Big thinking leads to creative solutions
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 5:54 am
Hackathons are popping up like mushrooms. More and more companies decide to invest in a hackathon. An event in which students or specialists put their smart heads together to solve a specific problem within a short, fixed time. Hackathons are therefore extremely suitable for creating new innovative business plans. This way, as a company, you can gain new insights and come up with solutions in no time. High time to organize a hackathon within your company!
Hackathons are ideal for difficult technical issues that have been around for a long time and require a creative solution. Is your case vague, incoherent and not challenging? Then don't organize a hackathon. Are you not sure yet whether a hackathon is for you? We recently organized the 24 Hour Data Challenge. 25 beta students plus a team from our organization were given 24 hours to solve a data case for our client. In this article I share the 5 most important reasons why you should organize a hackathon. And I give you tips to take into account when organizing it.
During a hackathon, participants have to solve a problem – a case – in a short period of time (often 24 hours). For Gall & Gall, students were given the assignment to investigate the most important drivers for online turnover. For this, they were given historical data at their disposal, which they combined with external data, such as the hong kong phone numbers weather and events.
Quickly coming up with a solution for a complex problem often leads to a solution-oriented, goal-oriented approach. This allows you to leave behind any limitations or delaying processes that normally get in the way, such as hierarchy or pigeonholing. The result? Great solutions. Not always realistic to fully implement, but creative new ideas that would not otherwise arise. You ultimately take parts of these with you in the actual solution of your case.
Quickly coming up with a solution to a complex problem often leads to a solution-oriented, goal-oriented approach.
2. Fresh perspectives provide new perspectives
The people you invite to your hackathon are for example students, external participants or colleagues from different teams. They look at your case with a fresh perspective. A subject that you may have been involved in for far too long and too deeply to be able to think ' out of the box '. This way you gain new insights that lead to innovation or a solution to your problem! During the challenge, a team developed a tool that visualizes potential drivers of online turnover, such as media budget, special events and vacation days. This is super handy for Gall & Gall to determine whether it is actually a driver, and this can therefore be responded to even better.
Hackathons are ideal for difficult technical issues that have been around for a long time and require a creative solution. Is your case vague, incoherent and not challenging? Then don't organize a hackathon. Are you not sure yet whether a hackathon is for you? We recently organized the 24 Hour Data Challenge. 25 beta students plus a team from our organization were given 24 hours to solve a data case for our client. In this article I share the 5 most important reasons why you should organize a hackathon. And I give you tips to take into account when organizing it.
During a hackathon, participants have to solve a problem – a case – in a short period of time (often 24 hours). For Gall & Gall, students were given the assignment to investigate the most important drivers for online turnover. For this, they were given historical data at their disposal, which they combined with external data, such as the hong kong phone numbers weather and events.
Quickly coming up with a solution for a complex problem often leads to a solution-oriented, goal-oriented approach. This allows you to leave behind any limitations or delaying processes that normally get in the way, such as hierarchy or pigeonholing. The result? Great solutions. Not always realistic to fully implement, but creative new ideas that would not otherwise arise. You ultimately take parts of these with you in the actual solution of your case.
Quickly coming up with a solution to a complex problem often leads to a solution-oriented, goal-oriented approach.
2. Fresh perspectives provide new perspectives
The people you invite to your hackathon are for example students, external participants or colleagues from different teams. They look at your case with a fresh perspective. A subject that you may have been involved in for far too long and too deeply to be able to think ' out of the box '. This way you gain new insights that lead to innovation or a solution to your problem! During the challenge, a team developed a tool that visualizes potential drivers of online turnover, such as media budget, special events and vacation days. This is super handy for Gall & Gall to determine whether it is actually a driver, and this can therefore be responded to even better.