Mastering the Art of Innovation: A Guide for Senior Designers on Integrating Idea Management into Technology Teams

Introduction

As a Senior Designer based in the Lisbon office and integrated into the Client Technology team, your role not only encompasses the traditional competencies of design but also extends into the strategic operation of idea management. Within a corporate and business context, idea management represents a vital framework that drives innovation and creative problem-solving. It provides a methodological approach for the identification, nurturing, and implementation of groundbreaking ideas, systematically converting them into tangible solutions that can revolutionize client service.

Idea management can be summarized as the organized pursuit of innovation, combining collective input and individual creativity within a structured platform to capture ideas that align with the organization's strategic goals. It empowers professionals across disciplines to contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Key Components of Idea Management in the context of a Senior Designer:

1. Ideation and Collaboration: Facilitating an environment where team members freely share their creative thoughts, which could potentially evolve into impactful design solutions.

2. Idea Capture: Implementing tools and systems to record innovative concepts and design insights, making them accessible for further analysis and development.

3. Evaluation and Prioritization: Systematically assessing each idea's feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with business objectives and client needs, thus ensuring that only the most promising concepts move forward.

4. Prototyping and Testing: Translating selected ideas into prototypes to validate their effectiveness and iterate as necessary based on feedback and performance.

5. Implementation and Scale: Finalizing design solutions that meet rigorous standards and preparing them to be rolled out on a larger scale within products and experiences crafted for clients.

6. Measurement and Learning: Tracking the success of implemented ideas and leveraging insights gained to inform future design initiatives.

Benefits of Idea Management related to a Senior Designer:

1. Enhanced Creativity: Idea management helps in maintaining a steady flow of new concepts which can be vital inspiration sources for design innovation.

2. Client-Focused Solutions: When idea management is employed effectively, it ensures that the end product or service is perfectly tailored to meet client needs and market demands.

3. Effective Resource Utilization: It ensures that time and resources are invested in ideas with the highest potential for success, thereby optimizing design efforts and reducing waste.

4. Cross-disciplinary Synergy: It promotes collaboration between designers, engineers, product managers, and analysts, which can result in a more holistic approach to product development.

5. Competitive Advantage: By accelerating the process from idea generation to execution, designers can contribute significantly to sustaining a competitive edge in the marketplace.

6. Fosters a Culture of Innovation: Regular engagement with the idea management process nurtures a corporate culture that values creativity and continuous improvement.

7. Feedback and Iteration: Idea management creates avenues for feedback that is essential for the iterative design process, enabling the creation of user-centric and market-ready designs.

As a Senior Designer, you will find that the practice of idea management directly influences your daily work. It serves as a guide through the dynamic landscape of client-focused technology solutions, helping to distill the transformative ideas that generate remarkable value for the clients you serve.

KanBo: When, Why and Where to deploy as an Idea management tool

What is KanBo?

KanBo is a comprehensive work coordination platform designed to facilitate real-time project visualization, task management, and collaboration. It meshes seamlessly with Microsoft technologies like SharePoint, Teams, and Office 365 to optimize work processes and increase productivity.

Why use KanBo?

KanBo’s feature set as an idea management tool offers a structured approach to capturing, developing, and implementing ideas. It supports the end-to-end Idea-to-Market process with its ability to:

- Visualize the progression of ideas from inception to market with a customizable Kanban view.

- Manage tasks efficiently, ensuring that each step of the I2M process is clearly defined and tracked.

- Foster collaboration among team members, providing a central platform for communication and idea sharing.

- Organize ideas hierarchically, helping prioritize and align ideas with business goals and objectives.

- Secure sensitive data, crucial in the development process, especially when dealing with IP and proprietary information.

When to use KanBo?

KanBo should be employed throughout the entire Idea-to-Market process:

- During idea capture and inception: to log, categorize, and prioritize ideas for further development.

- During planning and development: to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress through customized workflows.

- During the testing and refinement stages: to manage iterations, feedback loops, and continuous improvement activities.

- In the go-to-market phase: to oversee launch plans, marketing strategies, and final product refinements.

Where is KanBo used?

KanBo can be used in a variety of environments due to its hybrid on-premises and cloud-based system. It is accessible:

- In the office, providing a central point for team collaboration.

- Remotely, allowing for seamless integration and synchronization with the team's workflow.

- Across different geographical locations, ensuring team members have up-to-date access to all relevant information for the I2M process, regardless of their physical location.

Why should a Senior Designer use KanBo as an Idea management tool for Idea-to-Market Processes?

A Senior Designer leading I2M processes can leverage KanBo to:

- Structure the creative workflow, utilizing the visual card and board system to easily manage design iterations and align them with market requirements.

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams efficiently, which is essential to integrate design, engineering, marketing, and other facets of product development.

- Keep track of all design changes and ensure that the latest information is accessible to every stakeholder.

- Incorporate feedback effectively and progress through the design stages with clear oversight of each phase of the product's lifecycle.

- Enhance decision-making processes with data-driven insights from KanBo’s progress tracking and forecasting features.

In summary, KanBo serves as an agile and comprehensive tool for Senior Designers, orchestrating the creative and complex I2M processes in a manageable, collaborative, and transparent manner.

How to work with KanBo as an Idea management tool

Step 1: Setting Up Your Idea Management Workspace

Purpose: To create a dedicated environment where all idea-related activities are centralized, facilitating better organization and visibility.

Why: A specialized workspace within KanBo will help you maintain focus on ideation and design processes, separating them from other non-relevant tasks. This dedicated space will also enable stakeholders to easily find and participate in the idea management process.

