ACCEPT MISSION

APRIL 2021

The ultimate
guide to idea
management

PREPARED AND PRESENTED BY

ACCEPT MISSION
 Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION TO IDEA MANAGEMENT

2. WHY ARE IDEAS IMPORTANT AND WHAT IS THEIR VALUE?

3. HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE POTENTIAL VALUE OF IDEAS?

4. HOW DO YOU PROMOTE THE INNOVATION CULTURE IN YOUR

COMPANY?

SECTION: COLLECT
5. HOW TO SET UP A CAMPAIGN / MISSION?

6. WHAT TARGET GROUPS DO YOU INVITE?

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES
INVOLVING STAKEHOLDERS
ENGAGE CUSTOMERS AND PARTNER

SECTION: SELECT
7. HOW DO YOU SELECT THE BEST IDEAS FOR AN EFFICIENT AND
SUSTAINABLE PROCESS?

SECTION: EXECUTE
8. HOW TO TRANSFORM IDEAS INTO PROJECTS TO IMPLEMENT
INNOVATION SUCCESSFULLY

SECTION: REPORT
9. HOW TO REPORT IDEA MANAGEMENT RESULTS

SECTION: IMPLEMENTATION
10. HOW TO IMPLEMENT IDEA MANAGEMENT INTO YOUR ORGANIZATION
WITH IDEA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

11. CONCLUSION

1
 1. Introduction to idea
management
For some people idea management is still
very unknown This guide is designed to
.

teach you what this is and how you can

create more value with it We ll share how
. ’

you can use ideas for an efficient ideation

process and how you can promote an
innovation culture in your company .

What is idea
management?
As per Gartner idea management is a
,

structured process of collecting

outstanding ideas identifying the best
, ,

sorting invaluable insights and executing

,

them within the business processes of the

organization .

Ideas come in many forms such as

customer feedback feature requests
, ,

problems or product suggestions .

Managing these ideas requires maintaining

a backlog With this backlog you can
.

identify your best ideas and work further

on it
.

Effective idea management is the outcome

of simplifying for the entire team to
contribute to the future of the product .

2
The difference between idea
management and innovation
management
Since both innovation management and idea management are central to the innovation
process many people usually mix them up The truth is that they are quite different from each
, .

other .

The main goal of idea management is to generate the best ideaspossible to support the
innovation process and help the organization fulfill its business and innovation goals
.

It may not be a challenge for most people to manage a couple of ideas But we are talking
.

about thousands of good ones here which would make management almost impossible if you
,

do it without the help of technology .

To put it simply innovation management is the process of managing the overall innovation
,

process It concerns portfolio management innovation project management innovation

. , ,

dashboards and reporting

, .

Yes it also involves idea management This is the root of the confusion But when you look at
, . .

the bigger picture idea management is only one of the processes involved in innovation
,

management .

The difference
The difference between innovation
management and idea management isn t ’

really that hard to comprehend Idea .

management simply refers to the

management of all the processes related to
generating and implementing innovative
ideas.

On the other hand innovation

,

management refers to the management of

all the processes related to innovation ,

which also includes idea management .

3
 2. Why are ideas
important and what
is their value?
INNOVATION IS ESSENTIAL. TO STAND
OUT, DEVELOP AND ADD VALUE IN
HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKETS.

Every company has many Idea management is

great ideas Those ideas are
. essential to every
useless when they are organization because it s the ’

scattered in emails , foundation of development

spreadsheets and notes Idea
, . and growth Every single
.

management makes it development in

possible for you to stay close organizations starts with an
to what customers want , idea Using the right
.

keep that input organized , processes many ideas will be

,

and focus your ideas created The challenge is to

.

accordingly . choose the right projects to

execute A common
.

There is nothing more misconception is that just

important for a product team one idea is enough .

than identifying innovation

opportunities So you want . , Hence many ideas are
,

to share feedback to be easy needed to achieve the best

and inclusive . result alongside processes to
At first empower internal
, prevent employees from
teams sales support to
( , ) returning to their old habits
share their own ideas or to instead of changing By .

share ideas on behalf of structuring the idea creation

customers As second
. , process more and better
,

identify common themes ideas are generated This .

that support your product saves your company a lot of

strategy and the overall time and money .

business goal At last . , Organizations that

evaluate and then promote understand this process grow
the best ideas to your a lot faster than traditional
marketing roadmap . organizations .

