1
Full Steam Ahead
5 weeks
Focus the innovation challenge, gather the team, build commitment and identify new opportunities.
FORTH Innovation Method. Double your innovation effectiveness.
FORTH is a proven five-step innovation methodology created by Gijs van Wulfen. It helps organisations discover real customer needs, create relevant solutions and turn the strongest concepts into validated new business cases with internal buy-in, increasing innovation effectiveness.
Applied by organisations across six continents, in fourteen languages. Among them 3M, Airbus, University of Oxford, Philip Morris International, Takeda and UNHCR.
The method
The five stages of the FORTH innovation expedition.
FORTH goes beyond ideas. It combines design thinking with business reality across one structured journey.
2
Observe & Learn
6 weeks
Discover relevant customer needs and explore opportunities.
3
Raise Ideas
2 weeks
Co-create 750+ new ideas and turn the strongest into 12-18 promising concepts.
4
Test Ideas
3 weeks
Test and improve 12-18 concepts with customers and select the 4-6 most promising validated concepts.
5
Homecoming
4 weeks
Deliver 4-6 supported new business cases, ready for management decision-making.
FORTH goes beyond new ideas. It turns them into impact.
Effectiveness
Why FORTH works.
Most organisations don’t lack ideas. They struggle to make them happen.
Effective innovation brings five things together:
- 01Relevant customer needs
- 02New, potentially radical solutions
- 03A viable business model
- 04Management buy-in
- 05Innovation discipline
FORTH brings them together in one structured journey: combining design thinking with business reality.
From I-nnovation to WE-nnovation
People support what they help create. FORTH involves customers, colleagues and decision-makers throughout the innovation journey. No steering committees on the sidelines: decision-makers join the journey as extended team members, creating ownership, buy-in and commitment to implementation.
That’s how you boost innovation effectiveness.
Evidence
Evidence that FORTH works.
The effectiveness of FORTH was independently studied by Prof. Dr Herman van den Bosch of the Open Universiteit in the Netherlands. His research examined FORTH applications in 10 organisations, interviewing 19 managers and project leaders and following projects conducted between 2007 and 2013 in three countries.
The results were compelling: 74% of the new business cases progressed to implementation and 68% reached the market, compared with benchmark figures cited in the study of 57% and 37.5% respectively. The research therefore concluded that FORTH showed a substantially higher level of innovation effectiveness.
Percentage of new FORTH concepts that reached the market
68%
versus 37.5% scientific benchmark
Percentage of FORTH business cases progressed to development
74%
versus 57% scientific benchmarkProcess rating
8.1/10
rated by managers and project leadersParticipants rated the FORTH process 8.1 out of 10, particularly valuing its structured approach, the quality of the resulting business cases and its contribution to a lasting innovation culture. FORTH is not just a methodology. Its effectiveness has been studied in practice and assessed against established innovation research.
Download the scientific research report ↓In their words
What FORTH users say
FORTH has been applied by organisations across industries, countries and cultures. The people who used the method value its structure, its collaborative approach and, above all, its ability to turn innovation challenges into concrete outcomes.
“FORTH is one of the best and most straightforward methods available for helping both experts and novices move through the fuzzy front end of innovation.”
“We highly recommend the FORTH process when innovative ideas and tangible results are required.”
“I can recommend the FORTH method, and Gijs of course, strongly to any organisation who truly wants to innovate.”
“It was a very exciting FORTH journey and exactly in time four new business cases were presented by the team. A great achievement!”
“We were very satisfied to see that the team managed to create proposals both close to our main business as well as stretching far out, which we otherwise would not have done.”
“In short, FORTH gave us the push we needed in the right direction.”
“I continue to be impressed with the changes I am noticing in the staff who have participated in the FORTH innovation expedition.”
“FORTH is one of the best and most straightforward methods available for helping both experts and novices move through the fuzzy front end of innovation.”
“We highly recommend the FORTH process when innovative ideas and tangible results are required.”
“I can recommend the FORTH method, and Gijs of course, strongly to any organisation who truly wants to innovate.”
“It was a very exciting FORTH journey and exactly in time four new business cases were presented by the team. A great achievement!”
“We were very satisfied to see that the team managed to create proposals both close to our main business as well as stretching far out, which we otherwise would not have done.”
“In short, FORTH gave us the push we needed in the right direction.”
“I continue to be impressed with the changes I am noticing in the staff who have participated in the FORTH innovation expedition.”
FORTH: practical by design, proven by results.
Cases
FORTH in practice.
FORTH has been applied by organisations around the world and is available in fourteen languages.
