This five-day program explores the process of systematic innovation in product development, business processes, and service design—with a special focus on the end-to-end design and development process. Systematic Innovation of Products, Processes, and Services introduces a structured approach to design and customer analysis processes that draws on important trends essential to successful innovation today: the digitization of all business processes, the blending of product and service into integrated solutions, considerations around environmental sustainability, and the use of globally distributed teams.

As a participant, you will learn how to lead these innovation processes in a fluid world where the best-made assumptions can, and often do, change midstream. You will also have an opportunity to discuss and apply these frameworks to your own experiences. The course will help executives become systematic about innovation and create value for their organizations and customers in globally connected markets.

Innovating with GenAI

We have all explored how to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as large language models and diffusion models for workplace productivity tasks. We have learned that tools (including ChatGPT and others) are remarkably good at writing text and working with documents. However most of us have not yet explored how to use these tools for innovation tasks such as finding customer needs, market segmentation, brainstorming solutions, and prototyping. 

In this program, participants learn some of the tips and tricks which will allow them to use GenAI tools effectively for exploration and creativity. Participants will apply what they learn to innovate customer experiences and business processes.

The concepts and frameworks covered in this program will enable participants to understand:

• Why the process of innovation can be systematic—structured, reliable, and repeatable
• When it makes sense for entrepreneurial firms to compete directly with established firms
• How to evaluate market opportunities and identify customer needs in a systematic way
• What actions you must take to capture some of the value you create with new products and services
• How to structure an effective concept development process
• How design iterations, project milestones, and reviews can be used to manage a staged or spiral process
• How products and processes can be designed for environmental sustainability
• How design of services differs from new product development 
• Some of the tips and tricks which will allow them to use GenAI tools effectively for exploration and creativity
• What is the impact of Generation Y employees on the creative process

Upon successful completion of your course, you will earn a certificate of completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management. This course may also count toward MIT Sloan Executive Certificate requirements.

This course introduces a structured approach to design and customer analysis processes that draws on important trends that have become essential to successful innovation in today’s businesses: the digitization of all business processes; the blending of product and service into integrated solutions; considerations around environmental sustainability; and the use of globally-distributed teams.

The course content covers agile development methods, design thinking, customer needs analysis, platform fundamentals and implications, design for environmental sustainability, design structure matrix (DSM) method, product management and leadership, and more.

You will learn through a mixture of case studies, simulations, and small group work.