ebiodesign

NEEDS SCREENING

Successful entrepreneurs do not wait until ‘the muse kisses them’ and gives them ‘a bright idea’:  they go to work….  Those entrepreneurs who start out with the idea that they’ll make it big – and in a hurry – can be guaranteed failure.
—Peter Drucker

I find out what the world needs. Then, I go ahead and invent it. 
—Thomas Edison

After the winnowing of many needs, a rigorous follow-on process of screening and specification is required before you begin inventing―the deep dive.  This is not necessarily an intuitive skill for most; typically, bright people will encounter a clinical need and proceed directly to devising solutions without first validating their chosen focus.  In fact, careful scrutiny of all facets of the need is essential.  While serial innovators may do this intuitively, a formal process is recommended for those with less experience. 

By the end of this deep dive, the innovation team should have become absolutely expert on the problem, with a detailed specification of the need—both “must haves” and “desirables.”  It is only through the rigorous deep dive process that the real importance of a need can be determined.  Only then is it worth investing intellectual capital and the other resources needed to pursue a solution.