Different industries. Different challenges. Profit and not-for-profit. Products and services. Incremental and radical innovation. One objective:
FORTH: Born from practice. Proven worldwide.
Organisations that have run a FORTH expedition
3M (USA)◆Airbus (Europe)◆Alfred Health (Australia)◆Allianz (Romania)◆ANWB (Netherlands)◆Averda (UAE)◆Breman (Netherlands)◆Bruil (Netherlands)◆CCI (Netherlands)◆ContPaqi (Mexico)◆CMIC (Japan)◆CRH Struyk Verwo Infra (Netherlands)◆De Verbinding (Netherlands)◆Dichterbij (Netherlands)◆Edison (Italy)◆ESKA (Netherlands)◆Europ Assistance (Belgium)◆Filigran (Germany)◆Fire Department Noord-Limburg (Netherlands)◆GGD Noord-Limburg (Netherlands)◆GGD West-Brabant (Netherlands)◆Hanzehogeschool (Netherlands)◆Huntsman (Asia, Europe, USA)◆Incipio Ventures (Mexico)◆Life & Mobility (Netherlands)◆Murata (Japan)◆Ministry of Security and Justice (Netherlands)◆MEE de Meentgroep (Netherlands)◆Mercitalia (Italy)◆Miskolc University (Hungary)◆NEC (Japan)◆NTT AT (Japan)◆NTT DATA (Japan)◆Patent Security Group (Hungary)◆Philip Morris International (Switzerland)◆Schattdecor (Germany)◆Pulse Business Solutions (Netherlands)◆Realpay (South Africa)◆Sanoma Media (Netherlands)◆SEA (Italy)◆SEWA (UAE)◆Signify (Netherlands)◆Takeda (Spain)◆Termolar (Brazil)◆UNHCR (Uganda)◆Univé (Netherlands)◆University of Oxford (UK)◆Zilveren Kruis (Netherlands)◆3M (USA)◆Airbus (Europe)◆Alfred Health (Australia)◆Allianz (Romania)◆ANWB (Netherlands)◆Averda (UAE)◆Breman (Netherlands)◆Bruil (Netherlands)◆CCI (Netherlands)◆ContPaqi (Mexico)◆CMIC (Japan)◆CRH Struyk Verwo Infra (Netherlands)◆De Verbinding (Netherlands)◆Dichterbij (Netherlands)◆Edison (Italy)◆ESKA (Netherlands)◆Europ Assistance (Belgium)◆Filigran (Germany)◆Fire Department Noord-Limburg (Netherlands)◆GGD Noord-Limburg (Netherlands)◆GGD West-Brabant (Netherlands)◆Hanzehogeschool (Netherlands)◆Huntsman (Asia, Europe, USA)◆Incipio Ventures (Mexico)◆Life & Mobility (Netherlands)◆Murata (Japan)◆Ministry of Security and Justice (Netherlands)◆MEE de Meentgroep (Netherlands)◆Mercitalia (Italy)◆Miskolc University (Hungary)◆NEC (Japan)◆NTT AT (Japan)◆NTT DATA (Japan)◆Patent Security Group (Hungary)◆Philip Morris International (Switzerland)◆Schattdecor (Germany)◆Pulse Business Solutions (Netherlands)◆Realpay (South Africa)◆Sanoma Media (Netherlands)◆SEA (Italy)◆SEWA (UAE)◆Signify (Netherlands)◆Takeda (Spain)◆Termolar (Brazil)◆UNHCR (Uganda)◆Univé (Netherlands)◆University of Oxford (UK)◆Zilveren Kruis (Netherlands)◆
Featured case
Breman: From AI & Robotics Ambition to Impact.
Breman is a Dutch family-owned installation group with almost 1,700 installation experts and 26 specialised locations in the Netherlands and Germany. From October 2025 to February 2026, Breman used FORTH to develop radical new business opportunities for implementing AI and robotics across the organisation. The journey was carried by a core team of 12 participants, with five decision-making leaders joining as extended team members, creating ownership and management buy-in from the start.
173relevant frictions found
1,191ideas raised
67promising idea directions
18new concepts
16concepts tested
12concepts improved
6radical new business cases
3selected for rapid implementation
From one innovation challenge to six radical new business cases. And three selected for impact.
Follow Breman’s complete AI & Robotics innovation journey, from the first challenge to six radical new business cases and the final board presentation. A film by Gijs van Wulfen, playing here on the page.
FORTH Maps
FORTH Innovation Map in 14 languages.
