Innovation and Quality Health Assessment Tool

This Innovation and Quality Health Assessment Tool consists of questions from 6 areas related to Innovation
( Strategy, Culture, Processes, Tools, Metrics, COVID-19 pandemic), and one area related to Quality, which
help you evaluate your organization’s current state of innovation and quality management capability while
highlighting areas of strength that could be leveraged and opportunities for improvement.

Please take a moment and select the items that in your opinion, most represent the current state of your
innovation and quality program and capability. Please make sure you can explain your choice.

1. General information
Please give some general information about your organization and yourself:

Company name SC Strauss Romania SRL

Sector of activity Food

No. of employees 255

Name of person interviewed Florinela Vlad

Position in the company Risk Manager

Years of seniority in the company 17 years

Gender Female

Interview date/platform 17.11.2023

Contact (e-mail) florinela.vlad@strauss-group.ro

2. Innovation: Strategy

2.1. The company has an established innovation Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
program (and a planned activity calendar) Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Implementing business model for free on loan machines in the market.

For example:
- There are regularly planned and executed innovation activities involving cross-functional teams,
employees, business partners, researchers, and the startup community.
- Examples of activities include jam sessions, internal business competitions, design thinking sessions,
challenge-driven and open innovation, and purge week, etc.

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2.2. The company’s innovation program has Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
executive support. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
The company invested in coffee machines and an informatic system in order to set the objectives (tracking the
sales of coffee in those machines)
For example:
- The organization has invested in building a cross departmental innovation management team and system.
- Management reacts to competition and market conditions by investing heavily in expansive innovation
activities.
- Senior management is involved in communicating the organization's strategic objectives and how they
relate to the innovation program's goals and activities, etc. ………..

2.3. The company’s innovation investments are Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
aligned with the corporate strategy. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Increasing profit from coffee sales (both beans and roasted).
For example:
- There is a healthy flow of ideas at various stages of the innovation funnel.
- The organization systematically funds the best ideas and opportunities with the highest potential that are
aligned with the organization's overall strategy, such as …… etc. ………..

3. Innovation: People & Culture

3.1.Employees from multiple departments Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly

collaborate on innovation activities. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
All of the departments’s managers are involved in order to collaborate (sales, finance, marketing, purchase,
production)
For example:
- Innovation is viewed as an integrated departmental activity.
- Line of business managers make top down and bottom up decisions on which projects and opportunities
to pursue, etc. ………..

3.2.Innovation is driven by leaders from across Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
the entire organization. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5

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Please explain your response.
CFO: Chief Financial Officer
NSM: National Sales Manager
Risk Manager
Marketing director
For example:
- Innovation is managed and driven by a diverse cross-functional group throughout the entire organization.
- Innovation participants come from multiple departments to collaborate on innovation.
- Innovation advocates from across the organization collaborate, share best practices, and have a strong
mandate to get things done, etc. ………..

3.3. Actively participation in innovation Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly

activities are factored into employee Disagree l Agree
performance reviews and evaluations.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
There is a plan with objectives for each manager involved in the innovating project.
For example:
- Contributions to innovation are factored into employee performance assessments and evaluations, such
as …… etc. ……………

3.4. The organization embraces Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly

experimentation and failure. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Following the brainstorms before starting any project, the failures are avoided.
For example:
- Innovation activities such as generating new ideas, developing new concepts and frequent
experimentation are accepted and celebrated regardless of success or failure.
- The organization invests in developing/ acquiring abilities, unique insights, know-how, practical skills, etc.

4. Innovation: Processes

4.1. The organization established Standard Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
Operating Procedures and guidelines to Disagree l Agree
manage innovation activities.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
The innovation team created a book procedure with work chapter for each department involved.
For example:
- The organization has documented processes for idea generation and evaluation, concept development
and experimentation that are aligned with business objectives. Examples include ……
- Idea submission, evaluation and concept modeling forms and templates are used to standardize processes
across the entire organization.
- The organization has documented, traceable and transparent processes that are designed to maintain
alignment of all innovation activities with business objectives. Examples include ……

4.2. The organization plans, funds and runs an Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly

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 innovation activity calendar. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
The manual of procedures continues indicators to be followed set per day, quarterly
For example:
- Continuous innovation activities for the entire year ahead are planned, fully funded and executed.
Examples include ……
- Experimentation is routine - employing an agile approach that rewards a learn-fast and fail-fast model is a
healthy innovation practice, etc. ……

4.3. The organization routinely funds and Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
allocates resources to run experiments. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
There are allocated funds based on the budget decided before the project begin.
For example:
- The organization employs a challenge-driven innovation and agile experimentation model to find new
creative solutions. Examples include ……

5. Innovation: Tools

5.1. The organization has established a system Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
of record/tracking record for innovation Disagree l Agree
management.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Yes, there is follow up for each period.

