Today we launched the new project management tool of Accept Mission. This tool helps innovation managers to create project portfolio based on the best ideas (selected via the Accept Mission “Inbox” or “ideation” tool) and coordinate progress from “roadmap” to “solution delivery”.
Why using Accept Mission for managing innovation projects?
In the beginning of developing Accept Mission our focus was on delivering a powerful Ideation tool. It was not our goal to build a project management tool. Soon after we launched the ideation tool and started collecting user feedback, we learned that there was also a need for an integrated project management tool focused on innovation delivery. This would make Accept Mission a more complete Innovation Management Tool. Now with this new Project tool Innovation managers are able to convert ideas to projects and manage the whole innovation process from “idea generation to solution delivery” with Accept Mission.
Why we did we create this Project management tool?
Our main goal is to serve innovators a platform to maximize their innovation success. If you look at project management, there are many advanced project management applications in the market available. But we know that our customers, the innovators, want a tool that is integrated and focused on innovation delivery. For example, you can link ideas (created via the Accept Mission “Inbox” or “ideation” tool) to projects so users can see what ideas converted into a project and what is the status of this project. And to measure the total “innovation Score” per project you can add values such as “estimated savings”, “Impact on business” & “strategic fit”. These “scores” show how much a project contribute to your business goal and thus provide good innovation analysis and reporting.
“I’m very excited that we can deliver this new tool in the platform. We know many clients are looking forward this project management tool and connect it with all innovations. We managed to keep it easy to use and powerful in the eco system. This release is the first of many cool updates for 2020” Steven Kop CEO and Founder of Accept Mission.
Unique features in managing Innovation projects
· Scoring – Validate the potential of an idea by adding scores based on impact, investments, business goals, strategic fit, earnings & savings.
· AM Score – All scores are used in a smart calculation of a total score. Easy to use and see what the best ideas are in a single score.
· Innovation Types – Categorize projects based on typical innovation types like, horizon, purpose, goal, etc.
· Participants – Add team members to this project and keep them up to date. Everyone can see who is involved and knows who to contact for improvements.
· Ideas – Connect ideas to a project AND start a new project based on an idea.
· Kanban board – Shows all projects per “stage”. Projects are showed in a smart overview with a drag and drop function to update progress real time
· Gantt chart – Shows project progression per department in a compact timeline overview .
One of the core elements to measure project success is to measure the number of implemented / launched projects. Another key thing is to pivot or even stop innovation projects fast when business value is troubling. Therefore, you need an easy to use system with a good overview of all projects within you organization so you can optimize and better steer to succesful innovations
When is an innovation a project?
There are many ways to define a project as an innovation. But according to several project management sites the overall definition of a project is :
“A Project is a temporary, unique and progressive attempt or endeavor made to produce some kind of a tangible or intangible result (a unique product, service, benefit, competitive advantage, etc.). It usually includes a series of interrelated tasks that are planned for execution over a fixed period of time and within certain requirements and limitations such as cost, quality, performance, others.”
Traditional projects start when a prognosed end result is defined. For innovation projects this is not always the case, because the “solution” is not yet defined. And many innovation project starts with an idea, but this is not always the best way to start working on innovation. Innovation should always start with finding the core of a problem. The function of an “Innovation Project” is to deliver a successful innovation: Solving a business problem. There are many types of projects: inspirational projects based on a trend or and technology, finding a business problem, finding a solution for a problem, building a vision, etc. Most innovation processes know a phase called “Fuzzy front end”. The Fuzzy front-end is an important part of a successful innovation process. The front-end comprises the early and above all creative phases of the innovation process and provides the innovation concepts and business plans for the product development and implementation process. This contain the activities where the solution is not yet defined.
Within Accept Mission you can define your strategic goals, configure project details, and manage innovation projects in one powerful tool, to get innovation successfully implemented in your organization. Contact us for a demo and trial and find out how Accept Mission – Projects will get you a clear overview of your progress and boost innovation success.
