The Heilmeier Catechism
A Proven Recipe For Managing Innovation
DARPA has a 40 year track record of harnessing and managing transformative and large-scale innovation and doing so methodically and repeatedly.
George H. Heilmeier, who directed the agency from 1975 to 1977 posited a set of questions to evaluate proposals for large-scale projects, which came to be known as the “Heilmeier Catechism.” These questions are are well-suited to deliberating about startup efforts today, whether as an investor or as a funder, especially one who will spend years on those challenges.
Heilmeier’s questions were:
What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
Who cares? If you are successful, what difference will it make ?
What are the risks?
How much will it cost?
How long will it take?
What are the midterm and final “exams” to check for success?
The answers to these questions map well to the standard VC-type presentation guidelines to describe the opportunity for your company: what, how, special sauce, market, competition, risks, cost & benefit, why you, why now, milestones.
There are many guidelines for this, including my “The Perfect Pitch,” Darren Cooke’s great presentation on making a compelling deck, and I still love Guy Kawasaki’s classic and foundational The Only 10 Slides You’ll Need in Your Pitch.
DARPA counts only several hundred employees, but, using these principles, guides an astonishing and profoundly transformational set of truly innovative projects. Read more at DARPA Research Projects.
Marc Meyer is a Silicon Valley technologist, founder (6 startups, 4 exits, 1 IPO), executive, investor, advisor, teacher and coach. He has invested in and advised over 100 companies, is on the Strategy Council and chairs the Advisor Council at Berkeley SkyDeck, serves on the Selection Committee of HBS Alumni Angels, advises at several accelerators and has an Executive Coaching and Advising practice helping leaders address their biggest challenges and grow past their current limitations.