How often do you think of innovations that will improve your work performance?
Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation for decades. They not only focus on the invention, development, and delivery of innovative customer products, but they are also highly committed to innovation in the way that their employees work. For example, Lockheed Martin has utilized Lean Manufacturing principles to add value and reduce waste since the 90's.
Having the ability to see inefficiencies or problems as opportunities is a skill that can make you an essential asset to a company. Your interviewer wants to know you share Lockheed Martin's commitment to efficiency, excellence, and innovation in whatever role you are interviewing for.
" I would say that at least once a month I have an idea, big or small, that I present to my manager. My most recent innovation was (give a detailed example)."
"I am always thinking of new ways to increase productivity and improve the methods I use to complete my work. I also look for ways that my teams can improve. As a scrum master, this is a critical piece of my role.
For example, when I joined my current company I observed the way the engineers on my current team break up and order their tasks at the beginning of a sprint. I noticed that our QA analysts experienced a lot of downtime each sprint while waiting for stories to become ready for testing. I worked with our engineers to make several changes to the way they order their work which resulted in a 23% increase in velocity. The changes we implemented required small shifts of everyone, but they made a huge difference."
Think of a time you had a chance to make a difference by making a change in a process or procedure. This may include changes to the steps you took, the equipment or technology you used, the coworkers you engaged, etcetera.
Next, let your interviewer know the frequency in which you identify and implement improvement opportunities. Back up your response with a quick walkthrough of an example from a recent professional role. Be sure to include a description of the value you created.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I'm always thinking of ways to improve processes and performances. Utilizing critical thinking, I'm always analyzing current situations to find ways to save on costs and time. Also to ensure tasks are completed in a safe manner.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! Can you provide some specific examples of times when you've done this? Including some examples will make your answer much more memorable to the interviewer.
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