Standards Development

Scope

Meaningful measurements that lead to timely learning, corrective actions and improvements are key to
support the management of innovation activities in an organization to ensure its survival and beneficial
evolution (i.e. enhanced competitiveness for businesses and/or enhanced effectiveness and relevance
for public-oriented organizations).
This proposed Tools and Methods standard is complementary to the ISO56002 Innovation
Management System standard. It will provide guidance for the definition, implementation, evaluation
and further improvement of the measurements necessary to manage effectively innovation operations
in an organization.
Specifically, this standard will guide:
The planning for the alignment of innovation measurements to the organization’s strategy,
operational objectives and innovation management system;
The selection of indicators to measure the progress of innovation activities and performance of the
innovation portfolio.
The design of ways to measure each indicator (via quantitative or qualitative metrics) in a clear and
actionable way;
The choice of frequency and expected performance targets for innovation measurements;
The provision of necessary support to undertake innovation measurements efficiently and manage
their evolution: funding, people, infrastructure, legal aspects, documentation and communications;
The evaluation of measurement results, taking corrective action, learning and communicating;
The review and update of the organization’s innovation measurements in terms of effectiveness in
achieving intended innovation results and minimizing risks.
The guidelines to innovation measurements provided by this standard will be useful for all types of
organizations (irrespective of sector and size) and all types of innovations (independent of time
horizons).
This standard provides guidance at a general level. While it gives some examples of measurements in
use, it does not prescribe any specific tools, methods for innovation measurements or metrics.

Purpose

“One cannot understand and manage something unless one measures it” was declared long time ago
by Lord Kelvin, and all management experts and extensive practice has shown that measuring
significant aspects of any activity and taking proactive action on such measurments, is sine qua non for
success. Operating without measurements is equivalent to following an unknown path blindly.
Innovation is the engine for value creation by improving and creating new products, markets, services,
processes, organizational methods, and capabilities to manage risks of the known and unknown.
Attempting to innovate without proper measurements to fully understand the sources and capabilities
that contributed to progress or even how to measure that progress, leads to high probability of failure.
Equally important, measurements drive behaviour and success in innovation management, which is
more a matter of culture and metrics-based methodical management than technology.
This innovation operation measurement management guideline standard, will relate to the ISO 56000
family of standards developed by TC279. This document is as important to understanding the value
created by adopting the ISO 56003 Innovation Partnership standard, the ISO 56007 Intellectual
Property Management standard, the ISO 56006 Strategic Intelligence Management and the ISO 56007  Idea Management standard, as the Innovation Management System standard, ISO 56002.

Measurements can affect how an organization or firm:
- generates and maintains know-how to conduct tasks,
- does things internally or together with other firms, and
- establishes internal incentives to ensure innovation proceeds quickly and in the right direction.
The aim is to address the following topics of innovation measurements at strategic and operational
levels:
- How to devise the organization’s measurement strategy to support business and innovation
strategies, as well as enhancement of the organization’s capabilities for the future.
- How to set-up the process and system for determining and measuring the most significant aspects
(the indicators) of innovation operations to ensure value creation.
- How to design the ways by which the indicators can be measured quantitatively or qualitatively and
lessen the risk of unwanted consequences.
- How to construct layered indicators for simplified analysis at the organization’s executive level.
- How to distinguish between indicators for specific innovation projects and the indicators for driving
innovation at the organization’s level using balanced portfolios of metrics and innovation score cards.
- How to assign expected performance targets and potential corrective actions if targets are not met.
- How to continually improve the measurements in a timely manner, in accordance to the organization’s innovation performance, and in make timely adjustments to the organization’s innovation strategy and/or portfolio,
- How to evaluate and reconsider the critical measurements that should be used in the next cycle of
innovations.
Innovation measurements play an essential role in the innovation management process and they are
becoming ever more important as we progress into the 4th industrial revolution with more interrelated
complex processes affecting organizations economically, socially, environmentally and culturally.
Without proper innovation measurements organizations have a much higher probability of failure and
wastage of investments that may hinder entering new markets and/or scaling up.
Without proper innovation measurements, it is more difficult for government organizations responsible
for innovation, to develop a better tool box of innovation policies and programs, that could lead to the
likehood of more performing organizatons and economies.
This is especially valuable for:
- Startups and SMEs who operate with reduced resources and can ill-afford any wastage and loss of
time
- Mature companies facing tougher competition and decline who shy from innovation in the face of risks and tend to operate without appropriate measurements aimed at restoring their social relevance and/or market competitiveness
- Fast growth companies which, in the absence of proper measurements, stand to stall in mid-flight
- Social and educational oriented organizations and programs which end up being obsolete and
ineffective without appropriate processes of measurements to keep them innovating themselves and
their outputs for continuing excvellence and relevance.