Measurement of Innovation Front End - Foresight Approach

Front-end activities at the operative level can be summarized to include the following activities: opportunity identification, task definition, idea generation, idea screening and selection, concept development, concept testing, customer need assessment, technology verification, business analysis, and project planning. Applied to innovation, foresight provides a structured way to identify and capitalize on new market opportunities for long-term growth, at least two or more product (or service) cycles in the future. First, anticipation helps you to prepare for and take advantage of potential opportunities. Second, foresight lets you shape your own future in smart ways. The framework of the model for measuring the innovation activities front end contains at the first draft five assessment viewpoints as follows; input, process, outcome, social environment and physical environment. A connection with these elements in the measurement of innovation activities as a whole has been weak, but now these will be covered by the new approach, Balanced Innovation Front End Model, BIFEM, in combination with the foresight framework.