**4. Conclusions, experiences, and outlook**

The project TIMS further developed the ISO 56000 innovation management norm parts into a PAM (Process Assessment Model) for innovation. This included the definition of processes, outcomes, and practices and to specify them according to ISO 33002. And by using the ISO 33020 process measurement framework and the Capability Adviser assessment system a process capability assessment system for innovation management has been established.

This system is now used for innovation assessment and benchmarking and TIMS develops in 2023 training materials for the rollout of the new norm. TIMS also had its first experiences using that approach which is shared below.

In TIMS, we were confronted with organizations that have no training in ISO 33002 or ISO 33020. This means that most organizations understood the base practices (capability level 1) but the rating on capability level 2 to 5 (efficiency questions for PA2.1 performance management, PA 2.2 work product management, PA 3.1 Process Definition, etc.) [65] (see **Figure 2**) needs an assessor training explaining the ISO 33020 process measurement framework.

To support this the TIMS partners developed a short training video. Still, the feedback showed that we need to separate 2 cases in future.

Case 1 Self-Assessment: Self-assessments should require a minimum amount of time to understand the model and the rating so that self-assessments will only ask capability level 1 base practices.

Case 2 Coaching expert assessments. Coaching experts shall have an assessor training and can rate also the practices on capability levels 2 to 5.

Another feedback was that every region in Europe has its own development stage and focus in industry and therefore it was accepted that in the assessment system regions might select a subset of processes. This means that it is possible to not rate all processes and only get a capability level profile for selected processes.

A further lesson learned was that the ISO 56000 norm series missed concretely expected outcomes and rather provides a best practices checklist and examples. Therefore, to make the processes assessable, the TIMS team had to develop a list of expected outcomes per process. The experiences from assessments will in future lead to an update of the outcomes per process.

The assessment system will also be used in future by sectoral networks and EU blueprint projects [66].

And the results are important for establishing a European process improvement program supporting the SPI manifesto [1, 2, 23, 67, 68] supported by EuroSPI [47–64].

The objective of TIMS is to establish an assessment system and training to roll out ISO 56000 to the European industry. The tools and training materials will be used by universities in lecturing programs and by innovation agents in the industry. For each of the processes in 2023, training materials are developed, including a collection of best practices and recommendations. This then will form a complete training package with an assessment tool, training materials per innovation process (see **Table 1**), and best practices and recommendations to provide guidance for the ISO 56000 implementation. The training will also be made available online with self-assessment functions by the end of 2023 to the public.
