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RIS3 WORKBOOK (B) FOR PROJECTS For project managers, designers, R&D staff and regional development organizations Toni Pienonen and Mikko Markkanen, Business Arena Oy

Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

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Page 1: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

RIS3 WORKBOOK (B) FOR PROJECTS For project managers, designers, R&D staff and regional development

organizations

Toni Pienonen and Mikko Markkanen, Business Arena Oy

Page 2: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

SUMMARY

RIS3 WORKBOOK FOR PROJECTS provides practical insight for project managers and designers, R&D staff at higher education institutes and regional development organizations on how to create activity that meets the RIS3 requirements of EU programme period 2014-2020.

Situation coincides with the Finnish economy struggling with the crisis. Funding instruments are

expected to generate more results with less money. New conditions require a new mindset to

questions such as What makes a good public development project? and How can HEIs and

other project organizations be more in tune with society via projects? At the same time, Finnish

regions are at different stages in adopting smart specialisation - others pioneering it with

participatory processes, laggards either treating the subject of smart specialisation as business

as usual or confused by uncertain expectations.

Contents of this workbook were documented by Toni Pienonen and Mikko Markkanen as part of

INNOFOKUS project and its Change2020 program. Throughout the year 2014, the program

organized several opportunities to create clarity on these issues. Following tens of participatory

workshops and bench-learning events for hundreds of participants, this workbook summarizes

the results.

Note that his workbook has a companion piece RIS3 WORKBOOK FOR LEARNING-DRIVEN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, which is intended for larger scale activities. You can find at it at

www.innofokus.fi * Please note that in this context, ”projects” mean specifically regional development projects or

applied and demand-driven research projects, unless otherwise stated.!

www.innofokus.fi

Change2020 development program was part of

the operations carried out by INNOFOKUS

project which was funded by European Social

Fund, Ministry of Education. INNOFOKUS

project was managed by Aalto University School

of Business Small Business Center (SBC).

Page 3: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Contents

We summarized the insight and results from various workshops of Change 2020

development program into five building blocks. Each block contains key steps that

help you to plan stronger project ideas with societal impact. They are key principles

that any projects should adhere to, if they intend to be more connected to surrounding

society and follow the ideals of smart specialisation.

1. Identify and formulate the need or opportunity

2. Co-create the vision

3. Co-create the solution

4. Share active ownership

5. Position the project

6. Take care of organizational integration

7. Have the right team

8. Make use of complementary strengths (you + partners + region)

9. Experiment!

10. Keep learning

This information was furthermore condensed into a PROJECT CANVAS that helps you

to design individual high-impact projects (see page 30 for more details). You can also

use the steps as a checklist for double-checking your own project plan and direction.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 4: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

”What could public projects learn from crowdsourcing platforms? First, an exciting idea plays the key role and gets everyone interested. Secondly, users and customers become part of the development from the get-go, leading to shared ownership and commitment.”

- a Change2020 participant

Page 5: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Co-creation is the key

Co-creation starts already in the beginning at the planning

phase. All projects should must be externally focused,

demand-driven and rooted in the needs of the society, co-

created together with users and partners, following the

principles of open innovation. Society and businesses

must be at the core of the projects and their planning.

They bring out real-life problems, needs, opportunities

and wicked problems that are worth solving.

STEPS

1) Identify and formulate

the need or opportunity

2) Co-create the vision

3) Co-create the solution

4) Share active ownership

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Identifying need,

criteria, ideas,

hypothesizing

Iterating the

project plan

Designing and writing the

project, continuing with agile

and experimentation-driven

approach towards clear vision

Page 6: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

1) Identify and formulate the need or opportunity

Specifying the need in project planning is too

often left on intuition or simple statements. It

may take surprisingly many attempts and

iterations to the get it right. For example, in

reality needs are often unstated or latent - and

need to be formulated. Good projects spend

enough time in getting from ”fuzzy front end” to

actual idea stage - discovering, defining,

iterating and interpreting issues with

stakeholders and partners.

• is there societal or a market need?

• whose need or needs are we talking about?

• size of the market / problem?

• what is the project partners’ interest in solving the

problem?

• what is the business / customer / end-user interest

for the solution?

• quantify as much as possible - qualitative

statements are not persuasive

”We fail more often because we solve the wrong problem, than because we get the

wrong solution to the problem.”

