20 instruments and methods of innovation management

Tools are means, not ends. None of the following twenty instruments produces innovation by itself — their value is decided by a single question: do they help your organisation escape the Innovator's Dilemma — recognising disruptive developments early, taking small markets seriously, and building new businesses by their own yardsticks? Each method page therefore describes, alongside origin, procedure and limits, precisely this relation.

Disruption Analysis Examines where established offerings overshoot customer needs and become attackable from below.
S-Curve Analysis Orders technologies by maturity and shows when further improvement effort stops paying off.
Three Horizons Model Structures the growth portfolio into current business, emerging business and future options.
Organisational Ambidexterity Organises exploitation of the existing and exploration of the new as separate but connected units.
Jobs to be Done Asks about the progress customers “hire” a product for — instead of product features.
Kano Model Distinguishes basic, performance and delight attributes and their migration over time.
Blue Ocean Strategy Seeks uncontested markets through value innovation instead of competing in the existing.
Business Model Canvas Describes a business model on one page in nine building blocks — as a shared working language.
Value Proposition Canvas Sharpens the fit between customer jobs and the value proposition.
Design Thinking Iterative, user-centred problem solving from observation to tested prototype.
Lean Startup & MVP Tests business assumptions early and cheaply in the build-measure-learn cycle.
Stage-Gate Process Guides development projects through defined stages and decision gates to market readiness.
Open Innovation Opens the innovation process to external knowledge — and external paths for internal ideas.
TRIZ Resolves technical contradictions systematically with principles derived from patent analysis.
Scenario Technique Develops alternative pictures of the future as a frame for robust strategic decisions.
Delphi Method Condenses expert judgement on questions of the future in anonymous, iterative survey rounds.
Technology Roadmapping Connects market, product and technology on a shared timeline.
Horizon Scanning & Scouting Systematically observes weak signals, emerging technologies and rising competitors.
Innovation Portfolio Analysis Evaluates and balances innovation initiatives by risk, maturity and time horizon.
Corporate Venturing & Effectuation Builds new businesses with entrepreneurial means — from equity stakes to the logic of available means.