How to bring innovations into your software product?

“You cannot solve a problem with the same thinking used when creating it in the first place.”

Innovations are directly correlated with culture and creativity. You cannot drive a new innovation with the same old thinking. To drive innovations we need to enhance creativity and deep work habit. Creativity and uniqueness can be found in each and every one of us if properly channeled you would be awestruck of what an individual is capable of, provided you should have rights strategies to channelize such effort which integrates both the organization's and employees values and needs together.

You have often heard a story when we were small about a fish if told to climb she won't ever be able to climb but if left in the right environment and her strength water, you know then what a fish can do. We need to understand that you cannot command creativity or order it as everyone has their own needs and mindset. We should be focusing on how to create a single-minded culture in spite of diversified needs and channelize the best of creativity.

Mindset

When you have the right mindset set for the team creativity flows. The team should be encouraged to put their mind and promoted an environment of every idea matters. As primal beings, we are encouraged to share our minds if we think what we share creates value. Additionally, the atmosphere must be motivating and fun. This helps spark originality and inspiration. With this mindset, employees benefit from being recognized and rewarded to applaud a valuable idea accompanied by a job well done. These incentives help celebrate successful results, which can stem from creative behaviors.

Originality is a prerequisite for creativity which often comes outside our comfort zone and that becomes our second important point.

Invest in implementing ideas

True innovation doesn’t just require companies to establish a culture that supports new and creative ideas – it requires companies to go the extra mile and actually implement them!

For instance, Vodafone launched an innovation initiative called “1,000 Small Things”. Through this initiative, employees were asked to make one improvement within their daily job, regardless of how small or insignificant it might seem. Vodafone also noted all of these ‘small things’ down.

In doing so, Vodafone not only created a vast library of subtle improvements which could be made to enhance their customer experience, but they also incorporated the ideas. This exercise went a long way in increasing employee and customer engagement like never before.

Encourage your software development team to take that step and give life to their ideas. By helping them build that bridge from innovative thinking to execution, you are encouraging a culture that stresses continuous improvement. Empowerment like this can do wonders for your business.

Environment

What I feel is a person can do wonders if he has the flexibility in his environment provided right channelizing of his inner genius. A flexible work culture can do so and the COVID era taught us that very well. Now more than ever, companies are moving towards open-space concepts that help individuals move with ease and share ideas freely. Most importantly, the office environment needs to be diverse. Diversity provides autonomy and encourages people to be inclusive and open to other standpoints.

These concepts are vehicles of a successful creative culture; great ideas come alive with a bright mindset encompassed by a nurturing environment.

The right use of WILL

As per Cal Newport's DEEP WORK, it's a fact that we have limited will throughout a day which often includes 4.5 hours of deep work. I am not suggesting that we should altogether reduce the working hours but we should plan the important and crucial tasks to be handled in the first 4.5 hours in spite of expecting the same efficiency in all the hours. Anyhow, you won't be able to get efficiency in all of the working hours. Use that period to make major innovations and research for your product and see the difference.

Research

Every new project should begin with research. Insights and data power ideas and new developments, which is why the SDLC process of new software or project must be comprehensively researched to deliver a robust product.

During the research, different and exciting alternatives to approach the project may arise. This is exactly what every SDLC team must strive for. To search for innovative paths to reach the desired end result.

Lead from the front

The first steps towards innovation in software development come from the top — from the leaders.

Leaders are responsible for creating a psychological environment that sustains innovation at all levels. As an organization grows, layers of management can create a barrier between leaders and the developers on the ground – you can’t afford this to happen.

You can build a real sense of trust and dependability among everyone in your company by simply showing face and interacting with your developers now and then. This goes for managers as well as directors: if you are seen to be embracing creativity and acknowledging your employees, they’re more likely to perform.

Creativity is often found in discomfort and fortunately, I would share my today's story which I posted on my personal account which suits the current topic we are talking about:

“Get out from your house, from your cave, from your car. Get out from the place you feel safe, from the place that you are. Get out and go running, go funning, go wild. Get out from your head, get growing, dear child”

Rohan Girdhani

IT Consultant

Your Personal Sherlock Holmes

HAPPY LEARNING!!