Balancing innovation and operations in your project. How do you ensure both teams work in harmony?

I have always been a fan of continuous improvement and incremental change. Most projects are not like building bridges where precise planning and execution of the plan are critical. Innovation projects 100% rely on incorporating new learnings into the solutions at pace. Being open to new feedback, incorporating these changes quickly and monitoring the results are critical to a successful innovation project. Lastly, with the world of AI accelerating all these trends, people need to be open to new potential improvements, launched quickly.

Our baseline - if you're innovating properly, your innovation team should be outpacing your operations team by approx. 10-1. Meaning EXTREMELY close collaboration here is essential - it forces the operations team to innovate as well to build into operational processes exceptional cost and functional efficiencies. This characteristic is generally lacking in the marketplace and as our economy continues to soften, the top performers who mimic this model with thrive, while others with struggle or fail.

- Set Clear Goals: Align innovation and operations teams with common objectives. - Foster Communication: Establish regular meetings to share updates and address concerns. - Define Roles: Clearly delineate responsibilities to avoid overlap and confusion. - Integrate Processes: Develop processes that incorporate feedback from both teams. - Encourage Collaboration: Promote joint problem-solving and brainstorming sessions. - Monitor Progress: Track project milestones and adjust strategies to ensure alignment and synergy.

Balancing innovation and operations requires clear goals, regular collaboration, and flexibility. I align both teams by setting shared objectives and encouraging cross-functional communication. By leveraging each team's strengths and allowing room for creative ideas, we maintain operational stability while driving innovation. Continuous feedback loops help us monitor progress and make necessary adjustments, ensuring both teams work in harmony to achieve project success.

Innovation vs. Operations: Why Choose When You Can Have Both? Here's the real challenge: innovation thrives on disruption, while operations demand consistency. The secret? Bridge the gap by fostering a culture where innovation isn't a disruptor but an enabler of smoother operations. Regular sync-ups, shared KPIs, and celebrating small wins keep both team: aligned and motivated. Remember, it's not about choosing sides; it's about creating a powerhouse where both coexist and elevat each other. #InnovationLeadership #OperationalExcellence #TeamSynergy

PMs must be proactive in cultivating communications between innovation and operations. It is important for the end users to understand how the innovation will improve their operations (and to convince them to use it), and it is critical for innovators to listen to the end users to ensure that they are designing a solution that is actually relevant and beneficial to the end users (and to create a product that actually addresses a real problem).

Foster a culture of collaboration: Encourage communication between teams focused on innovation and those handling day-to-day operations.This help ensure that innovative ideas are feasible and that operational teams are open to new approaches.

Encourage continuous communication between teams. Open dialogue breaks down silos, allows for the sharing of ideas, and helps resolve any misunderstandings before they escalate, ensuring a unified approach to the project. What isn't said during meetings and workshops will come out one way or another. Better to air everything out and make sure everyone's on the same page.

A comunica??o eficaz é a chave para manter a harmonia entre as equipes de inova??o e opera??es. Promova um ambiente de diálogo aberto, onde ambas as partes possam expressar suas preocupa??es, ideias e feedback. Reuni?es regulares entre as equipes ajudam a alinhar expectativas, identificar potenciais obstáculos e encontrar solu??es conjuntas. Ao fomentar uma cultura de comunica??o transparente, você garante que as duas equipes se mantenham conectadas e alinhadas.

Creating a culture of open dialogue is like building a bridge between two islands, connecting innovation with operations. Regular, transparent communication prevents misunderstandings and ensures both teams understand each other’s challenges and contributions. It's about fostering an environment where ideas flow freely, and concerns are promptly addressed. Open dialogue creates trust, the bedrock of any successful collaboration, allowing both teams to evolve together like a well-coordinated dance.

It's funny how everyone in a company feels like they're carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Often, teams are overworked and stressed, without a clear understanding of the challenges faced by their colleagues. By understanding each other's perspectives, we can become catalysts for problem-solving and gain a much-needed reality check about the efforts of others. Thus we can bridge the gap between innovation and operations A human-centered approach is not just a trend but a fundamental shift in how businesses operate. By prioritizing empathy, employee well-being, and ethical practices, we can create a more sustainable, innovative, and fulfilling work environment.

At SUSPA India, successful projects are not a matter of chance but the result of meticulous planning, excellent teamwork, and continuous optimization. Every detail matters, as the small things often make the biggest difference. In a world that is constantly changing, one thing remains constant: the need for innovative solutions and the ability to adapt. That’s why we embrace agile working, open communication, and the courage to explore new paths. True growth happens when we face challenges together and push beyond our limits. We actively shape the future – together, step by step.

Picture a relay race where the baton is passed seamlessly. This encapsulates the concept of cross-functional teams perfectly balancing innovation and operations. Diverse skill sets from both realms guarantee that each project phase benefits from the entire team's expertise. When sales, marketers, and data analysts work together, they develop a deep appreciation for each other’s contributions, fostering a sense of collective ownership. This collaboration dismantles silos and expedites decision-making, ensuring that innovative ideas are not just imaginative but also practical and executable.

