Innovation is tough in the best of times. What do you do when times are tough and your industry’s very survival is in question? 
It is tough and don’t leave a good idea get wasted because of a poor plan.
1. Lower the cost of testing. Chapter 8 of our new book, The Innovator’s Guide to Growth, suggested that companies should “invest a little to learn a lot” about key assumptions. When resources get scarce, you have to be even more creative about how to test critical assumptions. Fortunately, it has never been easier to develop and test an idea quickly and cheaply, using tools such as employee focus groups, low-resolution mock-ups, simulations, and “good enough” beta tests.
2. Creatively tap into outside resources. A lack of financial resources makes innovation difficult, but a lack of human resources to work on ideas makes innovation impossible. Resource-constrained companies need to develop creative ways to find bodies to work on innovation efforts.
3. Ruthlessly prune the portfolio. Most companies that claim to have no resources actually have plenty of resources–those resources are just tied up in the wrong activities. When times are tough, companies have to be ruthless about weeding the innovation portfolio. They have to shut down the least promising ideas early so they can really focus on the ideas with the most potential (I wrote about the innovation portfolio in more depth on Forbes.com). Even though there’s a risk that you might prematurely kill a great idea, better to kill one great idea early than to lose an entire innovation program because of lack of progress.
This is from Scott Anthony and you can read his entire post here.