Purpose
Selection sharpens options: assessing trade‑offs, feasibility, alignment with strategy, risks, and organisational readiness. It helps the team avoid chasing all possibilities and instead focus on what is viable and valuable. It builds alignment, clarifies what success might look like, and surfaces tensions early.
Organisationally, Select ensures innovation efforts are grounded: resources (time, skills, data) are used well, risks are visible, and stakeholders are aligned. It protects against overcommitment, ensures clarity of ownership, and sets up prototypes with high potential rather than speculative hope.
Outcome
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One or a small number of ideas chosen for prototyping.
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For each chosen idea: feasibility assessment (technical, data, UX, ethical, organisational).
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A set of hypotheses / assumptions to test in prototype.
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Defined criteria for success (what must be true) and stakeholder buy‑in.
Tools
Impact/Ease Matrix What: Compare feasibility vs benefit. How: Place ideas on a 2×2 grid (high/low impact, high/low ease). Why: Prioritises pragmatic options.
Dot Voting What: Democratic selection. How: Each person gets dots to vote on ideas. Why: Surfaces collective preferences quickly.
Risk–Reward Check / Yes-No £500 Bet What: Assess risk appetite. How: Ask “Would you stake £500 on this idea succeeding?” Why: Forces realism, sharpens risk view.
Solution Shaping / PMI (Plus-Minus-Interesting) What: Combine parts of ideas into viable solutions. How: For each idea, note pluses, minuses, interesting aspects; combine promising elements. Why: Produces balanced, innovative solutions.
Strategy Engagement Matrix / Forcefield What: SEM maps alignment of ideas to goals and stakeholders; Forcefield maps driving vs restraining forces. How: Plot goals vs stakeholders, or list forces for/against. Why: Surfaces alignment and resistance.
Consensus & Prioritisation What: Tools for reaching agreement. How: Use structured prioritisation criteria (effort, value, risk); test for consensus. Why: Builds shared ownership.