Fostering a ‘build, measure, learn’ approach to innovation

‘Agile’ as a way of working is characterised by frequent and incremental adaptation. Design thinking is a problem-solving approach combining analytical thinking with a human-centred focus. Put simply, design thinking generates better ideas; ‘build, measure, learn’ turns these ideas into viable solutions; and Agile ensures the efficient delivery of these solutions, continuously adapting them through user feedback.

How to ‘build, measure and learn’

Plan

Use design thinking to respond to the identified challenge with a user-centred perspective. Start by planning how your project will be delivered. Define the idea and decide what to measure ensuring you capture useful data. Develop a hypothesis, refine the idea to be tested and decide how to collect the information needed to learn from it.

Build

With a hypothesis, build your idea into a proof-of-concept. Think about how to demonstrate demand for your idea. Defining core features and benefits of a solution is key to attracting early buy-in. The initial vision behind the Moata Carbon Portal for example, was enabling asset owners to build and manage their own carbon model. It is now an industry game changer, allowing traceability and transparency of asset carbon data – facilitating better decision making throughout a project’s carbon lifecycle. Launch the first version of your solution and compile data as planned.

Measure

This step involves measuring and analysing the results and answering the following questions: Has your initial hypothesis been confirmed? Is there anything missing to keep you from developing the idea? Does the data demonstrate that your solution meets wider business needs? The key to the success of the Moata Carbon Portal is its ongoing development driven by user feedback.

Learn

By this stage, you will be ready to make evidence-based decisions about how to move forward.

• If your hypothesis was correct: persevere with your solution and keep working through these steps as you develop it further.
• If your hypothesis was invalidated: pivot back to the first stage or reset your course, using lessons learned to test a new theory.

How is this game-changing for organisations looking to innovate?

Making the best use of public funds

A ‘build, measure, learn’ innovation process enables infrastructure organisations to continuously improve their ability to provide for users as they adapt to changing needs. This is valuable as critical infrastructure assets are predominantly funded for the public, by the public.

Managing risk appropriately

The sector is traditionally risk-averse and focuses on solutions that seem to contradict the scalability and change needed for organisations to successfully innovate. Introducing various checkpoints and opportunities for feedback provides reassurance that risks are effectively accounted for throughout the project lifecycle. Agile principles are founded on reactivity to new information, meaning various risks and change requirements can be easily anticipated.

Building a proactive and reactive culture

A ‘build, measure, learn’ approach can help future-proof, improving resilience to disruption. Leaders across the energy, transport and water sectors should be at the forefront of defining successful innovation outcomes; identifying a direction of travel rather than fixed goals or solutions, allowing for different solutions to emerge. To embed design thinking, ‘build, measure, learn’, and Agile into innovation management, organisations must be mindful the four stages only provide the process to be followed. Alongside this process, leaders must ensure teams can also integrate these principles into both their mindsets and daily practices.

Our innovation whitepaper explores the challenges of meaningfully managing innovation in regulated industries. It contains recommendations encouraging the energy, water and transport sectors to reap the benefits of implementing innovation at pace and scale.