Memo Solution

The Brightidea Memo Solution introduces a plethora of new features and updates to support creating a Memo program for your organization. Below is a high-level overview of the Memo Solution and specific new features. For more information on how to set up a Memo program for your system, please contact your Brightidea representative.

• Viewing Memos
• Creating a Memo in Brightidea editor 
• Integrating Third-Party Document Options for Memo
• Private vs. Batched Memo and Submitting a Memo to a Batch
• Memo Statuses
• Memo Records
• Quick Add
• Editing and Sharing a Memo
• Searching for Memos
• Commenting on a Memo
• Top Ideas & Memo 
• Requesting a Review 
• Completing a Review 
• Viewing Results from a Review 
• Browser Extension 
• Whiteboard + Memo 

Viewing Memos

• From the "Memos" tab in your team site, users will be able to see all memos they have access to. This includes both memos created with the Brightidea Collaborative Editor, as well as memos created using third-party editors. 

• Each memo is represented by a live, updated thumbnail, with a top banner displaying: 
  • Title 
  • The user and date that the memo was last edited
  • Status (if the memo is within a batch/pipeline) 
  • Private memo indicator (if the memo is private and has not been sent to a batch/pipeline)
• The dropdown in the upper right will allow sorting the memos by:
  
  • Recently Edited
  • Date Created
  • Alphabetically
• The Memos tab will also have subtabs to view:
  
  • All Memos
  • Private Memos
  • Memos in Batch

 

Creating a Memo in Brightidea editor

Creating from Userhome 

• Memos can be created from several places in the Brightidea system. One is within the /userhome/memos page. 
• By clicking on the "Create Memo" button in the upper left of the page, the user will be launched directly into the Brightidea Collaborative Editor 
• The dropdown option next to the "Create Memo" button will give users additional options to create a memo using the following options:
  • Brightidea Collaborative Editor
  • Google Docs
  • OneDrive
  • As a note, details on the third-party editor options can be found below 

• Memos can be created either blank, or using a pre-formatted template for common types of memos
• When a new memo is created, it will be private by default, and not submitted to any batch/pipeline
• For private memos, users have access to all editing functionality and can invite other users to collaborate, however they cannot request Memo Reviews for evaluation
•  

Integrating Third-Party Document Options for Memo

• The availability of third-party editors, such as Google Docs and OneDrive, is managed from System Settings > Ideas > Memo. These options are disabled by default. When enabled, these editors will be visible for users to create and edit memos.
• The Google Docs and OneDrive integrations are handled on a per-user basis. Each individual user will be required to authenticate to leverage these editors. There are two ways to authenticate: through their User Profile > Settings page, or during memo creation.

Integration on Profile Settings Page 

• Users can navigate to their User Profile > Settings 
• At the bottom of the page they will see the option to integrate with Google Docs or OneDrive
• Once they click "Connect," the user will be sent to the third-party to login page to verify their identification 
• Once authentication is complete, the user will be redirected back to the settings page, and see a notification confirming that they have successfully been connected
• As a note, Google authentication is pending app review, and is coming soon!

Integration during Document Creation 

• If a user selects to create an memo with a third-party editor but have not yet authenticated, they will be directed to authenticate before being taken to the memo in the third-party editor

 

Private vs. Batched Memos and Submitting a Memo to a Batch

• As mentioned, if a memo is created on Userhome, it will be private by default. If created within the initiative, it will be part of the batch
• Private memos:
  • Are great to utilize if you're not ready to submit and may want to collaborate with a few team members before submitting.
  • All Brightidea editor functionality within a private memo will work, with the exception of requesting a Memo Review and completing a Review, which are only available memos within a batch 
• Batched memos:
  • Again, all functionality is the same, with the ability to now request a review
  • Being within a batch means it is now officially submitted within the team's workflow
• When ready, private memos can be sent to a batch. This can be done from the top toolbar, where it notes a button to "Send to Batch" 
• Once selected, a popup will appear, with a list of all Memo batches the user has access to. They can select the appropriate batch to send it to