Instructions:

1.1. Log into KanBo and navigate to the main dashboard.

1.2. Click on the "Create New Workspace" button.

1.3. Assign a clear and descriptive name for the workspace, like "Idea Management – Design."

1.4. Write a brief description that outlines the workspace's purpose and invite relevant team members, ensuring roles and permissions are correctly set for collaboration.

Step 2: Structuring Folders for Idea Categories

Purpose: To categorize ideas based on themes, projects, or design stages for efficient retrieval and review.

Why: By creating specific folders for different categories, you can organize ideas in a way that reflects your design process or project phases. This organization aids in streamlining the evaluation and follow-up process, as all ideas are categorically stored.

Instructions:

2.1. Inside the Idea Management Workspace, select the option to "Add new folder."

2.2. Create folders for various categories such as "User Experience," "Visual Design," and "Innovation Lab."

2.3. Move existing Spaces into the appropriate folders.

Step 3: Establishing Idea Submission Spaces

Purpose: To have distinct areas where ideas can be submitted, reviewed, and developed within the same environment.

Why: Spaces dedicated to idea submission will ensure that all new ideas are consolidated, making it easier for team members to submit, collaborate on, and refine ideas.

Instructions:

3.1. Create a new Space titled "Idea Submissions" within your designated folder.

3.2. Define the structure of cards to include fields like "Idea Description," "Potential Impact," and "Resources Required."

3.3. Set up additional Spaces for "Ongoing Review" and "Approved Ideas" to manage the flow of ideas through the pipeline.

Step 4: Designing Custom Idea Cards

Purpose: To capture all relevant information about an idea in a single view.

Why: Customized cards tailored to the design ideation process will contain all the necessary details and updates about an idea, encouraging a comprehensive assessment and providing clarity for all team members.

Instructions:

4.1. Inside the "Idea Submissions" Space, click on "Add Card" to create a new idea card template.

4.2. Customize the card template with elements such as attachments for sketches or design documents, comment sections for feedback, and to-do lists for needed actions.

4.3. Use labels to prioritize and track the status of ideas like "New," "Under Review," and "Accepted."

Step 5: Collaborative Idea Evaluation

Purpose: To systematically assess each submitted idea with the collective insight of the team.

Why: Evaluation through collaboration ensures diverse perspectives and expertise are applied to each idea, improving the quality of decisions and fostering a culture of shared ownership and creativity.

Instructions:

5.1. Convene a regular idea review meeting and use the KanBo space to display all submissions.

5.2. Utilize KanBo's commenting feature on each card to gather feedback and suggestions.

5.3. Assign follow-up actions to team members directly from the idea card, setting deadlines for when further investigation or prototypes should be completed.

Step 6: Monitoring Idea Progress with KanBo's Visualization Tools

Purpose: To track the movement and development of ideas through the ideation pipeline.

Why: Visual tools help in quickly understanding the status of various ideas and in identifying potential bottlenecks or opportunities for acceleration.

Instructions:

6.1. Use KanBo's card grouping features to visualize ideas by their progress stages.

6.2. Set up the KanBo board to reflect stages such as "Submitted," "Under Review," "Prototype Development," and "Implementation."

6.3. Regularly update card statuses as ideas move through different phases, utilizing color codes for immediate visual cues.

Step 7: Archiving and Learning from Past Ideas

Purpose: To create a knowledge base of historical ideas for future reference and learning.

Why: Not all ideas will come to fruition, but they can provide valuable insights for future projects. Archiving them ensures that past work is not lost and can be revisited for inspiration or repurposing.

Instructions:

7.1. Create a Space titled "Idea Archive" within your Idea Management Workspace.

7.2. Use this space to store cards of ideas that have been executed or declined, with notes on outcomes and learnings.

7.3. Encourage team members to review the archive periodically for lessons learned and to spark new ideas.

By following these steps and using KanBo effectively, a Senior Designer can lay the foundation for a robust and organized idea management system that drives creativity and strategic design efforts within the corporate and business context.

Glossary and terms

Glossary

Introduction

This glossary provides definitions and explanations for key terms related to idea management and project coordination within an organizational setting. Understanding these terms is crucial for navigating and implementing systems that facilitate effective workflow management, collaboration, and innovation in a corporate or business environment.

- Idea Management: The process of generating, capturing, evaluating, and prioritizing ideas within an organization in order to solve complex problems and drive innovation.

- Workspace: A digital area within a management platform where related projects, teams, or topics are organized, allowing for efficient navigation and collaboration.

- Space: Within a workspace, a space is a customizable collection of cards that represent a project or specific area of focus. It is the medium through which tasks are managed and tracked visually.

- Card: The fundamental unit used to represent a task or item that requires attention or action within a space. It includes essential details such as descriptions, attachments, comments, and due dates.

- Card Relation: The connection established between cards to denote a dependency, which aids in breaking down large tasks and defining the sequence of activities.

- Card Status: An indicator that reflects the current state of a card (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Completed), assisting in the organization of work and tracking of progress.

- Card Grouping: The arrangement of cards based on specific criteria within a space, helping users to categorize and manage tasks more effectively.

- Card Element: Components within a card that provide structure and detail to the task at hand, such as notes, to-do lists, or document groupings.

- Activity Stream: A dynamic, real-time log within the platform that lists all activities in chronological order, offering insight into actions taken by team members on various tasks.

- Document Group: A feature that allows for the organization of documents attached to a card, enabling users to categorize them based on type, purpose, or other conditions.

- Search Commands: Special characters or operators used in search queries to enhance the ability to find matches based on specific patterns or to address variations in information.

- Responsible Person: An individual assigned to oversee the completion of a task represented by a card. This role ensures accountability and progress tracking for the task.

- Co-Worker: A team member who contributes to the performance of the tasks associated with a card, working collaboratively with the responsible person and other stakeholders.