It is frequent to find "Ideas banks" in the organizations that are working in accelerating its innovation efficiency. A big database with lots of ideas saved inside, to avoid losing them.
Of course, having an Ideas bank is a good idea.
The philosophy behind them is that there are many ideas not suited for the present moment. Their time is not arrived yet. They have to wait. We have to save them for now and wake up them in the future, when the conditions of the market (or our own capabilities) are the ideal ones. In that future, we can re-activate them and start its execution with greater chances of success.
But, although having an Ideas bank is a good practice, there is another one even better: having a Problems bank.
¿What is a Problems bank?
A Problems bank is a storage containing not-solved-problems. Exciting challenges. Unmet needs.
This bank is full of problems that are both, important for someone close to us (clients, users, employees, etc.) and not solved yet. Some of them even seems to be "impossible to solve".
Why is so important to have a Problems bank?
Because:
1. Identify an unsolved problem is the MOST important part of an innovation process. The total quality of the innovation effort rely on the quality of the question being solved. A great idea solving an irrelevant problem just deviate the innovation teams efforts. Its a waste of time and resources.
2. Sometimes somebody have an "illumination moment" about the user needs or the market rules. This "true" must be recorded, saved, secured, because if you don´t do that, this understanding can be lost. You don´t have to know how to take advantage of the insight found right now. You just have to be proud of having a new valuable knowledge that, with high probability, your competitors doesn´t have. Later on, you can work on it to find solutions. With a good question, ideas always come.
What type of information can go into a Problems bank?
- Unsolved needs of primary stakeholders (or possible future stakeholders)
- Opportunities to sophisticate or simplify an experience (for example an user experience)
- Barriers obstructing the efficiency or the productivity of the organization
Now, every time you feel the need to store ideas, think what problem is solving that brilliant idea and save that problem in your Problems bank (Obviously, you must save your idea too).
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