In the final part of our implementation series, we’ll take a look at why some great ideas never reach it to the finishing line and, more importantly, what you can do to make sure more of them actually do. This way, you’ll know how to implement ideas from an ideation workshop, turn them into great proposals, and end up with a viable concept for a successful product.
Why some ideas don't come to fruition
Ideation is an exciting process. The possibilities are endless. The sky is the limit. The sticking point is that people often deal with ideal scenarios at this point. Ideation identifies the consumer’s needs and generates ways to meet them, but the process takes place in a vacuum.
As a result, there is often a disconnect between what should be and what is. When the team breaks the huddle and each member goes their separate ways, that’s when reality sets in. People start realising that there might be legal issues that were not considered or design implications that might make mass production impossible or at least impractical.
What happens to the list of great ideas from the workshop? Nothing. It stays exactly what it is – a list of great ideas.
So, how to implement ideas from an ideation workshop? Let’s look at steps to take to keep those ideas moving along the creation pipeline.
#6: Involve the Powers
Involve the powers that be
Finally, make sure that decision-makers are aware of what is happening at every phase of the development process. Managers and other members of the leadership team are privy to information that is not accessible to the staff and can offer valuable insights or intervene where necessary, especially if anything comes up that can impact the business.
How to implement ideas from an ideation workshop: A recap
It takes a village to turn an idea into something concrete. Innovation is a collaborative process that requires the involvement of the creatives, technical specialists, corporate bigwigs, and everyone in between. But make sure that you run every ideation workshop with the clear intention to turn the ideas proposed into reality. After all, there’s no point creating an idea bank if all of the ideas get laid to waste. You can also check out other tips for your implementational challenges.