bonkers beans and magic numbers innovation in a changing world Holly Cummins Senior Technical Staff Member IBM @holly_cummins
A presentation at DIGITExpo in November 2021 in Edinburgh, UK by Holly Cummins
bonkers beans and magic numbers innovation in a changing world Holly Cummins Senior Technical Staff Member IBM @holly_cummins
a senior principal author ex-consultant in IBM Garage led development methodology for IBM Garage ex-delivery lead for WebSphere Liberty #IBM @holly_cummins
used Watson to count pet fish (for a pet retailer) #IBM @holly_cummins
there’s an application server running in my hat #IBM @holly_cummins
world’s rst cuddly throwable application server #IBM fi @holly_cummins
a senior principal author ex-consultant in IBM Garage led development methodology for IBM Garage ex-delivery lead for WebSphere Liberty now: innovation leader #IBM @holly_cummins
why aren’t we all innovating more? #IBM @holly_cummins
barriers to innovation #IBM @holly_cummins
ideas time money
a time machine
a money tree
how to make time to innovate (without a money tree) (or a time machine) #IBM @holly_cummins
dedicated department x% time allocation hackathons off-plan post-release weeks slack in the system #IBM @holly_cummins
centrally planned dedicated department x% time allocation hackathons off-plan post-release weeks slack in the system grassroots #IBM @holly_cummins
innovation team #IBM @holly_cummins
george washington carver #IBM @holly_cummins
george washington carver #IBM @holly_cummins
george washington carver #IBM @holly_cummins
“Everything looked hungry: the land, the cotton, the cattle, and the people.” george washington carver #IBM @holly_cummins
#IBM @holly_cummins
peas soy beans peanuts (a peanut is a bean, not a nut) #IBM @holly_cummins
cotton #IBM peanuts @holly_cummins
peanuts #IBM cotton @holly_cummins
cotton #IBM peanuts @holly_cummins
peanuts are nutritious! cotton #IBM peanuts @holly_cummins
peanuts are nutritious! salted peanuts cotton #IBM peanuts @holly_cummins
peanuts are nutritious! salted peanuts chocolate covered peanuts cotton #IBM peanuts @holly_cummins
peanuts are nutritious! salted peanuts chocolate covered peanuts … cotton #IBM peanuts @holly_cummins
cotton #IBM peas @holly_cummins
year 1 cotton #IBM peas @holly_cummins
year 2 cotton #IBM peas @holly_cummins
year 3 cotton #IBM peas @holly_cummins
year 4 cotton #IBM peas @holly_cummins
innovation garden #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” innovation garden #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” innovation garden innovation program #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” ££/time innovation garden innovation program #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program #IBM @holly_cummins
rest of team #IBM innovation team @holly_cummins
year 1 rest of team #IBM innovation team @holly_cummins
year 2 rest of team #IBM innovation team @holly_cummins
year 3 rest of team #IBM innovation team @holly_cummins
year 4 rest of team #IBM innovation team @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program ideas bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program ideas problems bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program ideas problems implementation bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
a change is as good as a rest (not quite a time machine, but close) #IBM @holly_cummins
10%/once a quarter/etc #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: really? #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: low take-up #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: low take-up our time #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: low take-up day to day work our time #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: low take-up the dream innovation day to day work our time #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: low take-up the reality innovation day to day work our time #IBM @holly_cummins
hackathon #IBM @holly_cummins
good news, staff - you now have the opportunity to innovate in the evenings and weekends! #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: taking time from employees #IBM good news, staff - you now have the opportunity to innovate in the evenings and weekends! @holly_cummins
“employee passion” … can be a excuse to extract extra work for the same pay #IBM @holly_cummins
off-plan post-release weeks #IBM @holly_cummins
since you’ve been working your socks off on this release, we will give you time off! … you still come to work, but you can work on anything you like #IBM @holly_cummins
advantage: everyone is ‘off’ at the same time #IBM @holly_cummins
slack in the system … so that employees can play #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: only works in some environments day-to-day pressure bogs us down #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: needs strong management commitment to low productivity #IBM @holly_cummins
downside: needs strong management commitment to ‘low’ productivity #IBM @holly_cummins
metrics may need adjustment to allow for fun #IBM @holly_cummins
the importance of bonkers #IBM @holly_cummins
“recklessly lateral thinking” – Kathy Sullivan (my boss)
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives innovation garden innovation program ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives lateral “fresh air” innovation garden innovation program ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” recognition ££/time /incentives lateral “fresh air” innovation garden external ideas innovation program learning ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
the best ideas are on the edge of ‘impossible’ and ‘stupid’ #IBM @holly_cummins
the best ideas are on the edge of ‘impossible’ and ‘stupid’ … but now seem kind of normal #IBM @holly_cummins
pet rocks #IBM @holly_cummins
bicycles “the popularity of the wheel is doomed.” Washington Post, 1906 #IBM @holly_cummins
laptops “People don’t want to lug a computer with them to the beach or on a train to while away hours they would rather spend reading the newspaper. Somehow, the microcomputer industry has assumed that everyone would love to have a keyboard grafted on as an extension of their ngers. It just is not so.” New York Times, 1985 @holly_cummins fi #IBM
putting cheese on burgers “the combination of beef with cheese may seem bizarre.” New York Times, 1947 #IBM @holly_cummins
plant pitch meeting rules are there to be broken (even in nature) #IBM plant VC@holly_cummins
so it’s a plant, but it hunts and eats animals plant pitch meeting rules are there to be broken (even in nature) #IBM plant VC@holly_cummins
so it’s a plant, but it hunts and eats animals plant pitch meeting get out. rules are there to be broken (even in nature) #IBM plant VC@holly_cummins
