We performed extensive research and found that innovation leaders rate a few features higher than the rest of the features.
Even when idea management system users take the opportunity to share their reviews on tech marketplaces, such as G2 or Product Hunt, they share their positive experiences with certain features more than others.
Let’s learn from their experiences and results and find out what are the Idea Management System features reviewers value the most and why.
#1 Idea Capture
Starting with the most fundamental feature–Idea Submissions and Capture. It’s always going to be at the top of the innovation software features list for three main reasons:
- Enabling everyone to share ideas regardless of their role, position, rank, experience, gender, or race in a just and fair manner.
- Capturing ideas in real-time, including during spontaneous moments of inspiration, ensuring creative thoughts are not lost.
- Integrating with various communication tools, such as email and chat, enabling innovators to submit ideas without moving out of their comfort tools.
Further, a simple and intuitive interface encourages more submissions by making it easy for users to input their ideas without any technical barriers.
Think about it! Sometimes, a simple text description isn’t enough to convey an idea. The Idea Capture feature allows for multimedia submissions—think images, videos, and attachments. This added context helps you and your team better understand and evaluate the potential of each idea.
And, let’s be honest; sometimes people hold back great ideas because they fear idea theft, criticism, or judgment.
Offering the option to submit ideas in a structured and organized way helps overcome this barrier. You’ll likely see more bold, out-of-the-box ideas because the innovator knows that they’ll get their due recognition and acknowledgment.
#2 Brainstorming and Ideation
Brainstorming is all about generating a high volume of ideas in a short period of time. With the Brainstorming feature, an innovator gets the opportunity to ideate on their own or collaboratively with co-innovators as per their need.
The ability to engage in a dynamic to-and-fro with no usual limitations, such as busy schedules, researching exhaustively, etc., is unprecedented.
Innovators not only get diverse perspectives while interacting with such features, but also alternative viewpoints that they might not have considered.
For example, say you propose an idea for a new product feature. The AI-powered Inventor Assistant model suggests potential user scenarios, market implications, or unconventional approaches to help get the most out of your business innovation ideas.
Since every innovator has a different goal, they need a north star that pulls them toward the right direction.
Brainstorming is key to the innovation process, offering numerous benefits for innovators. If done well, it helps them generate a multitude of ideas rapidly.
Moreover, brainstorming enhances problem-solving capabilities by analyzing challenges, identifying root causes, and proposing potential solutions efficiently.
Related Read: Benefit from innovation and brainstorming questions that get your creative juices flowing.
Ideation takes brainstorming a step further by not only generating ideas but also nurturing and developing them.
Once ideas are submitted, the Ideation feature allows team members to build on each other’s ideas through comments, suggestions, and collaborative editing. This collective refinement can turn good ideas into great ones.
The Ideation feature often includes criteria for evaluating and prioritizing ideas based on factors like feasibility, impact, and alignment with strategic goals.
This helps you focus on ideas that have the highest potential and are most relevant to your organization’s objectives.
#3 Collaboration
An idea can only be profitable after it has been developed by working together through discussions and interactions.
And the idea system provides shared digital workspaces where team members can collectively work on ideas, projects, and documents.
These spaces facilitate real-time editing and updates, ensuring everyone is on the same page. This immediate interaction helps resolve questions quickly, brainstorm new ideas, and keep the momentum going.
Let’s say someone has a great idea for a new product feature. They can submit it, and invite the rest of the team to immediately start sharing feedback and suggestions.
This back-and-forth not only refines the idea but also makes everyone feel involved in the process. Plus, you can track all these comments and see how the idea evolves over time.
At the same time, multimedia support makes sharing documents and files seamless.
Need to share a prototype design? Just upload it to the idea management platform, and everyone can review it, leave comments, and suggest changes. This rich collaboration means you get more comprehensive feedback and better ideas.
By making collaboration so effortless, you’re not just managing projects better—you’re building a culture where everyone feels their input is valued and where teamwork thrives.
In fact, if a system doesn’t facilitate collaboration, you might as well go with a traditional ideation process.
#4 Prioritization
The Prioritization idea management system feature helps you set objective criteria for evaluating ideas. This can include factors like feasibility, impact, cost, alignment with strategic goals, and potential return on investment.
By using standardized criteria, you can ensure a fair and unbiased assessment of each idea.
Anyway every organization is different, and so are its priorities.
The Prioritization feature often allows you to customize the scoring system to match your specific needs.
You can assign different weights to each criterion based on what matters most to your business. This flexibility ensures that the prioritization process is tailored to your unique strategic objectives.
Prioritization leads to:
- Objective Decision Making by reducing bias and ensuring that the most valuable ideas get the attention they deserve.
- Focus on High-Impact Ideas by ensuring that your team’s efforts are directed towards initiatives that can drive significant value for the organization.
- Efficient Resource Allocation with a clear view of which ideas are top priorities. This ensures that time, budget, and talent are invested in projects with the best chance of success.
- Enhanced Team Alignment since everyone understands the criteria and rationale behind prioritization decisions. This collective understanding helps drive more coordinated and motivated efforts towards implementing prioritized ideas.
- Increased Agility to changing conditions makes the innovation process effective. This flexibility is crucial in today’s fast-paced business environment.