4
Ideas are usually mentioned multiple times 'INNOVATION CYCLES ARE SPEEDING UP,
or are copies of others Low investment
. AND SECTORS ARE MERGING. THE
ideas are perceived as less meaningful BARRIERS ARE LOWERING; THE FUTURE
because people would much rather work IS APPROACHING RAPIDLY, AND NEARLY
on something more challenging than on EVERY COMPANY IS STRUGGLING WITH
something easy . THE IDEA OF CHANGE. THE DISRUPTORS
BORN IN THE MODERN AGE RECOGNIZE
Managing ideas in a structured way helps THE NEED TO CHANGE. IF YOU ALWAYS
to recognize the logical value of ideas An
. LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS THAT ARE
example is the separation of idea creation IMPORTANT TO YOUR COMPANY OR
and selection By dividing idea
. INDUSTRY, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
management into idea creaction and PREDICT PROBLEMS FOR POTENTIAL
selection better results will be achieved
, . DISRUPTION AND INCREASE YOUR
Important in this process is that it must be COMPANY ADVANTAGE’.
managed correctly .

5
3. How to measure the
potential value of ideas?
It s best to approach innovation with a
' Your goals will assist you in setting targets
long term mindset it s not about instant
- ; ' and KPIs that are aligned with your overall
success The CEO will normally set a goal
. , plan allowing for more insightful
,

but the efforts to achieve it are typically reporting Those responsible for achieving
.

delegated to senior and mid management - the goal must ensure that they fully
,

personnel such as the Head of Innovation

, , comprehend the goals to ensure results
the Head of a Business Unit and other and assess success .

organizational leaders It is important to .

seek suggestions in places where you are

willing to make improvements Invest time .

in putting the suggestions into action if ,

they re consistent with your strategic

'

priorities and business needs .

Meaningful goals
Meaningful goals must be set You should .

concentrate on what is important to

measure rather than what is easy to
measure Remember which market
.

problem you re trying to solve and what

'

measurement you ll use to see if you ve ' '

succeeded The emphasis may be on

.

whether a solution saved money improved ,

transparency saved people multiple ,

working hours increased employees ,

satisfaction or whether the concept

,

created solved the issue Performance .

measures can be the ratio of number of

new ideas per 100 employees for example , ,

or the percentage of new ideas selected for

funding .

6
4. How to promote the
innovation culture in your
company?
Curiosity Creativity
Employees must be given the opportunity The foundation for innovation is set by
to follow their curiosity and discover new creative ideas Creativity can be taught
.

ideas that surprise and inspire them . because everyone has creative capacities
Curiosity is seen by many companies as a that can be developed When workers are
.

distraction from its productivity On the . asked to turn an idea in for something in
other hand encourages workers to test
, return their creativity shines trough HR
, .

ideas that spark their interest which may , should collaborate with leaders to
lead to new opportunities for the company . encourage workers to be more creative .

Allowing time for this discovery without They should allow them to try innovate
the fear of consequences is critical . approaches to problems Tangible .

Employees can discover new ways to interventions such as sketching or even

complete tasks more quickly provide , creating a model of their concept ,

better customer service or even optimize

, experimenting with role playing or - ,

workflow inconsistencies Many of these. working with various teams can all assist in
ideas have the potential to become a the development of ideas .

game changer
- .

Risk taking Collaboration

Leaders should encourage risk taking on Various talents skill sets and ideations are
, ,

the most promising ideas and enable for needed to succeed on innovation To push .

reasonable experimentation By driving out . organizational creativity employees cannot,

the fear of failure risk taking sparks new

, - operate in isolation Instead they must
. ,

ideas when workers aren t concerned about

’ work with a team and most importantly
– , ,

the consequences of reaching a dead end . a diverse team that can bring fresh ideas
–

Employees who learn to take risks help and quickly identify and fill any gaps .

their companies stay ahead of the market , Collaboration is an effective tool for
and if the risk pays off this can lead to
, innovation as employees can pool their
meaningful innovation When taking
. collective knowledge to execute on ideas .

chances doesn t pay off it s an opportunity

’ , ’

to figure out why it didn t succeed and try

’

again.

