A good idea can stay on paper for years. What moves it forward is making it visible: a prototype other people can see, touch and critique. Innovation and technology development (R&D&I) projects exist to walk that path in an orderly way. Here are the stages we follow.
What an R&D&I project is
These are projects that aim to solve a problem with a solution that doesn't exist yet or hasn't been tested in your context. That brings uncertainty: you don't know in advance whether it will work. That's why the work goes in stages, learning at each one, instead of committing everything from the start.
Stage 1: Understand the problem
Before thinking about technology, you need to be clear about who feels the problem and how they solve it today. Talk with the people who live with it. Ask what they tried, what worked and what didn't. At the end of this stage, you should be able to explain the problem in a paragraph.
Stage 2: Define the hypothesis
A hypothesis is a statement you can check. For example: "if operators recorded data from their phones, the report would be complete by the end of the day." Phrasing it this way lets you know later whether you were right. Write down what you expect to happen and what evidence would change your mind.
Stage 3: Explore alternatives
Look at what exists: solutions from other sectors, available tools, research approaches. Sometimes the answer is already built and only needs adapting. Other times you find that something new has to be developed. This stage also covers the possible technologies and their limits.
Stage 4: Design the prototype
A prototype is a simple version used to test the idea, not to launch a final product. Decide which part of the hypothesis you'll test and build only that. It can be a set of clickable screens, an assistant that answers on a limited topic or an automated flow for a single process.
Stage 5: Build and test with real people
Build the prototype in short cycles and show it often. What teaches the most is watching someone use it without you explaining anything. Note where they get confused, what they ignore and what they like.
Stage 6: Evaluate and decide
With what you learned, compare against your hypothesis and decide:
- Continue. The idea works and is worth turning into a product.
- Adjust. Some of it works and some doesn't. You change course with what you learned.
- Stop. The hypothesis didn't hold up. Reaching that conclusion with a prototype, and not with a full product, is also a valuable result.
What to document along the way
Keep a record of decisions, tests and lessons. It is useful for the team and, when the project is funded by grants or cooperation funds, reports usually ask for this kind of evidence. It's worth defining from the start what must be put in writing.
Common mistakes
- Falling in love with the solution before understanding the problem.
- Trying to build the full product instead of a prototype.
- Not involving the people who will use the solution.
- Measuring progress by features built, not by what was learned.
How we work on these projects
At ParqueSoft Crea we support innovation and technology development projects for businesses, trade associations, universities and public entities. We are part of the ParqueSoft network, which since 1999 has worked with people and organizations that build technology. We join in from defining the problem through the prototype and the decision on how to continue.
If you already have an initial version in mind, also take a look at Custom software or a ready-made platform: how to decide.
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