From Idea to Impact: How innovation and portfolio management can strengthen each other

The world around us is changing at lightning speed. We all notice it: new laws and regulations, rapidly developing technology such as AI and changing customer needs are putting organisations under pressure. How do you make sure you not only react to these changes, but actively use them to become a leader in your sector?

Some organisations see obstacles, others see opportunities. By organising your organisation flexibly, responding smartly to developments and investing your resources strategically, innovation can be turned into impact. But how do you make sure good ideas don't get stuck in plans without implementation?

Why do good ideas stay on the shelf?

It plays out in many organisations: employees see commercial opportunities, customers provide valuable feedback and strategic plans call for innovation. But without a clear approach, good ideas get bogged down in a digital drawer or picked up without focus. The result? Initiatives that never really get off the ground, or projects that don't make the impact they could.

At IMPROVEN, we believe that innovation methodologies can strengthen portfolio management. Innovation management focuses on creativity and developing new ideas, while portfolio management focuses on strategy and structure. Without a strong connection between the two, valuable opportunities remain unexploited.

The three biggest pitfalls

1. Ideas pile up and are not validated

The infamous 'reservoir' of ideas: everyone sees opportunities, but without a structured validation process, they remain just nice plans on paper. Without proper selection and review, little gets moving.

2. No focus or priority: everything is important, so nothing gets attention

Many organisations start initiatives without looking at their strategic impact. A strong link to long-term goals is missing. The result? Resources fragment, projects stall and innovation becomes a cost rather than a growth driver.

3. The balance between improving and innovating is lacking

Organisations often find themselves in one of two extremes: either they focus too much on improving existing processes (exploitation), or they plunge into innovations without a clear business case (exploration). The trick is to cleverly combine the two.

Our vision: innovation methodologies as catalysts of portfolio management

At IMPROVEN, we work from a framework that links innovation and portfolio management. Ideas are tested for strategic value and portfolio balance. Promising initiatives go through a validation process in line with innovation methodologies, where they are sharpened and assessed. Only then do only the proven initiatives flow through to the portfolio for further scale-up and implementation. We work from these three mainstays;

A sharp and manageable portfolio
Through strategic filtering, weak or inappropriate ideas disappear early, leaving only initiatives with strategic impact in the portfolio.
Faster and more effective validation
A structured process with clear decision moments prevents endless development and ensures timely, informed decision moments.
Balancing innovation and operation
By allocating resources correctly, organisations can both seize new opportunities and strengthen their core business without innovation getting bogged down in isolated initiatives.

And now? How do you check whether your organisation is on the right track?

Ask yourself:

Do we have a clear process to validate and prioritise new ideas?
Is change structurally linked to our strategic themes?
Do we have a good portfolio balance between exploration and exploitation?

A well-designed portfolio management helps keep a grip on these issues. A structured approach ensures that investments in change and innovation contribute to the long-term strategy and deliver measurable value.