Every leader understands the importance of innovation.
In the fast-paced rhythm companies find themselves in, they’ll always face competition—it’s inevitable.
But the crux of this competition depends on how fast business owners can realize, develop, and implement ideas for their new products.
“There’s no good idea that can’t be improved on.“ – Michael Eisner, the CEO of Walt Disney Corporation.
And while we completely agree with Eisner that the only way to profit from good ideas is to improve them continually, identifying and improving upon good ideas is a task easier said than done considering their intangible nature.
So, what should you do to add that tinge of innovation to your products? Start taking idea management seriously.
Idea management software is a collection of tools designed to help companies identify and develop the best ideas, whether from employees, customers, or other public members.
Today, we’ll look at some of the best idea management software available on the market.
The Top 5 Best Idea Management Software Options
- Ideanote – Best for New Product Launches
- Aha! – Best for Strategic Planning
- Idea Box – Best for Remote Teams Worldwide
- Crowdicity – Best for Brainstorming
- Miro – Best for Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
Let’s discuss each of these software tools in more detail below.
#1 – Ideanote – Best for New Product Launches
- Great for collaboration
- Flesh out ideas with ease
- Appealing, friendly UI
- Bring a new product to life
Ideanote helps you ideate, develop, and implement new ideas quickly and effectively, making it one of the best idea management software tools you can get your hands on.
The platform acts as a central hub for all your ideas to form a properly streamlined process to produce actions, leading to their fruition. You can scale your innovation, going from one team to the whole company with ease.
It can support an unlimited number of missions, projects, and ideas, subject to licensing limitations based on the plan you purchase. Plus, users can launch idea collections for new products, processes, and solutions in seconds. You create a Kanban-style product roadmap to set your company up to easily track every step from conception to product launch.
There’s no cap on the number of missions you create. Once done, you can share them via links and email invites, as well as procure the complete timeline of every activity associated with a specific mission. Identifying the top innovator in your organization is also possible.
Ideanote has a clean, uncluttered interface to keep everyone in the loop. Every user gets their unique profile, allowing them to monitor the progress of their suggestions. You can use the idea interface to fully outline your ideas up to 2,000 words, along with the flexibility to attach supporting documents, pictures, and videos.
We also like the powerful collaboration tools that enable teams to request additional input, invite other parties to evaluate the ideas, and target solutions. Plus, the integrated analytics solution supports reporting and idea tracking.
And that’s not it! You can take advantage of other great features like idea ranking, polls, collaboration, engagement monitoring, discussion threads, and so on.
Some additional features of Ideanote include:
- Activity/News Feed
- Mind map
- Workflow management
- Status tracking
- Gamification
- Trend tracking
Pricing
Ideanote offers three plans:
- Starter – $249 per month for one team, one admin, and up to 100 ideas
- Business – $649 per month for five teams, five admins, and up to 500 ideas
- Enterprise – $2899 per month for 10 teams, 10 admins, and unlimited ideas
#2 – Aha! – Best for Strategic Planning
- Powerful integrations
- Great post-ideation coordination
- Simple to share & collaborate
- Manage projects strategically
Aha! is a cloud-based project management solution for any size business in all kinds of industries like education, non-profit, medical, marketing, and IT services.
The primary purpose behind developing this software was to create an easy to use and high-quality idea and product management suite.
Aha! users get two products: an ideas product and a roadmap product. While the former allows users to crowdsource ideas, feedback, and comments from employees, partners, and customers, the latter facilitates strategic planning and analyzing potential scenarios.
The software integrates more than 30 popular applications, including Google, Slack, Jira, and Azure. As such, it supports agile and scrum workflows, allowing users to create product, technology, consulting, manufacturing, and marketing roadmaps.
The ideas product comes in two versions, a basic Ideas Essentials and the more sophisticated Ideas Advanced. These include tools for scoring ideas, managing approvals, and prioritizing requests. On the other hand, the roadmap products incorporate Ideas Essentials with useful tools to facilitate strategizing.
Aha! is cloud-hosted and comes with a separate mobile application that enables users to work away from their desks. Moreover, data encryption and compliance with European General Data Protection Regulations, EU-US Privacy Shield, and the Cloud Security Alliance ensure top-notch security.
