Business Strategy and Innovation Framework
specific questions), brainwriting( also known as 6-3-5 method, where ideas are generated filling out a sheet by 6 persons, changing the sheet 3 times limiting the working time to 5 minutes). More IIoT-specific exercises, like confronting the idea with business model patterns involving“ sensors as a service” or“ digitally charged products” are also worth considering as part of the process of identifying new opportunities [ EF1 ].
The five IIoT Layers( physical thing, sensor / actuator, connectivity, analytics and, digital service) help determine on which specific value-creation layer the opportunity should focus. It illustrates the range from product focus up to digital services [ EF1 ].
After formulating an initial idea, a pre-evaluation step should be carried out. Capturing the essence of potential ideas in a structured manner 1 allows enterprises to compare and preevaluate the various ideas generated.
At this early stage, promising IIoT ideas are usually selected by means of a vote or other informal method that captures the consensus among the innovation teams. At a later stage, after developing the candidate ideas in more detail, more formalized evaluation methods can be used( decision support tools such as scorecards based on internal enterprise standards).
5.2
PREPARATION
Selected ideas should then be analyzed and documented in detail to sharpen focus, derive underlying assumptions( market attractiveness, value proposition, or technical implications, etc.), and assign actions to various team members to validate these assumptions.
After describing the IIoT solution, mapping techniques should be applied to help to break down the value proposition into features that correspond to stakeholder’ s perceived benefits. This is a highly iterative process, as the early-stage nature of IIoT dictates that some ideas will turn out to be less promising than expected, while other new, more innovative ideas may emerge along the way. Again, validating assumptions, for example by collecting early user feedback helps to prioritize value drivers. The targeted solution should then be described in a holistic way: Sketching the solution from the user ´ s perspective by describing the customer ´ s journey with all relevant touch points and activities delivers insights about the required capabilities( in terms of technology, know-how and resources). The capability assessment helps to differentiate which parts of value creation the focal company can perform and which parts performed by partners.
With a number of different parties contributing to any IIoT solution( including sensor providers, production plants, telecommunications providers, etc.), it is crucial to involve each of these parties in the refinement stage of the planning cycle. These players will need to coordinate their efforts to create maximum value for the target group( s).
1
One possibility is to use the‘ IoT Shamrock’; see the IoT Business Model Builder [ BSI1 ]. IIC: PUB: B01: V1.0: PB: 20161115- 28-