7
 SECTION: COLLECT

5. why set up a
campaign/mission?
Id ea g enerat i on or i d eat i on i s t he c reat i ve p roc es s of c ol l ect i ng and
i mp rovi ng i d eas. Wi t h b rai nst orm c amp ai g ns you c an p roact i vel y
g enerat e many i d eas i n a short p eri od of t i me. As Innovat i on
Manag er you w ant t o have your p i p el i ne c onst ant l y fi l l ed w i t h new
i d eas, no mat t er how g ood or b ad t hos e i d eas are. In fac t , t here are
no b ad i d eas . E very i d ea can b e ( p art of a b i g g er) sol ut i on, s o you
w ant t o have an op en and ob ject i ve ap p roac h t ow ard s c ol l ect i ng ,
anal yz i ng , revi ew i ng and b ui l d i ng on t hose i d eas for p ot ent i al new
s ol ut i ons, new p rod uc t s or s t rat eg y i mp rovement s . R eg ul arl y set t i ng
up b rai ns t orm c amp ai g ns i s very val uab l e for your i d ea g enerat i on
p roc es s.

A g ood b rai nst orm camp ai g n c onsi st s of several asp ec t s.

Defi ne a foc us g roup : w ho i s g oi ng t o p art i c i p at e i n t he
b rai nst orm? T hi nk ab out emp l oyees , manag ement , exp ert s or
even cl i ent s & p art ners t o i nvol ve i n t he b rai nst orm. E very s i ng l e
p ers on has p ot ent i al val uab l e i np ut .
An i nvi t at i on w i t h cl ear d es cri p t i on of t he g oal or ob j ect i ve ab out
w hat you w ant t o ac hi eve, for i ns t ance: “Inp ut for new p rod uc t s” ,
“how t o i nc reas e c us t omer s at i s fac t i on” or “how t o op t i mi z e t he
current w orkfl ow i n d ep art ment X Y Z ”
C reat e a s ens e of urg ency b ased on c l ear d ead l i nes ( and even ad d
t i me l i mi t s for p art i ci p at i on) . T hi s w ay t he i nvi t ees feel t he urg e
t o p art i c i p at e and share t hei r i d eas w i t hi n t he t i me l i mi t s.
C reat e a c ommuni t y of i nnovat ors : P romot e g ood b ehavi our and
rec og ni z e p eop l es p art i ci p at i on. R ep ort on b rai nst orm out come
( g ood , b et t er, b es t i d eas ) d uri ng b oard s meet i ng s, t eam meet i ng s
and w eekl y st and up s .

Benefi t s of a suc cess ful b rai nst orm camp ai g n:

- hel p s you und ers t and t he d i fferent vi ew s, i s sues , need s , req uest s
and s ol ut i ons from d i fferent st akehol d ers ( manag ement , emp l oyees ,
c l i ent s and p art ners )
- res ul t s i n a g reat amount of val i d at ed i d eas for your i nnovat i on
p i p el i ne
- creat es a c ul t ure of i nnovat ors
- creat es p ot ent i al val ue sp eci fi c b us i ness / i nnovat i on g oal s

8
6. What target groups do you
invite?

Because of the strength of the audi ence, Larger compani es are starti ng to see the
an i dea shared i s a probl em sol ved. You'l l val ue of i ntegrati on crowdsourci ng i nto
gai n an i mportant understandi ng of thei r i nnovati on strategy
operati onal effi ci enci es whi l e i ncreasi ng Crowdsourci ng i s used for:
transparency and i nformati on shari ng by New product creati on
engagi ng di verse and di sparate groups Process and servi ce i nnovati on
and promoti ng col l aborati on on i deas Empl oyee communi ty and network
regardl ess of si z e. engagement
Busi nesses to keep up wi th thei r ri val s
Crowdsourci ng i s seen by many start-ups and devel opi ng better management
as the speci al formul a i n thei r busi ness techni ques.
model s. A bi g group of peopl e may bri ng a
l evel of di versi ty, the scope of i deas, and
experi ence to the tabl e that makes
col l ecti ve knowl edge much more val uabl e
than the advi ce of a few experts.