how do we tell the difference between ‘almost impossible and stupid’ and ‘actually impossible and stupid’? #IBM @holly_cummins
how do we tell the difference between ‘almost impossible and stupid’ and ‘actually impossible and stupid’? mvp #IBM @holly_cummins
minimum viable plant #IBM @holly_cummins
minimum viable product #IBM @holly_cummins
designing an mvp #IBM @holly_cummins
#IBM @holly_cummins
mvp #IBM mvp mvp @holly_cummins
mvp mvp mvp are we communicating? #IBM @holly_cummins
mvp mvp mvp are we communicating? (no) #IBM @holly_cummins
#IBM @holly_cummins
our MVP has been through five architecture review boards, so we will start coding soon #IBM @holly_cummins
our MVP has been through five architecture review boards, so we will start coding soon can you make it bigger? I want a £12M MVP #IBM @holly_cummins
mvp #IBM mvp mvp @holly_cummins
first release experiment first release but quality is so boring be explicit about what we are trying to accomplish #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty #IBM moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) @holly_cummins
high uncertainty moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis #IBM moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment able to fail #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment designed to fail #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment designed to fail strong metrics #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment designed to fail strong metrics learning #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) experiment designed to fail strong metrics learning follow-on experiment #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis experiment designed to fail moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) radical descoping strong metrics learning follow-on experiment #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis experiment designed to fail moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) radical descoping really hope to succeed strong metrics learning follow-on experiment #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis experiment designed to fail moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) radical descoping really hope to succeed user value strong metrics learning follow-on experiment #IBM @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis experiment designed to fail moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) radical descoping user value strong metrics learning follow-on experiment #IBM really hope to succeed iterative continuous expansion of scope @holly_cummins
high uncertainty hypothesis experiment designed to fail moderate uncertainty (remember ‘changing world’?) radical descoping user value strong metrics learning follow-on experiment #IBM really hope to succeed iterative continuous expansion of scope @holly_cummins
vanity metrics “magic numbers” #IBM @holly_cummins
vanity metrics we have data! but the numbers can’t tell us what actions to take “magic numbers” #IBM @holly_cummins
client story: mueller #IBM @holly_cummins
client story: mueller visual designs #IBM @holly_cummins
client story: mueller visual designs #IBM user research @holly_cummins
client story: mueller visual designs #IBM user research devops @holly_cummins
client story: mueller responsive web app visual designs #IBM user research devops @holly_cummins
client story: mueller responsive web app visual designs #IBM user research devops TDD @holly_cummins
client story: mueller responsive web app visual designs #IBM user research deployed to prod devops TDD @holly_cummins
client story: mueller responsive web app visual designs #IBM user research deployed to prod devops TDD order processing system @holly_cummins
client story: mueller responsive web app visual designs #IBM user research deployed to prod devops TDD order processing system @holly_cummins
wizard of Oz mvp #IBM @holly_cummins
innovation funnels #IBM @holly_cummins
#IBM @holly_cummins
prune out the bad ideas early #IBM @holly_cummins
#IBM @holly_cummins
innovation funnel #IBM @holly_cummins
idea #IBM innovation funnel @holly_cummins
idea innovation funnel production #IBM @holly_cummins
idea innovation railroad innovation funnel production #IBM @holly_cummins
idea innovation railroad innovation funnel organisational incentive to plough on; failure is punished production #IBM @holly_cummins
idea innovation railroad innovation funnel organisational incentive to plough on; failure is punished production #IBM @holly_cummins
innovation railroad idea innovation funnel innovation zzle organisational incentive to plough on; failure is punished production @holly_cummins fi #IBM
innovation railroad idea organisational incentive to plough on; failure is punished innovation funnel innovation zzle most projects the same length few get to production incentive for ‘innovation activity’ production @holly_cummins fi #IBM
organisational incentive to plough on; failure is punished innovation funnel ltering for ‘sure thing’ focus on risk reduction bureaucracy paperwork innovation zzle most projects the same length few get to production incentive for ‘innovation activity’ production #IBM @holly_cummins fi fi innovation railroad idea
we may not truly understand the problem we are trying to solve until after our first attempt #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” ££/time recognition /incentives lateral “fresh air” innovation garden external ideas innovation program learning ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” ££/time recognition /incentives lateral “fresh air” innovation garden external ideas feedback innovation program learning ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
risk
if you’re on the edge of impossible and stupid, some things won’t work #IBM @holly_cummins
is your org supportive of this?
is your org supportive of this?
is your org supportive of this? it means you are asking questions you didn’t already know the answer to
peanut bread peanut sausage peanut coffee peanut paint peanut nitroglycerine
peanut bread peanut sausage peanut coffee peanut paint peanut nitroglycerine
top down “fertilisation” ££/time recognition /incentives lateral “fresh air” innovation garden external ideas feedback innovation program learning ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
top down “fertilisation” psychological ££/time safety recognition /incentives lateral “fresh air” innovation garden external ideas feedback innovation program learning ideas problems implementation energy bottom up “grassroots” #IBM @holly_cummins
“I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” – Thomas Edison #IBM @holly_cummins
“I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” – Thomas Edison #IBM @holly_cummins
innovation is everywhere; we just need to let it grow #IBM @holly_cummins
® @holly_cummins
