Cairn University Online MBA
School of Business Entrepreneurship Capstone
Step 1 – Project Idea Proposal
In order to go through the capstone process, you and your team must have a new business
idea. It cannot be just any idea, but it must meet the criteria laid out below. For this
project, you will need to go back to the material and skills you learned in our first course
in the MBA program and come up with a new business idea. By the end of Week 2, you
must have this idea approved.
You should be able to describe your proposal in one paragraph that identifies a need,
customers, and how you will provide a solution. Then, explain how it meets the criteria
below.
Here are the criteria:
• It must be a product, service or process. (Not a consulting service)
• It must be more than an incremental innovation. That means it cannot be just a small
improvement to an existing product. It must do or be or provide something new, or in
a new way. There has to be some risk in the idea because it stretches the business,
technology or market.
• It must require an organizational approach, and not an efficiency approach. In other
words, we are not trying to make an existing company better, but you are starting your
own company based on your new idea. (The product can make other businesses
better, of course.)
• Significant progress and learning are feasible within the timeframe of the course. Do
not pick an idea you cannot get far with in 15 weeks. We are limited by our
graduation date in early May. There should be a pretty persuasive customer need
already existing and identifiable. And there should not be too much a technological
leap to get to your product.
• All members of the team must be passionate about the idea. It cannot be just one
person’s dream that all others are just going through an academic exercise. You will
end up with a less than perfect result for the person’s idea, which would be a shame.
And the other members will have lost a significant learning opportunity.
Your proposal has 3 simple requirements:
1. Do at least some research on your product idea before submitting it.
2. Explain how and why your business idea will satisfy your potential customers’
needs.
3. Explain how it meets the criteria above.
Again, an approved proposal must be accomplished by the Sat of Week 2. In order to
accomplish this, email your idea to the professor as soon as you have it so you can get
approval. Then, you can start working on towards your new business.