9
Target groups
Engaging employees Involving stakeholders
The success of a company is as much based It s important to include all stakeholders in
'

on loyal employees as it is on satisfied the organization s innovation strategy

' ;

clients Companies must ensure that

. they ll become stronger collaborators and
'

employees are engaged and happy with promoters and you ll benefit from
, '

their jobs work environment and overall

, , longer partnerships Partner networks have
.

business culture However as businesses

. , always been relevant in business
expand and adapt to evolving markets this , development and the network can be a
,

challenge becomes more difficult Every . gold mine of ideas Partners can not only
.

company has its own group of potential share a large volume of information from
innovators at its fingertips but many are so
, current and potential clients but they may
,

driven by short term outcomes and caught

- also provide brilliant ideas for
up in their systems and processes that they strengthening strategy procedures
, ,

struggle to recognize and unleash the messaging and resolving some of the most
,

untapped talent found within their important customer issues .

workforce However someone somewhere

. , ,

in your organization may have the ideal

,

solution to your company s most important

'

problem .

Engaging customers
By including customers in the conversation you ,

might dig up opportunities that have been

slipping under the radar for years Challenge .

your customers and get ideas on how to

improve your Net Promotor Score NPS or ( )

involve them in product creation and give them

what they want to fuel loyalty Additionally . ,

collaborating with the product or service s end '

users to share information and expertise can

improve customer experience By involving .

them directly in the company s value creation '

and product development processes you will ,

have a more personalized experience that is

consistent with your company s values You will ' .

strengthen your reputation as a company that

is redefining market norms by building
partnerships with exclusive audiences and
atypical stakeholders whose passions match
with yours Sharing ideas with your customers
.

will assist you in determining which ones are

the best investments for the future of your
business .

10
 SECTION: SELECT

7. How to select the

best ideas for an
efficient and
sustainable
process?
Aft er t he aud i enc e g enerat ed i d eas for t he chal l eng e, i t ’s i mp ort ant
t o know how you are g oi ng t o cap t ure and eval uat e t hese i d eas .

It 's eas y t o c ome up w i t h i d eas; i t 's more d i ffi cul t t o anal yz e and
furt her d evel op t he ri g ht ones . O ft en, i nnovat i on fai l s not b ecaus e of
a l ac k of cul t ure or d esi re t o b e c reat i ve, b ut b ec aus e of an i nab i l i t y
t o und ers t and t he p roc es s of i nnovat i on. If you d on't d o i t , you ri s k
l os i ng a l ot of g ood i d eas. If you t hi nk of i nnovat i on as a met hod for
g enerat i ng and cap t uri ng i d eas t hat are s ep arat e from b usi nes s
execut i on, i t w i l l fai l .

T hree si mp l e t hi ng s are req ui red for effec t i ve i d ea manag ement : a

s p ec i fi c p roc ess mod el , a foc us on i nnovat i on, and t he nec es s ary
t ool s t o manag e i t . It 's not enoug h t o have a b rai ns t ormi ng s es s i on
t o b e i nnovat i ve. It s houl d b e a l ong - t erm i ni t i at i ve t hat al l ow s you
t o t ap i nt o everyone's p ot ent i al , not j us t s ep arat e g roup s of
" i nnovat i on t eams" or b oard memb ers.

In t he end , t he i nnovat i on manag ers are kep t res p ons i b l e for not
onl y t he p rot ot yp e's succ es s, b ut al so for t hei r d ec i s i on t o move
t hei r c onc ep t or p rot ot yp e forw ard . When you are b ei ng c onfront ed
w i t h t he q ues t i on w hy you d i d c hoos e for t he p rot ot yp e, you mus t
have an arg ument t hat g oes b eyond your g ut i nst i nc t . Y ou must
exp l ai n w hi ch cri t eri a you used t o make your d eci si on. O n t he next
p ag e you c an fi nd 7 cri t eri a t hat you s houl d cons i d er t o use.

11
7 CRITERIA YOU SHOULD CONSIDER

1. Clarity
Leaders can select the idea that makes the fewest assumptions By .

choosing an idea that has the fewest unknowns a leader can

safeguard against surprises and disasters .

Of course the simplest solution may not be the most daring A

, .

leader who promotes innovation won t always take the well ' -

traveled road but won t leave behind their map either

, ' .

2 . Usability
Does the idea fulfill a practical need Does it answer some ?

particular problem or meet some particular market demand If it .

does is it likely that the idea can find a market niche The
, ?

practicality usability and marketability of an idea are crucial

, , .

