Adam Sheppard

Subscribe to all relevant Reddit channels like r/chatgptcoding r/openai r/ai etc. Y-Combinator News is an excellent source of daily innovations and LinkedIn and Twitter / Threads usually highlight the breakthrough of the day. Beyond just reading, install, play with and evaluate everything you can.

I've looked at many different tools over the years. The Itonics platform is fairly full featured but also a little on the pricey side. I think visual brainstorming tools like Miro are ideal for getting the ideas out from a larger contributing team. Bucketing and transferring them into some other line of business application is usually a better idea than some proprietary toolset.

Many product innovation tools suffer from a poor user experience, or being obfuscated to some Sharepoint or Confluence page that nobody checks. It's critical for an organization going down this path to not see innovation as a bolt-on to the business. It needs to be a core part of the overall process. Companies that don't disrupt themselves risk being disrupted by others.

There's a critical mass, concensus building and general excitement that comes from product innovation workshops. Whether I've led or participated in them I've always come out of them with fresh perspectives and a sense of camaraderie with my colleagues. I think they should be built into the rhythm of the business and the results shared broadly and highlighted by leadership. The best ideas are perfect candidates for selection when developing product roadmaps and ideally should be budgeted into the time allocated alongside other feature and product ideas.

If my boss was resistant to new product ideas, I'd first seek to understand their concerns. Are they worried about risk, resources, or market potential? I'd come prepared with data showing demand, a clear plan to manage risk, and a phased approach. I'd loop in respected colleagues to build support and frame it as a collaborative discussion to find a path forward. If I can align with company goals and make a strong case, most bosses will come around.