IntroductiontoPizzaChallenge.docx
Pizza Challenge
Introduction
The Pizza Challenge is a multiweek, collaborative innovation project. From November 2nd to December 7th, you’ll be working with your team to generate a highly novel idea for a pizza. But, the real purpose of this assignment is to learn about the creative process and to practice strategies for generating original ideas in a collaborative, innovation context.
Scenario
. It features a gym, hang out spaces, offices for the GSU, and a student pub/restaurant (much like in Oakville and in Brampton). The Senior Manager of the pub wants to create a signature pizza dish inspired by the Sheridan community, and they need your help to come up with a remarkable idea.
Your team will generate a large list of potential options, prototype a few ideas, and then pitch the most novel and effective option the team developed.
Essential Criteria
The pitched pizza must meaningfully respond to these three key criteria:
Novel and Original
Creativity defines and differentiates the Sheridan learning experience. There is no other college like Sheridan and the community highly values creativity. The pizza must be unlike anything else offered in Mississauga.
Affordable
The pizza is designed for Sheridan students. Hence, affordability is a priority. The pub is open to different sizes such as a very small personal pizza or a larger dish intended for sharing (or both!). The typical margin on a pizza is around 20% but they are willing to sacrifice some of that margin to reduce the price. The hope is that the pizza will be signature draw that might extend the amount of time someone or a group spends in the pub each visit, thereby providing opportunities for up-selling on other menu items especially beverages and desserts.
Practicality
Because we’re working online and your instructor does not own a restaurant, the pizza you pitch must be able to be made in Dr. Brandon McFarlane’s home kitchen or on a BBQ. If you know a pizzeria with the ability to prototype some pizzas, do let your instructor know. Dr. McFarlane can make wood-oven style, pan, and deep dish pizza.
Secondary Criteria
It’d be great but not essential if the pitched pizza also responded to two more criteria:
Cultural Diversity
Mississauga is one of the most diverse places in the world. Sheridan College is no different. Sheridan hosts over 120 programs and 25 degrees. And people from across the world come to learn at Sheridan College. It’d be great if the pizza reflected or expressed that diversity.
Non-Sheridan Customers
The pub is a business. While it primarily serves Sheridan students and employees, it’d be great if people from the broader community came to campus just to check out the pizza. Right next door are City Hall and Square One. Every day, tens of thousands of people come to the places right beside campus, it’d be great if they also visited Sheridan. Square One hosts the which attracts citizens and tourists due to its high quality and creative offerings. There’s a great opportunity to attract some of those foodies.
Timeline
Clarification: The Reception of Pizza Novelty | November 2 and 9
The creative process begins by researching the opportunity and building (or finding) the skills necessary for innovating in a given industry. In short, we need to know a little bit about pizza and how to make it before we can create a highly novel pizza.
On November 9th, each team member will be responsible for researching a pizza related topic and making a brief presentation. Full details about the non-assessed presentations and associated requirements are posted on SLATE. Teams will then synthesize key insights into the Process Document, which we’ll be using throughout the Pizza Challenge to facilitate and document process work.
Divergence: Achieving Fluency, Flexibility, and Novelty | November 16
The second phase of the creative process involves generating as many novel ideas as possible. On November 16tht, you’ll be introduced to a number of creative problem solving strategies that your team will apply to generate ideas. By the end of the session, the team will have generated over 65 ideas.
Convergence: Decision-Making That Prioritizes Novelty | November 23
The third phase involves identifying, critiquing, and further developing novel options. Importantly, research shows that creative process often fails in critical and evaluative phases: due to a lack of openness and risk-taking, people often advance safe and familiar ideas. We’ll apply some creative problem solving strategies that prioritize novelty and effectiveness when making critical decisions. After identifying and developing a couple of top options, pizza making volunteers will prototype a couple of promising ideas.
Prototyping and Collaborative Decision-Making | November 30
The fourth phase involves making final decisions based upon the results of prototyping. Teams will reflect upon the prototypes to reassess the top options and submit the Process Document (which is primarily evaluated based upon degree of completion). The rest of the class is provided to create a pitch via a brief PowerPoint presentation and which will be due by the end of the work week: Friday, 2 December 2022 @ 5:00 PM. The Pitch is competitive and is worth 15% towards the final grade. 5% will be assessed via degree of completion and effectiveness; 5% will be awarded by classmates who will select a top pitch via voting (1st place = 5%, and 2nd place = 2.5%); 5% will be awarded by the professor who will select two top pitches which will be prototyped over the weekend and a third-party judge will taste-test the top two options and crown a winner (1st place = 5% and 2nd place = 2.5%).
Celebration & Debrief | December 7th
We’ll begin class by announcing the winners of the pizza challenge. The professor will share some thoughts about each pitch and why he was so impressed by the top option. The team will then debrief their creative process by reflecting upon successes, strengths, and areas for improvement. The debrief will be due by the end of class and is worth 10% towards the final grade.
The following week, we conclude the semester with a reflection upon and celebration of creativity. You’ll be presented with a final making challenge. You’ll post results onto our class’s discussion board. How we’ll reflect upon your experience will be a surprise. BUT, it won’t be stressful, rather it will be a fun and rewarding experience. A nice way to conclude the semester by celebrating what you learned and your classmates’ accomplishments.