Some standout features of Aha! are:
- Crowdsourcing ideas
- Build roadmaps
- Set strategy and plan releases
- Share presentations
- IP address access control
- Advance license management
Pricing
As mentioned before, there are two products: ideas and roadmaps. The Ideas product has two plans:
- Ideas Essentials – $39 per user per month
- Ideas Advanced – $59 per user per month
As for the roadmaps product, all plans include the Ideas Essentials package and has three options. Premium is $59 per user per month, Enterprise is $99, and Enterprise+ is $149.
#3 – Idea Box – Best for Remote Teams Worldwide
- Made for collaboration
- Detailed status tracking
- Easy-to-use builder
- Simple for anyone to use
Idea Box by Brightidea is one of the most advanced idea management software. Its user-friendly platform is designed to engage your workforce located across the globe and promote a culture that supports innovations.
It has a very intuitive interface, complete with drag-and-drop tools to manage ideas.
You can collect, share, evaluate, and collaborate on ideas to develop the perfect solution to accelerate your organization’s growth. It also has a digital suggestion box that acts as a pipeline for ideas to keep everyone on the same page.
The software includes other useful features as well. Polls, feedback management, trend tracking, idea ranking, mind mapping, crowdsourcing, activity feed, and status tracking, among others, can be instrumental in bringing your ideas to fruition.
Idea Box features discussion management that provides users with a collaboration platform to share and comment on ideas. Users can add new comments based on teams, topics, and ideas on a physical map.
Creating microsites focused on specific issues or challenges is also possible. You can evaluate solutions via a unique scoring mechanism based on idea feasibility and cost-effectiveness.
Some additional features of Idea Box include:
- Engagement metrics
- Mobile collaboration
- Drag-and-drop builder
- ROI tracking
- Transparent evaluations
Pricing
Idea Box hasn’t provided any pricing information on this website. You’ll have to contact its sales teams to obtain a quote. However, you can request a demo first to see the tool.
#4 – Crowdicity – Best for Brainstorming
- Generate brilliant ideas
- Used by brands like P&G
- Collaborate on mobile & desktop
- Extraordinarily user-friendly
Crowdicity is an excellent innovation and idea management software that comes with a comprehensive set of features to help users discover great ideas and allow input from anyone.
Users can easily configure innovation challenges, which the community responds to with their own ideas. They can identify their target audience and allow authors to upload additional material to support ideas like pictures, videos, and documents.
Every challenge can be broken down into different categories or kept as a single direct question to make brainstorming simple and effective.
The main aim here is to ensure the whole community or specific team discuss and collaborate better. After all, getting input from the right people will ensure better idea management. Crowdicity helps businesses foster innovation by being an employee-facing tool.
Setting up and launching Crowdicity doesn’t require any technical skills. Anyone can use it. While the software tool lacks quantitative tools offered by its rivals, it does come with live chat, file uploads, ideas sharing, and content filters.
Other features of Crowdicity include:
- Brainstorming
- Improve participation and engagement
- Activity dashboard
- Create a tracking
- Idea ranking
- Project tracking
Pricing
Crowdicity hasn’t published any pricing information on its website. You’ll have to contact the sales team to get a customized quote. However, you can watch a video or schedule a demo of the software on Corwdicity’s website.
#5 – Miro – Best for Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
- Cloud-based whiteboard
- Easily convert to PDF or PPT
- Promotes collaborative feedback
- Integrates with popular tools
Miro allows teams to collaborate in innovative and efficient ways that are different from most of the alternatives available on the market.
It’s an online collaborative whiteboard platform and an idea management software. You can use this software tool to manage workflows, brainstorm ideas with digital sticky notes, and then plan and share your ideas to get feedback.
Users can jot down ideas, leave insights on other employees’ innovations, and include supporting content to the board, such as spreadsheets and interactive prototypes. Other features include discussion boards, videoconferencing, idea ranking, mind map, and crowdsourcing.
The platform comes with more than 60 templates and interactive frameworks to promote work collaboration to develop ideas faster and more effectively. You also get an integrated library of icons, wireframes, and other types of content.
