This blog is all about making product developers, managers, and innovators more successful and their organizations successful with them. As I do each week, below is a roundup of articles around the web with insightful product development, management, and innovation practices, tips, and examples – and sometimes controversial ideas.

Around the Web

4 classes of product innovation needed in your portfolio – evolutionary, differentiation, revolutionary, and fast-fail. “So how would you divvy up your innovation portfolio? You have four choices. I will list them and characterize what is good, bad and ugly about each.” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemaddock/2014/09/24/why-you-need-an-innovation-portfolio/

7 tests for validating a product idea – #4 is my fav – separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems. “All your friends may love your idea on how to find the nearest bar or gym, but how many others are willing and able to pay money for your solution? Even good social causes need to bring in revenue to continue their worthy efforts. Ask domain experts to quantify value for you.” Read more from Entrepreneur http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237513

Innovators – use the Business Model Canvas for your business case. “One of the key components of transformation and innovation is the business model, and since the ability of companies to transform and reinvent themselves is crucial to their lifeline, I went straight to the source, the global expert on business models and author of the international bestseller, Business Model Generation, Dr. Alexander Osterwalder.” Read more from Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-afshar/reinvent-your-business-mo_b_5857056.html

8 ways China is taking innovation seriously – tips you can apply to your organization. “…our research on innovation by companies in China shows that there are at least eight types of innovation, and that China’s success to date has been built much more on non-technology types of innovation” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/ceibs/2014/09/19/chinas-many-types-of-innovation/

Really, you can systematize innovation? This guy thinks so (and so do I). “Innovation has undoubtedly become the currency of the 21st century. Very few companies, however, have figured out how to consistently innovate. Innovation still seems to be thought of as black magic.” Read more from Entrepreneur http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237539

Talking to Humans – innovation practices to actually make your new product idea valuable to customers. “The problem is that our instincts are too often wrong. People sell when they should listen. They speculate when they should observe. They get intimidated trying to figure out what to ask, to whom, and how.” Read more from Giff Constable http://giffconstable.com/2014/09/announcing-talking-to-humans-new-book

Resilience the flip side of innovation in organizations. “Whether you’re trying to avoid catastrophe or attempting to innovate, it’s essential that your organization can perform well beyond its boundaries, where events are surprising, and existing well-established plans and procedures no longer apply.” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbloomberg/2014/09/23/innovation-the-flip-side-of-resilience/

What innovators should learn from the 20 reasons startups fail. “Written predominantly by startup founders, they offered a glimpse of the harsh realities of startup life, as well as a few lessons for entrepreneurs to learn from.” Read more from  http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/09/25/top-20-reasons-startups-fail-report/

Good advice for innovators and everyone – 5 ways to never stop growing and learning. “What 5 things can make sure you never stop growing and learning?” Read more from Time http://time.com/3430057/never-stop-growing-learning/

Do innovators sometimes need to explain why their product is a better mousetrap? “Every so often, an innovative product fails to achieve widespread adoption because companies don’t connect the dots for consumers.” Read more from INSEAD http://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/how-to-market-a-revolution-3598

Innovation starts with people. “What I learned firsthand was that the relationships we build and the people we connect ourselves with are the true sources of innovation.” Read more from the Huffington post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-mcdonald/innovation-starts-with-yo_1_b_5877568.html

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