Creative problem solving (CPS) is the official name for a standard process that includes identifying a problem, generating alternative solutions, and selecting the best/right answer.
I consider it one of the best processes to do the things that get you recognized for being innovative.
Innovation Process
I do not believe you can create something that is an innovation, no more than a director can create a movie that is award-winning. The designation whether something is innovative or not is up to your audience and users.
However, you can try to do all the right things to make what you do remarkable so that way when your customers see and try it – they will declare it an innovation!
- Stay Informed -Stay Informed of your own business, of your customers, of your industry, of your competitors. [Articles about Staying Informed]
- Problem Recognition – Problem Recognition is critical. It is the ability to notice that change is about to take place. [Articles about Problem Recognition]
- Problem Identification – Once you realize you’ve got a problem the next step is to determine the cause of an issue. Identifying the root cause of a problem. [Articles about Problem Identification]
- Brainstorming – Idea generation. Thinking up new ideas. [Articles about Brainstorming]
- Decision Making – The process of reviewing all of the ideas generated and measuring them against the objectives of what you’re trying to solve. [Articles about Making Decisions]
- Plan Crafting – Writing your planned approach. This is the step where it all comes together. [Articles about Plan Crafting]
- Be The Champion – Ideas – especially new or those perceived as risky – need champions. Ambassadors to share the benefits of testing and implementing. [Articles about Being The Champion]
- Implement – Implementation is where all the pre-work comes together and action is taken. [Articles about Implementation]
- Return to Stay Informed
While a misnomer, I refer to this entire process as brainstorming. I find creative problem solving too jargon-like. Besides, everyone gets the basics of brainstorming.
Let’s jump into the key steps of the process!