Are you a Problem Solver?

ARE YOU A PROBLEM SOLVER?

PURPOSE:  This white paper defines a new business practice that can be hosted on i-Lab, i-Lab 365 and Brite Idea Lab Match platforms.

DISCOVERY:   This discovery was the result of Corporate Foundry’s efforts to interview and consult with multiple Corporate Innovation Centers, plus Innovation consulting companies providing Corporation Innovation services.

THE ISSUE:   A new generation of corporate innovation has evolved over the last decade that expands the mining of ideas and discovery of tech inventions to the broader scope of identifying “Problems” to solve.

BUSINESS PRACTICE:   The Problem Solving Business practice relates to the identification of a “need” or “problem” and then developing a total “solution” to that problem.

The Problem Solving business practice recognizes the scale of the solution suite often requires multiple products from multiple vendors.  It also recognizes the solution may require both internal and external resources to solve.   The solution may even require mergers and acquisitions to solve the internal problem, supply chain or external marketplace issues.   The Problem Solving Business Practice is not a one size fits “all” methodology.

BUSINESS PROCESS:   Step 1 relates to the actual identification of the problem.  Step 2 relates to the receiving and validation of problems.  Step 3 relates to the identification of a Solution.    This recognizes solutions are not necessarily from one vendor, or require related collateral changes.  Sourcing a solution suite internally and/or from the external broad market is Step 4.   This is followed by Step 5 costing and return on investment to include management approvals.   Step 6 is implementation and Step 7 is lifecycle management.

SCALE:   This recognizes one problem – one vendor/s solutions can and will still happen.    Pick the best vendor and “Go.”   However, most vendors sell products – not solutions.   Therefore, most often applying the best product/s to a problem defaults to the Client.

THE CHALLENGE:   How to effectively and efficiently organize a Corporate Problem Solving Infrastructure to manage the collection, capture and deploy the solution implementation, plus produce quantifiable results.

Today’s new digital business climate is advantageous because digital engagement enables global teams and resources to be utilized online for each problem solution project.  There are no boundaries and speed-to-solution is advantageous to accelerate cost savings or new revenue opportunities.

THE DIGITAL PROBLEM SOLVING PLAYERS

1. PSO:   Problem Solving Organization.   This can be a Corporate Innovation Center, Group within a Corporate Innovation center,  or an outside consulting firm with a Problem Solving Practice – like Innovations Domain.
2. PST: Problem Solving Team.   This is the group responsible for a specific Problem/Solution.  The Problem Solutions Team is “healthcare real-time care”
3. PSS: Problem Solving Submitter:   This is the employee, affiliate, department or outside customer, vendor who submits the “Problem”
4. PSP: Problem Solving Provider:   This relates to solution products and services.   I have telemedicine technology, IOT video health screening…..`etc.
5. PSL and PSM: Problem Solving Leader and Members.    Within each formed Problem Solving TEAM there is always a Leader and often corporate team mentors or members.  They are key components in evaluating, managing and sourcing additional resources to solve the problem and package for corporate approval leading to implementation.

i-LAB, i-LAB 365 and Brite Idea Lab enable Corporations, Innovation Consulting firms and even large member organizations  to set-up Problem-Solving Groups within their organization.

Step 1.    The Corporation, Innovation Center, Consulting Firm or Organization set-up their PSO Profile for their Central Problem Solving Organization.  The Organization profile  defines their purpose, scope, contacts, plus Match Criteria specifying their focus and “Sweet-Spot.”   The Member Type is Problem Solving Organization (PSO).

Then, create a Sub-Profile for each existing and new Problem Solving Center (Team)  that will be added in the future.   The Team Sub-Profiles will have a Description of each team’s problem solving mission, contact and match criteria defining the specific focus of each specific Problem Solving Team.  The Sub Profile Member Type is Problem Solving Team (PST).

Step 2.   Call for Problem Submissions from internal employees, external affiliates, or suppliers.  A variety of internal campaigns and solicitations can call for the submission of “Problems” from the trenches.  Links to Scripts can be deployed for special instances to capture the Identity of the submitter and definition of the Problem.

The end result is the creation of a Problem Submitter Profile identifying “who” the Submitter’s  Identity.  The Submitter may already have a profile as an employee or member and that is OK.   Profile Member type is Employee, Member or in some cases Problem Submitter

In all cases, a Sub-Profile is created to define the scope of the Problem, Contacts and Match Criteria defining the Where/Who/What criteria related to the problem being submitted.   Sub-Profile Member Type is Problem

Step 3.    Call for Solution Provider Submissions from internal employees, external affiliates, or suppliers.  A variety of internal campaigns and solicitations can call for the submission of “Solutions”   Scripts can be deployed for special instances to capture the Identity of the submitter and definition of the potential solution.

The end result is the creation of a Solutions Submitter Profile and/or Sub-Profile, defining the scope of the Solution, contacts and Match Criteria defining the Where/Who/What criteria related to the solution.

