This includes 50+ tools focused on the Innovation Engineering Create, Communicate, and Commercialize classes.  The tools are useable instantly but most are also fully customizable.

• EbscoHost Database – A pre-paid subscription to the best databases we have found for finding full text academic articles, magazines and journals that you can use as stimulus for creating ideas or problem solving.
• Spark Deck Generator – Allows you to build a stimulus spark deck in about 60 seconds from patents.
• TRIZ Interactive & Worksheet – A fast and easy way to use TRIZ to invent and problem solve challenges.
• Business Model – A check list of business model options that will open your mind to new ideas.
•  Innovation Leadership – A spark deck that opens your minds to ideas for leading innovation.
• Process Improvement – A check list of process improvements stimulus.
• Osborn – The classic checklist for idea creation by Alex Osborn.
• Marketing Message – A checklist for improving marketing messages.
• Red White Blue (666) Tool – A tool for force associating between 3 related/unrelated stimulus prompts.
• Mind Mapping – A tool to map your thinking in a two dimensional way that reflects free associations.
• Lawbreaker – The best tool for forcing dramatically different ideas.
• Stimulus Processing – An Idea Engineering tool for processing stimulus.
• Numeric Benefit – Adding a Number to your Benefit Promise will increase your odds of success by 52%.
• Do One Thing Great – A tool that encourages FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.
• Don’t Sell Me – A tool to help the team turn your product’s features into Benefit promises.
• Analogy I / Equation – A simple way to use analogy for problem solving.
• Analogy II / How To – A second way to use analogy for problem solving.
• Po Lateral Thinking – The classic lateral thinking tool.
• Visual Analogy – Dr. VanGundy’s classic system for using images to stimulate ideas.
• Guided Excursions – A work sheet and audio recordings for opening your mind
• Matrix Mixing Interactive – The fastest way to make idea connections.
• Take Over Time – Adopt a new frame of reference, what would x company do?
• PICL List – Dr. VanGundy’s proprietary stimulus list.
• Stimulus Two Step – This tool uses a two-step approach to process unrelated stimulus.
• Mind Dump – Get current ideas out of your head and onto paper.
• Gauntlet – An tool that facilitates idea builds and fresh perspectives.
• Infomercial – A tool that causes teams to step back and think deeper about their idea.
• Pass the Buck – The classic version of Dr. VanGundy’s 4 square forced association tool.
• Idealized Redesign – Create your own Idealized Redesign.
• 10 Minute System Map – Create your own 10 Minute System Map.
• Ideas to Paper – Two work sheets designed to spark deeper thinking about strategy or ideas.
• Take Over Time – A simple a new frame of reference, what would x company do?
• Sales Forecasting Tool – Fourt Woodlock tool for estimating annual sales of innovations.
• Lines of Evolution – An advanced way to look into the future for innovation inspiration.
• Grade Level Calculator – A simple way to check for clarity of your idea.
• New Market GPS – A tool that helps you identify what markets offer opportunity for profits.
•  Memory Bank – This provides an easy access database to the customized tools you’ve created, stimulus spark decks and company research. It allows for sharing with your work group, company or the world.

Alignment tools drive vertical alignment, connecting strategy to tactics, or as we call it “Blue Cards” to “Yellow Cards.” Horizontal alignment is driven by an advanced project management system that helps you accelerate both CORE (close in) and LEAP (game changing) innovations. Standardized Death Threats and Milestones for projects are detailed including not only WHAT needs to be done to move a project forward but also WHY it is important as well as HOW to accomplish it. The net effect of this documentation is a standardization of innovation work and a dramatic reduction in variation in your innovation system.

InnovationEngineeringLabs.com. This is the digital operating system. It provides a dashboard on your entire innovation pipeline. Most important of all it helps teams work smarter. It does because intelligence has been built into the digital platform to help nudge people to the right behaviors and actions as they take an innovation from idea to reality. Blue Cards – Drives alignment between your strategy and front line ideas. Innovation Engineering Strategy Activation Session – A session template that helps activate your strategy by translating it into clear and motivational missions. Innovation System Check Lists – Check lists drive alignment across departments. Each check list defines What needs to be done to move an innovation forward, Why it needs to be done and How to do it. Best practices lists make it easy to get started. They also make it easy to edit and create your own check list customized for you and your organization. Yellow Cards – These are the backbone of the Innovation Engineering Operating System. They provide a common language for defining innovations.

Collaboration is the most powerful innovation leverage tool there is.  It’s also one of the hardest concepts to implement.  The InnovationEngineeringLabs.com tool is the most advanced collaboration system on earth.  It incorporates “many to many” idea requests to drive quality at the source.  A four tier security system drives out fear and enables private networks.  Tools and metrics drive the all important intrinsic motivation that is critical for driving innovation.  A gateway is provided from your portal to the Global Innovation Engineering collaboration community.  A Fortune 500 company’s R&D group found that they generated 6 high quality leads for innovation problem solving ,within a few days, when they used the Innovation Engineering community.

