Greenhouse Effect: Microsoft Unit To Breed Innovation

"Project Greenhouse," with about 30 to 50 people, is one of several incubators within the company, said Bobby Kishore, general manager of Greenhouse. The group got under way in 2003 but now has a more formal way to vet ideas and decide on funding, Kishore told CRN.

Some say Microsoft has grown so large and bureaucratic that it discourages innovation—hardly a problem unique to the company. Microsoft's latest archrival, Google, however, has won plaudits recently for encouraging employees to explore ideas outside its core businesses.

Kishore said one key Greenhouse goal is to separate ideas that could yield a net new product that is "disruptive" from ideas that would be better considered as a new feature within an existing offering. If an idea has the makings of a new product, the team moves to a rapid prototype stage. If the prototype passes muster, the team has to come up with a complete plan as to which group will build, ship and support the product, he said.

The team also must analyze early on the impact on partners and the opportunities it may spark. "We want feedback, but we also don't want to go out there to partners with something that is very speculative, where we're not sure of the go-to-markets. I don't want to start promising the world to someone and get them to invest when we're not sure on the plan yet," Kishore said.

Microsoft set out guidelines for the new projects, which are approved by Jeff Raikes, group vice president of the Information Worker unit. A green-lighted project should address one of four areas: information overload and mobile access needs; collaboration or information sharing; easing tracking and management of multiple projects; or connecting businesspeople and processes.

Kishore declined to disclose specifics about current projects, but said the group has worked closely with the SharePoint team, Microsoft Research and MSN desktop search team to deliver desktop search. Other current work will surface in the Office 12 wave, he said. Office 12 and its related client, server and services offerings are slated to roll out in 2006. The company is working on a range of new Office-labeled servers, including what was once called InfoPath Server and is now being called the Office Forms Server, sources said.