i forgot one category of innovation lust: 3a.) the sales/marketing departments of a company decide it's current product line is old in the tooth and sales people are requesting something they can go out and sell more enthusiastically. Some years ago someone in the company said "why don't we make XXX". So sales/marketing goes to owners/execs and ask for a new line of XXZ (a little different from original idea). management plays "what if", "how much" games. and then calls in engineering and tells them to suspend work on that problem we were all worried about last year and get cracking on new product XXZ. "you have 9 months to produce a prototype that we can demonstrate at the Hanover Fair, and you must be in production 3 months after sales does its annual trade fair in Phoenix." the engineer who originally suggested XXX specified it would take 2 years to complete development, now they are given one year to get to market.
les schaffer
