Consider these five things when prioritizing ideas to implement at work.
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If you are presented with multiple ideas to improve your company, whether it is a product, process or something else, you have to prioritize the ideas you want to pursue. How do you evaluate each idea? With limited time and resources, how do you know which idea you should tackle first? To help you prioritize what ideas to pursue, here are five questions to ask yourself:
1. Does the idea speak to a core organizational value?
Organizations have principles that they adhere to. These principles or values help companies to stay focused on the most important work they need to do to help further their mission. Examples of organizational values include Trust & Safety and Diversity & Inclusion.
Values are an extension of a company’s culture and brand. Your decision as to what idea to pursue should consider how it will impact the company’s credibility and, in turn, reputation. Skepticism will ensue if people recognize that you don’t practice what you preach.
When you come across an idea, decide whether the idea fulfills a company value and maintains or improves a company’s reputation. If it does not, it probably is not important to the company.
As an example, your current company has identified environmental sustainability as one of its values and you are evaluating a business idea that looks to digitize more of your work process. When you have an idea that is important to your company’s values, prioritize it. Otherwise, let it go for the moment.
2. Will the idea improve the customer experience and society?
After you have determined if the idea will further an organizational value, think about the value it will add to the end user and the global community. Is the proposed idea going to make a noticeable difference such that it will, for example, increase user engagement or make communities safer? Consider how your company’s product or service impacts others and the responsibility the company has to its customers and society.
3. Will the idea help the industry to innovate?
Ask yourself, “Will this idea help the company be an industry leader?” Evaluate the idea for its potential to help other companies move forward in their thinking and be a positive disruptor of the status quo.
Will this idea usher in change for the better? Prioritize ideas that will improve best practices or the industry’s reputation.
4. Is the idea feasible?
If the idea sounds good but you are having a difficult time figuring out how to implement it, don’t prioritize it. Perhaps you don’t have the manpower or the technology has yet to be invented to help roll out the idea efficiently and effectively.
It’s one thing to have an idea and another thing to make the idea come to life. If the idea has no legs, stop trying to make it walk. Focus your energy on ideas that can be accomplished.
5. Can the idea be implemented consistently and fairly?
If the idea can be implemented, then determine whether the outcome will be consistent and fair. Before you implement an idea, think about what could negatively impact your business. For instance, is there bias in the algorithms you use that you haven’t sorted through yet? Consider whether the idea could be counterproductive. Consider whether the costs outweigh the benefits, and whether there is better way to tackle the idea.
Ideas are easier to generate than they are to implement. To help you prioritize ideas and pursue the ones that will make an impact, choose ideas that adhere to your company’s values, will improve the experience of your customers and stakeholders, are feasible and can be consistently implemented.
What helps you to priorities ideas at work and make an impact? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.
