Today we are looking into Ideation and how to approach it. Throughout the years we have had many different hypes where new technology or new data has become available and has sparked a longing to utilize the new capabilities.
In Data & Analytics ideation there are many different ways to approach the ideation, here we will highlight three angles to approaching opportunities and discuss advantages and drawbacks to the different approaches.
Regardless of angle chosen, the idea must solve a customer or business problem/opportunity! And “implementing <Select hype of the year: AI / Big Data / Machine Learning / RPA>” is not a business problem. A much better business problem is “how can we automate invoice to time report matching to save one hour for each manager per week?“
I like the methodology to widen-narrow-widen-narrow in all phases of ideation, such as double-diamond. Regardless of methodology you can enter the Ideation from (at least) three angles:
1 – Business problem/opportunity: Start with looking at what are the biggest problems and largest opportunities within the business at the moment and in the future. Preferably tied together with your business strategy. Prioritise down to a few problems and then Ideate possible solutions to that problem using data, analytics and/or AI.
Pros: Focuses directly on the business and addresses your largest needs.
Cons: May be conservative in the ideas generated because you may be limited in your ideas by the current possibilities.
2 – New Technology available: Start by going through the capabilities of the new technology. Currently it is generative AI, in the past it has been other things. Then look at your largest problems and opportunities with the mindset of “what could we use our <new tech> to solve?”. Prioritise down to a few problems and then discuss solutions using the new technology.
Pros: You are looking beyond your current capabilities and expanding the possibilities for your ideation.
Cons: It is easy to get caught up in the idea that the technology has a value in itself rather than the possibilities it offers. It may also be hard to understand early on what can be achieved with the new technology.
3 – New (or not previously used) data available: Here we are starting by looking at the new data. It can be customer interactions, IOT, network or any other data that has not been widely used before. Return to the same thinking: “what could we use our new <data> to solve?” and move into ideation.
Pros: You are expanding beyond the current capabilities and looking at new information for your business. The new insights can lead you into operating your business in new and better ways.
Cons: This requires an analytical competence to understand and make sense of what the data can really tell us. Mixing that with the needed business expertise can be challenging, but very rewarding if successful.
So to summarize, three different angles to approach Ideation, all three have advantages and disadvantages.
The important statement still stands:
All ideas must solve a customer or business problem/opportunity!
Have fun.