- Russel Ackoff

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Example: Remember the 5 whys in finding the root cause and the real problem. When it seems that you might be on the

right track in identifying the need, remember to ask yourself

and others the ”5 whys” to get down to the root cause of the

problem. For example:

The vehicle will not start. (the problem)

1. Why? - The battery is dead. (first why)

2. Why? - The alternator is not functioning. (second why)

3. Why? - The alternator belt has broken. (third why)

4. Why? - The alternator belt was well beyond its useful

service life and not replaced. (fourth why)

5. Why? - The vehicle was not maintained according to the

recommended service schedule. (fifth why, a root cause)

(Wikipedia)

Page 7: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

2) Co-create the vision

A shared and inspiring vision is an immensely powerful tool for shared

thinking and direction. Vision helps everyone in the project to understand

how small individual actions and roles are linked to each other as part of

the bigger picture. Since many projects operate in situations without power

structure or command hierarchy between the project manager and

organizations participating in the actions, oftentimes the vision is the only

tool that the manager can use to lead others.

Change2020 development program participants found out that when co-

creating the vision and attracting others around it, the power of stories

should not be underestimated. All good project visions have a story:

• root your story in the uniqueness of your place

• make the story easy to follow

• use vision to describe what will the world look like when project has

finished

• talk out loud about your vision as soon as possible - if your story catches

on, you’re probably on the right track.

The vision should contain a story that tells how the world will be different

when the project has finished, but it should also help the project charter to

articulate what are the boundaries, responsibilities, metrics and mutually

understood principles of how project participants work together.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

LearningA shared vision helps the

project manager and everyone

else in the project to focus

activities in same direction

Page 8: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

CASE EXAMPLE: BUILDING BLOCKS OF A STORYWhen Change2020 participants were formulating an idea

and vision for a new project that would have several regions

participating, they started by looking at what makes Finland

special in the international context. One thing was clear.

Finland needed more internationally-oriented growth

companies. The participants started viewing Finland and its

neighboring countries, Nordic countries in particular, as a

global commercialization and entrepreneurship platform -

that they could be a role model for rest of the world. These

are the building blocks they put together for the story of

Finland, the best kept secret of the world?

Nordic countries • unique position as global role

models

• brand value for Finland

• shared cultural values and safe

operating environment

Russia and Asia Finland as a gateway for

• Russian companies to enter

European market

• Russian researchers to

commercialize their research

for international markets

• international businesses to

enter Russian market

Baltic Sea region • testbed and business accelerator for

entrepreneurs

• 80 million people market area

Europe

Arctic region • unique testing and

commercialization opportunities

• investment boom

• strong international links between

arctic regions

Northern Growth Zone

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 9: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

3) Co-create the solution

Involve stakeholders and users in designing the solution from the get-go. You should

involve all actors of quadruple helix from institutional bodies, research sphere and

business sector to citizens. Remember - pull, not push. Listen to the stated needs, or help

to formulate unstated and latent needs into explicit form. Leverage existing personal

connections around you to reach the needed level of trust.

However, don’t be too quick to freeze the details and idea of the solution in the planning

phase. You don’t need to get it all right on the first attempt. Projects are often about

finding workable solutions, not the perfect ones. The most important thing to remember

is make sure that the project plan allows agile and experimentation-driven development.

The project itself should be a tool for discovering the answers to different questions with

the help of real-life testing and series of iterations. This helps to create inertia and early

interest with low-hanging fruits and immediate benefits for different stakeholders.

Examples of questions that you should keep in mind when designing the project’s

solution and experimenting different approaches:

• what are the benefits for those partners involved in the project?

• what less explicit outcomes might be realized in the long run?

• what existing does the solution replace?

• why your is solution superior to existing models / solutions?

• why hasn’t it been possible to solve the problem until now?

• what is the social impact of the solution?

• what is the value and benefits for the customer and/or end-user?

• how is the solution delivered?

• what is the ”minimum viable product” for the solution?

Remember that in order to create value, it’s better to have something concrete ready as

early as possible, a working prototype or a pilot, rather than aiming for one big release.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

”The timing of long range plans is screwed up too. You have the most

information when you’re doing something, not before you’ve done

it. Yet when do you write a plan? Usually it’s before you’ve even begun. That’s the worst time to

make a big decision."

- Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

Page 10: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example: Rigid vs agile goal-setting in project planning

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

(Tapio Järvenpää & Ilkka

Kankare, ”Veikö Moolok

vallan? Vapauta

projektisi

tuhlaajakultista”)

1) 2) 3)

A A A

(B)

BB’

A is the starting point when a decision is made to initiate a project. B is the desired future state. (B) is the assumption

of the future. ’B is the real future state.

1) Traditional planning-driven waterfall project plan makes strong assumptions on the desired future B. Rigid

sequential project plan doesn’t allow room for maneuvering. Changes in the real world mean that the future state

B isn't desired after all nor rooted in realism (it should be ’B), meaning that the project misses the mark by far.

2) Starting point is the same as in 1), but the project plan takes into account the possibility of changes and surprises

in the environment. Updating the assumption of the desired goal (B), the process forces the project to return to

the starting point. Retracing the steps backwards several times results in increased length and overspending,

however.

3) Agile and experimentation-driven project plan has a vision of the desired future state, but the path isn’t locked

beforehand. Project makes several experiments and iterations on the way, as knowledge and certainty increase.

Page 11: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

4) Share active ownership

Active ownership is the key for ensuring that

project creates permanent results and that it’s not

forgotten once funding ends.

Active ownership of a project doesn’t happen

without determined individuals and organizations,

who have been sufficiently given an opportunity to

participate in planning and execution of the

project. People only support the ideas in which

they have played a part of creating.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 12: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Before the project During the project After the project

Partners

Project organization

Beneficiaries / end users (e.g businesses)

Financing authority

1) co-creating research hypothesis with HEI, planning the R&D project

3) piloting proof of concepts and demonstrations with HEI

4) IPR exchange, commercializing research / project results with HEI

5) HEI integrating student start-ups in commercialization, creating entrepreneurs for the society

2) co-creating new services or products with HEI

Example: What are could be the role businesses in active ownership during a project’s lifecycle?

(see the separate canvas for active ownership, page 34)

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 13: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

PROJECTS NEED TO BE

ATTACHED TO THE BIG

PICTURE

Projects are just tools to attain a desired level of

change. They are always part of something bigger -

organizationally and activity-wise.

Specifically HEI-managed projects must integrate

their outcomes and outputs into the two other

missions of university - research and education.

STEPS

5) Position the project

6) Take care of

organizational

integration

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 14: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

5) Position the project

In particular for international project bidding, it is important to be able to position your individual

project in the big picture - what activities, projects and key people are related to the project? Is the

project itself more about capacity building, creating something new or applying innovation in

practice?

( ) Capacity building: Helping businesses and HEI

to build groundwork for

cooperation - skills, business

advisory services, networks,

infrastructure, demonstration

( ) Creating new: research

and development with

(international) partners -

pilots, key enabling

technologies, world class

frontier research

( ) Research to market: Applying latest research and

knowledge in practice. From

research to market - new

business innovations and

procurement.

?

?

?

?

?

???

What is the type of your project?

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 15: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example: the role of universities is changing

”In addition to research and education,

universities are having more societal

options and responsibilities ahead, with

the need to modernize the Triple Helix

model:

1. Universities can and should focus

more on societal challenges and as a

result, broadening the innovation base

2. Universities are natural platforms for

entrepreneurial discovery

3. Universities have a crucial role in

creating regional innovation ecosystems

to be based on the co-creation culture

and the network of innovation hubs

4. Universities are the knowledge base

in defining and implementing regional

research and innovation strategies

based on smart specialisation RIS3”

Markkula M. 2013 developed from Markkula M., Pirttivaara M. & Miikki L. 2009 and Lester R. & Sotarauta M., Tekes report 2007 ”Innovation, Universities, and the Competitiveness of Regions”.

More in the article “The Knowledge Triangle Renewing the University Culture” by Markku Markkula in the Knowledge Triangle book 2013.

Tradi&onal*Interac&on*between*University*and*Society*

University*–*Industry*coopera&on*concepts*

Educa&on*

Research**

Research,*Edu

ca&o

n*an

d*Inno

va&o

n*!

