This video for this talk from Business of Software Conference USA 2018 will be published here soon: http://businessofsoftware.org/videos

1. THE 5 SKILLS
OF AN INNOVATOR
BOB MOESTA
THE RE-WIRED GROUP
BUSINESS OF SOFTWARE 2018 - BOSTON

2. WHO IS BOB MOESTA
Engineer
Detroit+3500
“Context creates
value and contrast
creates Meaning”
Bob Moesta
3364 Days Left

3. Service
My Time Line
W E A P O N
S Y S T E M S &
N A S A
V C &
P R I V A T E
E Q U I T Y
S O F T W A R E ,
H E A L T H C A R E ,
R E T A I L ,
B A N K I N G , C P G ,
E D U C A T I O N ,
E T C .
A U T O M O T I V E
C P G &
F O O D , H O M E
P R O D U C T S
H O M E
B U I L D I N G &
C O N S T R U C T I O N
ADJUNCT
PROFESSOR
FUTURE
BOB
3364 DAYS
LEFT

4. INNOVATORS I HAVE WORKED WITH (MY MENTORS)

5. (WHAT, WHY, HOW) FOR (WHO, WHEN AND WHERE)

6. IN THE BEGINNING . . . .

7. THE MOUNTAIN OF COMPLEXITY
“I would not give a fig for the
simplicity this side of
complexity, but I would give my
life for the simplicity on the
other side of complexity.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes –
Supreme Court Justice 1902
Simplistic –
This Side
of Complexity
Simplicity -
The Other Side
of Complexity
Complexity
&
Hard Work

8. RED-LINE INNOVATION - SIMPLISTIC

9. 10X
GREEN-LINE INNOVATION – EMERGENT
LEARNING

10. RED-LINE VS GREEN-LINE INNOVATION
½ the time
½ the resources
10X the impact

11. HOW DO THEY DIFFER IN THE WORK?
RED-LINE INNOVATORS
• FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVES, LINEAR PROCESS – GET
THE “RIGHT ANSWERS” & FIGHT + POLITICS
• “PROBLEM SOLVING” MENTALITY – WAITING &
PLAYING “WHACK-A-MOLE”
• REQUIREMENTS LIST FOCUSED AND FEATURE LOADING
WITH FEATURE CREEP – DO IT ALL, PERFECT
• PROTOTYPING TO VERIFY HYPOTHESIS
• DESIGNING TO PERFORM, COSTS, MANUFACTURING
GREEN-LINE INNOVATORS
• CROSS FUNCTIONAL VIEW, NON-LINEAR, AND LOOK
FOR CONSTRAINS, TRADE-OFFS, ITERATE FAST
• SYSTEMS THINKING, PROACTIVE FAILURE + (FUNCTIONS
+ VARIATION) ROBUSTNESS
• CONSUMER PROGRESS FOCUSED WITH TRADE-OFFS +
KANO – GOOD ENOUGH
• PROTOTYPING TO LEARN, DISCOVER, COMMUNICATE &
FAIL
• DESIGNING EXPERIENCES THAT DO JTBD

12. INNOVATION IS LIKE STANDING ON THE EDGE OF
AN ABYSS –
EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE &
NOTHING IS POSSIBLE SIMULTANEOUSLY

13. The 5 Skills of An
Innovator
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

14. SKILL #1 - EMPATHETIC PERSPECTIVE
WAYS TO SEE THE WORLD
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

15. DIFFERENT VIEWS - SYMPTOM, PROBLEM,
ROOT CAUSES AND SOLUTION
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

16. MICRO VS MACRO VIEW
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E
Physics
Strategy

17. FLOW OF MONEY, INFORMATION & FINISHED
GOODS
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

18. SPACE & TIME – WHERE AND WHEN
LOOKING BACK & LOOKING FORWARD
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

19. GUESSING, “LYING,” RANDOMNESS &
“CAUSE & EFFECT”
“The World is Random”
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

20. I USE PAINTING TO HONE MY
PERSPECTIVE SKILLS – 794 AND COUNTING
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

22. SKILL #2 - FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS
HOW THINGS WORK
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

