Hundreds of books in management literature discuss various methods that can provide effective assistance in identifying certain corporate problems, communicating them and exploring solutions, as well as defining innovation projects, implementing them and managing them. However, it matters when managers get involved in the development process and what decisions they make. Oliver Gassman, a widely cited professor of technology management at the University of St. Gallen as well as consultant on the innovation processes of numerous large Swiss and global companies, emphasises in his article "Managing the Unmanageable", that setting the right direction early in the innovation process can spare companies costly and time-consuming modifications later in the development process. Although it is indisputable that making the right decisions as early as possible is vital, many companies feel that they do not know the methods and processes that improve decision-making in the early stages of development. These decisions are made amid uncertainty about technical and technological feasibility, which can be reduced by testing virtual or real prototypes. The risk of market failure of the final product exists throughout the innovation process, and market acceptance can only be reliably assessed after the product has been launched (Gassmann-Schweitzer, 2014).

 

 

In the next part of this chapter, we present the four techniques shown in the figure above and our experiences with their application, summarising the background, purpose, target group and a brief description of each method. In our opinion, these methods are effective in dealing with critical bottlenecks and problems that arise in the early stages of innovation-oriented development. For effective communication of ideas, we provide a well-structured "item sentence" form as a guide, while in the process of actively listening to developers and giving encouraging feedback, we wish to emphasise how much encouragement and motivation a manager can give to colleagues with a developer mindset through their behaviour and statements, while inappropriate statements can discourage them from any significant development initiatives for months or even years. Understanding and empathetic listening and giving the right feedback are important not only in the idea phase, but also in the prototype testing phase, because in line with the "fail fast and often" philosophy, it is inevitable that developments will reach dead ends. In such situations, tempers and decibels can easily flare up, even though the goal should be to work together to find solutions and the right next steps. Finally, we will discuss issues related to the operation of an innovation group or "idea circle" that can be introduced to promote continuous innovation and a high level of innovation culture, according to the structure presented.