getting smart in the kitchen - setting your innovation objectives

Getting SMART in the kitchen – setting your innovation objectives P a g e | 1

Jenny Vandyke | Director and Principal Consultant m: 0412 602 362 | e: [email protected]

www.zumbara.com.au

The following is an excerpt from The Innovation Recipe: Key ingredients for world-class results in big business by Jenny Vandyke.

Setting your objectives – what’s on the menu

Throughout The Innovation Recipe we’ve talked about the danger of focussing on the solution and losing sight

of the outcome. Now is the time to take a fresh look at your idea. Again take a look at what you're trying to

get done. What does success look like? What is your intended outcome? Remember, the outcome will never

be, ‘to put in a new system’. The outcome will be to increase productivity, time savings, cost savings, customers,

revenue, and so on.

These will give us our project outcomes, which can be translated into your project aim or mission - this should

be distilled to a single sentence and the core of your elevator pitch, tying your solution in with your outcome.

For example:

Our aim is to automate the order process to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.

Our aim is to automate the order process to reduce risk and close an audit item.

Our aim is to automate the order process and increase sales.

Your project aim is underpinned by your project objectives, the specific goals that will enable you to achieve

your aim. Even on complex projects, it's necessary to distil your objectives down to your top six to eight

overarching objectives (you can always break these down further in the detailed planning process, but you

want to keep your team focussed on these objectives.

Setting project objectives is similar to any form of strategic planning or goal setting. Effective objectives are

clear and tangible. the SMART method is always a good rule of thumb. You want to set objectives that are

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound.

SMART goals in the kitchen

Specific

If you set yourself a goal to ‘cook dinner’, that might seem straight forward, but how do you know your dinner

was a success? How do you know it was worth the effort? How do you plan to make sure you have the right

ingredients, tools, and skills to make the dinner you want?

We all have different tastes, and the reality is you wouldn't be satisfied with just anything for dinner. You

could serve up a charred, dried out, overcooked steak. You'd be able to say you, ‘cooked dinner,’ but it's

unlikely your dinner guests would think the meal was a success. If you know your dinner guests love fresh

seafood, you might set a more effective, more specific goal such as to, ‘Cook tasty paella that all my guests

love.’ Now you have an idea of what ingredients you'll need and the quality standard you need to meet.

Measurable

How much paella do you need to make? If you have 10 guests coming to dinner, but you only cook enough for

four then your meal isn't going to be a success. It's also extremely important to set quality-related goals. ‘All



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my guests love,’ isn't quite a measurable goal, but if you aim for everyone to compliment the meal or come

back for seconds, then you've got two ways to measure quality.

Achievable

Different people have different approaches to this one. The general consensus, though, is that the most

effective way to set goals is to make objectives that are achievable but still challenging. Setting your goals to

be too easy will not motivate staff. If your goal is to cook two minute noodles you're not likely to be terribly

motivated, nor will you be particularly looking forward to the resulting reaction from your dinner guests.

You're likely to procrastinate and not put in as much effort to the little things like setting the table, matching

your meal with good wine, choosing the right music to set the scene (I know, I know, I'm not sure what music and

wine would be appropriate for a two minute noodle dinner party either, but you get the picture).

Setting your goals too high will also cause staff not to be motivated. If you've been inspired by your favourite

TV cooking show and have decided on a croque en bouche or soufflé for dessert, you're again likely to

procrastinate because you don't know where to start. You may even be thinking, 'What's the point in trying -

this is going to be hopeless.' You'll be so distracted trying to produce this extravagant result that you'll run out

of time to choose the wine, set the table, and find the right mood music. Sound familiar? You want to set your

objectives to stretch your team without breaking them!

Relevant

We've already touched on this in terms of Strategic Fit and KPI's. It's still worth thinking about this one at this

stage. One common scenario with project objectives is people may want to add extra requirements to suit

their needs, but these objectives don’t align to your project aim. Include these erroneous objectives at your

own peril. Focus is critical to your success, and these will often become dangerous (although sometimes

necessary) distractions.

Remember what we learned from the World's most innovative companies in the What Makes a Good Idea

Chapter - do one thing, do it brilliantly, then grow. These additional ideas can always be included in a Phase

Two project after you've achieved your core objectives.

Time bound

Have you ever been at a dinner party or barbecue and everyone has a great time but the main course isn't

served until 11pm? Begin with the end in mind, - ‘To cook tasty paella, served up at 8pm, that all my guests

love.’ You can then work backwards from your 8pm target and plan your cooking, preparation, hosting and

socialising time to meet your 8pm deadline so that all your guests are awake to enjoy the main course (and

haven't filled up on appetisers while waiting).

The Innovation Recipe: Key ingredients for world-class results in big business by Jenny Vandyke. Published by Pachyderm, Melbourne Australia 2013. About the book

More food for thought is available via our website

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getting smart in the kitchen - setting your innovation objectives

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