Innovation Strategy Template
Document your innovation thesis, focus areas, operating model, governance and metrics in one document — the reference point that keeps a function coherent through reorgs and sponsor changes.
Most innovation strategies exist as a deck someone presented once. This template turns it into a standing document: what we believe, where we will play, how we will operate, how we will decide, and how we will know it's working.
Sections cover strategic context, innovation thesis, focus areas with explicit exclusions, the operating model and team structure, funding approach, governance and decision rights, and the metrics you'll report.
The exclusions section does the most work. A strategy that doesn't say what you won't pursue isn't a strategy.
Document your innovation thesis, focus areas, operating model and metrics. This tool is part of the InnoLead Tools library — a set of editable templates drawn from what our members use to run innovation functions inside large organizations.
- Download the document and drop in your organization's name, logo, and terminology.
- Delete the prompts you don't need; the structure matters more than the boilerplate.
- Circulate a draft to two or three stakeholders before you socialize it broadly.
