How roadmapping precisely traces out search areas for future innovation.

The innovation manager Hanna Roitner explains: "What we were previously lacking was a structured route to the question: where do we want to innovate"? The solution found was the roadmap methodology, which enables everything. Together with Lead Innovation, the aim was to precisely map out the subject areas for future innovations and to formulate specific search areas.

Using the modules of the Lead Roadmap, we first delved through previous innovation activities and then created an innovation chart.

We gleaned information for trend gathering and analysis through discussions with employees and secondary research. Building on this, with the internal project team of Greiner Packaging and suitable industry experts, we conducted a roundtable discussion and identified potential search areas. 

The result was an innovation chart and a collection of trends presented on the timeline, which reflected both internal and external perspectives. This provides the search areas, which are arranged by topic and clustered into innovation themes.

A total of 21 search areas were derived from the innovations from the past and the trends. After narrowing them down, 12 search areas were followed up. A promoter (owner), a pacemaker (2-year Intrapreneurship Program participant, as an acting project manager) and a search area team, which supported the pacemaker, were assigned to each search area. With that basis set, the development of new solutions began.

As a long-standing innovation partner of Greiner, we made a summary after two years: some search areas were implemented, others reprioritized or refined, and a new pacemaker program was commissioned.