What are ways to boost innovation in your material selection team?

1 Define the problem and the goals

Before you start exploring different materials, you need to have a clear understanding of the problem you are trying to solve and the goals you are trying to achieve. What are the requirements and specifications of the product? What are the expectations and preferences of the customers? What are the constraints and trade-offs of the project? By defining the problem and the goals, you can narrow down your scope and focus on the most relevant and feasible options.

2 Research and benchmark

Once you have defined the problem and the goals, you need to research and benchmark the existing materials and solutions in the market. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each material? How do they compare to your goals and requirements? What are the gaps and opportunities for improvement? By researching and benchmarking, you can learn from the best practices and avoid reinventing the wheel.

3 Brainstorm and ideate

After you have researched and benchmarked the existing materials and solutions, you need to brainstorm and ideate new possibilities and alternatives. How can you combine, modify, or replace the materials to create better outcomes? How can you leverage new technologies, trends, or insights to innovate? What are the risks and benefits of each idea? By brainstorming and ideating, you can generate a diverse and creative pool of options to test and evaluate.

4 Experiment and prototype

Once you have brainstormed and ideated new possibilities and alternatives, you need to experiment and prototype them to validate their feasibility and performance. How can you test the materials in different scenarios and conditions? How can you measure and compare their results against your goals and criteria? How can you iterate and improve based on the feedback and data? By experimenting and prototyping, you can refine and optimize your solutions before implementing them.

5 Collaborate and communicate

Throughout the material selection process, you need to collaborate and communicate with your team members and other stakeholders. How can you share your ideas, insights, and findings with others? How can you solicit input, feedback, and suggestions from others? How can you align your vision, expectations, and responsibilities with others? By collaborating and communicating, you can leverage the collective knowledge, skills, and perspectives of your team and enhance your innovation potential.

6 Learn and improve

Finally, after you have implemented your material selection solutions, you need to learn and improve from the experience. How can you measure and monitor the impact and performance of your solutions? How can you identify and address any issues or challenges that arise? How can you capture and document your lessons learned and best practices? How can you apply your learning to future projects and opportunities? By learning and improving, you can continuously innovate and grow your material selection capabilities.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?