Pitch Week

The Pitch Week is scheduled as the 6th week of each Six Week Innovation Challenge (SWICH). The innovation funnel is a continuous process, meaning after the Pitch Week Innovation Teams continue with the next SWICH or transition into the Scaling Up Phase.

Details

The first five weeks, the Innovation Team is working on the innovation. The last week, the Pitch Week, has the following program.

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SWICH Demo’s

The start of the Pitch Week consists of the various demo’s of the SWICHs, given by the Innovator and its Innovation Teams. The time box depends on the portfolio of innovations but should not be longer than three hours. Everyone is invited to join the demo’s, but the main audience is the team of Innovation Coaches. Besides, it is recommended to invite the line organization/ Business Owners in which the innovation will land if it reaches the Scaling Up Phase.

At least the following should be included in the demo:

  • The results of the experimentation including validation of the hypotheses and learnings;
  • Possible new hypotheses for the next experiment;
  • An advice to the Continuous Innovation Board (CIB) on the continuation of the experiment.

Innovation Coach Review Meeting (ICRM)

After the SWICH demo’s the Innovation Coaches meet to discuss the results. In the ICRM several items are discussed:

  • The decision on starting new SWICHs, so which of the validated ideas enter the Experimentation Phase. Innovators should therefore pitch their validated ideas any time before the ICRM, only then they are able to start the Experimentation Phase in cadence. If they are too late, they need to wait for the next starting period.
  • The decision on SWICHs to continue or stop.
  • The top 5 validated ideas and/or innovations which need approval of the Continuous Innovation Board. These are the validated ideas or SWICHs which require more budget than usual for the experiments.
  • Budgeting & resource allocation based on the Portfolio Kanban.

CIB Review Meeting (BRM)

During the Pitch Week the people in the CIB are available for questions from Innovation Teams, Business Owners and Innovation Coaches. After the demo day, Innovation Coaches select the top 5 ideas and/or innovations which need to be discussed in the CIB Review Meeting. In this meeting the Portfolio Kanban and the innovation budget is being discussed.

In the CIB Review Meeting several items are being discussed:

  • The first 1,5 hours are dedicated to the 5 selected pitches of either validated ideas and/or innovations which require the approval of the CIB. The pitches of these presentations are delivered in the follwing format:
Pitch for SWICH #1:
1 min – Problem statement, vision and potential upside
1 min – Brief description of intended solution
1 min – Top 3 hypotheses (Feasibility and Value)
2 min – Prio 1 hypothesis – Testcard
1 min – Preview of SWICH 2 (and potentially 3)
1 min – Resourcing: Team = Capacity (6 days/person), Ad-hoc capacity (specialists), Funds
8 min – Q&A
Pitch for SWICH #2 & #3
1 min – Vision, solution and potential upside
1 min – Test card of tested hypothesis
1 min – Learnings and conclusion
2 min – New hypothesis for next SWICH (Test card)
1 min – Preview of following SWICH (or scale-up iteration)
1 min – Resourcing: Team = Capacity (6 days/person), Ad-hoc capacity (specialists), Funds
8 min – Q&A

 

  • The last hour is focused on:
    • The decision to start, continue or stop current and new SWICHs. In the ICRM the SWICHs below a certain amount have already been discussed, several needs an approval of the CIB and are therefore discussed in the BRM. This often depends on the budget needed to start or continue the experiment.
    • Budgeting & resource allocation:
      • Investment overview discussion
      • How many (validated) ideas do we have in our funnel?
      • How many innovations are in SWICH 1, 2, 3?
      • How many innovations are in the Scaling Phase?
      • Based upon this overview, the innovation budget is discussed and divided over the various innovations.

Communicate decisions on the continuation of SWICHs

After the CIB Review Meeting the Innovation Coaches communicate to the Innovators and teams which new ideas are starting, and which innovations are continuing or stopping. The next SWICH period starts immediately after the Pitch Week, therefore all Innovators and Innovation Teams should be prepared to start or continue the experimentation.