, share the list of projects and ask your team members to enter the time spent on each project in one week (one week per column). The time may be indicated in hours or as a percentage. The objective here is to get an overall idea of the time involved, no one is chasing minutes, but a bulk part idea is good enough. The task needs to last several weeks, since no two weeks are the same! A minimum of 6 to 8 weeks is recommended to achieve a representative dataset. Once again, it depends of your reality!


Now that you have the actual time spent, managers can assess the time available for these projects with hard data, not only perceptions. For one team, maybe the capacity for projects is 50% of their week while in another, only 10% due to heavy operational tasks.


The only thing left now is to integrate this information in the Project Portfolio file! 2 columns per team: one with time by team per project and one cumulative. When the cumulative exceeds the capacity: red! In the blink of an eye, you can now assess the projects that have to wait due to resources constrains.


You can manage product projects, see where they are stalled and where resources need to be added, concentrated, supported, in order to improve your time-to-market. Maybe a promising project needs to be outsourced? Maybe new business models can be explored to bring more products to market and achieve the company’s growth objectives?


The most important key element now is to keep the file updated, review it periodically so you can take informed decisions. You will quickly realize that it’s not about stopping bad projects, but rather deciding to pause good projects to focus resources on better projects.


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Innovation MB is an Innovation Management Agency with a passionate team of professionals who will help accelerate your innovation journey to hit the market faster successfully. 


If you feel that your Product Manager struggles with the numerous short term requests and may benefit from some coaching, we can help!


Your Innovation Management Ecosystem is your path to success. Book a discovery call with one of your experts to find out how to take your Innovation Journey to the next level! 


Product innovation Bog

Réduisez le temps de vos réunions de 50 % et obtenir des résultats clairs et concrets

