The RACI matrix almost got it right but still harbors too much ambiguity. In your team’s formal planning, govern only what is worth documenting outside email, and nothing else. Govern with just Five Verbs: Draft, Review, Revise, Approve, Distribute.

Innovation professionals spend a lot of time in meetings. Rethink the relationship between meetings and “real work.” Have a firm grasp of the numerous ingredients of effective meetings.

Manage your team like a factory because you want discipline, predictability, rhythm. Manage like a factory because you care about speed, quality, and waste.

Verb Sprawl is a real problem that slows teams down. In planning your team’s work, instead of governing meetings or emails, govern what is worth documenting outside email. Govern with just Five Verbs: Draft, Review, Revise, Approve, Distribute.

Your organization might be caught in meeting gridlock and email overload. You cannot just talk and email your way to success. You must document things outside email. It’s dry, sterile, unforgiving, and ruthless. But documentation keeps its value. A ruthless factory results in a valuable Asset Portfolio.

Your organization might not literally be a factory, but you should manage it like one. You care about all the same things: speed, quality, waste, and more! Avoid abandonment and chaos. Pursue movement and rhythm in your methodology and culture.

Whether you build, buy, or rent, your technology - your systems - are instrumental to innovation decisions. Have your inventory ready for those decisions!

Every innovation professional should have a grasp of the share of their time they spend on innovation, versus operations, versus chaos. Managers should be approximately on the same page with their employee’s view of their pie chart.

Which of your culture traits can you trace to impacting your automation? Consider whether technology and data is your master or your servant. Consider whether Technology runs your business or if Business Runs Your Business.

Which of your culture traits can you trace to impacting ease in innovation? Consider Earn versus Burn, smart use of meetings and emails, and documentation that is clearly useful. Good methodology makes innovation look easy.