Part 2, DUH, AHA, EUREKA – From Idea to Innovation

Summary:  In part 1, we discussed that an idea has a life-cycle.  The blog post introduced Louise Rainone-Musial, the Director of Strategy and Development for PCD works.  We discussed the connection between creativity and the very technical abilities to bring ideas from abstract to valuable innovations.  PCD Works’ methodology is Create, Test, Build, Refine, and Deliver. 

“The work we do at PCD Works is very exciting because, while we are good in the idea phase, we are just as good at the execution phase.  We are good at understanding the value of that innovation.  This means we have to execute to bring those ideas into innovation.  PCD Works is very good at that.” - Louise Rainone-Musial

Begin Part 2

 Louise Rainone-Musial lectures on Open Innovation

“Companies come to us with particular technology roadblocks.  Sometimes they may not have the internal expertise to overcome or leap beyond a problem.  Other times it is bandwidth issues.  There are times they just need an outside perspective because of a linear view.   It has been done this way for thirty years, how do we break out of that? We help them solve complex, challenging problems with immersive ideation.  It’s not, let’s develop a new product.  Immersive Ideation generates a lot of ideas.  Then, our methodology takes the most promising of those ideas that fits within the parameters given.  You go from there and distill it down even further until you have what you are going to be working on.  You put that on a project plan.   You have deliverables, intangibles, and milestones, so your goals will be met at the end.  At PCD Works, we are active across industries: oil and gas, food and beverage, water treatment, environmental services.   

Louise consults with a colleague
 at the Product Development and Management
 Association's Annual Conference.

“So, by working across the industries PCD Works can see those connections that help bring value to ideas and the resulting innovation?” I asked.

“Yes.  Because many times there are parallels to be drawn from different industries that one normally would not associate as having any parallels.  For example, both oil and gas and electromechanical medical device can deal with fluid dynamics, pumps, and valves but on a different scale.  Because oil and gas has vast experience with physics and design concerns, many lessons can be brought into the design and solving issues with a particular medical device all brought out in the ideation methodology.  We look for lessons that we can take from one place and apply them successfully in another.  It is amazing how answers can be found by taking this different path to viewing a problem.”

 “For closing remarks, can you help clients to move beyond a corporate thought process?”

“Yes, we created these aha moments that help breakthrough beyond that.  Those moments are really fantastic.  At PCD Works, that’s what we shoot for… every time.   PCD Works is located on an 80 acre campus in east Texas.  We offer a retreat that reinforces our philosophy that the place of innovation is just as important as the people and the methodology that are helping the client.  We provide a campus with facilities that clients need.  We have a prototype shop, a brainstorming studio, a twenty thousand square foot laboratory with mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, physicists, microbiologists, and optics specialists.  We have people working daily on our core services. We bring a different level of problem solving to our customers.”

Click here to read part 1