Build an Innovation Team: Final Steps

  Agile   Innovation   Scrum   Teams  

As more organizations bump up against the challenge of activating internal innovation teams, numerous new solutions have emerged. We have tried several of them, studied the efforts of organizations to implement them, and looked at the patterns by which successful innovation teams succeed. From this experience we have pinpointed seven critical steps to building an effective innovation team from within. We presented the first two steps—Remove Organizational Friction and Assemble a Cross-functional Team—in “Start Building an Innovation Team” and the third step in “Build Team Commitment to a Goal.” In this article, we conclude our series with Steps 4 though 7, which include using metrics and data to track the most important things; building a scorecard everyone can see; establishing a rapid rhythm; and generating positive velocity.

Step 4: Use Metrics and Data to Track the Most Important Things

The “measures” in your V2MOM define the most important things your team should be working on now to advance toward your vision. The next step is to put metrics against each of these measures, divide them up among team members, and start tracking your progress with hard data.

Every innovation approach being adopted today advocates using metrics and data to track the most important things. Google, for example, applies an approach they call “objectives and key results” (OKRs). It plays…

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