For example:
- An off-the-shelf innovation management software has been evaluated, selected and deployed, and serves
as the system of record for innovation.
- All ideas and collaboration, data and experiments around the idea are collected and evaluated using this
centralized system of record, etc. …….

5.2. The organization designed and Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
implemented a reward and recognition Disagree l Agree
system to encourage and recognize
1 2 3 4 5
creativity and innovation efforts.
Please explain your response.
There are bonusses for each employer involved.
For example:
- There is a well-designed organization-wide reward and recognition system integrated within the
innovation management system to motivate and recognize contributors.
- The innovation management system is connected to the HR system to report on user engagement and
evaluate every employee's innovation contributions, etc.

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6. Innovation: Metrics

6.1.The organization tracks clearly defined Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
innovation KPIs? Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Yes, there are KPIs for each person and are tracked according to the calendar.
For example:
- Key innovation management (KPIs) performance indicators are tracked and trended. Examples include ……
- Metrics (such as the number of views, number of visits to the innovation portal, ideas, votes, comments,
risks mitigated, experiments conducted and solutions developed, tangible or intangible value created) are
tracked and trended to measure innovation activity, user engagement and results, etc. ……

6.2. Employee engagement, agility, Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly

competitiveness, and innovation activity Disagree l Agree
are factored into the organization’s
1 2 3 4 5
outcome analysis.
Please explain your response.
Yes they are, because every employer must do his job in order to accomplish the objectives.

For example:
- Key performance metrics include improvements in employee engagement and satisfaction,
competitiveness, risk mitigation, and other non-financial metrics.
- Financial metrics are not the only metrics used to evaluate innovation activity and results. The
organization does not necessarily expect a measurable financial gain from every innovation activity, etc.

6.3. The organization set innovation and Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
experimentation objectives. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Objective are mostly set for the innovation, experimentation/failure are avoided.
For example:
- Specific targets are set and tracked for the measured innovation activity key performance indicators.
Examples include ……
- Put an action plan in place when target engagement levels or innovation results are not met.
- Targets are constantly adjusted, and new indicators are adopted based on a collaborative cross-functional
team of innovation advocates and evangelists. Examples include ……

6.4. The organization is measuring cross- Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
functional and inter-departmental Disagree l Agree
innovation activity and results.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Yes, the meetings are tracked and there is verbal process for each meeting with all the discussions and
decisions.
For example:

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- Organizational standards-based metrics are used to measure cross-functional innovation activity and
results. Examples include ……
- Innovation activity results and metrics are collaboratively reviewed and adjusted. Examples include ……

7. Innovation: COVID-19 pandemic

7.1. COVID-19 pandemic affected the innovation Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
program. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
The innovation program was after the pandemic.

For example:
- Financials resources planned for innovation where diverted to human resources and other operational
activities during COVID-19 pandemic. Other examples include ……

7.2. The organization came up with solutions to Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
continue implementing the innovation Disagree l Agree
program.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
There is no need for new solutions, because the program is going well.
For example:
- The production department decided to open a website and sell the products online. Other examples
include ….

8. Quality

8.1. The organization has a process in place to Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
frequently search and identify quality gaps. Disagree l Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
There is an employee that checks weekly the vending machines.
For example:
- Weekly, one member of the team has a customer experience by placing an order on the website. After the
order is received a team of colleagues analyzes the operations that lead to the order delivery and
reception and formulates (if it is the case) suggestions to quality improvement. Other examples include ….

8.2. The company has been under review to Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
adopt Management Systems from ISO Disagree l Agree
standards.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Yes, ISO standards are mandatory in coffee factory
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For example:
- The company has ISO standards: ISO 9001 and ISO 45001.

8.3. The company has fulfilled the requirements Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
for ISO standards because it was mandatory Disagree l Agree
for our clients and suppliers.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
There are lot of ISO standards mandatory in Strauss Romania (being a food factory)
For example:
- The company could not sell its products in Germany without ISO 9001. Other examples include.

8.4 The process of fulfilling the requirements for Strongly Disagree Neutra Agree Strongly
ISO standards has been beneficial for the Disagree l Agree
company’s business processes.
1 2 3 4 5
Please explain your response.
Following the ISO procedures, production activities proceed in the best conditions according to European
norms.
For example:
- When planning to fulfill the ISO standard requirements we have identified gaps in our operations and
implemented measures to fill in the gaps. For example: the website did not have an area where customers
could connect to our team and address suggestions and complains related to our products.

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