 

Editing and Sharing a Memo

The Brightidea Collaborative Editor is similar to other online document editors you may be familiar with. There are several tools within the editor, as detailed below:

Top Toolbar

• Back Button - will return the user to the last page they were on prior to opening the Memo
• Menu Dropdown Button - opens editing options for the document:
  
  • File - Sub-options include:
    • Create new document - creates new memo document
    • Export to PDF - exports the memo to a PDF file
    • Go to initiative home - will take the user to the initiative home landing page, if the memo is within a batch
    • View memo details - returns the user to the memo record view, if the memo is within a batch
  • View - Sub-options include:
    • Print layout
    • Web layout
    • Show comments
  • Insert - Allows users to insert any of the template options to the memo
    
    • Press Release
    • Executive Summary
    • External & Internal FAQs
• The memo title can be edited by clicking within the title 

Main Toolbar 

The second toolbar includes standard edit features found in most document editing applications, including:

• • Undo and Redo buttons
  • Paragraph formatting
  • Font selection and size selections
  • Bold, Underline, Italics, Strike Through, etc.
  • Insert Tables, Hyperlinks, and Images
  • AI Writing Bot - more information found here
  • X-Ray Vision - This feature will show what content is created by which users that have access to the collaborative editor. This helps to know the creators of sections of content in the document.

AI Writing 

The AI writing capabilities are an amazing asset to help when you need help crafting the next line, or need additional fodder to the information you are capturing. 

• To engage in AI writing, select the robot icon from the toolbar
• This will display the AI Writing bar below the toolbar
  
• Simply add some content in the document for the AI bot to understand, and once you're ready, hit the "Write for me" button
  
• This prompt can be selected multiple times in one document, and in a row 
• Content inserted by the AI bot will be purple, but all font stylings can be adjusted after injection 
• There is also a hotkey to populate content: ⌘ + Option + Shift + w

Commenting within a memo document 

• Comments are entered in real-time in the Brightidea editor. Any comments made by other users that have access to the Memo will be displayed immediately
• To add a comment, users can highlight text, which will display the comment icon, or can click on the comment icon in the main toolbar

• Once the comment icon is selected, a comment prompt will pop up. User can then add their comment, tag a user, or assign the comment to another user
• Once posted, comments can be managed by selecting the three dots in the upper right corner of the comment. This provides options to edit the comment, delete the comment, generate a link to the memo document, or, if assigned to the comment, mark it as complete/resolved

Tagging a user 

• Within a comment, users can search for and tag each other by adding the '@' sign

• User tags will then remain persistent within the comment, and send the tagged user a notification with an invitation to the memo
• As a note, a user needs to have a registered account in the system in order to tag; if not in the system, they will need to be added, and complete their registration

Assigning a comment 

• When a user is tagged in a comment, there will be a prompt to assign the comment to them. If more than one user is tagged in a comment, the author of the comment will need to choose who the assignment should go to

• Once a comment is assigned, the user will receive a notification with a link to the comment and document
• Assigned comments will also have a top banner indicating who it was assigned to

• Any user can add a reply or reassign the comment, or they can mark the comment as resolved 

 

View All and Filters 

• Within the top toolbar, users can select the comment icon to see all comments within the document. 
• This shows all comments that are open, assigned to them, and resolved. 
• Users can click the top filter button to limit the view within this screen.

