T4

Training program for innovation teams - T4

Use the T4 program to get the support and funding you need to innovate successfully

T4 is a training program for early-stage innovation teams. It is designed to help organizations and teams reach their innovation goals faster and obtain better results.

Objectives

Participating innovation teams will have a project description that describes the opportunity in detail,  in 4 weeks, and an elaborate business case, including a project plan, 8 weeks later. This is under the assumption that team members spend between 1-4 hours per week on their project.

Outcomes

The journey that teams undertake consists of 5 phases, from define the project to sustain growth, see picture below.

The journey through the training modules is customized for the needs of each team. Details on the modules for the first two phases can be found at the bottom of this page.

4 Reasons why you should sign up

One

The training program is:

  • Tailored – Get the training content you need, when you need it, and advance your innovation project as fast as possible
  • Task-oriented – Work towards outcomes and results, one output at a time, making it really easy to follow your progress
  • Team-based – Involve your team members, innovation is a team sport
  • Trainer-supported – Learn from the best and avoid common pitfalls

Two

The online T4 training program puts humans at the center of the innovation process: your clients, you, and our trainers.

Three

During the training program, you will address (1) market, (2) solution, (3) organizational, and (4) project risks. With your trainer, you will identify the most critical assumptions that need testing and design experiments to do so in the most cost-effective manner.

Four

The training programs makes innovation doable for everyone, whether you are a busy service provider, a small firm, or an organization with no or limited innovation infrastructure. The T4 program is designed to be your guide on your innovation journey.

Or perhaps, there is just one reason:

Why risk failure, if you can be successful?

We are convinced that we have developed a training program that saves time for teams and their managers, delivers high-quality project plans, firmly anchors each innovation project in the organization, and sets each innovation team up for success.

Instead of us telling you this, we suggest you try it out yourself.

Try us out - First month fee $295/team*

*The regular program fee is $975/team/month

For Whom?

The T4 platform is designed for early-stage innovation teams. More specifically, it is for:

  • Talented individuals or teams at the early to mid-stage career level;
  • Who want to address a problem with an innovative solution or explore a novel opportunity;
  • Who can commit between 1-4 hours/week on their project;
  • Whose projects are at the early stages (just have an idea and not much more);
  • And Whose ideas concern new service or new business offerings.

The focus is on new service and new business development. That can be any new or significantly improved process, product, service, software, app, etc, with as differentiator from traditional product development that clients pay for the added value of the service provider.

What will participating teams get?

  • Access to the T4 platform (30+ online training modules) for your team
  • Ability to invite five team members to join you at no additional costs
  • Content tailored to the needs of your team
  • Weekly 30 minutes sessions with your trainer
  • Ability to create progress reports with one click
  • 24/7 technical support with a max 8 hours response delay (we are humans, who need to sleep and take breaks).
  • Your data as an Excel or Word file
  • Access to our community of innovators

Customized
training content

4 trainer
sessions/month

Time commitment
1-4 hours/week

Pay per team and
start any time

General description of the program

The T4 training guides an early-stage innovation team through the “fuzzy” stages of the innovation process. So, you know what to focus on, can avoid common pitfalls, and know soon whether you are onto something truly promising.

As part of the first phase of the program, you will deliver a detailed project description. This is followed by a second phase in which your team will deliver a complete business case and project proposal, describing the opportunity, the new offering, potential risks, and what needs to happen to make it a reality.

When spending 1-4 hours per week on your project, the first phase will take you about four weeks to complete and the second phase approximately eight weeks.

These two initial phases are followed by three subsequent phases that typically take longer: the development of the solution, the delivery to a first client, and the scaling to sustain growth.

Teams can stop at any time and export their data (Excel and/or Word). If desired, you can reactivate your account at a later stage.

What our users say

The first teams started in October 2019. This is what they have shared with us about their experience:

  • The content forces us to look at the opportunity from our client's perspective
  • The milestones and trainer-meetings help us to get things done
  • The business side of things is no longer a big black hole. In fact, it is easier to tackle then I thought!
  • The modules help to focus on one aspect at a time, and then the outputs and reports bring it all together
  • Our more junior team member goes through all the modules, while I look at their outputs and still am fully informed about what is going on

Affordable?

Is it worth to pay for a training program like T4? In fact, the question is more can you afford not to?

  • The reduction in coordination time between team members typically already pays for the T4 program fee, because the programs shows you what to do when.

and if that would not cover the costs?

