SCAMPER

SCAMPER is a systematic inventive thinking technique used in the redesign and substitution of products and services. It is complementary to other non-structured, creative inventive thinking processes such as the brainstorming session. SCAMPER was developed by Bob Eberlee, and shares some similarities with more sophisticated systematic innovation processes such as TRIZ or ARIZ.







SCAMPER stands for:
          Substitue
          Combine
          Adapt
          Modify
          Put to other purposes
          Eliminate
          Rearrange/Reverse

Similarly to the brainstorming session, a SCAMPER meeting shall begin with the selection of a working team, and with the moderator introducing the product, process or service that is going to be substituted or modified. However, the moderator plays a much more active role in this case, guiding the team through a checklist of questions.These are examples of SCAMPER questions that the moderator should have prepared in order to ensure the productivity of the meeting:

Substitute: which components can be substituted in our product or process in order to reduce cost, increase efficiency, improve logistics, etc? By which ones? Are there elements that can't be substituted without affecting the essence of the product? ...
Combine: which internal components can be combined in order to increase efficiency, reduce costs, etc? Can we think of combinations with external components? ...
Adapt: how can we adapt our product to accommodate new features? What should we change to reach a new target group? Or to enter a new market? ...
Modify: which features can be modified without affecting significantly the product? What should be modified in order to get new features? ...
Put to other purposes: Can we put the product to other uses? Can we fulfil different costumer's needs? What should be modified to widen the uses of the product? ...
Eliminate: which components can be removed without affecting the main function? Will we reduce costs in doing so? Which components, functions or uses are redundant or of marginal end benefit? ...
Rearrange/Reverse: can we make the product bigger? Smaller? Heavier? Lighter? What do we gain with any of those changes? How can I rearrange my process to increase efficiency? ...

Finally, the SCAMPER session can be designed to restrict the universe of solutions to the currently existing resources of the company (Closed World model), or it can be expanded to integrate external resources (Open World model). Working with a Closed World model will usually result in lower investments and execution time, at the expenses of less diversity in the solutions. On the other hand, solutions coming out of an Open World SCAMPER session might be more diverse, though we might face barriers in terms of necessary investments and acquisition of know-how.