FIGURE 2


1 How long after you became aware of the problem did you discover the inventive solution?


2 Were you with co-workers, with friends, with family, alone? 3 Where were you? 4 What were you doing?


Longer than a week Less than a week


Immediately or same day Alone


With co-workers


At work or in the lab At home


Looking for a solution Daydreaming


Brainstorming with others 5 What was your source of inspiration? 6 Did you experience a “eureka moment”?


Knowledge I acquired before I learned of the problem


Knowledge I developed after I learned of the problem


Yes No


66.7% 15.2% 13.6% 45.5% 39.4% 56.1% 13.6% 35% 15% 15%


35.4% 18.5%


48.5% 51.5%


HOW INNOVATION HAPPENS ARDEC conducted an innovation climate survey in 2008 across the workforce before launching the IDEA program. A total of 892 ARDEC employees responded to the survey. These are the most frequent answers for six survey questions related to the discovery of an innovation. (SOURCE: ARDEC)


tolerance to moderate failures became a priority.


What emerged from these efforts was a snapshot of ARDEC’s climate for inno- vation and a comprehensive innovation support program that we named IDEA. In June 2009, we put in place a two-year pilot program and a DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) process to optimize it. In July 2011, we proceeded to full deployment.


HOW IT WORKS IDEA is a scalable, bidirectional (top- down and bottom-up) innovation management program designed to meet the needs of ARDEC innovators and managers. Te bottom-up path starts


with an inventor who has an idea that he or she believes has value for our warfighters. Te inventor enters the idea into a secure database, where it is time- stamped and sent to a subject-matter expert for evaluation.


One of five specially trained IDEA team members called “innovation catalysts” then helps the inventor produce a proof- of-concept prototype if necessary, using dedicated micro-funding provided under DOD’s Section 219 authority and one of four ARDEC innovation hubs: 3-D printing and fabrication; materials; simu- lations and gaming; and collaboration. (Section 219 of


the National Defense


Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 enables the secretary of defense to grant


funding authority to the director of a defense laboratory to use up to 3 per- cent of all available funds for certain purposes, including innovative basic and applied research.)


Te next step for an IDEA initiative is for one of three senior-level managers, working on a part-time basis as an


“innovation champion,” to monitor its every step, ensuring that the idea


is


aligned with our strategic plans, Soldier needs,


gaps and/or so, the innovation requirements. If champion may


recommend the idea for additional funding or forward it to the ARDEC Invention Evaluation Committee (IEC) for potential patenting or other forms of intellectual property protection.


ASC.ARMY.MIL


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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


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