Generate Higher Returns from Your Innovation Investments: 7 of 10

One way to establish market differentiation is through the introduction of innovative new products. Establishing that differentiation is one thing, but maintaining it is quite another. Here we have put together a ten part series on how to generate higher returns from your innovation investments. From our series of highly informational articles, companies will learn: how to treat innovation as a cross-functional business process, how to align innovation execution and business strategy; how to create sustainable innovation; how to train your senior executives to successfully execute innovation initiatives; how to effectively manage process and project management; how to measure performance of your processes; how to ensure broad stakeholder buy-in; how to understand the importance of product roadmaps; how to provide the tools necessary for successful product innovation; and finally, how to ensure that portfolio management coincides with process management. Here is one of the ten practices that leading innovators use to increase the payback from innovation spending: Ensuring Broad Stakeholder Buy-In.nnPlan Ahead to Ensure Broad Stakeholder Buy-In One of the most important best-practices for implementing a new innovation process and supporting tools is to first construct an internal communications plan. The goal should be wide-spread process adoption. Stakeholders need to understand how a structured process can help them more readily achieve innovation and business objectives. In addition, the plan should clearly identify the roles that process owners and other stakeholders must play to ensure that the new process is broadly and consistently used throughout the organization. The plan should include the following critical elements:n• Execution timelines, along with definitions of communication events,n• Target audiences,n• Key messages, andn• Desired outcomesnnAs the plan and processes are readily available to stakeholders and widely adopted, the business’s objectives become obvious, making it possible to achieve innovation and other important goals. Planning well in advance the processes that are set to ensure innovation will help further facilitate a company’s returns from innovation investments. For more information on the top practices that leading innovators use to increase their returns on innovation spending, look for the next article from our ten-part series: Understanding the Importance of Product Roadmaps.