3 - Level 1

Summary

The Innovation Pyramid segments the innovation's design from its execution. Focusing on the design first forces us to think about what we are creating before immersing ourselves into the details of how we are creating it. The design portion is further segmented into Problem Identification and Solution Formulation. The first level of The Innovation Pyramid, which is the first stage of the innovation's design, describes a procedure for identifying root causes of general situations. Like The Innovation Pyramid itself, this five-step procedure for Problem Identification is non-linear and iterative process of discovery. Steps may be skipped or repeated depending on where we start or how the process of discovery unfolds. The five-step procedure is therefore more of a guideline than a rigorous process. The guideline requires multiple changes in perspective (broadening or narrowing one's purview) and points-of-view (through who's eyes the situation is observed). Empathy is a key component necessary to remaining in the problem space long enough to uncover the situation's root cause. Given problems are associated with people, identifying the root problem also means identifying the group of people most directly impacted by the root problem.