Brightidea Offers On-Demand Innovation Software

This announcement from Brightidea caught my eye today:

Brightidea Inc. Launches Brightidea.com, First On-Demand Innovation Management Software; Integrated Suite Helps Mid-Size Organizations Accelerate Process of Innovation

Brightidea has been providing enterprise-scale Innovation Process Management (IPM) software up to now. This on-demand solution makes their software available for mid-size companies and smaller divisions. The company says its IPM products are designed to "to assist managers in all areas of innovation with templates and workflows specifically designed for accelerating: new product development, process improvement, cost cutting, intellectual property, technology adoption, marketing, strategy, and business model innovation."

The offering consists of five integrated tools targeted at important elements of the innovation process in an organization:

-- Research - Secure, shared weblogs allow participants to track emerging trends, competition, and areas of opportunity. Research blogs ensure an organization stays abreast of market developments while maintaining a permanent record of all research.

-- Expert Location - Easy-to-use natural language search function that allows users locate experts for help with a question or problem. Users can search expert profiles as well as all content in the innovation management system to locate the most appropriate expert for their needs. Expert Location ensures that expertise is located and maximized regardless of location or department in the organization.

-- Idea Management - Highly configurable idea ranking engine allows managers to rapidly identify the most promising innovations available in an organization. Ideas are ranked based on user input and one of several proprietary algorithms and methods based on the type and scale of innovation desired. Managers can request ideas in specific areas of opportunity or collect unsolicited ideas from employees, customers, and suppliers. Idea Management accelerates identification of viable concepts and ensures non-viable proposals are discontinued early.

-- Project Tracking - Flexible, phase-based tracking system for managing projects in the innovation pipeline. Gives managers visibility into all projects underway and their progress. Project tracking ensures that on-going projects are: strategically aligned, properly vetted at each step and stay on-track throughout the implementation process.

-- Rewards & Recognition - An end-to-end solution that tracks individual contributions to the innovation program. Points are accumulated for selected activities and achievements. Rewards & Recognition tracks the redemption of points for: gifts, awards or cash to ensure that key players in the innovation process are recognized and proper financial records are maintained.

In today's release, Brightidea cites a recent report, titled "Innovate America," from the Council on Competitiveness, which emphasizes the importance of developing the "infrastructure for innovation." In case you're interested, the entire report (PDF, 68 pages) is available at:

http://www.compete.org/pdf/NII_Final_Report.pdf

AB -- 5/31/05