Committed Team Members Give All They Can

Interview with an IdeaConnection Problem Solver Keith Everett is a system and hardware designer working currently in the Biotech/Pharma business. He is a biologist by education with extensive experience in Biotech and analysis related automation, process design and hardware design for plant-based production systems.

IdeaConnection emailed me an invitation to look at their site. When I did, I found what they offered of interest and signed up. My interests are arranged closely around the central theme of IdeaConnection and I felt that my association with them would be a good fit.

For IdeaConnection I have worked on 4 challenges and currently have not completed 2, and am still waiting to hear of the success of the other. One I have already won in association with the great team I worked with.

Did you find the Challenges easy or difficult?
I found the challenges no more difficult than the work that I do everyday for my 9-5 employment.

Did you have an idea of what the Solution might be when you started on the Challenge?
For part of it yes, the other part, not so much.

I don't assume that I will know everything about a technology when I first am introduced to it through a challenge. I do have confidence that given time to educate myself I will be able to provide helpful and significant perspective on reaching useable and beneficial results.

How many ideas did the Team come up with before deciding to focus on one?
We, as usual, brainstormed a bit prior to deciding on the proper approach. Once we came up to speed on the technology details, a solution became obvious to the team and we pursued it.

How did you feel when you found out you had solved a Challenge?
Elated, and gratified. It was an overall great experience, working on the team and finding out that we had a desirable solution.

Working with a team in this way, on the challenge we won, especially, was very important. The team members were all committed and gave it all they could. Solving challenges by myself is usually how things go because I work at a small company, but I enjoy working with a motivated and industrious team just as much, if not more.

There was really no problem with working with team members from around the world. In the end, we all had similar outlooks and approaches to things such that it was easy to work together.

I think from time to time there may be a team member or 2 that take center stage. This is to be expected. In most cases it is because they bring more experience to the table or are excellent problem solvers. However, at no time was anyone left out or given the impression that what they had to say was unimportant.

What have you gained from the experience of working on challenges with IdeaConnection?
Gained practice in creation and innovation most importantly. I've also obtained a broader perspective from the interactions with other cultures, I think. This practice and the exposure to other ways of thinking was invaluable.

I will gladly work on more challenges however, I'll be careful to take less of a work load at any one time in the future so that I can manage more multiple responsibilities more easily.

Did you find that having a Facilitator was a help, and if so, how?
Yes, I felt the facilitator was a definite help. Having someone not so much an expert in the challenge field but more committed to having the team work well together, setting priorities, reeling folks back in as needed, helped us accomplish our tasks in the prescribed time while helping ensure a quality solution. I can't speak for all facilitators, but the one we had for this solution was excellent.

Overall, how do you feel about working with IdeaConnection?
Good. I think its a great company with a good idea that can be beneficial to inventors looking for infrastructure support and practice in innovating.