I announced in November of 2021 (with an update in December as well) that I was writing a book about our Incubator and the Scaling Innovation process. After approximately a year of mostly hiatus, I picked back up editing and re-reading that first draft. It’s not perfect. There are several other books out there about similar things. I have about a million other reasons to just delete it…but…it’s written, and now that my time at Indeed has come to an end, sharing a bit of our story feels like a useful ending. So, here’s the prologue to the book. I’ll try to release a new chapter approximately every week or two going forward. I’d love any and all feedback – LinkedIn, the contact form, Twitter (I’m paying less attention to this of late until the hubbub settles down, or Mastodon.

Prologue

Like any process, this one isn’t perfect, and it isn’t static. However, our strategy for scaling innovation proved successful on several occasions. Over five years, more than four dozen products have been tested using this approach. Many did not work out, but a few survived and thrived, making a significant impact. 

Our team comprised start-up veterans from Product and Engineering, leaders, boot camp graduates, and classically trained Computer Scientists. Before we started the Incubator, the team had honed several vital skills, such as rapidly delivering business value and measuring product success. They learned that shipping a product required acquiring users quickly to demonstrate the value created was something users truly wanted. Adopting the Scaling Innovation approach allowed the team to iterate swiftly on the innovation processes and the platform that powered them.

The team behind this success wasn’t special or unique. What set them apart was their deep-seated desire to improve the business every single day. They were relentlessly focused on helping more people find jobs. We couldn’t have achieved this without their diverse thoughts, opinions, and experiences.

Scaling Innovation is about the process we developed, discovered, and borrowed from various sources, along with the parts that made it work for us. It’s not a static process; it is still evolving today, more than five years later. However, it has been successful, as you’ll see. In this book, we will discuss the following:

• The importance of the Scaling Innovation process
• An executive-level introduction and a fictional example project
• Strategies and techniques to help Engineering and Product teams
• Meta-level guidance on running a Scaling Innovation program
• Case studies and anti-patterns for Innovation teams

We hope this book inspires you and your team to overcome challenges in innovation, persevere when your resources seem exhausted, and ultimately grow your business in unexpected and remarkable ways.