Business Toolbox : SCAMPER Technique

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As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves facing the daunting challenge of developing fresh, innovative business ideas that can stand out in the competitive market. In a world of rapidly changing consumer preferences and emerging technologies, the ability to come up with unique concepts is crucial for staying ahead of the curve. We do operate in an attention economy, but more than that, we also need to be creative and innovative in the way that we run our businesses internally.

Coming up with ideas or engaging in the ideation process can be complex and sometimes overwhelming. That's where the SCAMPER technique comes to our rescue. In this article, we are going to explore how this technique can help us with ideation.

SCAMPER Explained

The SCAMPER technique is a structured approach to ideation that can provide a fresh perspective for entrepreneurs and business thinker. It was developed by Alex Faickney Osborn and popularized by Bob Eberle, SCAMPER encourages thinkers to Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, Eliminate, and Reverse elements of our existing ideas, to form new ones. By systematically exploring these seven options, thinkers can uncover new creative potential within their businesses.

Let's explore the technique and make sense of how it practically helps us with ideation. SCAMPER is an acronym that stands for:

  1. S - Substitute: This means that you have to consider replacing one element of your current product, service, or process with something different. This could be a material, a feature, or even an entire component or process.
  2. C - Combine: In the next step you would consider how to merge two or more existing elements to create something new. The synergy of these elements can lead to innovative solutions, or slightly more improved processes.
  3. A - Adapt: Following the previous step, you would consider how to alter an aspect of your idea to better suit your goals or the needs of your target market. This could involve changing the shape, size, or function of a product. This would be a step that you'd take after speaking to your current or potential customers and gathering feedback from them.
  4. M - Modify: In the next step, you would consider, what changes you could make that would enhance or improve an existing feature or process. This can involve increasing efficiency, user-friendliness, or aesthetic appeal.
  5. P - Put to Another Use: Moving to the next part of the process, you would look for new applications or markets for your existing idea. So think beyond the original context and consider where else your concept could be valuable, or what other customers you could offer the same value to.
  6. E - Eliminate: Removing elements or features that are unnecessary or no longer serve a purpose, is part of the next step, this act of simplification can often lead to streamlined, cost-effective solutions.
  7. R - Reverse: Lastly, you would consider reversing the order or perspective of a process or idea. Sometimes, viewing things from a different angle can reveal fresh insights.

How Entrepreneurs Can Apply SCAMPER

The great thing about SCAMPER is that it can be used in multiple areas of your business, not just for developing products or services and it's something that anyone can apply to their business, even if they aren't familiar with more common business terms or jargon.

Applying SCAMPER in the SPARK Framework



The SCAMPER technique is a useful tool for entrepreneurs who are on the second step in the SPARK Framework - "Perfect your business idea" This step involves coming up with good ideas for your business that allow you to compete in your market and putting together your business model. Within this framework, the SCAMPER technique can serve as a powerful tool for refining and enhancing the ideas that you will use to eventually assemble the intricate pieces of your business model.

SCAMPER Worksheet



To help you harness the full potential of the SCAMPER technique, we've developed a free SCAMPER worksheet for entrepreneurs. This worksheet is a practical tool to guide you through the process of ideation using SCAMPER. You can download it here. Our comprehensive worksheet provides practical insights and a systematic approach to brainstorming, refining, and implementing innovative business ideas.

Share Your Thoughts

Have you ever used SCAMPER? What other tools do you use for developing creative concepts and ideas? What challenges have you encountered when it comes to developing ideas, and how did you overcome them? Your insights can inspire and help fellow entrepreneurs navigate the dynamic landscape of business innovation.

Previous Articles

For more insights on business creativity and entrepreneurship, be sure to check out our previous articles:

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