You're leading an R&D team. How do you evaluate their work to ensure quality and innovation?

Setting clear objectives is crucial, serving as the foundational puzzle piece in every product development journey. We typically adhere to three straightforward guidelines: 1. Start with a precise verb: Opt for action words like develop, compare, or determine instead of vague terms like study. 2. Establish a well-defined workflow: Outline distinct processes, measurable parameters, and metrics. Avoid generalizing the workflow. 3. Establish reasonable milestones: Ensure deadlines are agreed upon by all team members, including support staff. Encourage participation from the entire team, gather feedback, and be concise about expected completion dates.

Open and transparent communication. Balance objective and subjective measures by tracking project milestones, error rates, user feedback, & ROI to assess technical quality & impact, while also evaluating novelty, feasibility, & potential market disruption to gauge groundbreaking ideas. Focus on both process and outcome by observing communication, teamwork, & knowledge sharing within the team, alongside evaluating creativity, critical thinking, & adaptation to challenges in problem-solving. Foster a culture of feedback through regular reviews, conducting individual & group discussions to provide constructive feedback & encourage continuous improvement, & promoting self-reflection among team members to identify personal growth opportunities.

Based on the book "How Innovation Really Works" you can measure the effectiveness of your R&D but what is called Research Quotient (RQ). In short, it measures regression of input and output, of the R&D. Here, it is important to position the R&D in a strategic place, as what you want to achieve. So that when you measure any metric of progress like the R&Q, it matters and relevant.

"Each individual is unique" is our motto. Diversity and inclusion are integral parts of our vision at Gigafactories. In our R&D teams, we abide by three DI (diversity and inclusion) rules: 1. Gender balance rule: The ideal ratio is 1:1, with each gender comprising at least 30% of the team. 2. Race balance rule: For multinational corporations (MNCs), we ensure that at least 40% of the team represents different races. 3. 10-minute rule: Every individual should have a 10-minute opportunity during each session to share their opinions. No interruptions or discussions should disrupt the session. By implementing these rules, we ensure that diversity and inclusion are enforced, leading to better outputs in all discussions and tasks in our team.

The bottom line for collaboration is: everyone is an expert of their own thing. Therefore they are leaders in their own right. it is ideal if what everyone in the team brings to the table, is different yet complementary to each other. If it's not: ? repurpose ? re-structure ? re-locate resources in this case don't reuse, recycle, remain ??

Understand the driving factor for each individual. Have a bold vision that excites, at the same time a SMART strategy to make it seem realistic and achievable. Encourage failing quick and acknowledge small stepping-stone contributions and achievements. Develop simple ways to ensure visibility of one's own growth and contribution to team. It can be simple yet creative and inspiring. It is probable to get swayed by multiple secondary goals and interruptions coming in the process. Acknowledge and help set time aside for those while sticking to the actual frog. Set milestones and track progress on: 1) Individual growth 2) Contribution to co-learning 3) Contribution to the project as an individual and team member as a whole

1. the question you should ask yourself here, is: “What would you try to experiment if you weren’t afraid of failing?” Basically the R&D leaders should -> must provide safe space that allows their team to fail. Researcher that is not afraid of failure (often because of societal "norm") will operate in the realm of parasympathetic system. This will surely foster creativity. 2. is iteration, & 3. is the compounding effect. ??

As the leader of an R&D team, ensuring quality and innovation is paramount. We utilize a multifaceted approach, including regular performance reviews, feedback loops, and metrics tracking. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and embracing experimentation, we assess both short-term outcomes and long-term strategic impact. This ensures our work not only meets high standards but also drives meaningful innovation that adds tangible value to our organization and beyond.

Post-market surveillance holds significant importance, even for large-scale manufacturers like us. Typically, we segment it into three key areas of compliance. Once all checks are completed, the product is deemed suitable and positioned for high impact in the market. 1. Customer satisfaction metric: Ensure that samples represent more than 10% of sales, with a satisfaction rate of 90% or higher. 2. Market capture: Aim for the new product to secure at least 5% of the total market share in emerging markets and 2% in mature markets. 3. Cost-margin-contingency metric: Prepare a concise cost analysis covering margins, overall costs, fixed and variable costs, trade charges, and contingency expenses. This allows us to strategise next key action