By Melanie Beauregard • November 2, 2024
Réduisez le temps de vos réunions de 50 % et obtenir des résultats clairs et concrets Vos réunions vous volent-elles votre productivité ? Le saviez-vous ? 47 % des employés disent que trop de réunions les empêchent d’être vraiment productifs. Et selon une étude de la Harvard Business Review, 71 % des gestionnaires** estiment que leurs réunions ne servent pas à grand-chose. C’est énorme, non ? Ça nous fait poser la vraie question : vos réunions, est-ce qu’elles font vraiment avancer les choses ou bien elles ralentissent toute l’équipe ? Souvent, le problème n’est pas la réunion en elle-même, mais plutôt le manque de structure. Imaginez des réunions plus courtes, plus efficaces, où chaque minute a une raison d’être. C’est exactement ce qu’un ordre du jour clair peut vous apporter. Un bon plan de réunion peut transformer vos discussions pour qu’elles aboutissent sur des actions concrètes. Dans ce guide, on vous montre pourquoi un bon ordre du jour, c’est l’arme secrète pour des réunions qui carburent ! On partage aussi une méthode qui va rendre vos réunions deux fois plus efficaces, en moitié moins de temps. C’est parti ! Pourquoi un ordre du jour clair est votre arme secrète pour booster la productivité 1. Augmente l’efficacité de 40 % Les réunions avec un ordre du jour bien structuré sont 40 % plus efficaces que celles qui en n’ont pas. Avoir un plan en main, c’est comme avoir un GPS pour vos réunions : ça garde l’équipe concentrée et ça évite de s’éparpiller dans toutes les directions. Quand tout le monde connaît les sujets d’avance, pas besoin de refaire le chemin ou de perdre du temps à tout réexpliquer. 2. Fournit des objectifs clairs et garde l’équipe concentrée Sans un objectif précis, 63 % des employés avouent qu’ils ne savent même pas pourquoi ils sont en réunion. Un ordre du jour, ça règle ça en expliquant clairement le pourquoi de la réunion. Quand on connaît les objectifs, on reste focus et les discussions ont beaucoup plus de chances de mener à des résultats concrets. 3. Diminue de moitié le temps pour prendre des décisions Les réunions sans structure, ça finit souvent avec des décisions prises à la va-vite, sans vraiment réfléchir. Des études montrent que les équipes prennent leurs décisions deux fois plus vite quand elles suivent un ordre du jour clair qui priorise les sujets importants. Avec un ordre de sujets bien organisé, vos équipes sont prêtes à trancher sur des décisions complexes, en confiance. 4. Augmente la responsabilisation : 60 % de tâches en plus réalisées Un bon ordre du jour qui donne des sujets et des temps de parole à chaque personne, ça crée de la responsabilisation. Et quand on sait que notre opinion est attendue, on se prépare mieux ! Une étude d’Asana montre que les équipes réalisent 60 % de tâches en plus quand les responsabilités sont claires. Pas pire, non ? 5. Économise du temps – Réduit la durée des réunions de 30 % D’après une enquête de Doodle, un ordre du jour bien structuré peut réduire le temps des réunions jusqu’à 30 %. Quand on sait ce qu’on a à couvrir, pas de sujet hors-sujet ! Avec un bon plan, on boucle les réunions plus vite, et tout le monde peut retourner à son travail plus rapidement. 6. Augmente l’engagement de 20 % Quand les membres de l’équipe reçoivent l’ordre du jour à l’avance, ils sont 20 % plus engagés, selon Gallup. Connaître les points de discussion d’avance permet à chacun de se préparer et de venir avec des idées et des questions. Résultat ? Un environnement plus collaboratif et stimulant. Le plan de match parfait pour un ordre du jour : Guide pour les directeurs marketing Voici un modèle pour des réunions productives et qui mènent à l’action. Inspiré par le modèle de Gino Wickman dans *Traction*, cet ordre du jour est pensé pour garder les équipes marketing alignées, responsables, et concentrées sur les résultats. 1. Ouvrez avec un Segue (5 minutes) Commencez la réunion sur une note positive en demandant à chaque membre de partager une petite victoire récente – perso ou pro. Ce genre de rituel, ça augmente le moral et **ça booste la cohésion de l’équipe de 15 %**. Et si on relie ça aux efforts marketing, ça aide tout le monde à garder le focus sur les objectifs communs. 