Most innovation rarely = ROI.
The CIP Method fixes that.
Most innovation stalls in the same place: after the idea, before the result. Not because the idea was bad, but because there's no repeatable system behind it. The CIP Method is that system. Three phases built to apply anywhere, from a new product, to a leaner process, or a serious cost reduction.
52% of executives cite unclear strategy as a top innovation barrier. Strategy-led innovators see 74% more revenue from new products. The difference is a system, not more effort. (BCG)
The system needs to deliver.
Not be a liability.
"Zombie innovation systems" — BCG's term for pipelines full of activity with no strategy holding them together. Project counts stay high, results never land, and leadership quietly concludes innovation doesn't work here. The research is blunt about what separates the businesses that ship from the ones that perform innovation theater.
of executives name an unclear or overly broad strategy as a top-three innovation challenge, the most-cited barrier in the study.
BCG · 18th Annual Innovation Study See the research →report a strong link between innovation strategy and business strategy. The other 88% fund motion, not outcomes.
BCG · 18th Annual Innovation Study See the research →higher share of revenue from new products for strategy-led innovators versus companies with a weak strategy link.
BCG · 18th Annual Innovation Study, 2024 See the research →The Three-Phase Innovation System.
From need to implemented solution.
Three phases and one repeatable process. CREATE and INNOVATE are the engine for quick wins. PERFORM is the path to long-term gains and innovation transformation.
CREATE
Optimization has hit the ceiling. Before your team can innovate, they need to build new capability and a discipline to uncover what customers really need, not just what they say. This leads to the Opportunity Point — the single, validated customer need precise enough to build a real solution against — that sets innovation in motion. Guess here, and everything that follows is wasted.
- A common language that keeps innovation consistent across the business
- Mindsets rewired for ambiguity, curiosity, and exploration
- Creative capability and confidence strong enough to generate ideas competitors miss
- A customer discovery discipline that gets past what customers say to what they actually mean
Structured language and mindset work, experiential exercises that rebuild creative confidence, and a customer discovery process built to uncover real unmet needs. All of this sets the foundation for clearly defined opportunity points that set up the team for success downstream.
- A team fluent in a shared innovation language, not competing definitions
- Creative confidence restored across the team, not confined to a few "creative" people
- A single, well-defined opportunity point grounded in what customers actually need, not internal assumption
INNOVATE
Most teams commit resources to the first solution that sounds right, without exploring what else was possible. The Creative Diamond fixes that by exploring the world of possibility, divergence before convergence, so the solutions that get funded are the ones most likely to meet and exceed customer expectations.
- A shared process for turning opportunity into solution: Idea Exploration, Solution Determination, Decision Point
- A new approach to business model design for the solutions selected, mapped through the Business Model Fabric — a canvas covering all 12 dimensions of how the solution actually operates and earns
- Confidence that the most important value is in the process, not the result
Facilitated, and AI-accelerated, ideation against the Opportunity Point, structured filtering through Solution Determination, a clear go/no-go Decision Point, and then mapping the winner in the Business Model Fabric before a dollar is spent building.
- A solution chosen on customer need and business criteria, not instinct, so resources go where they've earned it
- A business model mapped and validated before launch, catching gaps while they're still cheap to fix
- A repeatable process the team owns and can run again without a consultant in the room
PERFORM
A solution that spreads once but can't be repeated isn't a capability, it's a lucky break. Sustained performance requires alignment and direction, a balanced innovation portfolio, and a tailored execution plan to market.
- An innovation strategy and plan — a Horizon (your long-term direction) and a North Star (the specific future state you're aiming at) — that gives every future opportunity direction
- A balanced innovation portfolio across risk, return, and time horizon
- A commercialization plan matched to how customers actually adopt something new
- Metrics that show what's working before you scale further
We run a Horizon and North Star session that sets long-term direction, then build a portfolio across risk and time horizon so no single bet carries the business. Solutions get mapped against the Diffusion of Innovation curve, from early adopters to mass market, so what your teams create actually gets pulled into the market.
- A team aligned around the same North Star, guiding every future opportunity
- A balanced portfolio that keeps performance climbing instead of flattening out
- A self-sustaining innovation engine that optimizes resources and runs continuously
New Product Development.
Customer need to market solution.
The CIP Method, applied to a real New Product Development challenge: the same eight milestones every engagement passes through, from a validated customer need to a market-ready solution. The formula is simple — the nuances along the way are what separate the companies that ship from the ones that stall.
- Language, Mindset, Confidence — Rewiring how the team approaches problems.
- Customer Discovery — Uncovering what customers actually need.
- Opportunity Point — The validated need that sets innovation in motion.
- Creative Diamond — Diverge to explore every option, converge on what works.
- Business Model Fabric — Mapping the winning solution across 12 dimensions.
- Horizon & North Star — Long-term direction from current state to North Star.
- Innovation Portfolio — A balanced bet across risk, return, and time horizon.
- Diffusion of Innovation — Mapping adoption from innovators to laggards.
See how the CIP method can apply to your business
Twenty minutes. Bring your hardest challenge. I'll walk you through exactly which stages it needs and what the first win looks like.
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