Moonshot Ideas and the Great Resignation

A moonshot idea is a highly ambitious and innovative concept that aims to achieve a significant breakthrough or make a radical change. In contrast, an incremental idea is a more modest proposal that aims to make small, gradual improvements to an existing product, process, or system. 

Moonshot ideas and projects are innovative, ambitious, and often risky ventures that aim to make significant progress or achieve a major breakthrough in a particular field. These projects often involve developing new technologies or approaches that have the potential to solve major global challenges or significantly improve existing systems and processes. Some examples of moonshot ideas and projects include:

• Space exploration: Projects that aim to send humans to other planets or establish permanent settlements on other celestial bodies. Examples include NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2024, and SpaceX's plans to colonize Mars.
• Artificial intelligence: Projects that aim to develop intelligent machines that can think and learn like humans. Examples include the development of self-driving cars, intelligent personal assistants, and robots that can perform tasks autonomously.
• Biomedical research: Projects that aim to understand and cure diseases or improve human health. Examples include the development of new drugs or therapies to treat diseases, the creation of artificial organs or implants, and the use of genetic engineering to prevent or cure genetic disorders.
• Climate change: Projects that aim to mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change. Examples include the development of new technologies to reduce carbon emissions, the restoration of natural habitats, and the creation of systems to adapt to changing weather patterns.

In contrast, incremental innovation is the process of making small, incremental improvements to existing products, processes, or systems. These improvements may be based on the development of new technologies or the application of existing technologies in new ways, but they are typically more focused on optimizing existing systems rather than developing radical new ones. Some examples of incremental innovation include:

• Improving the efficiency of manufacturing processes: This might involve using new technologies or techniques to reduce waste, increase productivity, or lower costs.
• Upgrading products or services: This could involve adding new features or capabilities to an existing product, or improving the quality or reliability of a service.
• Optimizing supply chain management: This could involve using advanced analytics to improve forecasting and demand planning, or implementing new technologies to streamline logistics and transportation.
• Enhancing customer experience: This could involve introducing new tools or technologies to improve the convenience or accessibility of products or services, or improving the overall user experience.
• Improving process efficiency: This could involve introducing new technologies or methods to streamline or automate existing processes, or implementing new systems to better manage data or resources.

Following the Great Resignation, where companies saw critical resources leave, they were forced to reassess the viability of their new product development projects. Projects that were hitherto seen as incremental suddenly looked a lot more like moonshot ideas!

To learn how leading Fortune Global 500 companies such as ABB, Bosch, Google, Samsung, and NetApp have used Innomantra's Functional Innovation Methodology to turbocharge their idea management process, schedule a meeting today at calendly.com/innomantra.