When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate
There are 5 modules in this course
Innovative products and services change lives, and having the right innovative process creates an competitive advantage. Ultimately, innovation is about one thing: problem solving.
As an agile problem solver, you'll need to expand your critical thinking skills to address the key sources of risk in developing best solutions for your new products and business lines. The Problem-solving techniques covered begin with problem definition, beginning with job descriptions and applying the right soft skills to enhance requirements gathering. This ensures you're targeting a good problem to solve, and that you understand the business model. The course then moves on to practices such as "brainstorm and storm drain" to target new creative solutions. You will learn how innovation works on fast feedback cycles to test possible solutions and target root causes of defects. Creative thinking isn't a straight line, and neither should the problem-solving process be a straight line. Each course of action needs early and frequent testing.
By following best practices of Agile, including timeboxes, constraint-based thinking processes, and empathetic problem solving, you'll learn how to provide a sustainable innovation environment for your teams.
The first week of Innovation revisits concepts of capability delivery from technical perspective; asking how do we achieve a project’s purpose to innovate? What are the risks and methods to be successful in delivering a defined output under uncertain conditions? Here the Theory of Constraints (TOC) is used to target innovation for maximum impact
1.5.3 Process Innovation Knowledge Checks•2 minutes
Week 1 Quiz Problems•15 minutes
Week 2: Requiring Empathy
Module 2•1 hour to complete
Module details
The second week dives into the requirements gathering and validation process, and the science behind the most powerful requirement tool, a User Story, and how it forms the basis for Test-Drive Development (TDD). During this week we'll also explore the power of visual-based requirements gathering and prototyping for faster feedback and validation of requirements
What's included
6 videos18 readings6 assignments
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 30 minutes
2.0.1 Week 2 Introduction Video•1 minute
2.1.1 Empathic Case Studies Video•5 minutes
2.2.1 Perspective Getting Video•4 minutes
2.3.1 Power of Stories Video•4 minutes
2.4.1 Writing Great User Stories Video•8 minutes
2.5.1 Visual Requirements & TDD Video•8 minutes
18 readings•Total 31 minutes
2.0.0 Goals for Week 2•1 minute
2.1.0 Empathic Case Study Prep•1 minute
2.1.2 Empathic Case Studies Summary Points•4 minutes
3.3.3 Small Batch Innovation Knowledge Checks•1 minute
3.4.3 Lucky Constraints Knowledge Checks•1 minute
3.5.3 Agile Portfolio Knowledge Checks•2 minutes
Week 3 Quiz Problems•15 minutes
Week 4: Solving Uncertainty
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
The fourth week culminates with the application of the TOC Thinking Processes, User Stories, and Constraints along with the use of the powerful system engineering solutioning techniques (isolation, absorption, acceleration, etc.) and tools like TRIZ
What's included
6 videos18 readings6 assignments
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 43 minutes
4.0.1 Intro to Week 4 Video•1 minute
4.1.1 Navy Energy Case Study Video•7 minutes
4.2.1 Managing Uncertainty Video•12 minutes
4.3.1 Solving The Impossible Video•7 minutes
4.4.1 Apply TRIZ with MBSE Video•10 minutes
4.5.1 Leading Innovation with Control Video•6 minutes
18 readings•Total 32 minutes
4.0.0 Goals and Objectives of Week 4•1 minute
4.1.0 Prep for Navy Energy Case Study•1 minute
4.1.2 Navy Energy Case Study Summary Points•3 minutes
The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and nearly 400,000 alumni. The university’s faculty includes two Nobel laureates, 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, 69 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. Located just outside Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland is committed to social entrepreneurship as the nation’s first “Do Good” campus, and discovers and shares new knowledge every day through research and programs in academics, the arts, and athletics.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.