How to create Innovation by Brainsteering and lead to the journey of One Million Acts of Innovation

How to create Innovation by Brainsteering and lead to the journey of One Million Acts of Innovation

In Kevin Coyne's new book titled Brainsteering: A Better Approach To Breakthrough Ideas he explains the process of generating new ideas.

Kevin Coyne respond to that question by providing in this volume an abundance of valuable information, insights, caveats, and recommendations that quickly identify the "what" and then focus intensively on the "why" and "how" of what they characterize as "a better approach to breakthrough ideas." Heaven knows there are dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of books already in print that make the same claim. My own opinion is that the Coynes' approach is comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective...and one of the best I have as yet encountered.

Change the way you think about new ideas by steering your creativity in new and more productive directions.

Ideas. Whether the goal is to create a billion-dollar business, fix a broken process, reduce expenses, or simply find the perfect gift for that special someone, we all need a steady stream of breakthrough ideas--and we've all learned from experience that traditional brainstorming doesn't generate them.

Former McKinsey consultants Kevin P. Coyne and Shawn T. Coyne have spent more than a decade developing a better approach--Brainsteering--that takes brainstorming and other outdated ideation techniques and "steers" them in a more productive direction by better reflecting the way human beings actually think and work in creative problem-solving situations. By introducing just the right amount of structure into the process, and asking just the right questions,
Peppered with thought-provoking and entertaining examples drawn from the workplace and popular culture, Brainsteering can help anyone develop breakthrough ideas, whether working alone on a one-time problem or turning an entire organization into an ongoing "idea factory." And getting started is easy: simply ask the right questions, and good ideas will follow.

BRAINSTEERING COMMITTEE

Brainsteering has an appendix that shares 104 questions to use when brainstorming a new business idea, including:

What's the biggest (avoidable) hassle that customers have to put up with?

Who doesn't understand how to use our product?

Who has modified our product most extensively after purchasing it?

How would our product change if it were tailored for every customer?

What complexity do we plan for every day that, if eliminated, could change the way we operate?

What would it take to bypass the least efficient part of our supply or distribution chain?

What activities might our customers prefer to do for themselves if only they could?

What entities benefit economically to the greatest extent from our presence, and what could they do to help us succeed?

This is recommended book for the creative and voracious thinker and for those who need a kick start to create innovation.

Retail Applications for Mobility and In-Store Wireless Networks

Retail Applications for Mobility and In-Store Wireless Networks

The Retail Industry has always had an intense focus on technology to accomplish the need to increase revenues and lower costs. Wireless technology has been a great enabler to connect people and devices to resources without any wirers. This has greatly improved and dramatically transformed the business process in supply chain, logistics, and inventory management, point of sale and loss prevention. With over 50% of consumers having a wireless enabled device (tablet, Netbooks, laptop, Smartphone) with them when they visit a store it's imperative that retailers consider the wireless network as an improvement in the customer experience. This will allow the consumer to use their devices for couponing, promotions, price checking and for husbands to pass time while their wife is scouring every aisle for deals. The is generation will be known as the explosion of mobile devices.

Retailers can benefit and dramatically improve their business processes in the following areas:

Mobile Point-of-Sale

The typical POS is a wired device located at the fixed cash register location. However, by using a mobile POS the store can use pop up stores within a store with its own cash desk or provide temporary cash desks during busy times. Large Box stores have a lot more room to locate temporary cash locations.

Inventory Management

Store associates can easily use wireless bar code scanners to do inventory management tasks. Store associates with handheld computer devices can check for stock and inform customers if the product is in the back or if it's at another store location. Easy access to information can boost sales as customers are informed real-time and can decide accordingly.

Customer Service

Price Verification kiosks are a blessing for harried shoppers especially when one cannot find a salesperson in the store. These devices are always bolted on some wall or pillar and by not having to use any wiring makes them easy to set up and install. Another kiosk is the self-help kiosk that has a touch screen display making it super easy to look up products or to even find out where they are locate. "Press for Help" buttons that are wireless driven can also be used and I get a kick out of the device then transmitting onto the paging system "help needed in the wire cutting aisle".

Wireless Voice Communication

Walky Talkys are being replaced by wireless telephones and inventory scanners that are voice enabled. Now price check are quick and easy making for faster checkouts and telephone callers can be transferred to sales agents out on the floor to check stock or to ask questions.

RFID and Location Tracking

RFID is gaining ground and is extremely useful in automating inventory management and in some cases manages loss prevention of big ticket items. Typically the tags are read when leaving the warehouse or returning to the warehouse and assist in tracking of goods, but RFID nametags can now track store personnel. If you sneak outside for a cigarette don't' forget to leave your tag inside the store.

Wireless Video

Video is becoming a huge tool for loss prevention personnel with the proliferation of cameras feeding back to TV screens and digital recorders. Digital signage can now be placed anywhere and simply connected to the central server. Wireless LAN speeds are fast enough to support video streaming easily.

Consumer Guest Internet Access

Retailers need to start offering internet access to its customers. How else can they connect to do price checks, simple in-store research or to obtain coupons. Location tracking has become more precise that I can be walking down the cereal aisle at the grocery store and a pop up ad for "Cheerios" could pop up on my iPod Touch or on my iPhone. I don't need to use my data plan bandwidth but can use the wifi network to its advantage. If my wife drags me out to the mall, I could sit with the retirees and enjoy a coffee while keeping busy playing on-line poker and checking out all the silly cat you tube videos. No Wifi,…No Shopping!!!

Naturally, today's networks are safe, secure and are PCI compliant and truly do lower IT costs while helping increase revenues and the customer user experience.

Reaping the Benefits of Unified Communications

The complexity of today's business environment is nothing short of remarkable. Global workforces, deeply intertwined supply chains, e-commerce, pervasive mobility and social media have radically transformed the workplace and served up enormous and growing communication challenges.

 

Today, many organizations—and their CIOs—are struggling to enable comprehensive and seamless collaboration across platforms, systems and devices. Although voice communication isn't going away, it's increasingly critical to build networks that also accommodate data and merge the two worlds in a transparent way.

Enter unified communications (UC). Although the technology has existed for years and a large number of enterprises have already put it into play, many CIOs are now exploring ways to ratchet up the capabilities to match today's digital workplace. Among other things, they're hoping to enhance collaboration tools, social media, messaging capabilities and mobile interaction across a wide range of applications and situations.

Unified Communications (UC) can help businesses succeed in many ways. It provides a technology platform to integrate, track, and manage phone, email, instant messaging, and more within a single, cohesive and user-friendly technology framework. 

Organizations can use UC to improve their customer service and outreach, track and route ongoing interactions, and make communications brilliantly simple no matter the device or location.

UC becomes a triple WIN for the employees that are reaping the benefits of this technology.