How to Run Your Own “Ingenious Month”
At Navigate, “Ingenious” is one of our core values.
But ingenuity requires intentionally creating space to step back from day-to-day work and rethink how things could be done better.
A few weeks ago, we ran a small internal experiment called Ingenious Month, a four-week sprint that was inspired by the books, “Sprint” and “Click” After reading both, we downloaded some of the worksheets available online and used those as guides to help a small team at Navigate in a process to explore one meaningful problem and test new solutions.
The group included five people across the firm. We met briefly twice per week and continued discussions asynchronously in Slack when ideas surfaced. Client work always came first, so this was intentionally lightweight and flexible, not a major time commitment.
The goal wasn’t to invent something revolutionary. It was simply to create momentum around experimentation and learning.
Here’s the framework we used:
Week 1: Define the Problem
We identified friction points in our day-to-day work and chose one challenge worth exploring. Starting with the right problem is often the most important step.
Week 2: Explore Possibilities
Next, we brainstormed ideas for solutions based on internal experience, outside examples, and innovation frameworks. The goal wasn’t precision, just curiosity and exploration.
Week 3: Build a Simple Prototype
We selected one promising idea and began building something tangible enough to test. Once an idea becomes real, learning accelerates quickly.
Week 4: Test and Reflect
In the final week we gathered feedback and reflected on what we learned. Some ideas move forward and some don’t, but both outcomes are extremely valuable.
What We Learned:
- Structure helps innovation happen – A clear timeline creates momentum.
- Small experiments create clarity – Testing ideas reveals insights quickly.
- You don’t need a massive initiative – A small team and a few hours a week can generate meaningful progress.
Why We Recommend Trying It:
Innovation doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it just means creating a small window to:
- Define a real problem
- Explore ideas
- Test something quickly
- Learn from the results
For us, Ingenious Month reinforced something we believe strongly at Navigate, that great organizations don’t just deliver great work, they continually improve how the work gets done.
