Last updated on Mar 14, 2024

What do you do if your business innovation goals are hindered by unrealistic deadlines?

Business innovation is the process of creating new or improved products, services, processes, or business models that add value to customers and stakeholders. However, innovation can be challenging when you face unrealistic deadlines that limit your time, resources, and creativity. How can you overcome this obstacle and achieve your innovation goals? Here are some tips to help you manage deadlines and foster innovation in your business.

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1 Assess the situation

The first step is to understand why the deadline is unrealistic and how it affects your innovation project. Is the deadline imposed by external factors, such as customer demand, market competition, or regulatory changes? Or is it set by internal factors, such as strategic goals, budget constraints, or organizational culture? What are the risks and benefits of meeting or missing the deadline? How feasible and desirable is the innovation outcome you are aiming for? By answering these questions, you can evaluate the situation and identify the main challenges and opportunities.

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Ibrahim Diab

PhD Business Management | Business Development Director | Six Sigma | PMI | PHR | TOT | Speaker at ModumUP | Expert at Global Gate
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Root Cause Analysis: Conduct a thorough analysis to pinpoint the exact reasons behind the unrealistic deadlines. Is it due to poor planning, external pressures, or changes in requirements? Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks associated with the tight timeline, such as compromised quality, increased stress on team members, or missed opportunities for innovation. Stakeholder Alignment: Ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the challenges posed by the unrealistic deadlines and understand the potential implications for the project's success.

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2 Negotiate the scope

The second step is to negotiate the scope of your innovation project with your stakeholders, such as clients, managers, partners, or funders. The scope defines what you will deliver, how you will deliver it, and when you will deliver it. You can use the project management triangle to balance the scope, time, and cost of your project. If the deadline is fixed, you may need to reduce the scope or increase the cost of your project. For example, you can prioritize the most important features, eliminate the nice-to-haves, outsource some tasks, or request more resources. Alternatively, you can try to extend the deadline by explaining the value and impact of your innovation project and how it aligns with the stakeholder's goals and expectations.

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Ibrahim Diab

PhD Business Management | Business Development Director | Six Sigma | PMI | PHR | TOT | Speaker at ModumUP | Expert at Global Gate
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Collaborative Discussion: Engage stakeholders in a collaborative discussion to explore alternative approaches for meeting project objectives within the given timeframe. Priority Setting: Prioritize project features and requirements based on their strategic importance and potential impact on achieving business goals. Trade-offs: Be prepared to make trade-offs and compromises, such as deferring less critical features to future releases or simplifying certain aspects of the project to expedite delivery.

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3 Plan and execute

The third step is to plan and execute your innovation project according to the agreed scope and deadline. You can use various tools and methods to organize and manage your project, such as agile, scrum, lean, or design thinking. These approaches can help you break down your project into smaller and manageable tasks, assign roles and responsibilities, set milestones and deliverables, track progress and performance, and adapt to changes and feedback. You can also use online platforms and software to collaborate and communicate with your team and stakeholders, such as Trello, Slack, Zoom, or Google Docs.

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4 Test and learn

The fourth step is to test and learn from your innovation project throughout the process. Testing and learning are essential for validating your assumptions, measuring your results, and improving your solution. You can use various techniques to test and learn from your innovation project, such as prototyping, experimenting, piloting, or launching. These techniques can help you collect data and feedback from your customers and stakeholders, analyze your strengths and weaknesses, and identify opportunities and threats. You can also use online tools and software to test and learn from your innovation project, such as SurveyMonkey, Google Analytics, or Hotjar.

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5 Celebrate and reflect

The fifth step is to celebrate and reflect on your innovation project after you deliver it. Celebrating and reflecting are important for recognizing your achievements, rewarding your efforts, and learning from your experience. You can celebrate and reflect on your innovation project by sharing your success stories, acknowledging your team and stakeholders, celebrating your wins and failures, and soliciting feedback and suggestions. You can also use online tools and software to celebrate and reflect on your innovation project, such as Medium, LinkedIn, or Asana.

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6 Innovate continuously

The sixth and final step is to innovate continuously after you deliver your innovation project. Innovating continuously is vital for sustaining your competitive advantage, satisfying your customers and stakeholders, and adapting to changing needs and expectations. You can innovate continuously by monitoring your innovation performance, seeking new opportunities and challenges, exploring new ideas and solutions, and implementing new improvements and changes. You can also use online tools and software to innovate continuously, such as IdeaScale, MindMeister, or Miro.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Business Innovation

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What do you do if your business innovation goals are hindered by unrealistic deadlines?

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2

3

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5

6

7

1 Assess the situation

2 Negotiate the scope

3 Plan and execute

4 Test and learn

5 Celebrate and reflect

6 Innovate continuously

7 Here’s what else to consider

Business Innovation

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What do you do if your business innovation goals are hindered by unrealistic deadlines?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess the situation

2 Negotiate the scope

3 Plan and execute

4 Test and learn

5 Celebrate and reflect

6 Innovate continuously

7 Here’s what else to consider

Business Innovation

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