relic

I would think that the idea arises as a result of the need/desire and not the other way around. I couldn't agree more with the idea that value is the result of many factors including the idea, the plan, the team, the environment. Claiming that value is a result of X makes for an interesting claim/discussion, but in my experience, is hardly ever true. Value is the result of many, many different factors, including all those that you listed (need/desire, knowledge of the market, a plan for execution, resources, timing, etc). Nothing is as simple as we try to make it.

Exactly. To me, it seems that ideas are not really so distinct from their execution. Of course it's possible to have a 'great idea' without the ability to execute it, and it's possible to possess the ability without the idea, but both of these should be disregarded as uninteresting. Some might say then, that the 'interesting' part is the balance of idea and implementation, but I think that the significant ideas/projects are really only so because of the people that fostered them.