Competence*Development*

Lifelong*Learning*

Scien&fic*Knowledge*

Indu

stry*

Society*

Industry)and))other)Organi1za3ons)

Society:)Innova3ons)

and))Well1being)(Products,)Processes,)Services…))

Produces)

Educates)

Lifelong)Learning)

Inven3ng)the)Future)

NEW)JOINT)ARENAS)for)Integra3on,)Collabora3on,)and)Co1crea3on;)Access)to)

Global)Resources)and)Talent)

Aalto)Living)Labs)

Mega1Endeavours)

Aalto)Factory)Park) Competence)Development)

Competent)People)

Mindset)Change)&)New)Arenas)in)More)Detail)

Students)

Faculty)and)other)Staff)

Knowledge)

MINDSET)CHANGE)Aalto)Values)and)Aalto)Working)Culture)

Development)Processes)

Other)Impacts)

Other)Impacts)

Scien3fic)Knowledge)

)))

Aalto)Research,)Educa3on)

and)Innova3on)

Areas)

Aalto)Research))Focus)Areas)as)Drivers)of))

Development)

Learning))by)RDI)

)))

Collabora3ve)Know

ledge)Crea3on)

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 16: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example: What outputs and outcomes the project provides for HEI?

( ) R&D projects

( ) Teaching and research content

( ) Service sales

( ) Research commercialization

( ) New entrepreneurs

( ) Study credits

( ) Journal articles

( ) Lifelong learning

( ) Staff mobility: staff-business-cooperation

( ) Student mobility: student-business-cooperation

( ) Strategic participation for HEI

( ) International connections and networks

( ) New partners

( ) Societal engagement and place-making

6) Take care of organizational

integration

For example, in projects managed by higher

education institutes, any activity undertaken in the

project must be aligned to leverage and utilize the

different types of university-society-cooperation.

Involve teachers, researchers and students in

projects as much as possible in planning and

execution of the project.

This creates spillover benefits and integrates the

project work results into other missions of the

university - research and education.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 17: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example: How to measure the outputs and outcomes with new metrics and indicators in HEI-based projects

HEI-managed projects do not sufficiently measure their impact on the surrounding society or the

ecosystem. Also official indicators are limited in scope and often unsuited for measuring this.

Projects need to make use of voluntary metrics and indicators to make their contribution visible and

justified.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

CULTURE AND ATTITUDE - change in knowledge

- motivation and attitude change

- impact on career advancement and

possibilities

- feedback from the HEI staff,

students and business

VOLUME AND SCOPE - number of businesses participating

in co-creation activities

- increase in R&D

- volume and scope of R&D projects

- utilization rate of R&D infrastructure

- co-publications and journals with

business

- students involved in project

€ IMPACT - new HEI-based start-ups and spin-

offs

- employment from HEI-based start-

ups and spin-offs

- outside investments on HEI-based

start-ups

- patents and commercialized

research results

- license fees from commercialized

HEI research

- income and volume from service

sales and contract research

- secured competed domestic and

international funding for the region

- impact of activities on regional /

municipal economy(Derived and modified from ”Tutkimustoiminnan vaikuttavuus yliopistojen rahoitusmallissa – selvitys” and ”Länsi-Suomen Hankehelmet”)

Page 18: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Create focus and relevance by

building on your strengths

STEPS

7) Have the right team

8) Make use of

complementary

strengths: you + partners

+ region

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 19: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

7) Have the right team with individuals with

complementary competencies for different

tasks

Project-tasks should be organized around self-organizing teams according to

needed competencies, not by organizational basis. Projects should take a careful

look at what kind of skills and expertise is required from individuals to make plans

happen. Here are some archetypes of possible team roles needed in a project.

Note that one person may fulfill several roles and ideally there should be several

people involved - a proper team with complementary skills and focus areas.

Orchestrator: A producer who sees the big picture of activities, people and

knowledge transfer. Facilitates activity. Removes impediments and documents

learning. Similar to the role of ”Scrum Master” in Scrum methodology.

Productizer and commercializer: Makes sure project results are taken into practice.

Business-minded and practical. Represents the interests of the stakeholders and

ensures that project brings value for everyone involved, not just project and project

organization. Similar to the role of ”Product Owner” in Scrum methodology.

Specialist & Researcher: Acquires and analyzes information. Has specific substantive

competence that is relevant for the project.

Boundary spanner: Works in the field. Connects businesses and HEI. Helps to

overcome sectoral and disciplinary silos.

Communicator: Helps to crystallize information into explicit form.

Bureaucrat: Takes care of paper work and smooth function of the project

administration.

