The top reasons innovation projects and programs flop

A nice piece of reading and learning, by an experienced Program Manager.

BY KAREEM SHAKER, PMI-RMP, PMP

Innovation does not guarantee success. Many top-notch organizations have launched innovative product-development projects that were broadly marketed and hugely funded but turned out to be fiascoes. Remember Microsoft Zune, Google Wave and Apple Maps? None of these much-trumpeted products met its predicted impact. Just because your project intends to deliver a one-of-a-kind product or service does not mean your customers will buy into it. Here are the common pitfalls of innovation projects and programs—and how to avoid them.

Insufficient Governance 

Though innovation can never rest on one person’s shoulders alone, it does require a centralized role that can be held accountable in case the project or program proves unproductive. Most organizations do not have a dedicated chief innovation officer who drives the innovation practice and owns the ideation and implementation processes.

The innovation framework must receive buy-in at the executive level. This framework should cover ideation; filtering ideas; selecting, balancing and prioritizing the ideas portfolio; and delivering the end result. The framework must be rigorously followed and governed, using a set of key indicators that should be periodically reviewed by a steering committee and board of directors. Without proper governance, innovation projects and programs can end up being futile, with responsibility thinly spread across different teams.

Fuzzy Goals 

A sense of purpose is the main driver for your team to innovate, so make sure team members understand the goal behind the innovation project. Passion won’t spark unless the team believes in the project or program. That means moving beyond project parameters and communicating the strategy driving the desired innovation. A precise goal—clearly stated and discussed—is an essential antidote to innovation failure.

Customer Disregard 

If there is a common root of failed innovations, it is ignoring customer feedback during the innovation process. Disregarding this key stakeholder feedback has led to poor adoption or weak sales time and again. Maybe the product isn’t intuitive to use. Or it’s overpriced or unrealistically bold. Many projects and programs fall victim to these pitfalls because organizations overlook customer feedback early in the product-development process. These stakeholders can be the best source of insight and ideas, and their feedback on the innovation journey is a crucial forecast of the long-term viability of the product.

Perfection Seeking 

An innovative product with a decent number of features that’s ready to be launched today is definitely more advantageous than one that will be ready in a year’s time with more bells and whistles. Trying to gold-plate the product may wind up paralyzing the project, as scope creeps ever outward. Seeking perfection can also inflate project costs, lengthen time to market and make you lose customers who are ready to buy your product now. The first-generation iPhone operating system, for example, lacked copy-and-paste functionality, but Apple made the bold decision not to include it in the first version. PM

Kareem Shaker, PMI-RMP, PMP, is a senior manager, project and enterprise risk, at Dubai World, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He can be followed on Twitter at @kareemshaker.