ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the mechanism for Lean Innovation called the Lean Innovation Cycle. Lean Innovation is the business activity of creating and delivering new value to customers in alignment with business strategy. It has a strategically different focus from that of traditional innovation. The implication that the Lean Innovation Cycle proposes is that any innovation activity, any effort an organization makes to improve or innovate should first be dictated by the strategy of the organization. Hoshin Kanri should be a careful process of understanding an organization’s own strengths and weaknesses as well as the external conditions it faces in the competitive environment. The ideation phase starts by taking an abstract idea of a well-thought-out design problem and transforming it into an idea for a workable viable product. The kaizen phase will focus on internal validation to improvements as much as undertaking the improvements themselves.
