Standards probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about early-stage product development and innovation projects.
But the BSI Responsible Innovation Guide (PAS 440) offers an excellent framework and best-practice advice, specifically focused on early-stage innovation.
It’s a fantastic starting point for anyone looking to ensure their innovations are developed with users and wider societal impacts in mind. And the best part? It’s available for free from BSI (link in the comments).
One point that particularly resonated with me is about timing stakeholder engagement:
“Engagement should be carefully timed:
too early (upstream) and its value will be undermined by uncertainty about the nature of future developments;
too late and it may be too expensive to change the design of a particular commercial offering, or stakeholder opinions and political positions may have become entrenched so that accommodation or consensus will be more difficult to achieve.”
I’ve certainly seen both of these scenarios play out—where missed opportunities stemmed from ineffective or poorly timed engagement.
BSI Responsible Guide to Innovation