2. Revue du Scorecard (5 minutes) Passez en revue les indicateurs clés comme la génération de leads, le trafic web, ou le retour sur les dépenses publicitaires (ROAS). Les équipes qui font un suivi régulier de leurs données performent **30 % mieux dans l’atteinte de leurs KPI**. La revue du scorecard, ça donne un bon aperçu, et ça met l’accent sur les chiffres. 3. Suivi des OKR (5-10 minutes) Prenez quelques minutes pour revoir les objectifs trimestriels ou les OKR de l’équipe. Ça garde le focus sur les gros objectifs – comme un lancement de produit ou un projet de rebranding. Des recherches montrent que **fixer des OKR peut améliorer les performances de l’équipe de 25 %**. Pas de temps perdu ici, on garde le cap ! 4. Les nouvelles de l’équipe (5 minutes) Prenez un moment pour reconnaître les efforts, accueillir les nouveaux, ou gérer les inquiétudes sur la charge de travail. Un petit boost de reconnaissance, **ça peut améliorer le moral jusqu’à 50 %** selon Gallup. Ces petits moments de reconnaissance, ça contribue aussi à une culture d’équipe plus positive et plus transparente. 5. Revue de la To-Do List (5 minutes) Suivre les actions de la réunion précédente, c’est crucial. Selon une étude de la Harvard Business School, **les équipes sont 33 % plus susceptibles de terminer les tâches** quand elles en font le suivi régulièrement. Cette étape, ça maintient tout le monde responsable et assure la progression. 6. IDS (Identifier, Discuter, Résoudre) – Liste des problèmes (60 minutes) C’est le cœur de la réunion ! C’est là qu’on s’attaque aux problèmes les plus pressants. Le processus IDS, ça permet de clarifier les problèmes, de les discuter et de trouver des solutions concrètes. En gardant les discussions centrées sur les solutions, on augmente l’efficacité de résolution des problèmes de **45 %**. 7. Conclusion et prochaines étapes (5 minutes) Terminez en récapitulant les actions à réaliser et en fixant des dates limites. Les réunions qui se terminent avec des actions spécifiques voient **60 % de tâches de plus accomplies**. Confirmez aussi la date et le sujet de la prochaine réunion pour garder une certaine régularité. --- Quelques conseils pour mettre en place cet ordre du jour 1. Envoyez l’ordre du jour à l’avance : Partagez-le au moins 24 heures avant la réunion. Ça augmente l’engagement et permet à tout le monde de bien se préparer. 2. Respectez les temps impartis: Assignez un gardien du temps pour garder le rythme. Ça montre que vous respectez le temps de chacun. 3. Encouragez la responsabilisation: Attribuez des rôles pour chaque point de l’ordre du jour, et faites le suivi à la prochaine réunion. 4. Favorisez l’engagement: Posez des questions, invitez les gens à participer, et assurez-vous que c’est interactif. 5. Ajustez l’ordre du jour selon les besoins: Après quelques réunions, révisez ce qui fonctionne bien et ajustez en conséquence. Redéfinissez vos réunions avec un ordre du jour clair Imaginez des réunions qui boostent votre équipe au lieu de les drainer, où chacun sait exactement son rôle et les objectifs. Un ordre du jour structuré ne rend pas juste les réunions plus productives, ça redéfinit la culture des réunions, en établissant une norme de clarté, de focus et de responsabilisation. **Des études montrent que les ordres du jour clairs peuvent réduire la durée des réunions de 30 %, doubler l’efficacité des décisions et augmenter l’engagement de 20 %**. Prêt à donner un nouveau souffle à vos réunions ? Mettez en place un ordre du jour clair et voyez la différence dans la productivité de votre équipe. C’est le moment de dire adieu aux réunions improductives et de dire bonjour à des rencontres percutantes et orientées vers l’action ! --- Besoin d'un coup de main pour optimiser vos réunions ? Contactez-nous ! Vous voulez transformer vos réunions, gagner du temps et booster la productivité ? Contactez-nous aujourd'hui! Ensemble, on va mettre en place une stratégie de réunions qui maximise votre temps et vous aide à atteindre de vrais résultats.  Melanie@InnovationMB.ca  pour bâtir une culture de réunions efficaces et motivantes, qui permettent à votre équipe de performer à son plein potentiel !

