Pipeline Accelerator Insight #6: Focus Early-Stage Innovation on Learning Gaps
Before design begins it’s essential to understand feasibility and what the design must accomplish.
New Product Development often stumbles because teams lack clarity on their end goals. Frequently, they start working on the product before they truly understand the risks. However, you can avoid these costly mistakes by shifting your focus to learning gaps during the early stages.
Identify Your Knowedge Gaps
Before any formal design begins, it is essential to get clear on what you don’t know that you need to know. Start by identifying gaps in the information needed for critical decisions. These gaps usually involve your target market economics and needs, core technology, or manufacturing feasibility. Consequently, identifying these hurdles early prevents mid-stream pivots that stall progress and drain your budget.
Structure for Rapid Learning
Once you define these gaps, you must structure your earliest work specifically to close those gaps and the uncertainty that accompanies them.
Before building anything, spend time in the value chain to understand the problems they have and their economic impact.
After that, instead of building the full product, create small experiments or prototypes that answer your biggest questions. Subsequently, once these questions are answered, you will know the project is worth the effort. Development then proceeds much faster because the path is clear.
Focusing on learning gaps ensures your innovation pipeline remains productive By removing uncertainty early, you empower your team to move from concept to launch with far more confidence and speed.
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