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An innovation consultant has come up with seven questions which he says will test your innovative idea.

Simon Kirby claimed that although strategic analytical frameworks are not the direct route to company innovation, a firm framework can help shape your idea and analysis (as you well know) is the best way to win over investors, banks, business partners and spouses.

He also said that it is important to have a disciplined test mechanism that will highlight the commercial prospects of your exciting new idea.

His seven questions have been designed to shine a spotlight on troublesome areas of your idea and may show you how it can be improved and tailored to the current market.

Question One: Is the market attractive? You may have inadvertently created an idea for a stagnant, disappearing or non-existent market so once you have had your idea you need to consider what the size of the market is, what proportion of it is realistically available to you, is the market changing and if so can you make technological innovations or new entrants into the market work in your favour.

Question Two: What customer needs does the innovation meet? You should consider whether your idea does tackle clearly defined unmet needs, whether there are currently unvoiced customer needs involved in your idea and what it would be worth to meet those particular needs for the consumer.

Question Three: What’s the proposition? A proposition describes all the ways that this new idea will benefit the consumer. So consider whether the benefits of your idea are plainly defined, is what you’re offering different from what competitors offer and whether your idea is interesting.

Question Four: Can I keep out competitors? You should look at whether your idea is patentable and whether this idea can be used to make a powerful brand.  Also look at if there are any scale economies and whether you can get big fast enough to benefit from them?

You should also consider whether you have a unique or rare skill which is significant to the innovation and should look to build exclusive partnerships.

Question Five: Is this idea really achievable? Look to see if any precedents suggest that your idea is do-able and examine the costs of what it will take to make your innovation happen.

Question Six: Will this idea make me a profit? Look to see if there are comparable businesses which are thriving and find out how much they make and how much they are worth. Try to work out how risky your source of revenue is and how many sources can your business generate.

Question Seven: Is your idea strategic? Look at what the core competency of what your firm deploys is, work out how this fits in terms of your brand and does it use proprietary processes, skills and know-how?

Kirby says innovators should use this framework to shape and develop their thinking but not to constrain it. Use facts and analysis to learn but don’t let them limit you.