3. Stability
Is this a niche idea answering a one time unique need or customer
-

demand Does the idea have some market stability over time
? ?

Ideas that become outdated before they even reach the market are
ideas that should be selected with extreme caution .

4. Scalability
Is the prototype capable of being scaled Can it be duplicated with ?

consistency meet continuous standards and be replicated in such

, ,

a way that it can be produced and produced again without

constantly being reinvented or adjusted ?

5. Stickiness
Can this idea become a habit or a trend Often stickiness is used ? " "

from the utilitarian standpoint that is its usability but stickiness

( , )

can also define its emotional appeal Is the idea or prototype

.

capable of bringing to market a product that will be driven over

time by the customers sense that it is a necessity
' ?

6. Integration
Is this idea fully integrated with the organizational strategy Often ?

ideas and prototypes are wonderful in their own right but outliers ,

in the organizational strategy may not receive the organizational

support necessary to sustain the viability of the effort Great ideas .

must be integrated or capable of being integrated with the overall

,

strategy of the organization .

7. Profitability
This is usually what everyone focuses on Competing ideas are .

always ranked by their perceived earning potential but the answer ,

is not always clear It s an innovation leader s unique job to keep

. ' '

an eye not only on an idea s dissemination potential and revenue

'

opportunity but also on the other factors discussed above

, .

12
 SECTION: EXECUTE

8. How to transform
ideas into projects to
implement innovation
succesfully
Id eat i on i s a very i mp ort ant st ep i n t he p roc es s of i nnovat i on.
G enerat i ng i d eas i s s i mp l i fi ed t hanks t o i d ea g enerat i on soft w are.
E mp l oyees can s ub mi t t hei r i d eas us i ng t hei r comp ut ers and p hones,
w hi ch makes i t more fl exi b l e t han, for examp l e, meet i ng s. T he
g enerat i on of i d eas i s org ani z ed b y ob j ect i ves w here t hey c an
b rai nst orm. T o know w hi ch i d eas are t he b est , revi ew i ng round s are
i mp l ement ed . T he us ers rat e t he i d eas b ased on, b y t he i d eat i on
c reat or’s chos en, vari ab l es t o recei ve i ns t ant feed b ac k on t he q ual i t y
of every i d ea.

Fi rs t of al l , rec og ni z e t hat i d eas are j ust i d eas . In ord er t o t urn your

b usi ness i d ea i nt o real i t y, you need t o s t art execut i ng t hem. O nce
you s et t l e on an i d ea t o p ut i n mot i on, you mus t t hen c ond uct
market research of your t arg et market , i mp l ement a g ood s t rat eg y,
w ri t e a s ound b usi ness p l an, g et t he ri g ht sp ac e, and t he ri g ht s t aff.

If you w ant t o t rans form your i d ea i nt o p roj ect s t hat are func t i onal
and s us t ai nab l e, here are some t i p s t o hel p you g et st art ed .

1. Know w hat you w ant t o ac hi eve.

At fi rst , your i d ea need s t o s ol ve a p rob l em or meet a need . What
p art i c ul ar i ss ue are you hop i ng t o sol ve? P ut yoursel f i n someone
el s e's s hoes and t ry t o b e ob j ect i ve. Woul d you p ay money for t he
s ervi ce t hat you offer?

2. Who i s your t arg et g roup ?

Y ou have t o und ers t and w ho your t arg et g roup i s . What i s t he i ss ue
t hat your p rod uc t or servi c e c an s ol ve for t hem? What w i l l t hey d o
w i t h your p rod uc t and w here w i l l t he use i t ? H ol d a foc us g roup and
w ri t e i t al l d ow n.

3. Bui l d i ng a concep t
Bui l d a conc ep t or vi ab l e p rod uc t fi rs t . A p rot ot yp e or concep t can b e
a p res ent at i on or a p revi ew of t he p rod uc t you w ant t o offer. T he
i d ea i s t o b ui l d s omet hi ng t hat p ot ent i al b uyers can hol d or
exp eri enc e. It coul d c os t you t ens of t hous and s of d ol l ars i f your
p rod uct fai l s t o meet t he exp ec t at i ons. It 's g ood t o as k for feed b ac k
or revi ew s from t he c us t omers , t o make i mp rovement s t o your
p rod uct b efore rel eas i ng i t .