Easy to transferDifficult to transfer

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Team-related problems in

typical Finnish projects are

often two-fold:

Lack of team: one person,

the project manager, has to

do everything from A to Z.

+

Project manager is hired

purely on the merit of

substantive competence, but

projects need a variety of

skills (from organizing events

to sales, productization,

communication and

bureaucracy)

Page 20: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

8) Make use of complementary strengths:

you + partners + region

Projects should make use of the specific strengths that are

unique to people, organization and regions behind the

project. This is particularly important for international projects.

Make your uniqueness a key selling point, a value proposition,

for domestic and international partners. Your claims need to

be backed by proof - success stories, quantitative metrics.

Remember that what knowledge or expertise you don’t have,

it is often more straightforward and more convincing, if you

source it from your networks or partners, rather than built it

from the scratch.

Take a look at the list on the right. List what are your own

unique elements. What you don’t have, you should source-in

from partners and elsewhere - other HEI, RDAs, businesses

and service providers.

For example, a university of applied sciences can focus on

applying newest technology from Horizon 2020 research to

businesses with the help of a regional development agency, or

it can find a place alongside a more scientifically-minded and

credited university in a Horizon 2020 project.

Example: What are your strengths and where do

they come from? What do you source-in from

partners? How do you complement each other?

You Partner ( ) ( ) finances

( ) ( ) tangible assets, capabilities

( ) ( ) research expertise

( ) ( ) knowledge

( ) ( ) experience

( ) ( ) ideas

( ) ( ) business connections

( ) ( ) networks and social capital

( ) ( ) influentiality

( ) ( ) credibility

( ) ( ) flexibility of the organization

( ) ( ) geographical location

Easy to transfer

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 21: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

EXAMPLE: Ways for regional development agencies (RDA) and HEIs to cooperate and co-create utilizing their individual strengths and networks

Invest-in cooperation: helping to position the region and its

ecosystem as R&D platform and utilizing HEI’s international

connections in invest-in activities

Start-again with start-ups: connecting HEI-based student and

staff start-ups in regeneration of existing companies

Finland as a testbed and business accelerator: commercializing

international research via Finland to European or Russian markets

Innovation excellence: helping local SMEs to apply the latest

Horizon2020 research in practice, instead of developing it from

the scratch

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 22: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Understand your regional

strengths

How is the project linked to the unique

strengths of the region? This is a required

element for international projects and

increasingly more demanded by Finnish

financing authorities. However, as the

example from Lapland on next page shows,

you should think of the strengths from a

wider perspective, rather than what is listed

in strategy papers.

What are the regional strengths?

( ) specific field or industry

( ) research / innovation capability

( ) R&D infrastructure

( ) business knowledge

( ) business capabilities

( ) geographical location

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Page 23: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

CASE EXAMPLE: LAPLAND During a Change 2020 workshop in Lapland, the

participants found out that in addition to

region’s specific strategic smart specialisation

fields in mining, tourism and bioeconomy, the

Finnish Lapland has plenty of other strengths

and characteristics that make it a unique region

in Europe and globally. Here are some examples

that we took a note of.

International aspect is everywhere: three border

countries, a long-history of cross-

border activity and good logistics

connections help to make

”Lapland the most international

region in Finland.” Internationality

should be present in every

development activity.

Global megatrends are likely to promote Arctic growth drive: Global

megatrends help to make Lapland’ s

arctic environment extremely

important - technology, trade,

investments and resources.

Lapland is the location for applying and testing technology in a unique setting: Lapland and its

ecosystem is not necessarily the best-suited place

for developing and researching ”from the scratch”,

but the location and arctic conditions provide an

unique setting for applying and testing new

technology and solutions in practice.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Regional learning: Active staff

exchange and shared active

ownership are typical of the

daily work of Lapland’s regional

developers

Page 24: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

9) Experiment!

Current Finnish projects are too planning-driven. There should be more

experimentation. After all, one of the key purposes of public

development projects is often to test radically new solutions that would

be deemed to risky or unaffordable otherwise. When developing

something entirely new, it is difficult to be certain where results lead to

beforehand.

This is why working agile and learning by experimentation - by doing,

testing and failing - is needed more in projects, as opposed to more

planning-driven development. In this mindset, failure is a success; it

merely proves that something doesn’t work. You don’t freeze the idea

until you know for sure it works in practice. In an experimentation-driven

project model the key driver is to learn rapidly in order to create

something unique.

