The following methods belong to the standard repertoire of innovation management. Each technique suits particular phases and problem types.
The best-known creativity technique: a group collects as many ideas as possible on a clearly stated question, without criticism. Quantity comes before quality; evaluation happens only later.
Process
- State the question clearly and openly
- Set the rules: no criticism, free association, build on ideas
- Collect ideas and capture them visibly
- Only afterwards cluster and evaluate
Use case: Early idea phase, broad idea collection in a team.
A written variant of brainstorming: six participants each note three ideas and pass the sheet on after every round to develop the others’ ideas further. In five rounds this can produce up to 108 ideas — even in quiet or hierarchical groups.
Process
- Six participants each receive a form
- Everyone notes three ideas on the question
- After a few minutes pass the sheet clockwise
- Build on the existing ideas — five rounds
Use case: Equal-voice idea generation, mixed or reserved teams.
An iterative, user-centred approach to developing products and services. Across the phases understand, observe, define point of view, ideate, prototype and test, solutions are developed close to real user needs and tested early.
Process
- Understand & observe: research user needs
- Define the point of view: pin down the problem
- Ideate: generate ideas
- Build a prototype and test it with users — iterate
Use case: User-centred product and service innovation.
SCAMPER is a questioning technique that systematically changes existing products or processes. The acronym stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other use, Eliminate, Reverse — seven prompts to generate new variants.
Process
- Choose the starting object or process
- Work through each SCAMPER prompt (substitute, combine …)
- Note the answers as ideas
- Pursue the most promising variants
Use case: Improving existing products, processes and services.
TRIZ (the theory of inventive problem solving) is a systematic methodology derived from analysing thousands of patents. It resolves technical contradictions using 40 inventive principles and a contradiction matrix, rather than relying on trial and error.
Process
- Formulate the problem as a technical contradiction
- Identify the improving and worsening parameters
- Derive suitable inventive principles from the matrix
- Apply the principles to the concrete problem
Use case: Complex technical and engineering problems.
Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats assign six perspectives to a discussion — facts (white), feelings (red), risks (black), benefits (yellow), creativity (green), control (blue). The team views a topic from each angle in turn, avoiding one-sided judgements.
Process
- Explain the hats and their meanings
- View the topic from each perspective in turn
- Everyone wears the same hat at once (parallel thinking)
- Use the blue hat to bring results together
Use case: Evaluating ideas holistically, unblocking stuck discussions.
In mind mapping, thoughts are organised visually in branches radiating from a central term. The method encourages associations, creates an overview and works both for collecting and for ordering ideas.
Process
- Write the central topic in the middle
- Add main branches for the key aspects
- Branch out sub-branches with keywords
- Use colours and symbols to add structure
Use case: Brainstorming, structuring, note-taking and concept work.
The morphological box breaks a problem into parameters and lists the possible values for each in a matrix. Combining individual values systematically produces many — including unusual — overall solutions.
Process
- Break the problem into independent parameters
- Collect possible values for each parameter
- Set up the matrix
- Combine values into complete solutions
Use case: Product concepts with many combinable attributes.
Biomimicry transfers proven principles from nature to technical questions. Evolutionarily optimised solutions — from the lotus effect to Velcro — serve as models for innovative products and processes.
Process
- Abstract the technical problem
- Search for analogous solutions in nature
- Extract the functional principle
- Implement the principle technically
Use case: Technical innovation with models drawn from nature.
The Walt Disney method views an idea from three roles in turn: the dreamer designs the vision, the realist plans the implementation, the critic checks the risks. Switching roles makes ideas more concrete and more robust.
Process
- Define the idea or undertaking
- As the dreamer: design a vision without limits
- As the realist: derive a concrete implementation plan
- As the critic: examine weaknesses and risks
Use case: Sharpening ideas from vision to an implementable solution.
The Delphi method gathers expert assessments across several anonymous survey rounds. After each round the experts receive the aggregated results and can adjust their assessment — producing a well-founded consensus free of group pressure.
Process
- Define the expert group and the question
- Run the first anonymous survey round
- Feed the aggregated results back
- Repeat rounds until a consensus forms
Use case: Forecasts, technology assessment and strategic foresight.
The Osborn checklist — the predecessor of SCAMPER — uses targeted questions (put to other use? adapt? magnify? minify? substitute? reverse? combine?) to systematically prompt new ideas for an existing object.
Process
- Define the starting object
- Ask the checklist questions one by one
- Capture the answers as ideas
- Select and refine the ideas
Use case: Quick idea variation for existing products.
Lateral (sideways) thinking, as defined by Edward de Bono, deliberately breaks ingrained thought patterns — for instance through provocations, random stimuli or reversing assumptions. This produces unexpected approaches beyond the obvious logic.
Process
- Name the usual assumptions about the problem
- Introduce a provocation or random stimulus
- Allow unusual connections
- Turn viable approaches into solutions
Use case: Stuck problems that call for unconventional ideas.