13
4. Is the product needed i n the market?
REMEMBER, NOT EVERY
Consi der i f the product appeal s to a wi de
l are enough audi ence. Is your product IDEA HAS THE POTENTIAL
goi ng to be needed or wanted by a l arge TO TURN INTO A PROJECT IN
amount of peopl e to justi fy i ts exi stence?
You don't need somethi ng that everyone
YOUR BUSINESS. KNOW
on the pl anet wi l l want, but you do need WHEN YOU'RE MAKING
enough of a customer base, or at l east a
STEPS IN THE RIGHT
recurri ng customer base, to make i t worth
your ti me. DIRECTION, AND ALSO IF
IT'S TIME TO CUT YOUR
5. Know how you can get fundi ng or
i nvestors.
LOSSES AND MOVE ONTO
It i s possi bl e that you need start-up THE NEXT PROJECT.
capi tal dependi ng on the nature of your
company. Have you saved some money up
or do you know peopl e that are wi l l i ng to
i nvest i n your company? Addi ti onal l y, l ook
for fundi ng or government grants that
assi sts young entrepreneurs and recent
graduates.

14
 SECTION: REPORT

9. How to report idea

management results
T he g oal i s t o st ruct ure t he i d eat i on p roces s. T hi s i s w here i d ea
manag ement c omes i nt o p l ay. Duri ng t he g enerat i on and revi ew i ng
of i d eas, t he res ul t s need t o b e manag ed . R es ul t s c an b e vi ew ed i n
an overvi ew t hat t he i nnovat i on manag er c an vi ew . It al s o s how s t he
p rog res s and p oi nt s out i f t he i nnovat i on g oes as p l anned and i s on
sc hed ul e. When not enoug h emp l oyees have p art i c i p at ed i n t he
mi ss i on, t hi s c oul d req ui re ac t i on. It 's p oss i b l e t hat t he i nac t i vi t y of
t he emp l oyees w oul d have g one unnot i c ed i f t he i d ea manag ement
t ool w as not used .

Manag i ng t he i d eas aft er t he mi s si on i s eq ual l y i mp ort ant t o

mai nt ai n an overvi ew of t he i d eas . It i s easy t o g et l os t i n d at a w hen
hund red s of i d eas are g enerat ed . T he s oft w are aut omat i cal l y s ort s
t he i d eas b ased on revi ew sc ores t o as sure t he most ent i ci ng i d eas
are mos t not i c eab l e and t he l ow er sc ori ng i d eas are not i n t he w ay.
Bec ause of t hi s, t here i s no need t o l ook at every i d ea, b ut j ust at
t he ones t hat mat t er.

A c l ear overvi ew of i d eas makes sel ec t i ng t he soug ht - aft er i d ea( s ) a

l ot eas i er. T he t arg et i s t o c hoose t he b es t ones out of al l i d eas
g enerat ed . T here are t hree op t i ons aft er t he ob j ect i ve round ( s ) .
Fi rs t , i t i s a p oss i b i l i t y t hat a fi t t i ng i d ea has not b een found . In t hi s
cas e, t he i d eat i on c an s t art over. Second l y, a useful i d ea has b een
found . If t he org ani z at i on has found a us eful i d ea, i t can move on t o
t he next s t ep i n t he i nnovat i on p roc es s. H ow ever, i f mul t i p l e g ood
i d eas have b een sub mi t t ed t hat t he org ani z at i on can’t yet c hoose
from, a s el ect i on round i s p oss i b l e. T hi rd , i n t he sel ec t i on round , t he
ot her us ers from t he i d eat i on mi s si on can revi ew t he s el ect ed i d eas .
A s el ect i on round i s al so p oss i b l e i f t he i nnovat i on creat or w ant s t he
i d ea( s) revi ew ed b y ot her users, no mat t er how many g ood i d eas are
sub mi t t ed .

Aft er t he i d ea have b een chosen, t he t est i ng p hase st art s . In t hi s

p has e, t he i d ea i s t est ed t o s ee how w el l i t p erforms .
Und erst and ab l y, t he i d ea w i l l b e execut ed w hen t he eval uat i on i s
p os i t i ve. When t he i d ea i s neg at i vel y eval uat ed , t he d at ab as e of
i d eas c an b e op ened ag ai n t o search for ot her i d eas t hat have not
b een s el ec t ed p revi ous l y.

