The Elevator Pitch

Everyone has heard of the infamous elevator pitch. In those few brief minutes that you find yourself in the elevator with your boss, you must make a pitch that not only engages him in moments, but also give him all the vital details to show the project’s exact intentions. And if your boss gave the okay, then the design proposal was effective. Although this situation isn’t very common, the concept of a brief, concise design proposal prior to a finalized design review is a common practice for engineers. There are many effective ways to provide important information about a project, but the key is to condense an entire project layout into a few brief points that are well organized. The method that best handles this is the quad chart.

 This method was first brought to my attention by my first-year seminar teacher, Professor Sven Bilen. He expressed to us the value of time in the life of an engineer. Not every proposal is indulged with time. Any effective proposal must therefore be able to express only the vital points while still clearly portraying the basics of the project at hand. When introducing a proposal or offering a quick review of a project, an easy to read chart can effectively organize pertinent information. The quad chart breaks down information into four sections. The first is a visual. This can be a picture or schematic of the proposed design. This offers a reference to aid the viewer in picturing the product. Below it is a basic description of the product that lists key features and its impact. The next section can include either issues that need to be addressed concerning the project or new supplementary ideas that can be included. Below this section is the timeline of key dates and tasks that need to be accomplished. Altogether the quad chart is an easy reference tool. One knows exactly where to find the important points and one can get across an idea quickly and effectively. In the fast-paced world of innovation, this tool allows for just a few minutes to change an elevator pitch into something more.

Resources

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CEsQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usamraa.army.mil%2Fpages%2FBaa_Paa%2FFY06QuadDirections_JSTO_BAA.pdf&ei=7NTLUK6pMM3K0AGmwIEo&usg=AFQjCNHmXdlDQST-XWO-C3eqRoFDUkUwMw&sig2=eRZZpEmMqszvFiH_8Rmg9A&bvm=bv.1355325884,d.dmQ 

http://www.science.mod.uk/engagement/cde/quad_charts.aspx

http://www.canis.illinois.edu/interspace/reports/quadchart.html

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One Response to The Elevator Pitch

  1. Richard says:

    It sounds good but I don’t see what it adds except a codified account, which in and of itself innovates nothing and is not an advance on continuous benchmarking through any and all means. I think this sort of approach carries a deceptive illusion that you are in control through algorithms and the optimistic assumption of a perfect marketplace – long known not to exist, not to mention predictable trajectories for technology – also know not to exist. Military jargon that gets well rewarded. But the UK description is better than the one you used. There they describe the quad chart as a useful overview for categorizing the value of a proposed technology. and give a jargon free example. That I get. The topic is a quad chart not an elevator pitch

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