The combination of people with different perspectives and areas of expertise is essential for the development of efficient projects. Agile methodology facilitates this integration by allowing the project to be approved in stages, helping to avoid the creation of ‘white elephants.’ This visibility throughout the process allows for adjustments and ensures greater accuracy in delivery. Moreover, the team’s commitment to innovation, availability for feedback from testing, and engagement with the activity are crucial. Teams cannot work on projects as volunteers; it is essential that they are fully dedicated and aligned with the objectives to ensure success.

ntegrate members from both innovation and operations into cross-functional teams. This structure promotes a deeper understanding of each other’s challenges and fosters a culture of collaboration, leading to more cohesive project outcomes. Try, if possible, to have members from both teams "intern" between teams so they can understand what the other team's priorities, workflows, thought processes and teamwork is like. Empathy is the key component here.

I’ve found that using agile sprint planning to allocate a certain percentage of the sprint’s capacity for BAU, tech debt, or support work keeps new features moving while not neglecting the standard operations (typically about ~15%). Additionally, ensuring that percentages either increase as new features are added, or the new features being built include test automation and other tools that reduce the support requirements of the new features added.

Agility has been key to 4stay’s success from the start. In our early days, we adopted Agile methodology, giving everyone a 10-page guide to align the team. This led to immediate results, with ideas emerging that boosted our growth by 10X. We followed a cycle of planning, executing, and reviewing. If something worked, we kept it; if not, we refined or shelved it. This became our culture, improving efficiency and building resilience. Listening to the market also helped us pivot, increasing customer satisfaction and adoption. Overall, our Agile approach fueled growth, keeping us adaptable and customer-focused. As well as, embracing innovation and success through constant small failures.

Great ideas are abundant, but their execution is often the missing link. It's important to focus on the meticulous execution of these ideas. Quality Assurance: Ensuring that each iteration meets the highest quality standards is essential for delivering a successful product or service. Risk Mitigation: Paying close attention to details helps identify and address potential issues early on, reducing the risk of costly mistakes. Customer Satisfaction: A well-executed product or service is more likely to meet customer expectations and drive satisfaction. Team Morale: Successful execution boosts team morale and motivation, fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Innovation without execution is hallucination. Balancing the dreamers (innovation) with the doers (operations) is a tough gig, but agile methodology can be your secret sauce. Agile thrives on flexibility and feedback, letting your innovation team iterate fast and break stuff (metaphorically). Meanwhile, operations get to adjust in real time, ensuring the ship doesn't sink while you try to fly. It’s all about small, continuous improvements that keep both sides aligned, avoiding the chaos of big bangs. Agile keeps the harmony, ensuring both growth and stability thrive together.

Implement agile practices to maintain flexibility and responsiveness. Agile methodology supports iterative development and continuous feedback, allowing innovation and operations to adapt quickly to changes and work together more effectively.

Considering resources holistically is essential. It is not enough to have allocated investment budget when there are insufficient people (in either or all of number, capability or capacity) to execute. And, a truly ambidextrous organisation needs to differentiate those people focused on BAU and those focused on new strategic projects. Failure to do so will inhibit progress and burn out team members being asked to do too much.

Let's not get fooled, operations will and should have priority over resources as they keep the business running. The problem is, companies get complacent, ignore the need for innovation and don't set budget aside for it. To make the case for this budget, an effective argument is to say that most innovation efforts will go to the core of the business anyway, so the benefits should be felt by the operations teams!

Ensure balanced resource allocation between innovation and operations. By equitably distributing time, budget, and personnel, both teams can pursue their goals without compromising the other’s success, leading to a more harmonious collaboration. However, if you feel one of the teams requires more immediacy or has taken priority over the other one, be sure to communicate this as quickly and clearly as possible, so as to prevent potential confrontations and team members making it personal.

A aloca??o estratégica de recursos é fundamental para garantir que tanto a inova??o quanto as opera??es tenham o suporte necessário para serem bem-sucedidas. Avalie as necessidades de cada equipe e distribua recursos – como or?amento, tempo e pessoal – de forma equilibrada. Isso evita que uma área seja sobrecarregada em detrimento da outra e garante que ambos os aspectos do projeto possam prosperar. Além disso, revise regularmente a aloca??o de recursos para fazer ajustes conforme o projeto avan?a.

A melhoria contínua é um princípio que deve ser aplicado tanto à inova??o quanto às opera??es. Estabele?a processos para revisar e otimizar continuamente o trabalho de ambas as equipes. Isso pode incluir a implementa??o de feedback loops, análise de desempenho e adapta??o de estratégias com base em resultados reais. Ao focar em melhorias constantes, você cria um ambiente onde a inova??o impulsiona as opera??es e as opera??es fornecem uma base sólida para novas inova??es.

The Secret Sauce to Innovation In the world of project management, innovation often takes center stage. But what often gets overlooked is the equally important role of continuous improvement. Think of it as a symbiotic relationship. Innovation fuels operations with new ideas, while operations provides a stable platform for innovation to thrive. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, you can create a dynamic and thriving project environment. How can you foster continuous improvement in your team? 1)Encourage experimentation 2)Celebrate small wins 3)Involve everyone 4)Measure progress Let's make continuous improvement a priority in our ever changing world !

When I need to coach agile without using the "agile" word, I frame the learning for client teams in two parts: (1) adopting project-based ways of working for non-routine, special tasks, and (2) applying a continuous improvement mindset to everyday, business-as-usual work. Innovation comes in all shapes and sizes, and this two-part approach captures it well. It helps teams embrace both big, game-changing ideas and small, incremental improvements that make a difference in the long run.