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Innovation & Culture

Ideas Portal

Your employees know where AI can help. Give them a simple way to suggest improvements and watch innovation flow from the front lines.

What Is an Ideas Portal?

An ideas portal is a simple platform where anyone in your organization can submit suggestions for AI improvements, automation opportunities, or process innovations. Think of it as a suggestion box, but with transparency, feedback, and follow-through.

The best ideas for AI adoption don't always come from leadership or IT. They come from people doing the work who see repetitive tasks, bottlenecks, and opportunities every day. An ideas portal captures that knowledge and turns it into action.

Mature ideas portals include voting, commenting, status tracking, and clear processes for evaluation and implementation. Employees see their ideas get reviewed, understand why some are prioritized over others, and get recognized when their suggestions drive value.

Why It Matters

Tap Frontline Knowledge

People closest to the work often have the best insights on where AI can help.

Build Engagement

When people see their ideas taken seriously, they become advocates for AI adoption.

Prioritize High-Impact Projects

Voting and comments help identify which improvements would deliver the most value.

Create Innovation Culture

Make it normal to suggest improvements and experiment with new approaches.

Build Your Project Pipeline

Generate a steady stream of automation and AI opportunities to pursue.

Key Features

Simple Submission Form

Easy-to-use interface where anyone can describe a problem or suggest an improvement.

Voting & Comments

Community engagement to surface the most valuable or urgent suggestions.

Status Tracking

Clear visibility into review status, whether approved, in progress, or completed.

Review Workflow

Structured process for evaluating ideas against criteria like impact, feasibility, and cost.

Recognition System

Acknowledge contributors whose ideas get implemented and deliver value.

Analytics Dashboard

Track submission trends, participation rates, and implementation success.

Maturity Levels

Not Started / Planning

No formal way to capture improvement ideas. Suggestions made informally and often lost. Innovation depends on what leadership sees directly.

In Progress / Partial

Basic suggestion box or form available. Ideas collected but review process unclear. Limited transparency on what happens to submissions.

Mature / Complete

Active ideas portal with regular participation across the organization. Clear review and approval process. Regular communication about implemented ideas. Recognition program for contributors. Ideas portal feeds directly into project pipeline.

How to Get Started

  1. 1.
    Choose a Platform: Use existing tools like Microsoft Forms with a tracking board, or dedicated platforms like Ideascale or Brightidea.
  2. 2.
    Define Review Process: Decide who evaluates ideas, what criteria are used, and how quickly reviews happen.
  3. 3.
    Set Expectations: Communicate how the portal works, what happens to submissions, and typical response times.
  4. 4.
    Launch with Examples: Seed the portal with a few good ideas to show what type of suggestions are valuable.
  5. 5.
    Implement First Ideas Quickly: Show the system works by acting on early submissions and publicizing results.
  6. 6.
    Recognize Contributors: Publicly thank and reward people whose ideas get implemented.
  7. 7.
    Maintain Momentum: Regularly communicate about the portal, share success stories, and encourage participation.

Ready to Crowdsource Innovation?

Get expert help setting up an ideas portal that captures innovation from across your organization and turns suggestions into results.