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 SECTION: IMPLEMENTATION

10. How to implement

idea management into
your organization
with idea management
software
Id ea manag ement soft w are i s a t ool t hat hel p s org ani z at i ons c ol l ect
i d eas from t hei r emp l oyees, eval uat e t hem and d ep l oy t hem t o t he
market q ui ckl y and i nc reas e p rod uct i vi t y l evel s . Id ea manag ement
p l at forms c ome i n vari ous s hap es and forms . C omp ani es of vari ous
s i z es , ac ros s al l market s ect ors, c an b enefi t a l ot from t hese
p l at forms b ecause i nnovat i on and i mp rovement s mat t er t o everyone.
A si mp l e l i t t l e b ox t hat w e s ee i n org ani z at i ons l ab el ed as a
‘s ug g est i on b ox’ w here emp l oyees c an p ut t hei r i d eas and t houg ht s
i n i s ori g i nal l y t he i d ea manag ement t ool . T hi s i s a sui t ab l e t ool for
any smal l org ani z at i on w i t h no more t han hund red emp l oyees .
H ow ever, w hat i f t he comp any has a t hous and emp l oyees or mayb e
more? What i f t he comp any has mul t i p l e offi ces? E vent ual l y, a
s ug g est i on b ox w i l l b ecome a b urd en for t he i nnovat i on manag ers .
Soon, i t w i l l l ose i t s val ue and usab i l i t y i n t he org ani z at i on.

Ad op t i ng a mod ern s ol ut i on w i l l b e t he key. T here are s o many i d ea

manag ement p l at forms avai l ab l e l i ke Ac cep t Mi ss i on t hat c an d o
muc h more t han anal og met hod s, p rovi d i ng t remend ous b enefi t s t o
t he org ani z at i on.

If your org ani z at i on i s act i vel y s eeki ng out i nnovat i on op p ort uni t i es ,
t hen you need i d ea manag ement s oft w are. For i nst anc e, l et ’s s ay
t hat one of t he g oal s of your org ani z at i on for t he next fi ve years i s
t o p ush out anot her l i ne of p rod uc t s. T o ac hi eve t hi s, you have s et
up a l ot of p hys i c al and / or d i g i t al b rai ns t ormi ng s es si ons t o t hi nk
t hroug h vari ous p rod uct i d eas. E ven w i t h c ons t ri ct i ng your i d ea
g enerat i on ac t i vi t i es i n a smal l i nt ernal g roup , you mi g ht s t i l l g et
hund red s of i d eas .

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The probl em wi th manual l y goi ng through al l these i deas i s that you’d waste a vast amount
of ti me. Wi th i dea management software, you wi l l be abl e to easi l y col l ect al l those i deas and
do a sel ecti on l ater. That was one exampl e. Other i nstances for when usi ng an i dea
management sol uti on i s a good i dea i ncl ude:

Managi ng a l arge number of i deas

Di gi tal l y col l ecti ng and stori ng i deas
Worki ng together wi th other members
Doi ng a keyword anal ysi s on the i deas
Seei ng and managi ng statuses of i deas
Searchi ng through al l the i deas col l ected
Backtracki ng and audi t trai l i ng of the i deati on
Integrati ng the i deati on process wi th other tool s
Engagi ng wi th a l ot of peopl e as part of the i deati on
Managi ng the overal l i deati on process from one pl ace

To i mpl ement i dea management i nto your organi z ati on i t i s i mportant to know whi ch features
are i ncl uded i n the pl atform. The features can be grouped i n three categori es:
Idea campai gns (chal l enges)
Idea col l ecti on (reacti ve)
Idea management

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brainstorm campaign

Idea management tool s onl y work i f there are i deas. That i s why i t i s i mportant that the
software al so has campai gn features that wi l l al l ow the user to create campai gns meant to
chal l enge members i nto contri buti ng i deas around a speci fi c theme (or probl em).

