Planned Innovation
New product initiatives fail more often than they succeed. Not because of technical shortcomings, but because market need was never confirmed before resources were committed. CSS helps organizations fix that.
Our Approach
Planned Innovation is a structured process for identifying and developing new products and services grounded in confirmed market need. We work with your leadership and technical teams to apply it across your development pipeline, so decisions about what to build are made on analysis, not assumption.
Disciplined Scientific Reasoning
Structured, hypothesis-based decision making replaces guesswork at every stage.
Lasting Market Orientation
Every opportunity is grounded in a clear understanding of target markets and what customers in those markets actually need.
Proper Selection Criteria
Opportunities are evaluated against your strategic objectives and available resources before development begins.
Scientific Determination of Requirements
Product and service requirements are defined through data and analysis, not internal assumption.
Multifunctional Involvement
Marketing, R&D, and operations work from shared information from the start, not in sequence.
The Five Elements
Disciplined Scientific Reasoning
Structured, hypothesis-based decision making replaces guesswork at every stage.
Lasting Market Orientation
Every opportunity is grounded in a clear understanding of target markets & what customers in those markets actually need.
Proper Selection Criteria
Opportunities are evaluated against your strategic objectives and available resources before development begins.
Scientific Determination of Requirements
Product and service requirements are defined through data and analysis, not internal assumption.
Multifunctional Involvement
Marketing, R&D, and operations work from shared information from the start, not in sequence.
How It Works
Initial Assesment
Opportunity Analysis
Quantitative Confirmation
Each phase is designed to answer the commercial question before the technical one. The goal is to distinguish between technical success and commercial success early, so resources are committed only when both are achievable.
Our Experience
CSS General Partner Mark Roll brings over four decades of expertise in chemical product development and innovation management, with a portfolio of U.S. and international patents. The Planned Innovation process has been applied across commercial, industrial, military, and aerospace markets, with a consistent track record of reducing the cost of failure at the front end of development. If your organization is ready to bring that same discipline to your specific market or industry interests, we'd like to talk.
- Boosting Employee Alignment and Engagement
When a major U.S. company’s Pacific division faced challenges in adopting a new corporate vision across 14 culturally diverse countries, CSS stepped in to address the hidden barriers to engagement. By implementing Leadership Dialogue training and a regionally tailored management system, CSS enabled leaders to foster alignment and engagement across diverse teams. The result? Accelerated adoption of the corporate vision and a more unified workforce, driving measurable success across the Asia-Pacific region.
- Strengthening Flood Risk Management Strategies
To address recurring flood risks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers engaged CSS to enhance its flood risk management strategies. Using expert models and detailed interviews with engineers and planners, CSS uncovered key differences in perspectives and decision-making priorities. These findings informed improved communication strategies and planning frameworks, equipping USACE to better allocate resources and mitigate vulnerabilities.
- Innovative Engineering Solutions for Environmental Resilience
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collaborated with CSS to advance the Engineering With Nature initiative, integrating ecological and engineering practices to create resilient, sustainable infrastructure. Through expert modeling and stakeholder interviews, we uncovered adoption barriers and aligned strategies with environmental and economic objectives.
- Addressing Consumer Perceptions on Farmed Salmon
To counter growing concerns about farmed salmon safety, Fisheries and Oceans Canada partnered with CSS to enhance public understanding of aquaculture. Using targeted mental models research with homemakers across Canada, we pinpointed consumer misconceptions and developed strategic messaging to improve risk communication. This initiative informed messages across the supply chain, from producers to points of purchase, and empowered industry leaders to address safety concerns effectively. As a result, the campaign improved stakeholder communication strategies, strengthening consumer confidence and market stability.