23. MANY DEFINITIONS AND USES OF THE
WORD SYSTEM
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

24. LEVELS OF
ABSTRACTION
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
“The English
Language Blows!”
“Unpack meaning
down to Action”
“Meetings and Marketers are
usually full of words not actions”
“It is a word world”

25. F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

26. SIPOC
A STRUCTURE
FOR
DISCUSSION
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

27. TAGUCHI’S ROBUSTNESS SYSTEM MODEL
The Inputs - Signal
(Control Factors)
The System
(Control Factors)
The Results
/Outcome
(Data)
Operating Conditions
(Noise Factors)
Input
Noise
System
Noise Consumer
Noise
The Function The Measure
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

28. OBJECTS ARE NOT FUNCTIONS
What is is – Simplistic
Bottle & Cap
What is does – Simplicity
Seals water in
Objects Functions
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

29. FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS & SUBSYSTEMS
SAFE, RELIABLE
FLIGHT
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

30. FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS & SUBSYSTEMS
CONTROLLABLE
THRUST
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

31. SYSTEMS &
SUPER-SYSTEMS
31

32. FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS IN SPACE AND TIME
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
Altschuller

33. LOTS OF SYSTEM TOOLS –
NOT MANY ON THIS PERSPECTIVE
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

34. SKILL #3 – CONSUMER PROGRESS
VALUE, BETTER & THE JTBD
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
The Solution

35. “CONTEXT CREATES VALUE”
“A technology independent set of requirements to design a solution” – Dr. Taguchi
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

36. WE ARE CREATURES OF HABIT
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

37. 37
“THE STRUGGLING
MOMENT IS THE
SEED FOR ALL
INNOVATION”
February 2018© 2018 The Re-Wired Group LLC
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

38. WHY DO PEOPLE “SWITCH”?
WHAT CAUSES THEM?
Time
Little Hires (in the moment)
Little Hires (in the moment)
Trigger Point
Big Hire
“A”
“B”
Solution
Solution
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
Context
Outcome

39. JTBD TIMELINE –
THE PROCESS OF MAKING PROGRESS
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

40. JTBD FORCES OF PROGRESS –
THE CAUSAL SYSTEM
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

41. THE TRADE-OFFS CONSUMER’S REALLY MAKE
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

42. GUESSING + “LYING”
+ INTERROGATION
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

43. SKILL #4 – EXPERIENCE DESIGN
GETTING FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS
TO DO THE JTBD
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

44. USER EXPERIENCE VS USER INTERFACE
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

45. USER INTERFACE VS USER EXPERIENCE
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

46. (WHAT, WHY, HOW) FOR (WHO, WHEN AND WHERE)
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

47. EXPERIENCE –
CUSTOMER, USER,
SERVICE,
PRODUCT
PX
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

48. A DYNAMIC VIEW - MAPPING SOCIAL
EMOTIONAL & FUNCTION ENERGY OVER TIME TO
SATISFY THE JTBD
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

49. LOTS OF RESOURCES –
DESIGN PRINCIPLES, PROCESS
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

50. SKILL #5 - PROTOTYPING TO LEARN:
UNCOVERING MEANING &
DISCOVERING HOW
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N
“Contrast to
Create Meaning”

51. STARTING FROM STUPID –
HARD WORK & REPS
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

52. PROTOTYPES ARE . . . .
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

53. MY VIEW ROOTS FROM
DEMING & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

54. DIVERGENT &
CONVERGENT
QUESTIONS
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

55. PROTOTYPING AS A
PROCESS & CYCLE - 1987
Inputs
•Questions /
Problems
•Learning
Objectives
System
•Design
•Build
•Evaluate
Outputs
•Prototypes
•Learnings
•New
Questions
AS A SYSTEM AS A CYCLE
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

56. EACH PROTOTYPING CYCLE CONSISTS OF:
• PLAN - ARTICULATING CURRENT THINKING, QUESTIONS
& GAPS.
• DESIGN - DETAILS REGARDING THE DESIGNING A SET
OF PROTOTYPES TO LEARN BY
• BUILD - PREPARING ONE OR MORE SETS PROTOTYPES
• EVALUATE - TESTING AND EVALUATING THOSE
PROTOTYPES
• LEARN - SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE SUBSEQUENT
CYCLE
56
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

