Learn, Look, Ask and Try!
There is a new science called “design thinking” that was created by David Kelly, a professor at Stanford University and Chairman of Ideo (a design firm), that is sweeping the county by re-inventing what we do and how we buy. This new art and science is a perfect match with value analysis because by employing the techniques of “design thinking” it will enable value analysis practitioners to dig and drill down deeper into your supply chain to root out all waste and inefficiency.
This new way of thinking has brought to market the Apple’s computer mouse, the Palm Pilot, light-up lavatory occupied sign used on the Boeing 747s, Polaroid I-Zone camera, new design for shopping carts, LifePort transport for kidneys and a disposable pre-filled insulin injector.
The concept of “design thinking” entails a deep exploration of what we do, what we want to do and what’s holding us back from doing it. The techniques utilized by design thinkers to uncover this information are: cultural probes, behavioral mapping, secondary research and cognitive maps.
Without becoming too detailed about this new science’s tools and techniques, as I see it, it all boils down to four easy to learn concepts:
· Learn what others have done to improve their circumstances by reviewing published articles, white papers and other pertinent documents to search out better ideas.
· Look at what your customers are doing with their products, services and technologies through observations. Kelley’s teams go as far as video taping their client’s customers to determine their unique challenges and opportunities for improvement.
· Ask your customers to map their existing environment to determine the bad, the good and the ugly about the products, services and technologies they are buying.
· Try a new way to provide or deliver the product, service or technology (based on the insights and opportunities uncovered in the learn, look and ask stages of discovery above) by designing a pilot study or prototype to get it right the first time.
These four innovation steps are necessary “…because of inertia and conditioning, we quickly lose the perspective we need to see those improvements. You have to do things to provoke creativity… (or you lose them)”, says Bob Porter of DePaul Health Center, St. Louis, Missouri.
Kelly tells us that, “enlightened trial and error succeeds over the planning of flawed intellects”, because no matter how good you are at planning and think you know all of the answers there is always more to learn about the products, services and technologies you are buying.
As you can readily see, “design thinking” is a new way of thinking about your products, services and technologies, which will lead you to new opportunities for saving that can’t be uncovered in any other way.
Like an anthropologist you need to dig deeper to find new savings in healthcare today just to keep pace with inflation.
