Fall 2024 Release

We are pleased to announce our Fall 2024 Product Release. We encourage you to check out our blog to read through the updates and view the list below for high-level changes. If you have any questions on feature availability, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.  

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Deep Support for Demanding Innovation Workflows

The Stage Gate process is a proven, linear methodology that helps organizations prioritize, allocate resources, and de-risk projects. With this addition, we’re empowering you to make data-driven decisions and increase your chances of project success.

This core platform update is available by default on several apps within our app families to support a diverse range of use cases. This includes a new app as part of our Idea Box family, Innovation Process, Incubate from Lab, Venture within the Ecosystem family, and lastly, Transform from the Transformation family. Features include:

• Customized and Pre-configured App: The mentioned apps have updated core workflows to support the new action items and models a Stage Gate process creating a more efficient build out.
• Stage Action Item: Introduces a new action item that pulls together all the assets and activities teams need to support the phase of the project the concept is currently within, allowing the team to work collaboratively toward the next gate approval.
• Gate Approval Action Item: Customizable scorecard, with the ability for evaluators to complete their evaluation directly in line within the Project Room, tracking progress and managing final scores.
• Customizable Project Room Templates: Ability to set up a Project Room per Initiative, automatically creating the room on the record. We have generated default project rooms to support the top use cases that can also be used out of the box.
• Connective Tissue Within the Entire Platform: Utilize cutting-edge and competitive tools like Whiteboard, Memo, Business Impact tracking, etc.

In addition to the new Idea Box family, Innovation Process app, we also have an exciting opportunity for our customers to reach out to join the Beta group for our Departmental IdeaBox. This new app merges complex workflow support to help manage and navigate demanding backlog requirements. Teams will have a pre-defined Idea Box for crowdsourcing and idea collection, being able to send ideas to various sub-pipelines based on the concepts demand and value to the organization. sending concepts to Quick Win, Backlog, and/or Strategic Review. 

Reach out to your Customer Success rep for information on how to get early access. 

Core Platform Enhancements for Maximum Efficiency

To help you work smarter, not harder, we’ve introduced several key updates to our platform:

• View Idea 3 for All: After an extended Beta period, we’re rolling out our advanced idea management tool, View Idea 3, to all apps by default. This means richer Idea capture, better collaboration, and improved decision-making across your organization. With this rollout, we also updated our tag subscription functionality!
• Enhanced Rules Engine: Our upgraded Rules Engine delivers greater flexibility and control over your workflow automation, saving you time and reducing errors.
• Scheduler Improvements: Our enhanced Scheduler makes it easier to visualize and manage your events, including synching the work with front-end site design components like the Phase Widget.
• Quicker Idea Intake: All app solutions will include an enhanced Quick Add to enable Administrators and Evaluators to quickly add Ideas, bypassing the submission form without sacrificing keynotes, categories, etc.
• Cleared our Backlog: Closed over 200 customer-related bugs and issues within this last release cycle.

User Experience and Collaboration Boost

We’re committed to making your experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible. That’s why we’ve introduced:

• Centralized View of all Ideas: End users can now access and view all ideas they have permission to see in one convenient location to better source, track, and find ideas across initiatives.
• Team Size Management: Hard caps on team size were introduced, limiting submissions and growth to a specific Admin-determined size.
• Group Management: Improved UI experience in creating and managing groups and a rollout of the beta feature for group Evaluator assignment.

Foundational Whiteboard Enhancements

Our Whiteboard tool continues to be a core capability to grow, evolve, and capture your team’s thinking and processes in a boundless manner. Some core updates for you include:

• Bi-Directional Syncing: We ensured data consistency between your platform and Whiteboard with our enhanced bi-directional sync, which will update data within your platform and the stickies on your board.
• Updates to our Default Templates: UI updates to all our Brightidea system templates, and reminder, users can customize and set system templates for all users in their innovation platform to utilize.
• Micro Interaction Improvements: We updated our line width customization, object scaling, and hotkeys to improve efficiency within the tool.
• Performance Upgrades: We updated our core Whiteboard infrastructure to improve speed and performance when working with our core components.

Innovating at the Frontier of Collective and Artificial Intelligence

Our AI capabilities continue to evolve. With the latest version of frontier models, our AI engine is smarter and more powerful than ever. Don’t forget to utilize our core features to ensure your innovation process is more efficient and accelerated.

• Suggested for You: Get customized platform updates and user activity within your Userhome, filtered based on similar activities that you have completed in the tool.
• Brainstorm Brilliantly: Our Whiteboard tool’s AI-powered brainstorming feature helps you generate fresh ideas and explore new possibilities to kick off a session or power through a stall.
• Idea Acceleration: Our AI can assist you in developing and maturing idea descriptions and details within the submission and View Idea 3 processes.
• Idea Development: Within our Memo tool, use AI as an outside source to help you validate and expound on a business case and/or idea positioning.
• Scout Smarter: Our Scout app uses AI to identify potential vendors and automatically imports them into your pipeline, saving you valuable time.