57. SPEEDING IT UP –
WATERFALL VS AGILE VS CONCURRENT
Concurrent
Development
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

58. GREEN-LINE VS RED-LINE
DEVELOPMENT
10X
“Waiting"
“Interdependent
Systems”
“A small
change was a
Fallacy”
Simultaneous
Development
Pushing
Limits (cost,
performance, speed)
to fail
Working inside a
Robustness Frame
Detailed plan,
manage to Plan
Clear Milestones,
Budgeting capacity,
Adapting based on
learnings
Linear, waterfall
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N
Integration is the Key

59. THE ROLES PROTOTYPES PLAY
• THESE ROLES ARE:
• LEARNING PROTOTYPES – TO ANSWER
CRITICAL DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS
• COMMUNICATION PROTOTYPES – BUILD
LANGUAGE AND DEFINITION
• INTEGRATION PROTOTYPES – SHOW HOW
THINGS COME TOGETHER
• MILESTONES PROTOTYPES – SHOW
PROJECT PROGRESS
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

60. WHAT TYPE OF PROTOTYPES
DO YOU NEED?
Physical
Conceptual/Analytical
Focused Comprehensive
Degree to which a prototype is
comprehensive (i.e., involving most aspects)
as opposed to focused (i.e., relating to one or
a few aspects)
Degree to which a prototype is physical
(i.e., tangible object) as opposed to
conceptual/analytical (i.e., non-tangible
representation)
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N
How much time
and money?

61. DR. TAGUCHI - PROTOTYPING ON STEROIDS
One-Factor-At-A-Time
Engineering – Job security
90% more efficient (9/81) + Reproducible
+ Manage trade-offs
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

62. E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N
The 5 Skills of An
Innovator
How to See the
world
How Things
Work
How People
Work
How it comes
together
How to
Learn
• Asking a lot of Questions & Being overly curious
• Being humble and saying I do not know (or admitting I am stupid)
• How to maximize – do as much as possible with as little as possible
as fast as possible – a Detroit thing
• Think a lot about Space and Time – Where and when (not just what and how)
• Spend a lot of time unpacking and clarifying down to action
• Measure is usually the weakest link and the hardest to solve – “No Data in heaven” - Clay

63. 1986 – A PAINT SYSTEM
Paint Rework
$150 Million
Orange Peel
Paint Runs & Drips
Paint Problems

64. ROBUSTNESS SYSTEM MODEL
64
The Inputs - Signal
(Control Factors)
The System
(Control Factors)
The Results
/Outcome
(Data)
Operating Conditions
(Noise Factors)
Input
Noise
System
Noise Consumer
Noise
The Function The Measure
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S

65. “ALL PROBLEMS ARE PROBLEMS OF VARIATION”
65
Thickness of paint on Car
Paint Runs
& Drips”Orange Peel
“Focus on reducing the variation (Improving the robustness)
of the function, and the problems will go away. If you focus on a Problem,
then your just playing ‘Whack a Mole!’” – Dr. Genichi Taguchi
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E

66. RAN 18 VERY DIFFERENT PROTOTYPES
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
P R O T O T Y P I N G
T O L E A R N

67. THE RESULT –
REDUCTION OF REWORK BY 83%
SPEED UP LINE BY 14%
67
Thickness of paint on Car
Paint Runs
& Drips”Orange Peel
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E
Before
After

68. “I AM SORRY”
FINDING COLLEGE SUCKS AS A PARENT
What’s Next?
Finding
College
By
Bob Moesta
Michael Horn
August 2019
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S

69. BONUS SLIDE –
SUPPLY-SIDE VS. DEMAND-SIDE INNOVATION
69
Business
System
Suppliers
Inputs
Strategy
Products
Features
Benefits
Attributes
Experiences
Specs
JTBD
Consumer
ContextStruggling
Moment
Desired
Outcomes
Candidates
Hire & Fire
Criteria
Trade-Offs
Current Product
Design Requirements
• Context
• Struggling Moments
• Push & Pulls
• Anxieties & Habits
• Desired Outcomes
• Hire & Fire Criteria
• Trade-Offs
• Basic/Core Quality
Supply-Side Demand-Side
ProductMarketDisconnect-”TheWall”
ASales&MarketingDesign&Development
What The Company Can Deliver The Progress the Consumer is Trying to make
July 2018© 2018 The Re-Wired Group LLC
E M P A T H E T I C
P E R S P E C T I V E
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
E X P E R I E N C E
D E S I G N

