The Ingenuity Dimension

2. The Ingenuity Dimension Solutions

Every challenging situation requires extraordinary ingenuity - because we don't know what we don't know. This is a non-trivial problem to solve!

2. The Ingenuity Dimension Solutions

1. Provisionals: Generate a series of rough, provisional solutions.
2. AGI: Generate and integrate alternatives to the current provisional solution.
3. GPS: Establish the single Goal, Problem and Solution for all stakeholders in all time periods.
4. Pattern Thinking: Instead of compromising or choosing between inadequate solutions, find the repeating pattern across them.
5. RET: Reverse-Engineer solutions from the benefts sought to the solution features required.

2. The Ingenuity Dimension

Ingenuity focuses on individual and collective genius - coming up with smarter, better, cheaper, more sustainable and predictable outcomes.

2. The Ingenuity Dimension

The problem with ingenuity is that it's extremely challenging - biologically - to come up with new outside-the-box solutions and insights.

Deliberately generating and integrating alternative ways of enhancing key dimensions of an evolving solution prototype enables us to escape this physiological constraint.

Applying patterns that resolve the common contradictions between physical properties accelerates things even further.

The Top Five Ingenuity Levers

Using these levers - independently or in concert - guarantees next-level outside-the-box genuius insights and solutions in a fraction of the normal time.

The Top Five Ingenuity Levers

1. Provisionals: Tangible artefacts are way easier to improve than intangible ones.
2. AGI: Integrating alternatives is way more effective than ranking and selecting them.
3. Pattern Thinking: Finding and using the underlying patterns is the secret of genius.
4. GPS: Distinguishing between goal, problem and solution unlocks and stimulates focused genius.
5. AWAPITA: Working to deadline, without pressure shifts the focus from perfection to progress.

The Top Five Ingenuity Lever Solutions

Using these levers - independently or in concert - guarantees next-level outside-the-box genuius insights and solutions in a fraction of the normal time.

The Top Five Ingenuity Lever Solutions

1. Provisionals: Force out a provisional solution, no matter how inadequate and enhance it iteratively.
2. AGI: Generate and Integrate alternatives to a starting provisional solution or design.
3. Pattern Thinking: Generate lots of ideas. Find common themes. Find the repeating pattern.
4. GPS: Clarify the Goal, then the Problem and only then the Solution to maximise impact & efficiency.
5. AWAPITA: Focus on completing As Well As Possible In the Time Available, rather than ASAP.

Provisionals Technique

Use the power of provisional solutions to overcome the Peter Principle and Perfectionism.

Provisionals Technique

Provisionals Technique is deliberately adopting very rough and of necessity inadequate solutions ahead of any thought or research.

The power of provisionals lies in their creation of a tangible working solution - that is a lot easier to enhance than an ethereal solution that doesn't yet exist.

Provisionals can take the form of a few descriptive words or a rough diagram or barely-working prototype: anything to trigger of the enhancement phase of the innovation cycle.

AGI

Alternative Generation & Integration

A way of deliberately and systematically developing lateral, outside-the box breakthrough solutions.

AGI

Alternative Generation & Integration

Generate and integrate significant alternatives to a starting provisional solution.

The starting provisional solution defines and is defined by the box one is currently thinking in.

Generating alternatives to it forces one to come up with something outside that box: a solution that defines its own - different - box.

Integrating the solution ideas defines a new - bigger & more powerful & valid - box.

Pattern Thinking

Generate genius-level insights and solutions, on demand.

Pattern Thinking

Pattern Thinking is a simple technique for finding the otherwise invisible repeating patterns that drive and constrain the behaviour and performance of complex adaptive systems that make challenging situations seem so intractable.

The basic idea is to list the elements of the situation - like issues and challenges, opportunities and solutions and then, instead of comparing them for and raking them on difference, look for similarities and repeating patterns - they won’t be immediately obvious but very quickly leap into focus.

GPS Pattern

Goal|Problem|Solution Pattern

Simple, powerful, universal strategy model.

