I have a very simple definition of innovation. Innovation is overcoming constraints. That’s it. It doesn’t matter how fancy or how simple a solution is. If it is the first to overcome a constraint, it’s innovative.

I discovered a wonderful, yet simple example of this recently. I downloaded an app called VQ Mileage Tracker for my Blackberry.

Of course, mileage tracking on a cell phone, in and of itself, is no longer innovative. However, VQ has added something simple to the mix. Mileage trackers only work if they know when they should start and stop tracking your mileage. This is where VQ has overcome a constraint. They’ve figured out how to let the program figure out when you are traveling.

Mileage tracker uses your car’s Bluetooth as a trigger. When you start your car and your cell phone connects to the Bluetooth, Mileage tracker starts. When you turn off the car and break the connection, it stops. It’s that simple.

Of course, it’s not perfect but it doesn’t have to be. 90% of the time it’s going to get it right. For the other 10%, mileage tracker has some customizable settings that allow you to further “tune” its tracking rules. It also has a manual mode so you can track without Bluetooth.

This idea required them to look at things from the outside-in. This is a key to innovation that many people miss. Often we do the opposite, we think about things from inside out. For example, write down as many uses as you can think of for a brick. (Seriously – go do this!)

Look at your list. If you are like most people, your list probably contains uses that are consistent with attributes of a brick. That is, things that need something hard, strong, bulky, etc. That is thinking from the inside-out. It provides solutions but they aren’t always that exciting.

Now think about this from the outside-in. Think about a problem that you are having. For example suppose that you are having trouble getting people to navigate in your store. Now think about the different processes they go through to navigate. They look for signs, they ask for help, the read maps, they look for other visual cues. Now, starting with each of those, consider how you could use a brick. You might be surprised at the results. Most won’t involve the primary attributes of the brick. Rather, you might find that you can write things on the brick, you can create a path with the brick, etc. This is thinking from the outside in. When you do that, you discover ways of using things that you would have never previously considered. It’s what made MacGyver so much fun to watch!

Now, back to the VQ. Thinking inside-out from Bluetooth as a possible solution might have taken us down the wrong path. When we think of Bluetooth, we get stuck in the rut of thinking about the transmission of data to a wireless device. We might have been sidetracked trying to think of how to get the Bluetooth to send or receive the actual tracking data.

But, thinking from the outside-in yielded a simple result. They started with a question about the problem rather than the solution – “How can we figure out when someone is about to drive?” The simple answer, the Bluetooth is connected. That’s it. It’s simple yet it overcomes a major constraint. Innovation at its finest.

Brad Kolar is the President of Kolar Associates, a leadership consulting and workforce productivity consulting firm. He can be reached at brad.kolar@kolarassociates.com.