December 16, 2025
Community Voice
Many people think creativity and discipline sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. Do you think discipline kills creativity?
Think again. The most innovative organizations know that structure isn’t the enemy. It’s the enabler. So, you could say Discipline and Creativity are best friends.
A common misconception in product research and development is that structure slows innovation and that guardrails limit creativity. Many believe processes are only meant to maintain order or comply with regulations, not to support progress.
The reality is:
👉 Creativity without discipline leads to chaos.
👉 Discipline without creativity leads to stagnation.
👉 CM2 provides the guardrails that allow creativity to fuel innovation.
Today, product requirements and customer expectations change quickly. Organizations need more than documentation; they need a way to adjust control and flexibility as needed.
CM2 addresses this need.
CM2 provides companies with the operational structure to manage change accurately and support innovation during development. It clarifies ownership, accountability, and decision-making, helping teams work more efficiently while leaving room for creativity.
In fact, companies that implemented CM2 report:
📈 Faster change implementation
📉 Dramatically reduced rework
🚀 Increased product quality and customer satisfaction
🔁 A repeatable, scalable ability to innovate
With CM2, discipline supports innovation instead of hindering it. If you don’t want all that, you can always opt for finding creative ways to fix the issues and get a broken product out the door, forever stuck in an endless loop of firefighting.
In a well-implemented configuration management model, designers can explore ideas, engineers trust their data, manufacturing avoids unexpected changes, and customers get what they expect.
Consider this question:
If your organization could adjust its structure and flexibility at any time, how would that change your approach to innovation?
This is the advantage of effective CM2 implementation.
🔹 And how do you CM2?
Use code Martijn10 for 10% off training—and don’t forget to tell them Martijn sent you 😉.
Copyrights by the Institute for Process Excellence
This article was originally published on ipxhq.com & mdux.net.
Known by his blog moniker MDUX—Martijn is a leading voice in enterprise configuration management and product lifecycle strategy. With over two decades of experience, he blends technical depth with practical insight, championing CM2 principles to drive operational excellence across industries. Through his blog MDUX:The Future of CM, his newsletter, and contributions to platforms like IpX, Martijn has cultivated a vibrant community of professionals by demystifying complex topics like baselines, scalability, and traceability. His writing is known for its clarity, relevance, and ability to spark meaningful dialogue around the evolving role of configuration management in Industry 4.0.
