V-SAFE screening

The function of any screening process is to quickly and efficiently weed out those ideas and innovations that do not meet your basic selection criteria. As a standard you should look at:

Value: Does the idea deliver tangible benefits to the organisation? What is the Return on Innovation Investment (RoII) figure? What is the net contribution to current business imperatives? These questions help eliminate ideas that are good in theory but add little to the bottom-line.

Suitable: Is the idea consistent with strategy and the current situation? This weeds-out potential “distractions” – always a risk when looking at innovations.

Acceptable: Will stakeholders support it? Often ideas fail because of the “not invented here” syndrome or office politics. It is crucial that proponents of an idea spend time and effort on selling the idea internally and gauging the level of support for it.

Feasible: Are there sufficient resources or time? Can the innovation be managed within existing budgets or will additional funding be required? Do you need to acquire new skills to implement this idea effectively? The answers to these questions will affect the timeline for implementation and the potential ROI calculation. See it as a reality check.

Enduring: Will the idea deliver value in both the long and short term? If a new idea or innovation is to be truly strategic it should survive the rigors of time. Is the long-term gain worth the short-term pain of bringing a new idea to fruition? Again this highlights the return on the investment to be made.

To effectively use any screening process it has to be easily understood by all submitting ideas, publicised for all to see, standardised as a template and never, never short-circuited without good reason! Ideas should be viewed within a portfolio and not in isolation as prioritising ideas and innovations is all about relative merit and the battle for resources and time."