 

Sharing a Memo Document 

• The memo Share popup is similar to most Share options within the Brightidea platform, with additional permission levels:
  
  • Can View - View only access to the document
  • Can Edit - Has full view and editing access
  • Can Comment - Can view and make comments on the document, but cannot edit
• Memos can also be shared via link from the bottom of the Share popup. This link can also be configured to give users one of the above permissions link
  
  • As a note, if users access the memo using a permissioned link, but have a higher permission assigned to them, they will access with the higher permission (e.g. if assigned as an editor but accessing through a "Can View" link, they will still see the editor view)

 

Memo Statuses

The Memo app template has six pre-configured statuses by default. Administrators can add, remove, or edit status in Memo Site setup. The default statuses are:

• Incubate - A new idea has been identified but the memo process has not yet begun
• In Flight - The process is active within an organization but a memo has not been written. Often this is for regular processes that happen regularly 
• Active Development - The memo process has begun and the memo documentation is being actively written
• Green Light - The memo has been approved and the implementation process has begun
• Stopped - The process has stopped or has not been approved for any reason
• Paused - The process has been paused or the memo is in a holding period

 

Memo Records

Memo consists of two types of records, the Idea that the memo is based on, and the memo document created for the idea itself. Memo submissions are displayed in a tabular format.

• Memo tab - This tab displays the memo document itself, that was created in either the Brightidea Collaborative Editor, or in a Google Doc or OneDrive document. The section to the right of the document will display the memo owner, the submitted date, the memo status, category, progress through the pipeline workflow, and any tags associated with the memo
• Discussions tab - Here users can leave comments regarding the memo or the process. This is similar to the Comments section on Ideas in other Brightidea apps
• Review Results tab - Displays the Memo Review results, as well as results for other evaluations as the memo progresses through the Pipeline workflow
• Business Impact tab - Contains the same Business Impact data available in Ideas
• History tab - Historical data on the Memo submission, much like the history records in Ideas

 

Quick Add

The Quick Add option in the pipeline view has been updated to allow administrators to quickly create a new memo in the pipeline.

• The Quick Add button includes radio buttons to select Memo or Idea for creation
• Required field to Quick Add is the title field, this is required for both idea or memo types 
• Clicking the Show More Fields link allows the user to add the following additional fields while Quick Adding a memo entry:
  • Author/Owner
  • Category
  • Status
• Clicking the arrow button next to Quick Add provides the options to create a Memo using the BI Editor, Google Docs, or OneDrive doc - both blank or thorough a template

 

Searching for Memos

• The Search field in the Global Navigation bar will include any memos you have access to in your system
• Memo results will display in the Quick Results as well as in Advanced Search in a separate Memo section. When users click on View Results, the Memos will also be grouped in a Memo category section
• Read more about search functionality here

 

Top Ideas & Memos 

Memo includes a new card view in Top Ideas to give you a more holistic view of the progress of each memo in one, concise location.

Card Attributes

Attributes shown on the card include the below, and can be toggled on or off in the settings noted on the page.

• Title (cannot be toggled off)
• Code
• Status
• Stage
• Step 
• Activity (shown if the record has a Memo document)
  • Note: if the latest activity is >7 days, the “heartbeat” icon will turn red
• Owner
• Number of collaborators on the Memo document
  • Note: only displayed if using the Brightidea editor and there are at least two collaborators who have contributed to the document.
• Number of open action items

Card Mode

“Simple” card mode will show only the Title and Status and display in a smaller format.

“Advanced” card mode will show all information on a larger card format by default and the user may toggle on/off details as desired.

 

Review Template

Memos in Top Ideas can be sorted by the results of a Review template. When doing so, the score in the upper right corner of each card will reflect the latest round using that template.

 

 

Global Filters 

Global filters allow Memo users to filter by attributes such as object type, status, stage, step, category, owner, and score. The URL will adjust as you select and update filter parameters and the “sort” type, which can be sent to someone who has access.

Top Ideas in a Memo program also includes new hover details throughout the card and expanded right-click options for one or multiple cards.

For more information on Top Ideas, see KBA here.

 

Requesting a Memo Review

• Once a document is within a batch, the user will be able to complete the review request prompt. This will be found in the top bar of the document.
  • As a note, this can happen at any time throughout the process of writing your memo, it does not need to happen at a specific stage or step.  This can also be requested by the owner or site admin.