Steps how to proceed:

1. Identify and prioritize the idea or possibility to you wish to test.

2. Formulate a hypothesis based on the idea.

3. Make small-scale experiments and gather feedback from

users / customers. Iterate. Scale up. Move gradually from

assumptions to fact. Demonstrate the impact of your idea and

solution. Repeat.

4. As certainty increases, iterate, pool in more resources with

larger scale experiments.

5. Freeze idea only after you have gathered enough real-life

evidence basis to back your idea.

Experiments

CERTAINTY

Pilots

Experiments

Final product / service

(material on this slide is derived from the work of Anssi Tuulenmäki, MIND / Aalto University)

TIME

”Think big. Act small.” - Anssi Tuulenmäki, MIND / Aalto University

Page 25: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example of how experimentation-driven model could be used in the structure of a project

1) Project executes 6 different small-

scale experimentations to find the

best method. Project plan describes

the number of pilots and gives a

rough outline how testing and

analysis is done.

2) Project analyzes the experiments.

eliminates out those methods that

don’t work and continues with 3

larger-scale pilots with the rest.

3) The solution is born out of the best

of three larger-scale pilots. Since the

solution undergone extensive real-life

piloting, there should be enough

inertia and evidence to help it survive

on its own.

Feedback, analysis, documentation

Iteration &

improvements,

scaling up

Iteration & improvements,

scaling up to market

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Feedback, analysis, documentation

Page 26: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Examples for identifying ideas to experiment and designing experiments

Which project-related ideas and

possibilities you prioritize for testing first?

SPEED

COMPLEXITY OF EXPERIMENT

Slow

Qui

ck

Complex Simple

Identify and prioritize what ideas you want to experiment first based on its value for customer / end user and yourself.

VALUE FOR CUSTOMER / USER

BUSINESS VALUE / POTENTIALB

igLo

w

Low Big

Once you have chosen the idea. initiate a quick and simple experiment with customer / user. Focus on those experiments that are preferably quick and simple.

How do you test the ideas in practice with

quick and simple small-scale experiments?

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

(SDT – Palvelumuotoilun Työkalupakki, www.sdt.fi)

Page 27: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example video: Sitra - kokeilukulttuuri

http://youtu.be/1YEM2pQQNEc

Page 28: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

10) Keep learning!

Learning should be a the core of development

projects. By focusing on learning and self-

reflection, it would be easier for projects and

financing authorities to talk out loud about

failures and mishaps without fear of

punishment.

Projects should reflect what kinds of internal

learning processes they apply in practice and

continuously ask themselves to what extent

results of the experiences are shared with rest

of the project organization, and how aware

stakeholders are of what is happening. With

project work and its limited time, perfection

should not be the goal.

To make this happen, all projects should

integrate a proper learning process into the

project plan. Ask and give rapid feedback.

Show a clear link between things, allow people

to experience this experimentally.

Double-loop learning should be integrated in projects’ daily work

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

PlanDo

CheckAssume

Adjust

Think again

Page 29: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Example: How does your project’s steering group support learning?

Do you utilize the project’s steering group for

setting the direction, or does the group exist for

merely administrative responsibilities? Does the

steering group work for advancing the direction

towards desired change, or are the members in

the group merely appointed because of their

roles? We hope not.

Reflect these four questions on regular basis: - what has worked?

- what hasn’t worked?

- what we will do differently next time?

- what we will take into practice?

Share and document your learnings - with

steering group, financing authority and

colleagues. Use steering group in similar fashion

to Board of Advisors of companies.

BLOCKS

Co-creation

Big picture

Strengths

Experimentation

Learning

Material and official reports

Tacit knowledge and experiences

Relationships and networks

Things that are created in projects - Learning and self-reflecting

makes it possible to make use of the whole palette

Page 30: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

The workbook comes with an additional canvas template for practice purposes.

You can use the project canvas to summarize your project idea and to iterate it several times

Find it at www.innofokus.fi

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

CO-CREATION

1) NEED OR OPPORTUNITY !!

3) SOLUTION

4) ACTIVE OWNERSHIP See different canvas for more information

BIG PICTURE

5) POSITION THE PROJECT Is the project more about capacity building, creating new

or building new innovations (research-to-market)? What

are the key activities, people and projects to which it’s

related?

