Innovation accounting is a way of evaluating progress when all
the metrics typically used in an established company
(revenue,customers,ROI,market share) are Zero.
- It provides a framework of chained leading indicators, each of
which predicts success. Each link in the chain is essential and,
when broken, demands immediate attention.
- It’s a focusing device for teams, keeping their attention on
the most important assumptions they’ve made about their
project.
- It’s a common mathematical vocabulary for negotiating the use
of resources among competing functions, divisions, or regions.
- It provides a way to tie long-term growth and R&D into a
system that follows a clear process for funding innovation and can
be audited for its ability to drive value creation.
- It enables apples-to-apples comparisons between two or more
startups in order to evaluate which is most worthy of continuing
investment, providing a way to see a startup or innovation project
as a formal financial instrument that has a precise value and
reflects a range of future costs and financial outcomes.