What is Discovery-Driven Planning?

Discovery-driven planning is a protective measure for organizations desiring to protect themselves against invalid assumptions when attempting to create innovative products, as well as being able to sidestep unforeseen costs that typically cause disastrous consequences (Gunther-McGrath, and MacMillan, 2013). Additionally, organizations with consistent and accurate planning processes for innovative product development, are far more likely to repeat the success versus organizations that fail to plan. 

Discovery-driven planning is used by organizations desiring to mitigate risk related to innovative planning and product development. Therefore, the primary usage of discovery-driven planning is to prevent the organization from failing to plan (McGrath, 2009). The entire premise of discovery-driven planning is to ask the right questions and to achieve the success of finding the right answers before innovative product development begins.

Pros

The best part of discovery-driven planning is that it is practical and relatively simple to create. Additionally, along with repeated successes in innovative product development comes a higher level of profitability, further investment in the organization, as well as the attraction of high-skilled employees desiring to be a part of the success.  Additionally, discovery-driven planning allows an organization to follow a well-defined pattern that includes determining potential profitability, identifying a product or related organizational assumptions, the early determination as to whether or not an innovative idea is valid, and testing project related assumptions as they how they pertain to measurement and objectives.

Cons

One problem with discovery-driven planning is that it may pose lots of difficulties when attempting to predict the success of a product within a nonexistent market, hence the reason discovery-driven planning may not necessarily be beneficial for organizations desiring to develop disruptive product innovations (Christensen, 2011). Also, discovery-driven planning better suited for sustaining organizational innovation than used for innovation with exceedingly high levels of risk.   

Conclusion

               So, the question is can discovery-driven planning be used as a tool to develop disruptive innovation? The answer is actually yes. However, the organization must be open to allowing room for failure (Christensen, 2011). That failure can then be used as a valid assumption during the discovery-driven planning session for the next potentially disruptive innovative product. Unfortunately, discovery-driven planning is more of a successive stepwise approach to innovative product development.

               The key to success when using a discovery-driving planning approach for innovative product development is, to continually push the envelope towards high-risk for higher and higher levels of reward, and profitability. As an organization adopts the discovery-driven planning technique, after some successes in its usage, the organization becomes more proficient at pushing the higher risk levels.

References

Christensen, C. M. (2011). The innovator's dilemma: The revolutionary book that will change the way you do business. New York, NY: Harper Business.

Gunther-McGrath, R., & MacMillan, I. C. (2013). Discovery-driven planning. In Harvard Business Review.

McGrath, R. G. (2009). A BETTER WAY TO PLAN YOUR NEXT IT INNOVATION. Ivey Business Journal (Online), 1. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/216185845?accountid=39364