01
Organisational context
A leading mobile operator in the Gulf needed significant product innovation to stay ahead of technological change and shifting customer preferences.
02
Capability challenge
The challenge was two-fold: generate a large volume of credible ideas, and turn them into marketable products within a limited timeframe.
03
Roles involved
- C-level executives aligned through an executive briefing
- Key staff trained as practitioners in a five-day programme
- Product teams supported through retreats and coaching
04
Pathway or intervention designed
An executive briefing aligned leadership on the innovation strategy. A five-day practitioner programme equipped key staff to facilitate and lead the process. Regular retreats and coaching through the nine months kept teams aligned and supported as they took concepts through design thinking, agile iteration and lean validation.
05
Live challenge addressed
Teams worked on real product opportunities, empathising with customers, defining problems, prototyping and testing concepts, and validating business models before launch.
06
Evidence and work products
- Customer research and problem definitions
- Prototypes and test results
- Validated business models and value propositions
- A prioritised product pipeline
07
Decisions and outcomes
Over nine months the team created a pipeline of new product offerings that exceeded its initial goal, and continued to use the methods afterwards.
08
Capability retained internally
The agile and lean routines introduced during the accelerator stayed in use across product development.
09
Next stage
Portfolio governance for the product pipeline and the development of internal facilitators.