#5 Status Tracking
The Status Tracking feature in an Idea Management System is crucial for keeping innovation projects on course and ensuring every idea gets the attention it deserves.
Some tracking metrics are just unique to every department.
For example: Legal departments get complete transparency and visibility in the entire invention disclosure and case timeline, which helps them be on top of their budgeting and client communication.
No more arguments over the time taken to complete a task and the time the client took to respond and finalize.
This makes tracking billable hours and case management easy and effective.
Similarly, imagine getting instant updates on where each of your ideas stand. You can see everything from the moment an idea is submitted to when it’s fully developed and implemented.
No more wondering if a project is stuck or moving forward, where it is stuck, or why it is not moving up—you’ll know exactly what’s happening in real-time.
This proactive approach helps prevent delays and keeps everything on schedule.
You’ll get automatic notifications about important changes or updates. Whether it’s a completed task, an approaching deadline, or a change in status, you’ll always be in the loop.
These notifications can be tailored to your preferences, so you only get the updates you care about.
This transparency builds trust and supports better decision-making across the organization.
Benefits Innovation Leaders get out of this:
- Enhanced Oversight
- Increased Accountability
- Proactive Problem-Solving
- Data-Driven Decisions
- Improved Resource Management
#6 Task Management
One of the best and most holistic idea management system features is end-to-end task management. It’s as easy as ticking tasks off a checklist.
Idea Capture
- Launch an innovation challenge.
- Add new ideas to the idea management system.
Task Assignment and Delegation
- Assign specific tasks related to each idea (e.g., evaluation, research, feasibility check).
- Ensure each task has a clear description and supporting resources, such as images, diagrams, files, etc.
- Delegate tasks evenly to prevent overload and ensure balanced workloads.
Deadline Setting and Monitoring
- Set clear deadlines for each task associated with an idea.
- Communicate deadlines to all relevant team members.
- Set up automatic reminders for upcoming deadlines within the software.
Progress Tracking and Updates
- Monitor the completion status of each task in real-time through the software.
- Use visual indicators (e.g., progress bars, checklists) provided by the software to track task progress.
Collaboration and Communication
- Utilize integrated chat or discussion features within the software for task-related communication.
- Enable team members to leave comments and feedback on tasks.
- Encourage collaborative problem-solving and idea refinement through software tools.
- Generate or refine ideas through AI-powered brainstorming sessions.
Review and Feedback
- Conduct regular reviews of task progress and completion within the software.
- Provide constructive feedback and guidance on tasks through the system.
- Encourage continuous improvement based on feedback and task outcomes.
Data and Analytics
- Use the software’s analytics tools to track key performance metrics (e.g., time-to-implementation, inventor efficiency).
- Analyze data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
- Adjust task management strategies based on data insights.
Finalization and Implementation
- Ensure all tasks related to an idea are completed and documented within the software.
- Review final outcomes and prepare for implementation or further development.
- Archive completed tasks and ideas for future reference and learning.
#7 Innovation Challenge
What happens when your company faces a new challenge or maybe struggles with a recurring issue?
What if your R&D teams or dedicated innovation labs keep trying their best but fail to find an innovative solution?
You use the Innovation Challenge feature and bring in diverse perspectives and experiences into the mix!
For example, say a company is facing a recurring issue: customer support response times are longer than desired, leading to decreased customer satisfaction. You decide it’s time to harness the collective brainpower of the organization to find a solution.
You simply launch the “How can we reduce customer support response times by 50%?” Innovation Challenge through the idea management software.
Week 1: Idea Storming
Employees from all departments start submitting their ideas through the easy-to-use idea submission feature. The software’s collaboration tools allow them to collaborate on each other’s ideas, refine them, and even merge similar concepts. The energy becomes palpable—people get excited to innovate, and the company buzzes with creativity.
Week 2: Evaluation
A team of reviewers uses the software’s evaluation feature to assess the ideas. They look for feasibility, impact, and alignment with the company’s objectives. After a thorough review, they forward best ideas to implementation.
Week 3: Implementation
The idea’s creator and innovation leaders come together to develop and deploy the new solution.
The Result
Two months after the challenge began, customer support response times improved by 60%. Customer satisfaction scores improved, and the company saw a reduction in support costs.
So, by clearly defining a problem, engaging participants, and providing a structured framework for idea generation and evaluation, the company turned a pressing issue into a showcase of innovation and teamwork.
All through an innovation management software feature – Innovation Challenge.
In Conclusion
Innovation leaders consistently prioritize certain idea management system features for their ability to significantly enhance the innovation process.
Features such as Idea Capture, Brainstorming and Ideation, Collaboration, Prioritization, Status Tracking, Task Management, and Innovation Challenge stand out for their capacity to foster inclusivity, streamline workflows, and drive impactful results.
These features empower teams to efficiently capture, develop, and implement ideas, transforming potential obstacles into opportunities for growth.
By leveraging these top-rated features, organizations can cultivate a culture of continuous improvement, ensure strategic alignment, and ultimately achieve greater innovation success.
It’s time you harness the power of these essential features to elevate your innovation efforts and stay ahead in today’s dynamic business environment.
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