Key here is recognition that they can be part of multiple Problem Solving Teams – who may be looking for that specific element as a part of their overall solution suite.

The Profile Member Type for the solution provider may be Employee, Affiliate, Member or Solution Provider,  as appropriate.     The Member Type for the Sub Profile is Problem Solution Provider. (PSP)

Step 4.  The creation of a Profile or Sub-Profile for the Team Leader or Team Members.  Problem Solving Team Members use the Profile Feature to define WHO they are and then build a Sub-Profile for every Problem Solving TEAM they participate with.  The Member Type is either Problem Solving Leader (PSL) or Problem Solving Member (PSM).

MATCH SECRET SAUCE

What makes MATCH unique is the fact that you control YOU.  You define WHERE you want to match (global, national, local), WHO you want to match with within your Match community and with other Match communities and WHAT you want to match on.   This is based on the premise that YOU know best what you WANT or HAVE to share or sell.

You also have the ability with “one click” to Turn-On or Off your Match Criteria and the Match engine will deliver you matches 24/7.   Everytime you open your back office or change you criteria – matches will be delivered based on your specifications.

The most powerful component of your Match Criteria is the WHAT.    Keywords and Tags are matched with keywords and tags from others.   Wants and Needs you define are Matches with  HAVEs to Share or Sell.   Job or Skill openings are Matched with Job or Skill Needs.    Finally, Categories are matched with Categories.

Slide out arrays provide helpful hints and clicking posts them automatically in you Match specifications

You can weight the elements in your Match to give them more importance in your match algorithm,  Howeer,  the key is the Match Engine delivers the highest scoring matches first and also will NEVER duplicates that have been filed or trashed.

Match Status Pop-Ups make it easy to see and tune your matches to get your desired results.   Once set you can set and forget knowing the next time you open yoiur dashboard – the very latest Matches will be waiting in your In-Box.

MATCH PLATFORM COLLABORATION TOOLS

Once the Problem Solving ecosystem has gone digital defined above – it is time to “connect the dots” and manage the Problem Solving process.

Dashboard:   Match and Search Candidates are sent to an Outlook-type dashboard where Pane 2 is the match/search candidate IN-BOX.   Pane 1 is the Folder pane where members create their folders they name to file “finds.”   Pane 3 is the read pane for WORKING Pane 2 candidates.

“Work” Your Finds.    Working Pane 2 is where the i-LAB and Brite Idea Lab Match Platforms excel.  Matches are de-duped never delivering matches trashed, or filed, a second time.   Creating folders for multiple projects, or candidates is essential for cataloging and dispatching to the Problem Solving Teams.

Colleagues.   Candidates delivered by Match or Search in Pane 2 can be saved as Colleagues and also colleagues can be organized in folders you name.  This is where you set up your Team members and candidates for problem submissions or solutions.

Sharing:   One or multiple Matches can be shared with one or multiple colleagues or team members with one or two clicks.

Follow:    Candidates can Follow Submitters, Providers and team members.  Unlike most social media members can track Follow requests, accepts and revokes.

Contact:  The back office recognizes that communicating to the Match and Search “finds” is essential.  Tool bars facilitate “One-Click” email launches, plus the creation of contact lists

Digital Footprint.   So, what we have defined is the digital infrastructure for organizing and managing a Problem Solving business process consisting of multiple teams to include internal and optionally external resources

CONNECTING TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD  

Corporate Foundry provides two (2)  Corporate Innovation Solution with i-LAB, providing a private branded cloud stack, and i-LAB 365 providing a public server stack hosting multiple Corporations where Match and Search is only within each corporation.

Both corporate innovation Match Platform options facilitate connecting to the outside Entrepreneur Technology-centric ecosystem through Brite Idea Lab.    This is accomplished by simply setting the i-LAB WHO Match Criteria option for Brite Idea Lab to “Green.”    The same logic applies to Solution providers, hosted in Brite Idea Lab.  who have a solution and want to connect with Corporations  and Organizations.

Verbal collaboration within the Problem Solver Network.   What is defined in the above is the digital architecture provided by creating digital identities in the Corporate Innovation and/or Entrepreneurial ecosystem match platform.  This facilitates the set-up and sourcing key resources based on each member self-posting what they WANT  or HAVE (Match targeting).

This digital infrastructure facilitates the VERBAL engagement between teams to define requirements, to-do’s, resources required to “Solve the Problem” in a timely fashion.  Platforms to facilitate online team meetings to manage the commercialization process are Microsoft Teams, Zoom and GoToMeeting – Groups.

The ability to set-up and manage a digital Corporate Innovation Problem-Solving Business Practice is here and available today.   The new business practice can established by Corporations, Innovation Centers, Organizations, and even outsources through selected C-Suite Innovation consultants.

For more information on adding the Problem Solving business practice please do not hesitate to contact Corporate Foundry,  or Larry White at lwhiteatl@gmail.com