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#Innovation process
Kick off every project with a press release
At the beginning of every new initiative, Amazon product managers write an internal press release announcing the product as if it were finished. This page-and-a-half announcement centers around how the product solves a specific customer problem and how it will "blow away existing solutions."
The goal is to keep the writing simple. Paragraphs should have no more than three to four sentences and not include any "geek-speak." As a guideline, Ian McAllister, Director of Amazon Day, recommends writing it as if you were Oprah explaining it to her audience. If the press release doesn't "sound interesting or exciting," the product manager continues to revise it or cancels the project's development.
While creating the press release takes a lot of time, Amazon finds it quicker and less expensive than iterating on the product itself. The press release also serves as a guide in the product's development to help avoid scope creep.
Run your ideas through an innovation cycle
At Netflix, if an employee has an idea that they're passionate about, there is an innovation cycle process to bring it to life.
Step One: Farm for dissent or socialize the idea
Create a shared memo explaining your idea and invite colleagues to rate it on a scale from -10 to +10 with their explanation and comments; or set up multiple meetings to stress-test the idea.
Step Two: For a big idea, test it out
Nothing works better than a small, isolated test for proposals that involve a lot of time, work hours, and resources. Tests take place even when those in charge are dead set against the idea.
Step Three: As the informed captain, place your bet
This is not a democracy, consensus, or a vote. As the person in charge of the project, you take full responsibility. You do not need anyone's permission, agreement, or sign-off to move forward with an idea, no matter its cost or size.
Step Four: If it wins, celebrate it; if it fails, sunshine it
Successes are celebrated by all and especially by managers who expressed dissent early on publicly saying 'You were right, I was wrong.' Failures are not grounds for termination but learning opportunities on how to succeed better next time. Informed captains are required to write an open memo to the entire company explaining what happened and the lessons that were learned.
Get out there and find inspiration from other businesses
It is a common practice at Starbucks to send staff out on reconnaissance missions to see how other businesses operate—not just coffee shops but any service business. Armed with notebooks, they observe and document everything: what they see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. They later brainstorm ideas on how to enhance the Starbucks Experience.
As former CEO Howard Schultz says: "When people can see things, feel things, interact with things, that is then when their minds actually begin to shift."