Accelerating Innovation [Part 1]

Ok, this isn't a full on post tonight, it late, I got a job interview tomorrow and I'm just not motivated to do this justice, but just so that you know I am serious about this and will do a proper post with pictures and all that crap later this week... this is stream of consciousness so that you know I'm still alive.

So, just to give you a taster of what I am thinking...

Applications Innovation and Strategy may get dreamt up at the top in the ivory towers, but it manifests itself and has it's roots deeply embedded in the doers of an organisation and this is the best place for innovation and strategy to be delivered from.

In order for a company to be receptive to innovation and to enable strategy to bubble up and make a difference it needs help, or rather what it doesn't need is blockers.

Blockers come in all shapes and size, just like people... in fact on the whole, blockers are people or at leats that is the manifestation of the stifling of innovation or the misdirection of a strategy.

Specifically applications strategy is a slippery fish.. these days the large service and consultancy firms operate in a closed room called "delivering business outcomes". Now this as a concept is fine, actually it's great but should read "delivering business outcomes supported by innovative technology solutions". By not stating this they are basically saying that the aim is to deliver business outcomes despite the technology or the people etc. The real key to innovation and to delivering business outcomes effectively is the use of innovation and the strategy being founded in technological brilliance. Do this and you excite the customer and the user, you become better than great and you just add value to business outcomes without flinching.

Top 5 simple pointers for implementing an applications strategy....

1. Don't let the strategy owner be someone who has a blinkered approach or lack of general apps experience
2. Make sure that the strategy is formed quickly (1-2 months max) and communicated effectively
3. Always have clear buy-in and active support from the board and senior management, if you don't have this then the strategy is dead and so is your career here.

Lastly (for today), only let someone create an applications strategy that is alive and feels the pulse of the the new applications world in their veins, someone that:

• Has a clue about ClueTrain
• Understands Web2.0->web3.0
• Doesnt need SOA explaining to them
• Laughs at Hugh's cartoons
• See value in blogs
• Checks their RSS feeds in a web-based reader at least daily

A person without time or inclination, without passion, without a pulse on applications innovation, someone head-down in the monolithic applications of the 1990's and early 2000's will not suffice and will not produce what your customers need...

If you need innovation and you want a 21st century applications strategy then do this:

• Hire yourself someone who gives afuck
• Build yourself an Innovation Hose (topic on a future blog post)
• Fit a Customer Sprinkler to the end of it (topic on a future blog post)

Good night...

software strategy strategy applications strategy innovation software innovation