  • Then, the shorter development time line will enable you to generate new revenue sooner, which will pay for way more than the T4 program fee

And what if your project turns out to be unfeasible?

  • Then, the money saved by timely stopping the project that was not meant to be, covers for much more than the T4 program fee. The focus during the training on the most risky aspects of your project will deliver you these insights as soon as possible, saving you from unnecessarily wasting time and money on an unfeasible project.

Training content

Below is an overview of the training content of the first two phases, Define The Project (1000 series) and Obtain Funding (2000 series), subivided in five outputs.

This content will be customized to your needs. You only have to take the modules that are relevant for your project. Your trainer will help you identify which modules to take and when.

Module Title Short Description
110 Output - Get Started A good start is half the work, set out for success!
1110 Describe Your Idea Write your idea down, so that you can start communicating about this opportunity with others.
1120 Plan For Uncertainty Define the next steps and know what to focus on first, without making unrealistic promises about deliverables and deadlines.
1130 Understand The Difference Understand the difference between new product and service development, so that you can develop your new service solution successfully while avoiding major pitfalls.
1140 Make Time Reserve time for your innovation project, otherwise,  urgent tasks will take over your to-do list and calendar.
120 Output - Find Support Obtain support for your project
1210 Confirm Strategic Fit Confirm that your project contributes to your organization's strategic goals, so it can be approved and you can obtain organizational support.
1220 Identify Stakeholders Stakeholders can make and break your project, make sure you know who they are so you can engage them in your project.
1230 Win Over Your Champion Find a champion who is willing to support you and who can lobby for your project in the organization.
130 Output - Describe The Market Define the value proposition for your customers
1310 Define The Client Stand in the shoes of your client and define their needs and urgency, so you know there will be demand for your solution.
1320 Develop Value Propositions Describe the value your solution offers, so you can conquer the hearts and open the wallets of your clients.
1330 Identify Alternatives Make sure you identify all alternatives that your clients may consider, so you know what to compare your solution against.
140 Output - Create Momentum Start a wave, make your initiative visible!
1410 Define The Pain Point Make sure you are working on the right problem, so that you can create the best solution.
1420 Analyze The Environment Analyze the environment and establish the bigger picture of what is happening in the world, so you know how your project fits in.
1430 Become The Expert Become knowledgeable about the field and the go-to resource in and outside your organization.
210 Output - Build Your Team You cannot be successful without a great team
2110 Form The Team Module Find team members, so you can move faster, make more progress, and outperform everyone else.
2120 Create Alignment Get aligned as a team, so you become a high-performance team and can move forward full speed.
2130 Expand Your Network Expand your network, so you can tap into the expertise of a broad group of people when needed.
220 Output - Define The Opportunity Why is this a great opportunity?
2210 Verify The Need Understand the world of your customer to assure that your solution addresses a pressing need and fits their context.
2220 h Create Solution(s) Come up with various versions of the solution, to end up with the best possible solution.
2230 Choose A Business Model Find the best way to create, deliver, and capture value, with your new service by selecting a business model that works for you.
2240 Address Intellectual Property Identify what intellectual property you may have and how you plan to protect it.
230 Output - Detail Your Plan The devil is in the details!
2310 Define Success Define success, so that you can plan and work your way towards these results.
2320 Estimate The Costs Calculate how much it will cost to deliver your new service offering when it is up and running.
2330 De-risk Your Innovation Project Identify all the untested assumptions that you need to verify, to derisk your innovation project.
2340 Draft The Milestone Plan Module Plan out your project and figure out what experiment(s) to run to reach your next milestone.
2350 Design The Experiment Design the experiment to test your most critical assumption and achieve your next milestone.
2360 Justify The Investment Why should the organization invest in your project, what opportunity is missed if they don't?
240 Output - Obtain Buy-in Get others to agree with your plans
2410 Find Funding Sources Figure out where to find the money and who is willing to invest, so that you can get your work and project funded.
2420 Engage Stakeholders After having identified who your stakeholders are, it is now time to engage them in your project.
2430 Identify Partnership Opportunities What tasks could you do with others, to save time and resources, and to reduce risks?
250 Output - Pitch Your Project Sell your project and get the funding you need
2520 Write The Proposal (I) Review your answers and create your proposal, so that you can apply for funding in your organization.
2530 Perfect Your Pitch Know how to talk about your project in any circumstance, get the buzz going about your project and the new offering!
2550 Lessons Learned Take off your rose-colored glasses and evaluate what you have learned.