Product Development Tool for African SMEs

The time is ripe for African SMEs to raise their socks and compete effectively in the global market place and cease o be bystanders or mere participants. One way SME can compete is by developing innovative, creative and original products and services.

Research has shown that on average innovative geniuses are not better in their field in terms of quality as compared to the average peer. The trick up their sleeve is that they produce above average volume of work giving them more variations hence increases their chances of striking gold.

Simply put successful ideas are a positive function of the total number of ideas generated. For instance Albert Einsten is known for Relativity Theory yet he published 248 other publication, Maya Angeleou’s classic poem ‘’still I rise,’’ although she wrote 165 others.

An assumption SME managers must do away with is that there is a trade off between quality and quantity. This means that if you want to better work; you have to do less of it.

This is utterly false if you were to look at the above examples of Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou, Mozart, Beethoven and Shakespeare who produced volumes of work with only a few making to the genius list.

Many African SME managers fail to be innovative because they generate too few product ideas and then obsess on refining them to perfection taking too long while at it.

Viffa has developed a simple product validation tool that SME can use to swiftly develop new product ideas. The tools comes in handy in helping SME generate solid product ideas increasing their chances of coming up with an innovative or creative product.

SME Product Development Tool