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I have come to find that which was such a detriment to me as a developer has become priceless to me as a business owner. I'm thinking that this is a VERY common way that many folks do things..but I'd like to hear from others on this.
To encourage reponse, I'll call it the Web 2.0 creative model.
I don't really know what Web 2.0 is, but I need the hype, so here we go:
NEW WEB 2.0 CREATIVE MODEL
1) What
What is the idea?
I get an idea that seems cool. At this point all I know is WHAT I'd like to do.
2) How
How will we get this done, and with what technology?
Over time, the idea perculates in my mind and I sort of solve the basic technical issues in the roughest of terms. I might also come up with some marketing ideas and some extra features at this point.
3) Where
Where on the site, in the app, or in the world will this idea fit?
In other words, where can I shoehorn this cool idea.
4) When
When will this idea become a reality?
Generally, I will want to implement this new whiz-bang solution as soon as possible. I have found that as I get older, it's easier for me to sit on ideas longer, but I'm not sure if this is an improvement.
5) Why
Why would we do this? What's the benefit? What problem does it solve?
This has always been the toughest question. It's the question that most often was asked and this question has been the most successful at getting my ideas killed :)
Here we are, we know what we want to do, we know how we're going to do it, we know where we're going to implement it, and we know when it's going to get done..but why are we doing it?
I truly don't know what this process says about me. I don't know if it's a good process, and I don't know if anyone else suffers/benefits from it.
Does anyone else go through this process and in this order? What are your thoughts?
Bill
Basically, I saw a solution with no knowledge of an existing problem. This made my ideas less than marketable as my superiors prefered that I would find a problem and propose a solution..or BETTER..they would give me a problem and I would find a solution.
What you're describing is a word called INNOVATION. If you have an employer disregarding innovation, then you need to find a different job.
As for your creative model, it definitely covers the basics for getting an idea off the ground. If you're getting shot down at "Why", then honestly your idea isn't that good for your business. You can't just go and do things just to do them. You'll end up wasting a ton of resources on it, and in the end it won't be good for the company anyway. If your idea is also used on another website, ask yourself "How does this idea make this website better?". If you can answer it, then you might be able to apply it to your current application. If not, then it's not a good idea.
I'm not trying to flatten your tires. I absolutely hope you figure out some solutions that will allow you to integrate your ideas. I'm just trying to alert you that innovation only works when the ideas are relevant to the company.
