Core Innovation is a class of innovation project focused on enhancements to existing products or services within existing markets — optimizing and extending what a business already does for the customers it already serves. It is the lowest-risk and most predictable of the three project classes that together define a balanced portfolio mix, alongside Adjacent and Disruptive Innovation. Most organizations concentrate the largest share of their innovation resources here, since core projects protect and grow the existing business — but a portfolio weighted entirely toward core leaves no exposure to new sources of growth.
In BRI Associates' methodology each class carries its own class profile — typical investment level, time-to-market, survival rate, and evaluation-criteria weightings — because the right way to judge a core project differs from the right way to judge a disruptive one. Project classes are configurable per portfolio. For the full treatment, see the Portfolio Management pillar at /supporting/portfolio-management. Related Terminology Index entries: Adjacent Innovation; Disruptive Innovation; Portfolio Strategy; Portfolio Mix; Class Profile.