How to Reduce Meeting Time by 50% and Achieve Clear, Actionable Outcomes

By Melanie Beauregard • November 2, 2024
Are Your Meetings Draining Productivity?  Did you know that 47% of employees say that too many meetings are the biggest productivity killer? According to a Harvard Business Review survey, 71% of senior managers feel their meetings are a waste of time . This statistic raises a big question: are your meetings truly serving their purpose, or are they derailing your team’s focus? Often, the problem isn't the meeting itself but the lack of structure . Imagine having shorter, more effective meetings where every minute has a purpose. That’s what a clear agenda can do. A well-structured meeting agenda ensures your meetings aren’t just productive but impactful, turning every discussion into actionable results. In this guide, we’ll dive into the power of a clear agenda and reveal a proven framework to make your meetings twice as impactful in half the time. Let’s get started! Why a Clear Meeting Agenda is Your Secret Productivity Weapon 1. Increases Efficiency by 40% Meetings with structured agendas are proven to be 40% more efficient than those without. An agenda provides a roadmap, helping team members stay focused on relevant topics and avoid the all-too-common rabbit trails. When everyone knows the topics in advance, there’s less need to backtrack or rehash information. 2. Provides Clear Objectives and Boosts Team Focus Without a clear purpose, 63% of employees admit to being unsure why they’re even in a meeting. An agenda solves this by outlining specific objectives, ensuring that every participant understands the “why” behind the gathering. Knowing the objectives sharpens focus, making it more likely that discussions will lead to meaningful, goal-aligned outcomes. 3. Cuts Decision-Making Time in Half Unstructured meetings often mean rushed, last-minute decisions. Studies show that teams make decisions twice as fast when using an agenda that prioritizes key topics. By creating a clear order for topics, you enable participants to tackle complex decisions confidently and with sufficient context. 4. Improves Accountability: 60% More Task Completion Agendas that assign discussion points and time slots to specific individuals create accountability, a powerful motivator. A study by Asana found that teams complete 60% more tasks when responsibilities are clearly defined. Assigning roles for each agenda item also keeps participants engaged, knowing their input is expected. 5. Saves Time – Reduces Meeting Length by 30% A recent survey by Doodle shows that structured agendas can reduce meeting times by up to 30%. Agendas eliminate unnecessary topics, helping teams cover what’s needed without overshooting the schedule. With a clear roadmap, you avoid tangents and wrap up faster, giving everyone more time to focus on actual work. 6. Boosts Engagement by 20% When team members receive the agenda beforehand, they’re 20% more likely to engage actively, as reported by Gallup. Knowing the discussion points ahead of time allows participants to prepare, bringing their insights and questions. This preparation results in a more dynamic, collaborative environment. The Ultimate Meeting Agenda Framework for Marketing Directors Let’s dive into a framework that guarantees productive, action-oriented meetings. Using a model like the one in Gino Wickman’s Traction, this agenda is designed to keep marketing teams aligned, accountable, and focused on results. 1. Start with a Segue (5 Minutes) Kick off the meeting with a positive tone by having each member share a recent win—whether personal or professional. This practice has been shown to boost morale and increase team cohesion by 15%. Tying wins back to marketing efforts helps align everyone around shared goals. 2. Scorecard Review (5 Minutes) Review key metrics that reflect the health of ongoing campaigns, like lead generation, website traffic, or return on ad spend (ROAS). Studies suggest that teams who regularly review performance data see a 30% improvement in achieving their KPIs. The scorecard offers a quick overview, setting a data-driven tone. 3. Rock/OKR Check-In (5-10 Minutes) Spend a few minutes reviewing the team’s top quarterly priorities or Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). This ensures focus remains on the big goals—like product launches or rebranding projects. Research shows that setting OKRs can increase a team’s performance by up to 25%. 4. Employee Headlines (5 Minutes) Take time to recognize contributions, celebrate new hires, or address capacity concerns. Recognition can boost employee morale by up to 50%, according to a study by Gallup. This brief update also fosters transparency and reinforces a positive team culture. 5. Review To-Do List (5 Minutes) Following up on previous action items is crucial. A Harvard Business School study found that teams are 33% more likely to complete tasks when they review them regularly. This step keeps everyone accountable and ensures progress on key marketing initiatives. 6. IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) – Issues List (60 Minutes) Now, it’s time to tackle the most pressing issues. The IDS process is a powerful way to identify problems, discuss them, and create actionable solutions. This approach can increase problem-solving efficiency by 45% by keeping discussions focused on solutions rather than just venting frustrations. 7. Conclude and Confirm Next Steps (5 Minutes) End the meeting by summarizing action items and setting deadlines. Studies show that meeting closure with specific action points can boost task completion by 60%. Also, confirm the date and focus for the next meeting to establish consistency. Practical Tips for Implementing This Agenda Distribute the Agenda in Advance: Share it at least 24 hours before the meeting. This boosts engagement and ensures everyone has time to prepare relevant updates or insights. Stick to Time Limits: Assign a timekeeper to maintain pace. Enforcing time limits respects everyone’s schedule and reinforces discipline. Encourage Accountability: Designate leads for each agenda item and follow up on action items in subsequent meetings to reinforce responsibility. Prioritize Engagement: Use questions and invite input to maintain a collaborative atmosphere. Meetings should be interactive, not monologues. Regularly Optimize the Agenda: After a few meetings, review what’s working and adjust the agenda as needed. Flexibility ensures the structure remains effective as team needs evolve. Conclusion: Reinvent Your Meetings with a Clear Agenda Imagine a workday where meetings energize your team rather than drain them, where every participant knows their role and the goals for each discussion. A structured agenda doesn’t just help keep meetings productive—it redefines the meeting culture, setting a precedent for clarity, focus, and accountability. Research shows that clear agendas can reduce meeting length by 30%, double decision-making efficiency, and increase engagement by 20%. Are you ready to make your meetings matter? Implementing a clear agenda framework can transform your team’s productivity, giving you back valuable time and driving better results. It’s time to say goodbye to unproductive meetings and hello to impactful, results-driven sessions that get things done. FAQs 1 . How do I start using a structured agenda if my team is resistant? Start small by introducing the agenda for one or two key meetings and highlighting the time and productivity benefits. Share the positive impact on team morale and efficiency. 2 . Can a clear agenda improve my team’s focus? Yes, agendas set clear objectives, reducing distractions. They keep discussions on track and make it easier for participants to stay focused on the goals. 3. How do I choose which items go on the meeting agenda? Include only high-priority topics that align with the meeting’s main goal. Save smaller items for one-on-one or smaller group discussions. 4. Is there a recommended length for meetings? The ideal length varies, but structured agendas can often cut meeting time by up to 30%. Aim for 45-60 minutes for in-depth team meetings. 5. What tools can I use to make agenda creation easier? Tools like Asana, Notion, or Google Calendar allow you to create, share, and organize agendas. Many of these tools offer customizable templates to get you started.
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