• What’s Measured, Is Treasured: And that’s just human nature, so be sure to check and recheck performance – monthly.  No exceptions, no excuses. What gets measured gets done.
• What to Look For?: the key performance indicators and metrics include:
  • R&D spending as a percentage of sales
  • Total patents filed/pending/awarded/rejected
  • Total R&D head count
  • Current-year percentage of sales attributable to new products released in the past year/three years/five years
  • Number of new products released

For a recent survey on Innovation Measurements see:  http://www.innovationcoach.com/resources/survey/ “What do you measure?”

For more Tips see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation” by Wiley, March , 2010

• Share the Joy: As well as the frustrations – communicate what is working and not working.
• Pick the Right Coaches: Not everyone has the psychological make up to be the coach.  Knowledge is key, obviously.  But the coach needs to be able to motivate, mediate, create camaraderie and a sense of selflessness.
• The One-On-One Touch: Individual coaching provides the privacy and attention that breeds success.  I’ve found that discussions regarding areas for improvement are received and acting upon much better in a private session, away from peers, listening-in.  This can be especially critical with new employees and/or team members.
• Basics First: Make certain project management basics are taught, applied, and re-taught.

For more Tips see the book