Methods for innovation projects risk evaluation

Starting an innovation project assumes to state some competitive objectives referring to the allocated budget, time limit for project’s ending and also to the quality and performance parameters of the new obtained product. Referring to the innovation project development, the risk of unfulfilling the stated competitive objectives referrers to the exceeding the project’s budget and terms, and also to unfitting in the quality and performance parameters established in the innovation project planning stage. The large diversity of risk sources can be expressed by the possibility of appearance of some unexpected variations of the cost, time and quality of the new products. The innovation projects risk is settled by the variations of the cost, time and quality objectives effective values comparing to the planned values. Those variations are determined by purely random factors. The innovation projects characterized by uniform variations of the cost, time and quality objectives effective values around the mean are considered to be under statistic control. Those projects’ risk may be quantified and the risk impact over the project can be limited. The innovation projects characterized by fluctuant variations of the cost, time and quality objectives effective values around the mean are considered to be out of statistic control. The aim of this paper is to present two categories of statistic methods for innovation projects risk quantifying. The first statistic methods that quantify the risk of unfitting the quantitative objectives referrers to the time risk, cost risk and the risk of unfitting established performance parameters. The second category of methods represents statistic methods that quantify the risk of unfitting the qualitative objectives of the projects – the risk of appearance major quality deficiencies.innovation project, risk evaluation, cost, time and quality objectives

Approaches and methods for monitoring and evaluation

The aim of many agricultural innovation networks is to realize a system innovation. With system innovation, whole production and consumption systems change, including social relationships, division of roles, formal rules and values, and the technical artefacts and infrastructure. This type of innovation takes place when stakeholders learn from each other in a process of thinking and acting together. In order to get to grips with these learning processes, it is increasingly common to use monitoring and evaluation methods. What are the methods that can be used, what are the most significant differences between them and to what degree are the methods from the different approaches of use in evaluating and managing innovation projects

Methods and tools for supporting industrial design innovation

The introduction of information technology (IT) systems to support designers’ activities and data management have profoundly affected company structure and design organization. This evolution has brought the introduction of systematic methods, close to information tools skills and prerogatives, using computer management and data recovery skills as main design support. The use of the IT also improved information exchange among different work figures involved during product development process. In this direction authors have intended to analyze the role and the implementation of systematic methods and tools within industrial designer area of the design process and their impact on the conceptual design phase in particular. Consequently, the research has been developed primarily in reference to design methods able to support the strict ideation stage of the Conceptual Design, that can be referred to two typologies: knowledge based and functional approaches. Subsequently authors have analyzed the information tools currently used during design process, as CAD systems, and some innovative, as Virtual and Augmented Reality tools, that can be used within industrial design area. The result of the study has been a formalization of the course followed during idea conceptual phase in order to include and to arrange the design methods and tools analysed. The research proposes a structured view of a process of product conceptualization, usually considered as mainly heuristic, focusing on the integration of methods and tools to support project and its communication. In this area the research has highlighted industrial designer role characteristics during design process, changeable in reference of project development level, and also some important new questions have been identified about the interaction between industrial designers and the other design areas involved in the process. In this direction the study has highlighted the need to support knowledge exchange and recovery, introducing the possibility to extend the research to the whole process and integrate industrial design and engineering collaboration in a more effective way. Keywords: Conceptual design process, Systematic innovation, Knowledge management, Integration</p

FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF INNOVATION IN LOCAL

Elena Dotsenko. FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF INNOVATION IN LOCAL/. Wiższa Szkoła Bankowa we Wroclawiu, Wroclaw. Poland. 2011The article highlighted the basic problem of financing innovation development in Ukraine and discussed the types of financial resources that can promote innovation, and give reasons for lack of budget funding. Due to limited budgetary innovative development at the local level, to review the functions of local authorities and the proposed indirect methods of influence on the process of financing innovation

Non-technological and Technological Innovation: Strange Bedfellows?