• Idea Request Platform – A super simple and easy to understand system for getting ideas and advice from those inside and outside of your organization.
• Innovation Supply Chain Database – A simple way to find experts with specialized knowledge or who can help with prototyping, manufacturing, research or design work you may need. The base system contains experts from the global Innovation Engineering Network. Your organization has the ability to add your own
• 4 Tier Security System – A four tier system that links to your Innovation Supply Chain database to make it easy to manage collaboration confidentiality.
• Tools to Bust Collaboration Fear – To help overcome fear of collaboration (recall 9 out of 10 managers don’t collaborate) this system includes the ability to create private networks, to post responses publicly or privately, easy sharing standards, and a help desk that educates employees on what can and can’t be shared.
• Private Blog System – Your company and work teams can create private blogs for idea sharing easily.
• Brain Brew Blog – A private blog for connecting to Innovation Engineering Black Belts around the world.
• London Coffee House – A private blog for connecting to Innovation Engineering educators.
•  Company Coffee House – A private blog for your Innovation Engineering Green, Blue and Black Belts.
•  Innovation News – the official blog of the Innovation Engineering movement.

The purpose of these tools is to make it easy for project teams to get feedback and most importantly data on how to improve their ideas.  The tools range from qualitative systems such as an Innovation Supply Chain Global Directory plus Idea Doubling systems that provide fresh insight.  Quantitative systems such as Insight Mining with video cross tabs give teams insights on customer problems and reactions to idea starters.  Smart advice is provided from tools like Idea Coach and Idea Scan.  They make it easy to make smart and meaningful improvements to innovations.  Validated decision support systems such as Truth Teller and Rapid Test help teams make smarter investment decisions.

• Insight Mining – This research tool makes it easy to gather quantitative data to identify customer and non customer perceptions of problems as well as beginning idea starters. Test set up is easy, fielding is easy and statistical analysis fully automated. It even allows you to create video cross tabs so to gain qualitative insight into the customer data.
•  Idea Doubling – The fast way to get fresh ideas for your concepts or your math estimates.
• Idea Coach – This tool provides INSTANT advice on how to improve your concept to make it clearer and more persuasive. It’s powered by an artificial intelligence engine similar to the ones used to evaluate SAT and LSAT essays. Best of all the system is private so that “ego’s are not bruised. Research finds that the average idea improves by 40% with use of this system.
• Idea Scan – This tool provides quantitative feedback on your idea from all team members. The results help you manage alignment and provide data to drive an advanced monte-carol driven sales forecast on the potential for your innovation.
• Truth Teller – The first concept testing and innovation sales forecasting system to be approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
• Rapid Test – A complete concept and use test tool for in person research. It makes fielding research painless as the set up, administration and statistical analysis is fully automated. A patent pending video cross tabs system gives you the ability to understand the “why” behind the numbers.

These tools help teams build wealth by turning their ideas into tangible intellectual property. Invention Blueprints helps teams identify great deals and stimulus for new ideas. The Ideas to Patent system helps them write a provisional patent application in about an hour. Technology translation and valuation systems accelerate the buying and selling of technologies.

• Invention Blueprint – Free Stimulus! Patents are a rich source of stimulus, showing you not only things that are meaningfully unique but also giving you the “blueprints” to make them. However, today you have to be a patent attorney to quickly find the ones that matter – change that and take control yourself. Invention Blueprints mines a database of over 10,000,000 patents to quickly find the 50 or so that matter to you.
• Patent Flea Market Alerts – Using our propriety algorithm, we provide you with weekly updates on the types of patents that are important to your organization. It allows you to identify patents that it there is a high likelihood that the inventor has given up on and has not paid maintenance fees on — making for great buying opportunities.
• Patents to Ideas – Be more nimble than your competition, and take advantage of the United States’ First-To-File patent system. Be able to quickly go from concept to provisional patent application ready-for-filing in about an hour.
• Provisional Patent Stacking System – Take your own provisional patent applications and continuously improve them based on your cycles of learning. By refiling your filed provisional patent applications with your improvements, you ensure you are quickly and legally protected, while continuing to block or leapfrog your competition.
• Patent Translations – A one-page business opportunity report that allows you to understand a patent in 2 minutes or less. Innovation Engineering Black Belts learn how to create these for your organization.
• Patent Valuation System – In about 30 minutes you can create an idea, determine the potential market size, find the fair market royalty, and determine the company valuation if you are to pursue the idea.
• Patent Negotiation System – Buying or selling patents can painful. This system, developed with support of the Kauffman Foundation uses education and data to accelerate fair market deals in weeks instead of months.