Chris Mumford

The Go Big! Toolkit Chris Mumford

This book is street smart-guide written for people that want to make a huge impact. The content is distilled down to the most essential elements, namely what an experienced product and social enterprise developer would share. Most everyone agrees that creativity and collaboration are necessary, but specific actions that lead to tangible outcomes are tough to come by. The design thinking process is often perceived as so detailed that many non-design people don't bother. This book is devoted to those who want to find innovative solutions by following a practical guide that is somewhere between a breezy introduction and detailed, academic tome. The goal is the distilled balance of creativity, collaboration and design thinking needed to create real and impactful products/services. The guide is very helpful for "intrapreneurs" and those participating in ideation workshops. This book is broken down into four sections: Creativity, Improvisation, Design Thinking and the Toolkit. Creativity provides the spark, Improvisation grows the fire, and Design Thinking channels the heat. The Toolkit puts it all together in a step-by-step plan. The synergy of the Creative Mindset, Improvisation and Design Thinking is what differentiates this book from others. In Creativity, we develop the creative mindset through actions to promote divergent thinking. Creativity must be trained daily like a muscle to produce effective outcomes. Creativity is foundational to design and improvisation. In Improvisation, we borrow heavily from comedy improv. Well-done improvisation and innovation both require great team chemistry. A playful, productive environment is created by developing explicit engagement rules, a no-fail environment and authentic relationships. Team chemistry and empathy supercharges Design Thinking. In Design Thinking, we explore the step-by-step process of channeling creativity. The process of discovery through telling the product/service story is important. In Toolkit, the process is formatted into an easy-to-reuse checklist and plan for individuals and groups. The book will encourage you to move back and forth from the big picture to the essential details. Soar with condors and dance with ants. In the end, great design comes from developing your own creativity, developing authentic relationships and discovering the product/service story through design thinking.