Walter Vandevelve is a senior lecturer and researcher in Brussels. He came up with the 7 Elements of a Good Idea, helping those with ideas flesh out their reasoning and justify their concept. A summary of his content is presented below. You can find the original article on LinkedIn here. A good idea must: Be different and better
- Brings some level of change …but also brings improvements
- Small shifts can have massive impacts
Deliver value
- Offering clear, measurable value to a target audience
- Value can be practical (i.e. time and cost saving) or subjective (convenience/enjoyment)
- Needs to be accepted by the target audience
Be realistic
- Must fit within the possibilities of the organisation
- Must consider time, budget, people, and technology
- Feasible and fit within the current boundaries of possibility
Be balanced
- Cost effective and benefit efficient
- Consider the time, energy, and resources required to implement the idea
Be simple
- Needs to be easy to use and easy to understand
- A simple idea will be adopted a lot quicker than a complex idea
- A simple idea explained complexly will not do as well as a complex idea explained simply
Be flexible
- The idea must evolve with changing circumstances, new insights, and unexpected challenges.
- A good idea can change form without losing its core value
Be sustainable
- Has the potential to make a positive impact in the long run
- Also adds value in the short term
- Should also be environmentally responsible
- Ecological and socially sustainable
- A good idea contributes to a better world, now and in the future