Idea Management Process
Ideation refers to the management process for ideas that become possible project demands.
The ideation process is broken down into three main parts:
• Creating the idea
• Assessing the idea
• Approving or rejecting the idea
Profiles and Roles Associated with Ideation
Two profiles are associated by default with ideation; the Innovator and the Innovation Manager.
Depending on your connection profile, you have access to a lesser or greater number of properties:
• The innovator can create an idea and provide a brief description. It accesses a dedicated desktop, limited to idea creation.
• The innovation manager is responsible for examining, approving or rejecting the ideas presented by the idea creators, for example by using idea portfolios. He can also organize ideation campaigns.
Other profiles such as the Application Portfolio Manager in HOPEX IT Portfolio Management (who inherits the profile of innovation manager) can submit ideas within the framework of their solution and complete ideas by combining them with repository objects (e.g. business capability, application, organization).
The innovator and the innovation manager may assign people to an idea, giving them the role of idea reviewer, to complete or evaluate it. These people are not part of the workflow. See Assigning an Idea to Persons.
Submitting an idea
There are two ways to submit ideas:
• Ascending: at any time, users can submit an idea to the innovation manager For more details, see Creating an Idea.
• Descending: the innovation manager can organize an ideation campaign, which involves the different stakeholders, on a particular subject (e.g.: a business capability). See also Starting an Ideation Campaign.
Ascending ideation process
At any time, a person can submit an idea to an innovation manager. This idea is not necessarily linked to a repository object, because the end user may not have the in-depth knowledge of the content of the repository or access to data (data such the capabilities may be beyond his/her reach). Thus, for example, the "Innovator" user can submit a new idea by describing the detail in an associated document attached to the idea; this idea can be attached to elements in the architecture at a later stage by a more expert user.
For example, Ben from the marketing team wants to suggest the possibility for the customer to order customized pizza recipes on the Web and on mobile devices.
It is possible to submit an idea
• for an existing architecture block.
For example, Dave from IT wants to submit the idea that the "Online pizza ordering application" is growing old and must be improved.
• for a given capability.
For example, Ben wants to suggest that the "pizza delivery" capability be implemented by a fleet of automated drones in certain areas.
• for an architecture block AND one of its capabilities achieved.
For example, Dave wants to suggest that the "Pizza Ordering" functionality of the "Online pizza order request" should also be available on Android devices and not only on iOS devices.
Descending ideation process
An innovation manager or a project portfolio innovation manager can start an ideation campaign based on a given capability. This is organized for a certain period of time during which the stakeholders can submit their ideas.
For example, Veronica, who is an innovation manager, is aware of a candidate project that aims to improve the deadline of the "Pizza delivery" business capability and is looking for innovative ideas to implement this. She wants to start an ideation campaign on the "Pizza delivery" business capability in the marketing and logistics user communities.
Assessing an idea
Ideas submitted are examined by the innovation managers.
Once the ideas are submitted (irrespective of the source or the submission mode), the ideas collected can be examined by an innovation manager, and reviewed:
• Informally through messages exchanged by the various stakeholders;
• More formally via a dedicated approval workflow, through an assessment request by the innovation manager.
The ideas can be assessed and added to by the innovation manager or other persons assigned to the idea.
See Examining an Idea.
Validating an idea
An innovation manager can validate an idea, which can either:
• Give rise to a new project demand, or
• Be associated with an existing project demand or a validated project, or
• Be associated with a similar idea, already validated or rejected and if appropriate declared as a "duplicates".