• Once the user selects "Request Review" they will see a drop-down showing prompts for the user to submit. Prompts include: 
  • Select Reviewers - this will populate from a list of registered users in the system
  • Note to Reviewer(s) - this is a customizable note that the requester can send to the reviewers. 
  • Send email alert - prompt to select if the users should receive an email message

• The user can select "View Advanced Settings" to see additional settings to control when requesting a review. These additional prompts and settings include: 
  • Round name - ability to change or customize the round name, this is shown when viewing all summary results 
  • Review Template - user can select a specific template or go to template editor to see the various memo review options 
  • Due Date - adjust when the action item will be due by the requested reviewer 
  • Remind - option to enable or disable the reminder emails that are sent if users have not accessed and completed their Memo Reviews after a certain number of days

• Once the user hits "Assign Review" then the action item assignments and notifications will go out to the requested users
• The user will also see a confirmation and see the top review button adjust to "Review Results"

Completing a Memo Review 

• Once a user has been assigned a review, they will receive in-app and email notifications. 
• All notifications will send them directly into the memo app, where they will see the button up in the top toolbar adjust to "Complete Review"

• The user will be able to complete the review directly within the memo document. 
• They can use the sliders to adjust the questions, and can also add a comment next to each question, should they like to provide additional information per question.
• Once the scorecard has been filled out and submitted the user will see a confirmation toast, the top toolbar will change to "My Reviews" and the submission will now show under the completed tab in the My Reviews panel.

Viewing Results from a Memo Review 

• After assigning a Memo Review, authors and administrators can track, manage, and view the results of their Memo Review request
• To view the results of your Memo Review request, select “Review Results” from the Brightidea Collaborative Editor or Memo Record View
  • This will display a list of all rounds of Memo Review that have been requested
  • Please not that at this time, Memo Review Results are not accessible from third-party editors; they can be viewed from the Memo Record view
    

• Selecting a specific round will open the Review Results popup.

• At the top you can see KPIs for an at-a-glance overview of the Memo Review round, such as overall score, the number of completed/assigned Reviews, and how the current score compares to the previous round.
• The popup is split into two tabs:
  • Results Summary: A detailed breakdown of the Memo Review score, including the score for each question, broken down into individual Reviewer scores. The breakdown can further be filtered to specific Reviewers.
  • Review Information: This provides the basic information about the Memo Review round, including who completed their action items, date assigned and date due, template used, etc.
• The Memo Review round can also be edited from the Review Results popup; selecting “Configure Review” will display the configuration settings for the Memo Review
  • Reviewers can be added or removed, due dates can be changed, and reminders can be configured
    • Please note that the Memo Review template cannot be changed once assigned
  • The entire round can also be deleted; this will permanently delete all action items assigned for the round

 

Browser Extension  

The Brightidea browser extension should be used when editing third-party documents to ensure a higher level of efficiency when requesting and completing reviews. 

• The extension is currently only available for users on Google Chrome. The browser extension will be coming for additional browsers, stay tuned. 
• Browser extension for Chrome can be downloaded here.
• Once loaded, a user will need to authenticate by clicking on the browser extension and signing in with their Brightidea credentials 
• When a user is then on a third-party document, in OneDrive or Google Docs that is associated with a memo, the user will be able to request or submit a review, this functionality will be closely correlated to the functionality matched within the platform, so see above for more details. 

Whiteboard + Memo 

We recommend using our Whiteboard tool to help with scoring and prioritizing your strategic memos. From list view, steps, or top ideas, users can right-click and send the memos directly into the Whiteboard. 

 

Within the Whiteboard, use the Smart Matrix feature to further evaluate and stack rank your memos. These scores will be tracked and showcased directly in Top Ideas to help you consider which Memo should be progressed within your planning cycle. 

 

 

As a note, if you do not have access, and are interested in seeing what the memo program can do for your business, reach out.