I've been doing some house repairs lately and faced one particular challenge that I think illustrates how the innovation process works, see what you think.

The Problem: Figure out a way to reduce the dust storms generated when sanding drywall "mud." This problem is especially frustrating when the mud guy (that would be me) lacks any recognizable skill, resulting in a process that must be repeated several times before arriving at an acceptable level of quality.

Constraints: This is strictly a do-it-yourself, teach-your-sons-how-to-work, project. Hiring professionals is not an option.

Any ideas? Here is what we came up with.

Idea #1: Contain the dust. Plastic sheeting is pretty cheap and we reasoned we could use it for a ground cover on future camping trips, so we bought plastic and hung it from the ceiling around the area we were preparing to sand. Remember the movie ET after the government guys moved into the house? It looked something like that.

Results: A whole lot of dust trapped in a very small space. Because the space was limited but the dust generated was not, it very quickly became impossible to even see the surface to be worked on. This, of course, added to our quality problems. Also, despite the use of breathing masks, our lungs are probably still coated with white stuff.

Idea #2: Instead of using an electric sander which generates a lot of dust and tends to "launch" the dust into the air, return to the old fashioned way and do it by hand. In theory, at least, the dust would gently fall to the ground and not coat surrounding areas.

Results: Depending on how you look at it, this is either a "wimp out" solution or a "muscle building" exercise. Either way, time commitment went way up and son involvement tended to drop off. Also, it didn't really solve the problem. Dust still settled everywhere just not at the volume or rate that the electric sander generated.

Idea #3: This idea came in the shower while attempting to wash the white dust from my hair. I tell you that only because that is where the best ideas seem to come. Here is the thought: what if you could connect the output of the electric sander to the hose of a shop vac? The dust would be whisked away before it could float or settle on anything.

Results: With the concept of attaching the sander to the shop vac in mind, the next challenge became figuring out how to hook the two together. It turns out the hose of the vacuum was of a much wider diameter than the output of the sander. We also wanted the attachment to be flexible enough so that it could handle various angles, but strong enough to keep the two firmly joined throughout the back and forth motion of sanding. Duct tape immediately came to mind. Unfortunately, my sons had recently made wallets out of duct tape and none could be found. So we settled for a masking tape prototype.

The masking tape prototype worked admirably and proved the concept. We did have to use two hands to keep the two together because the tape wasn't strong enough on its own, but the dust was immediately whisked away completely solving the original problem.

As we waited for yet another layer of mud to dry, we hit upon the idea of using an old bicycle tube to join the two together. What if we cut off a piece of the tube, attached one end to the vacuum hose and the other to the sander? Initially, we left the tube long for added reach and flexibility. But we quickly discovered that the inner tube kinked easily and blocked the air flow. We solved that problem by shortening the tube so that it was just long enough to go over the end of the vacuum hose and the output of the sander.

Eureka! The thing works like a dream. No dust launched in the air, no dust settling on the counter top. Everything goes straight in the vacuum.

Did we invent something new? Depends on how you look at it. After we got our sanding done we did a quick search and discovered several dust free sanders on the market. Everything from a hand sander that attaches to your vacuum for $17.89 to professional "systems" that cost up to $1,000. One thing we haven't found is anything that let's you hook up the electric sander you already have in your garage to the vacuum cleaner in your closet.

So how does this apply to your business? Innovation is an absolute necessity for growing a successful business, but it can be difficult to turn into a repeatable process. Here are some principles of innovation that, if applied consistently, will deliver breakthrough innovations:

1. Identify the need clearly and in a specific way. Defining the problem may seem like a no-brainer, but it is in fact the most important step. It is best if you and the others working on the problem can experience it yourself. For example, be your own customer. See what it feels like.
2. Identify and question your constraints. No sense wasting your time and resources on solutions that aren't an option. Having said that, don't allow assumptions to become constraints. List what you think are your constraints and then question every one of them to make sure they are real.
3. Find as many perspectives as you can. If you think you, or anyone else in your organization, is the only source of all ideas worth pursuing you are doomed for failure. Involve everyone you can in your problem solving/brainstorming sessions and listen to what they have to say. Different perspectives combined is where the creative fireworks start.
4. Prototype, prototype, prototype. The quicker you can try things out, the quicker you will learn and get on the right path. Many grand solutions have been planned and worked on for months or years only to find out that they will never work. The quicker you can test, the more likely you will get to a real solution quickly.
5. Think about something different. Once you have identified the problem and spent some time trying to solve, don't be afraid to take a break. In fact, make it a point to take a break and think about something different. Our brains are amazing things. Some of the best ideas come when we're not focused directly on a problem but have thought about it and then stored it away for consideration. So go play with some toys, go for a run, take a shower, wash the dishes, mow the lawn, go for a drive. I've found routine activities that don't require my full attention provide the most fertile ground for new ideas.
6. Have fun. As humans we do our most creative work when we are happy. Buy some toys, use crayons to doodle, do what ever it takes to remind yourself to relax and let the right side of your brain do it's work.

Oh, I almost forgot. To get your Amazing Dust-Free Sanding Coupler, send a check for $9.99 made out to Dave Free to P.O. Box....