Non-technological innovation is an important element of firms? innovation activities that both supplement and complement technological innovation, i.e. the introduction of new products and new processes. We analyse the spread of nontechnological innovation in firms, their relation to technological innovation, and their effects to firm performance and success with product and process innovation, using data from the German Community Innovation Survey conducted in 2005 (German CIS 4). Non-technological innovation is defined as the introduction of new organisational methods or the introduction of new marketing methods. We find that the determinants of a firm?s propensity to introduce technological and non-technological innovations are very similar and that both types are closely related. There are only small effects of non-technological innovation on a firm? profit margin, which contrasts the strong effects to be found from technological innovation. However, non-technological innovation spurs success with product and process innovation terms of sales with market novelties and cost reductions from new processes. --organisational innovation,marketing innovation,effects of innovation,CIS 4

Harnessing innovations in libraries and information centres: issues and trends

Innovation implies the opening of new ideas, methods, and techniques applied to any organization for transformation of its operations for effective consequences. This paper focuses on the trends of innovations in libraries and information centers and addresses different core facets of library innovations. Moreover, it discusses the need of innovation in libraries, the successful factors of innovation, policy instruments, technological trends and such other related issues highlighting the significance of harvesting innovation in libraries and information centres in electronic age

The potential contribution of small firms to innovation in the built environment.

The methods by which small firms overcome the disadvantages of their size to implement innovation on construction projects are examined here through five case studies. It is found that such methods include working with advanced clients, prioritising relationship-building strategies and using patents to protect intellectual property. Key obstacles to innovation implementation by small firms on construction projects are found to be bias in the allocation of government business assistance and regulatory inefficiencies under federal systems of government. The study’s findings derive from a theoretical framework which emphasises firm capabilities and environment, and innovation typologies. Further research is recommended into the impact of government assistance and regulation on small innovative construction firms

Effect of a quality improvement programme on leadership, innovation and use of quality improvement methods in general practice

Introduction Market mechanisms and pay-for-performance have failed to deliver continuing improvements in UK clinical care. Leadership and innovation are currently seen as essential to maintain and improve clinical quality but little is known about the relationship between these and the extent to which quality improvement (QI) methods are used in general practice. This study aimed to investigate the effect of quality improvement training on leadership behaviour, culture of innovation and adoption of QI methods in general practice. Method Self-administered postal questionnaires were sent to general practitioner quality leads in one UK county at the beginning (2007) and the end (2010) of a QI programme. The questionnaire consisted of background demographic information, a 12-item scale to assess leadership behaviour, a seven-dimension self-rating scale for innovation culture and questions on current use of quality improvement techniques and the effect of this on practice. We analysed change between the two surveys and the effect of participation in QI training. Results Sixty-three completed questionnaires (62%) were returned in 2007 and 47 (46%) in 2010; 32 practices completed both surveys. Although leadership behaviours were not commonly expressed, many practices reported a positive culture of innovation with significant positive correlation between leadership and innovation (r = 0.57; P < 0.001); apart from clinical audit and significant event analysis, QI methods were not reported as having been adopted by most participating practices. Percentage leadership score changed little over three years (increase 4.0 points, 95%CI -8.9 to 16.9) with little difference between participating and non-participating practices (7.6, -6.4 to 21.6) and no evidence of differential change (-1.5, -17.0 to 14.0). Percentage innovation culture scores showed a similar pattern (time -4.1 points, -15.1 to 6.9, group -1.6, -12.7 to 9.4, differential change 5.3, -7.8 to 18.5). Conclusions Leadership behaviours were infrequently reported, and despite describing a culture of innovation there was low uptake of QI methods beyond clinical and significant event audit even after practices participated in a QI programme. There is evidence that practices may need greater support to enhance leadership competences and develop quality improvement skills to stimulate innovation if improvements in health care are to accelerate

Why Reinvent the Wheel? The Efficacy of the Systematic Problem Solving Method 'TRIZ' and it Value for Innovation in Engineering and Implications for Engineering Management

The engineering industry needs to be more innovative. A case study of a recent breakthrough innovative development by Michelin is discussed. The influence of prior training with systematic problem solving method TRIZ, on the innovation team, is assessed using a questionnaire. The questionnaire is based on a company innovation audit model proposed by Mann and influenced by the creativity model of Baille. Results are discussed which show significant innovation development when using TRIZ. The efficacy of training key workers in systematic problem solving and creative methods is discussed and the implications for managers in innovation promotion and workplace environment change are highlighted

Feminist science and epistemologies: Key issues central to GENNOVATE's research program

This methodological brief offers a window into GENNOVATE’s innovative collaborative research initiative to promote gender equality in agricultural and natural resource management. It addresses questions such as 1) Why is it important to distinguish among epistemology, methodology, and methods?; 2) What is feminist epistemology?; 3) What can researchers of gender, agriculture, and innovation learn from engaging the contributions of feminist epistemology?; and 4) How has GENNOVATE integrated lessons from feminist methods and feminist epistemics about gender relations, agricultural change, and innovation