70. BONUS EXAMPLE - DO THEY COMPETE? HOW DO
THEY CHOOSE?

71. FOR NON-URGENT MEDICAL ISSUES

72. SUMMARY OF JTBD
72
The Jobs to
be Done
Job #1 – Know me, Know my history Job #2 – Quick service,
Immediate Results
Job #3 – Give me clarity, what’s
next
JTBD
Statement
When I have an on-going health concern and I don’t want
to make it worse, help me find a provider that
understands my medical history, so I can preserve my long
term health while getting relief in my current
situation/problem
When I know what I have, and I am pressed for
time, help me get an appointment quickly, so I
can get back to doing what is important to me
When something is wrong or out of the norm, I
am not sure what the problem is, and I am
worried, help me figure out what it is so I can
know what the next steps are and get back to
life
What the Job
is about
• I am sick and I have “chronic”/on-going medical issues
• I want an appointment with my trusted advisor who
knows me and my medical history
• I do not want to have to retell my story to someone
new
• I am more willing to wait to see the right person
• I have been sick long enough
• My workarounds/OTC solutions are not
working
• I know what I have
• I am having trouble sleeping
• I want an appointment on my schedule
• I want a provider that is close to work/home
• I do not want to miss work/event/etc. I am
going to hit the “time wall”
• Minimizing interruptions to my day/life
• When something is out of the norm, and not
sure what it is
• I want to see a professional
• I want some clarity about what I have and
steps to fix it
• My first choice of provider was not available
• I want to make sure my problem is not
something serious or would become more
serious.
What we
hear when
hiring
• I want to see my PCP/specialist who has my records
• When is my doctor available
• I am worried that the new doctor won’t know my
history
• I worried about interactions of prescriptions
• I need an appointment in the early morning
or after work
• I want an appointment during my lunch
hour
• I need to get a prescription to clear this up
• How long is the wait going to be
• I am not sure what I have, but I need to get
better
• Will the doctor be able to run the tests
needed
• I have been sick a while and its not getting
better on its own

73. 3 DIFFERENT PATHS AS PEOPLE SIGN IN . . .
Job #1 – Know me, Know my
history
Job #2 – Quick service,
Immediate Results
Job #3 – Give me clarity,
what’s next
From 23% satisfaction to 78%

74. CAROLINA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM – “ON DEMAND
CARE”
October 2017© 2017 The Re-Wired Group LLC 74
AFTER
What it Does!BEFORE:
What it is!

75. CAROLINA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
• THIS CREATIVE DROVE 40% MORE TRAFFIC & USAGE THAN OTHER MORE GENERAL VIRTUAL VISIT
CREATIVE – “CARE YOU DEMAND.”
• FROM 10K USERS IN FIRST 6 MONTHS TO A 1 MILLION USERS IN 6 MONTHS

76. DOUBLE BONUS SLIDE - TOOLS OF COOPERATION MAP
C O N S U M E R
P R O G R E S S
F U N C T I O N A L
S Y S T E M S
How well the team agrees & understands on how
the work will get done – Functional Systems
How well the team
agrees &
understands on the
results they are
trying to achieve –
Consumer Progress

77. 3 SUGGESTIONS TO BECOME A
BETTER INNOVATOR

78. LEARN HOW YOU LEARN – FIND YOUR INNER
INNOVATOR SKILLS

79. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE –
EVERYWHERE AND ANY WHERE

80. FIND MENTORS & BE A MENTOR

81. MY “BEST” INNOVATION
1990
1987 Struggling Moment
Before JTBD
Ford Taurus 1987
Ford Taurus 1992

82. THANK YOU!
• BOB MOESTA
• @BMOESTA
• BMOESTA@REWIREDINC.COM
• LINKEDIN: BOB MOESTA