You can create a board from scratch or simply choose one of the preloaded templates.
Miro gives you the option to save any whiteboard as a PDF or convert it into a presentation. This can be particularly helpful when you want to keep and refer back to a plan, idea, or roadmap that your team mapped out during a brainstorming session.
The whiteboard can also be used to build story maps, customer journeys, and product roadmaps, which, in turn, will make the ideation process of remote teams even more interactive.
You can integrate this idea management software with third-party apps like Atlassian Ecosystem, Microsoft Ecosystem, Slack, Sketch, and Dropbox.
Some Mira features are:
- Collaboration
- Brainstorming
- Creator tracking
- Idea ranking
Pricing
Currently, Miro offers four plans to users:
- Free, with three boards, premade templates, and core integrations
- Team – $8 per member per month, with unlimited boards, private sharing, and advanced attention management
- Business – $16 per member per month, with passes for occasional collaborators and unlimited external editors
- Enterprise – Request a customized quote
How to Find the Best Idea Management Software for You
Determining the right idea management software among the plethora of options available can be challenging. But when you know what to look for, making a decision becomes painless.
The first step is figuring out what kind of features you need to meet your goals.
We recommend opting for software that has a robust workflow process. Other features like crowdsourcing and gamification features can also be helpful.
While the former allows you to prioritize and separate the best ideas from mediocre ones, the latter will make your employees feel valued for their contributions. In most tools, you can even virtually reward them with achievement badges, achievement levels, and points.
Here are the other factors we considered when creating this guide and determining the best idea management software. Use these factors when choosing the right software for your organization.
Decentralized vs. Centralized Idea Management Solutions
Before vetting your options, focus on evaluating your stakeholders.
Who will have access to the software? Do you plan on adding top-level executives and people from senior management solely, or do you want your entire workforce across all levels of the organization to have access?
If you want to restrict stakeholders to top executives and senior management, you should look for solutions that charge on a per user per month basis. Having a set number of participants on a plan will help you save some serious money.
But if you want your entire workforce to be a part of the ideation process, it would be best to look for solutions that offer plans for at least 100 users and charge in bulk. These tools tend to charge based on features needed instead of the number of users.
Comprehensive Reporting
An idea management platform with data analysis capabilities can be immensely valuable for any organization, especially with how digital transformation changes the way businesses function.
But if you don’t manage the platform properly, you’ll only end up wasting your time and money.
Choose software that has a comprehensive reporting process and data profiling system. This will help you manage your ideas more effectively while saving lots of precious time. Look for options that go beyond software and can help you scale across the business. Doing this will allow you to set and hit KPIs easily.
Deployment
Before investing in an idea management software, you must understand your deployment options. Ask yourself if you would prefer cloud-based deployment or on-premise deployment.
You get anytime-anywhere access with cloud-based deployment without having to pay additional maintenance costs. On the other hand, on-premise deployment restricts access to only the server where you installed the software. You might also have to pay additional maintenance costs over time.
Understand your requirements before making a decision. Once you’re sure of a method, it will help you narrow down your options.
AI Leverage
While this criterion isn’t mandatory, it certainly is useful.
Artificial intelligence can empower your decision-making process thanks to its deep learning algorithms and historical data. It typically delivers about 80-90% accuracy and enhances overall capacity, improving user engagement.
AI can also drive the innovation process to make it faster and hassle-free. Precisely why idea management software with AI capabilities can be useful for organizations that would require large-scale analysis of ideas.
Summary
These are our top picks for the best idea management software.
We’ve tried to include the very best from a crowded market to help you find the right match. Now, it’s your turn. Compare and contrast tools based on your requirements and goals to select the right idea management tool.
To recap:
- Ideanote – Best for New Product Launches
- Aha! – Best for Strategic Planning
- Idea Box – Best for Remote Teams Worldwide
- Crowdicity – Best for Brainstorming
- Miro – Best for Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
The beauty of this software is you can implement it into any type or size of business. Take advantage of other people’s unique perspectives using idea management tools to develop a product or service that helps you stay ahead in the competition.
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