6) INTEGRATION INTO ORGANIZATION

What outputs and outcomes the project provides for rest

of the organization?

STRENGTHS

7) RIGHT TEAM What kind of team is needed to make the project

happen? !!

8) STRENGTHS: ORGANIZATION, PARTNERS,

REGION What are the key strengths upon which project builds?

EXPERIMENTATION +LEARNING

9) EXPERIMENTATION How does the project use experimentation-

driven development?

10) LEARNING How does the project learn? See different

canvas for more information

VISION

2) VISION What is the shared vision for which every

activity aims?

NAME%OF%THE%PROJECT

CHANGE2020 PROJECT CANVAS © Business Arena Oy, Aalto University School of Business Small Business Center

Page 31: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Project canvas contains two additional canvas templates for deeper understanding of active ownership and learning.

! !!!!!!!!

!!!!!!

!!!

!!!!!!

!!!!

What is the role of different participants such as project organization, partner organizations, customers, end-users and beneficiaries?

Before the project After the project

ACTIVE OWNERSHIP IN DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE PROJECT © Business Arena Oy, Aalto University School of Business Small Business Center

During the project

LEARNING CYCLE WITHIN PROJECT © Business Arena Oy, Aalto University School of Business Small Business Center !!How does the project learn? !When and how do you reflect key decisions and results in finding new direction? !How do you share insight and results with your organization or partners? !When and how do you utilize steering group for setting the direction? !Put the important milestones in the year cycle along with key activities. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January

July

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

CO-CREATION

1) NEED OR OPPORTUNITY !!

3) SOLUTION

4) ACTIVE OWNERSHIP See different canvas for more information

BIG PICTURE

5) POSITION THE PROJECT Is the project more about capacity building, creating new or building new innovations (research-to-market)? What are the key activities, people and projects to which it’s related?

6) INTEGRATION INTO ORGANIZATION What outputs and outcomes the project provides for rest of the organization?

STRENGTHS

7) RIGHT TEAM What kind of team is needed to make the project happen? !!

8) STRENGTHS: ORGANIZATION, PARTNERS, REGION What are the key strengths upon which project builds?

EXPERIMENTATION +LEARNING

9) EXPERIMENTATION How does the project use experimentation-driven development?

10) LEARNING How does the project learn? See different canvas for more information

VISION

2) VISION What is the shared vision for which every activity aims?

NAME%OF%THE%PROJECT

CHANGE2020 PROJECT CANVAS © Business Arena Oy, Aalto University School of Business Small Business Center

Page 32: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Authors’ concluding words

In their commentary, Change2020 development program

participants relished the opportunities they’d been given to try

out new methods, create space for informal networking and

sharing viewpoints. We’d like to thank everyone of them for the

fun time we had.

Innovation activity is moving out of laboratories into the open,

from enclosed living labs to real-life testbed environments and

bottom-up platforms. Until now, Finnish regional development

projects have been planned, financed and - to some extent-

executed in enclosed systems. Risk-taking has been minimized.

Can we afford that anymore?

Open Innovation 2.0 thematic board (see right) contains many

similar themes that also Change2020 tackled. They serve to

remind us on what European Union expects from policy makers

and innovation actors in solving key European challenges by

embracing change.

Our answer could be: ”Maximize the coincidence. Prototype

rapidly and experiment. Harness the bottom-up activity and

nurture the first followers - don’t restrict too much. Pull up your

sleeves and act as much as you can. Keep learning.”

Open Innovation 2.0 thematic board. (http://ec.europa.eu/digital-

agenda/en/open-innovation-20)

Page 33: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

This material was analyzed, written and put together by Toni Pienonen and Mikko Markkanen from Business

Arena Oy in April 2014 - January 2015. We’re a Finnish company specializing in university-business-

cooperation, high-impact projects and learning networks. For more information, see: www.businessarena.fi

Toni Pienonen [email protected]

0400 737 238

Mikko Markkanen [email protected]

+358 40 758 8712

Page 34: Change2020 RIS3 workbook for projects

Change2020 development program was part of the operations

carried out by INNOFOKUS project which was funded by

European Social Fund, Ministry of Education.

INNOFOKUS project was managed by Aalto University School of

Business Small Business Center (SBC).

www.innofokus.fi