Defining technical creativity: iterative development of a shared understanding

Creativity is a requirement for excellence in product engineering. Despite its important role, the concept of creativity in engineering is challenging to articulate and define, both for practitioners and researchers. What makes technical creativity unique? Existing definitions often fall short of capturing the essence of creativity in technical contexts. The process of defining technical creativity is performed iteratively. In product engineering, creativity is not an abstract concept but a practical necessity, requiring motivation, imagination, expertise and experience. Therefore, two workshops with product engineers were held and the results were used to refine the definition. A shared understanding of technical creativity, that can be applied in daily engineering practice is created, enhancing both research and practical outcomes in product engineering.