Step 4 - Facilitate an Approach to Drive Innovation

1. Introduction

Innovation thrives when powered by the proper methodologies. In a hackathon context, design thinking, agile management, lean startup, and systems thinking provide an underlying structure that facilitates creative problem-solving. This chapter provides a first look at these methodologies and how they can be incorporated into a hackathon.

2. Design Thinking

Design thinking offers a user-centric approach to problem-solving, making it an ideal overarching framework for a hackathon. The five stages of design thinking - Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test - typically span the duration of the hackathon.

Empathise & Define: Participants immerse themselves in the problem context on the first day, empathising with users and defining the problem statement. Facilitators are crucial in guiding research, ensuring all perspectives are considered.

Ideate, Prototype & Test: Over the next two days, teams brainstorm solutions, build prototypes, and test their ideas. Facilitators encourage innovative thinking, foster collaborative work, and steer teams towards tangible prototypes.

3. Agile Management

As teams transition to prototyping and testing, agile management principles become crucial. Agile emphasizes adaptability and encourages quick responses to changes.

Stand-up Meetings: Quick daily meetings where each team member shares their tasks, accomplishments, and challenges can promote transparency and accountability.

Kanban Boards: These tools help visualize tasks, track progress, and identify bottlenecks, driving efficiency within the team.

4. Lean Startup

Overlaying the basic structure of the hackathon is the lean startup methodology, which emphasizes creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to allow for iterative testing and improvement. Facilitators guide teams to build simple yet functional prototypes that encapsulate their core idea and enable user feedback.

5. Systems Thinking

Systems thinking encourages understanding the problem in its broader context, considering all contributing factors and potential ripple effects of solutions. Facilitators introduce systems thinking during the research phase, guiding students in mapping and understanding the complexity of the problem.

6. Facilitator Role and Goals

Facilitators, often teachers themselves, guide participants through the hackathon. Their primary responsibilities include:

• Navigating the research process and problem definition.

• Encouraging creativity and collaboration during ideation.

• Assisting in task management and promoting Agile principles.

• Coaching teams to create an MVP and apply Lean Startup concepts.

• Introducing Systems Thinking and guiding its implementation.

Facilitators must familiarize themselves with the accompanying training toolkit, attend the necessary training, and be prepared to support student teams throughout the event.

7. Checklist and Timeline

• 3-2 months prior: Identify and train facilitators; distribute toolkits.

• 1 month prior: Facilitators to familiarize themselves with the problem context, research, and prepare.

• 2 weeks prior: Host a session to introduce students to the methodologies and answer any questions.

• On the day: Facilitators guide the student teams, helping them navigate each hackathon stage.

Conclusion

By integrating design thinking, agile management, lean startup, and systems thinking, you set the stage for innovation to flourish in a hackathon. Trained facilitators are pivotal in steering the teams and the process, ensuring a rewarding hackathon experience for all involved.