Definition of Product

It is interesting to notice that there exist an ISO definition of “product”:

“A product is an output that results from a process. Products can be tangible or intangible, a thing or an idea, hardware or software, information or knowledge, a process or procedure, a service or function, or a concept or creation. Please note that when ISO uses the term product they also mean service.“

Hmm, I also think that “product” is what the customer pay for, and if that product is intangible, people call it service. But if it is a software (intangible) it is not called service, rather software; Jilx!! Well, well, lets skip that and se what will come out of the processes first, THEN we can argue on what to name it…

Why idea management?

Idea management, in my view, is the deliberate process of recognizing that you have ideas, and also the will to take them further. I think that out of a bunch of ideas might come something that could be beneficial for someone else, or even for me. By treating this as a process, and dealing with ideas accordingly, I think more ideas will come “into play”, i.e. be transformed into solutions.

Of course, some ideas may stand out as “better” than others on the ideation stage (my Driveway), while some may stand taller being worked with (my Garage), and some may just slip through to the final stage (my Garage sale) without making lots of noise. However, giving the ideas the same attention (The Idea Garage Process) might raise the possibilities of both early and late bloomers. It is always hard to spot the winners on the market before the solution do hit the market…

Also, it is important to turn the thinking into actions once and a while since it is then that you realize, and reflect upon a lot of things.

Confucius (Chinese philosopher & reformer, 551 BC – 479 BC) said:
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

…and was he right or was he right! You learn by doing!

Also, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 – 1969, A speech to the National Defence
Executive Reserve Conference in Washington, DC on Nov. 14, 1957) once said that “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything”.

He had realized that although you do not always follow your plans, it is important to plan (or practice, train) in order to be prepared for the unexpected.

We do live in the “knowledge era” and Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer) also coined an interesting phrase:
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.“

People claim that we live in the fastest era ever, still, the quotes above do carry some wisdom relevant also today.