GPS Pattern

Goal|Problem|Solution Pattern

Identify:

1. The single goal all stakeholders share, immediately and into the future,
2. The single core problem they all face, immediately and into the future - from which all other issues and symptoms arise and then
3. develop a single, simple breakthrough solution that solves the single core problem and secures the single goal for all parties in all timeframes.

AWAPITA

As Well As Possible In The Time
Available/Allocated/Assigned

A powerful and effective alternative to ASAP.

AWAPITA

As Well As Possible In The Time
Available/Allocated/Assigned

Completing something AWAPITA rather than ASAP switches the focus from perfection-as-long-as-it-takes to getting-it-done-in-a-timely-way-even-if-it's-not-perfect).  It enables us to overcome perfectionism, procrastination and multitasking and accelerate innovation and productivity.

It combines well with Provisionals, AGI and fast-cycle, multi-pass innovation.

GBE (Good|Bad|Exceptional)

Simple framework and method for helping people escape the box of mediocrity.

GBE (Good|Bad|Exceptional)

GBE gets people to list current and potential good and bad features and experiences of products and services in a brainstorming way.

Then collaborate to develop good features and experiences against each bad one - with a view to replacing the bad ones with good ones.

The real impact comes from the third step, which is to create a third, Exceptional column/category to bring people to extrapolate and use other techniques to significantly exceed their best previous ideas.

Pattern Extrapolation

Continue in the direction & pattern of the breakthrough to flush out additional gains

Pattern Extrapolation

Extend the essence of the new insight or breakthrough solution beyond your comfort level - looking for further implications & ramifications to capitalise on the Drîm momentum gained.

The Repeating Pattern Phenomenon implies that any discovery or advance will apply throughout the situation.

Extrapolation is delibertaely looking for other applications, so that they don't need to be discovered or invented independently.

RET (Reverse-Engineering Technique)

Use the power of reverse-engineering to streamline and guarantee outcomes.

RET (Reverse-Engineering Technique)

Reverse-Engineering (working backwards from instead of forwards to) the ultimate state sought) offers a number unique of advantages.

1. It enables us to ensure that we haven't missed any essential elements out.
2. It enables to exclude the superfluous.
3. It enables us to figure out demanding and complex challenges.

We don't need to abandon Forward Engineering - merely supplement it with RET.

Conflict Resolver

Resolve dilemmas, conflicts and contradictions through breakthrough rather than compromise in a deliberate, systematic and reliable way.

Conflict Resolver

There are extremely few conflicts that can't be resolved beneficially to both drivers.

Instead of seeking the best Compromise between Conflicting options, identify and validate the drivers behind those Options and break (rather than find the best Compromise to) the Conflict, by looking for ways in which each driver can be advantaged rather than disadvantaged by the satisfaction of the other.

It's even easier if you have a set of standard breakthrough resolution options to choose from.

Prerequisites Technique

A way of guaranteeing outcomes efficiently and effectively.

Prerequisites Technique

Our natural tendency is to think and engineer forwards, getting started as soon as possible to ensure the earliest possible completion. The problem with this is that we risk focusing on things that turn out to be superfluous and missing things that turn out to be crucial.

Surfacing comprehensive sets of successive prerequisites to the ultimate objective enables us to ensure sufficiency while minimising superfluity.

It will do us well to adapt the plan for natural progression forwards as well!

NextGen Solution

A way of stimulating and accelerating individual and collective ingenuity and innovation

NextGen Solution

Bring the future forward by imagining what the next version of a solution, process, product, or service would look like.

Prompting oneself to look beyond the current hill-top not only prepares us for what's to come, but brings us to introduce key elements of the next generation solution into the current one - especially if those elements end up being simpler and quicker and easier to develop than the currently envisaged ones.

Vicious Cycle Reverser

A simple technique for reversing vicious cycles in challenging (dynamically complex) situations.

Vicious Cycle Reverser

Some of the most significant contributors to our current reality and the challenges it presents us with are vicious cycles: short-term actions that we have taken in the past that compound rather than overcome the problem and make it increasingly difficult to escape.

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The Vicious Cycle reverser is a simple model for deconstructing and consequently reversing the Vicious Cycle, converting it into a Virtuous Cycle.