The concept of an IDEAthon is similar to a Hackathon - except that the goal is not to try and code a solution to a particular problem. Instead, an IDEAthon is focused on collaborating on the ideation phase of building a business solution. This phase is not about the technology, it is about solving human-centred problems as broadly as possible and designed around a shared industry challenge.
We recently took a look back at the last IDEAthon to outline the design challenge selected and the process the teams went through to ideate and validate a solution.
Reporting on the condition of power poles in local neighbourhoods is difficult and time consuming for members of the public. This often requires calls to a contact centre and a lengthy process to identify the precise pole, its location and its condition.
Issues and opportunities:
Determining Viability
To evaluate the viability of a solution, the teams used the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC).
This was then paired up with how a potential product or service would relieve customer pain points and create gains for them in their roles.
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| PRODUCTS & SERVICES | GAINS CREATORS | PAINS RELIEVERS |
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Combining customer research with insights from within the IDEAthon group also helped to widen the scope of how a solution could be used across different industries and use cases.
“Using the VPC meant that we could really leverage the experience and the skills of the team,” said Cavan Jordan, Practice Lead at Certus Solutions, and IDEAthon participant.
“We had discussions about what those in asset management had experienced and uncovered that power poles are not the only asset this could apply to, so we started to think about the usability for councils, power companies, and telcos etc. We quickly realised that the idea was very easily transferrable to other public assets which are out there.”
This process led to the creation of a value proposition for Reportify - a low-cost, proactive asset identification system.
Feasibility and Validation
The teams then used the Business Model Canvas (BMC) to understand the key customer audience, relationships and key activities and partners to create the overall Reportify value proposition. According to Miro, the BMC is useful for creating a visual understanding of your business model with your value prop at the centre, and also easily seeing how all the elements of the business are connected.
Image source: Expert Program Management
“One of the large companies that we spoke to said, ‘We've been wanting to do something like this for a long time,’ and then mentioned a whole lot of other use cases we could apply it to,” said Cavan Jordan.
Reportify started out as an idea for inspecting equipment in the field, but as the team ideated and worked through different scenarios, it became clear there was an opportunity to “crowd-source” those inspections and respond more efficiently to problems with equipment in the field - from playgrounds to toilets, to power polls to bridges and roads. And do this in a way that engaged with customers through an app that reduced the friction for someone doing their civic duty.
Check out the digital paper prototype by scanning the QR code below:
The process the team went through to develop the Reportify concept is an example of how the Forge Digital Foundry and Cognition Methodologies are applied to solve problems and develop and refine solutions.
Digital Transformation happens at the intersection of people, technology & process and the Digital Foundry approached seeks to first understand, before applying a solution. Regardless of whether you are looking at a simple enablement or modernization project, a holistic understanding of the constraints, technologies, interactions as well as human expectations are key to success.
If you are interested in learning more about the Value Proposition Canvas and the other tools and methodologies used in this example, consider completing our free, online workshop about Developing DX Business Cases as an Intrapreneur.