To spi ce i t up, great tool s have gami fi cati on features to hel p i ncrease the engagement and
creati vi ty l evel s of the members. Some gami fi cati on features may i ncl ude:
Leaderboards
Undercover mode
Experi ence poi nts
Mi ssi on countdown ti mer

Accept Mi ssi on has an undercover mode that you can use l i ke your own avatar (you can be
James Bond). You wi l l then be abl e to l ay down your i deas wi thout the others knowi ng who
“James Bond” real l y i s. Thi s al so hel ps others see the i deas submi tted and rate them
accordi ngl y wi thout bi ases. If you are a manager, your empl oyees do not have to put a
“thumbs up” on your i deas just because those came from thei r “boss”.

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IDEA collection

Some great i deas come when you l east expect them. A good exampl e of thi s i s when you are
i n the shower. Accordi ng to a psychol ogi st, thi s can be attri buted to the “rel axi ng, sol i tary,
and non-j udgmental shower envi ronment that may afford creati ve thi nki ng.” That i s why i t
hel ps i f the i dea management software has some sort of way to col l ect i deas even wi thout
campai gni ng or havi ng an acti ve chal l enge to the members.

For exampl e, by usi ng Accept Mi ssi on, you can create “i nboxes” about certai n themes,
questi ons, and probl ems, and your members can drop thei r i deas any ti me they thi nk of one,
whenever (and wherever) i nspi rati on stri kes.

Natural l y, gami fi cati on features shoul d sti l l appl y (l i ke bei ng abl e to drop i deas whi l e
undercover and gai n experi ence poi nts from doi ng so). It al so hel ps i f there i s a way for
members to i nteract on the i deas from other undercover agents by means of l i ki ng or even
commenti ng.

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IDEA management

Thi s i s where most of the acti on takes pl ace after i deas are col l ected. It wi l l not be cal l ed
i dea management software wi thout capabi l i ti es and features to do so and thus separate thi s
ki nd of tool from other i deati on pl atforms l i ke brai nstormi ng and mi nd mappi ng software.

Some notabl e i dea management features i ncl ude:

Havi ng a backtrai l
Stori ng i deas for l ater
Qual i fyi ng and scori ng i deas
Hel pi ng deci si on-makers choose the best i deas
Accept Mi ssi on even makes thi s easi er by i ntegrati ng i dea management features wi th i dea
campai gn and col l ecti on capabi l i ti es.

To gi ve you an exampl e, you know that there i s an i nbox feature where members can drop
an i dea whenever they thi nk of one. After doi ng so, moderators and managers can then
move those i deas i nto vari ous col umns, Kanban-styl e.

As you can see from the i mage above, the i deas submi tted i n the i nbox start from the l eft-
most col umn. As you revi ew the i deas, you can drag and drop the i deas i nto the col umn the
best descri bes them.

The bottom l i ne i s that usi ng i dea management software can make a whol e l ot of di fference
i n your organi z ati on’s i nnovati on process. Asi de from savi ng a l ot of ti me from managi ng
numerous i deas, you wi l l al so have an easy way of stori ng al l of them for future use.

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11. Conclusion
You can si gni fi cantl y i mprove qual i ty whi l e l oweri ng costs by empoweri ng your empl oyees
to unl eash thei r i nner i magi nati on, creati ng the ri ght envi ronment for them to do so, and
i mpl ementi ng i nnovati ons as strategi c or breakthrough i mprovements. In a sustai nabl e
and repeatabl e manner, the ri ght i dea management cul ture and strategy wi l l dri ve
posi ti ve resul ts, boost growth, and bui l d a real competi ti ve advantage. Compani es that
use these factors are the compani es that wi l l be at the top of thei r vari ous markets. We
hope that thi s gui de ai ds you i n the devel opment of your i dea management and
understandi ng how you can i mpl ement i t i n your busi ness.

About accept mission

We l ove to hel p organi z ati ons to bui l d thei r effi ci ent and resul t dri ven i nnovati on engi ne.
Engage peopl e and col l ecti ng and transformi ng i deas i nto val ue i nnovati on projects and
devel opi ng successful resul ts that grows compani es. We bel i eve i nnovati on i s a
structured process to devel op i deas i nto busi ness val ue conti nuousl y. Structure wi l l resul t
i n more creati vi ty, better deci si on maki ng and hi gher busi ness val ue. Interested i n our
vi si on and methods? Pl ease contact us anyti me. Innovati on i s our passi on.

STEVEN KOP DAAN OUDEJANS PETER SCHEFFERS

DIRECTOR INNOVATION CONSULTANT PRODUCT OWNER

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