Innovation Fast Track to Success

Andy Bruce is widely acclaimed as an authority in innovation management – covering the creative and innovation process from ideas to implementation. He has worked with corporate and public sector clients over the last 15 years to help improve performance and profitability through the introduction of what he refers to as an integrated innovation framework.

In the late 1990s, Andy founded two companies specializing in innovation and project management. The first, SofTools, develops web-based applications to enable management visibility, control and confidence over their pipeline of new ideas and their portfolio of implementation projects. The second, Project Leaders International, provides consulting and training services to assist the adoption of innovation and project management best practices.

Andy previously worked as a management consultant, focusing on the design and implementation of organizational change. Clients included corporates such as EDS, Nokia and Coca-Cola, as well as UK public service organizations such as the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defence, Trust hospitals and even political parties.

Before working as a consultant, he served a short service commission with the Army, (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) and worked in a variety of engineering and commercial roles for a manufacturer of computer-driven production machinery – his last two years as a company director working on market research projects in Australia.

Andy gained a BSc at Southampton University in 1981 and an MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management in 1990. He is also currently Programme Director of the International Business Accelerator programme at Henley Business School.

He has written a total of eight business books, including the bestselling Strategic Thinking and Project Management titles in the Dorling Kindersley Essential Manager series.

David Birchall is a Professor at Henley Business School and has developed innovative management programs, and researched and advised organizations on innovation performance. He has worked on projects in many European countries and spoken extensively at conferences in the United States and Asia. With George Tovstiga, David co-authored Capabilities for Strategic Advantage: Leading Through Technological Innovation. His current research focuses on capabilities in business building.

The Fast Track way     ix

About the authors     xii

A word of thanks from the authors     xiv

Innovation Fast Track     xvi

How to use this book     xx

Fast-Track-Me.com     xxi

A AWARENESS     1

1 Innovation in a nutshell     5

2 Innovation audit     17

B BUSINESS FAST TRACK     29

3 Fast Track top ten     33

4 Technologies     61

5 Implementing change     79

C CAREER FAST TRACK     93

6 The first ten weeks     97

7 Leading the team     115

8 Getting to the top     139

D DIRECTOR’S TOOLKIT     155

T1 Team innovation audit     159

T2 Integrated innovation framework     165

T3 Market and competitor scanning     169

T4 Creativity techniques     177

T5 Innovation project checklist     181

The Fast Track way     187

Glossary     189

Index     199

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