Process development basics

Today will be a short overview of process development, in the context of how one might go about re-inventing themselves.

As one might suspect, this would be far from a recipe-like, linear process, where you simply do one thing after another, and voila! you have completed the process and got what you want. True re-invention, although similar to invention or new product development (which can be quasi-linear), is a highly non-linear process. It is similar to the learning process of a baby to a child. Inputs you receive now may not be understood or processed until months or years later, when other inputs combine with the original input to produce a "productive" positive experience or output. The nature of the input may also affect the output, and intermediate feedback loops along the way will affect the output.

Let's assume we have some inputs and want some known, measurable outputs. We know our re-invention process is non-linear, but we want to impose a time frame on it just to say that the development, as we choose to define it, is finite. Say six months. Sounds a lot like goal-setting doesn't it? Yes, but I want to make sure you remember the process is fluid, not fixed steps on a ladder. You have to be flexible and adaptable to sense "good" & "bad" inputs or process streams that will affect your measurables.

The process I would like to adapt to fit my needs is a new product development process. I list the steps (some are more obvious and/or applicable than others):

1. Idea generation / Opportunity analysis
2. Idea screening / Defining target market
3. Concept development and testing
   
4. Business analysis / Competition and customer feedback
5. Beta testing and market testing (prototype)
6. Implementation (logistics, resources, contingencies)
7. Commercialization

Note these things can happen concurrently (at the same time) and should be open to change but able to minimize the cost of change by knowing the latest responsible moment an item can be changed ("go no-go" point). In software development, the buzz word is "agile" software development. I'll let your head buzz around that for a while....if you know any "agile" project managers, please have them write to me....

As you can see, there are a considerable number of steps even before we get to the prototype (item 5). Taking this in the context of the process of re-inventing myself, the new "prototype" if you will still needs some pre-work before I can even really visualize the prototype. I would say that some of this pre-work has been done, but not clearly written down or explained to someone else (say not even my boyfriend!!!)

So I have got my work cut out for me!! More to come next week...