ArabicOn request ✉
ChineseOn request ✉
DanishOn request ✉
DutchOn request ✉
EnglishAvailable ↗
FrenchOn request ✉
GermanOn request ✉
HungarianOn request ✉
ItalianOn request ✉
JapaneseOn request ✉
PortugueseOn request ✉
RussianOn request ✉
SpanishOn request ✉
TurkishOn request ✉
The English edition is free to download. The other thirteen language editions are available on request: mail Gijs directly at [email protected] for the one you need.
Request a language
About Gijs van Wulfen
FORTH was created by Dutch innovation author and speaker Gijs van Wulfen. He developed the methodology twenty years ago to solve one fundamental innovation challenge:
How do you turn ideas into impact?
Today FORTH is used internationally by organisations and trained certified facilitators across industries and cultures.
20+years
100+organisations
300+facilitators
14languages
“Gijs van Wulfen is a colourful, engaging and inspiring storyteller.”
In his own words
Why I founded FORTH
I founded FORTH out of frustration. As a marketeer in industry, I experienced innovation processes that were meant to help, but too often became bureaucratic: full of forms, procedures and people slowing ideas down.
Later, as a strategy consultant, I saw another problem. We could develop great strategies and concepts, but too often there was no real ownership to make them happen.
In my early forties, I decided there had to be a better way to navigate the fuzzy front end of innovation. As a business economist, I combined business thinking with creativity, what we now call design thinking. Inspired by the great explorers, I designed innovation as an expedition with a clear business destination.
That became FORTH: start with a concrete innovation challenge and return fifteen weeks later with tested mini new business cases.
I also learned that ownership cannot be handed over at the end. It must be built during the journey. That is why decision-makers join the expedition instead of sitting on the sidelines.
Almost 25 years later, FORTH is used around the world, supported by an international community of facilitators and FORTH Maps in fourteen languages.
What started as frustration became my life’s work: helping organisations turn innovation ambition into real business impact.
Gijs van Wulfen
Innovation Insights
Fresh thinking on innovation.
Short insights by Gijs van Wulfen. The full articles live on gijsvanwulfen.com.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What is the FORTH innovation method?+
FORTH is a proven five-step innovation methodology created by Gijs van Wulfen for the fuzzy front end of innovation. It combines design thinking with business reality across five stages: Full Steam Ahead, Observe & Learn, Raise Ideas, Test Ideas and Homecoming.
How long does a FORTH expedition take?+
A full FORTH expedition runs through five stages in twenty weeks: Full Steam Ahead (5 weeks), Observe & Learn (6 weeks), Raise Ideas (2 weeks), Test Ideas (3 weeks) and Homecoming (4 weeks).
What does a FORTH expedition deliver?+
FORTH goes beyond new ideas. It delivers four to six supported new business cases, tested and improved with customers, ready for management decision-making and carried by internal buy-in.
Is the effectiveness of FORTH proven?+
Yes. Independent research by Prof. Dr Herman van den Bosch of the Open Universiteit found that 74% of FORTH business cases progressed to development (versus a 57% benchmark) and 68% reached the market (versus 37.5%). Participants rated the process 8.1 out of 10.
Which organisations have used FORTH?+
FORTH has been applied by organisations across six continents, among them 3M, Airbus, University of Oxford, Philip Morris International, Takeda and UNHCR, in profit and not-for-profit sectors, for products as well as services.
In which languages is the FORTH Innovation Map available?+
The FORTH Innovation Map is available in fourteen languages, from English and Spanish to Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. Every language edition is free to download on this website.
How do I start with FORTH in my organisation?+
Contact Gijs van Wulfen directly at [email protected] to discuss your innovation challenge and how a FORTH expedition can turn it into validated new business cases.
Who created the FORTH Innovation Method?+
The FORTH Innovation Method was created by Gijs van Wulfen, a Dutch innovation expert, keynote speaker and author, who also designed the FORTH Innovation Map.
What are the five steps of FORTH?+
The five steps are Full Steam Ahead, Observe & Learn, Raise Ideas, Test Ideas and Homecoming, and together their first letters spell FORTH.
How is FORTH different from design thinking?+
FORTH combines design thinking with business reality. Alongside creative ideas it delivers validated business cases with internal management buy-in, which design thinking on its own does not.
How is FORTH different from Stage-Gate?+
FORTH structures the fuzzy front end of innovation and produces the validated business cases that then enter a Stage-Gate development process. It comes before Stage-Gate rather than replacing it.
Work with FORTH
Double your
innovation effectiveness.
Whether you want to inspire your people, build innovation capabilities or tackle a real innovation challenge, FORTH can help. Contact Gijs van Wulfen directly, or one of the certified FORTH Innovation Facilitators, for a Keynote, Masterclass, In-House Training Programme or complete FORTH Journey.
Work with FORTH →Turn innovation ambition into impact.