It’s easy to start innovation campaign, but to do it in a right way you need to be stick to some principles. So, to get really good, focused ideas much work has to be done before the start.

If it’s possible it is best to have fixed topic, maybe also the customer behind it! Then your participants will have the biggest chance for innovation.

It’s not important to buy newest piece of software to support the campaign, it can be done in a simplest way, which is in most cases – the best way. Sharepoint or even the Excel sheets will be more then enough for start.

The question which arrises is: invite everyone in the organization or just choosen participants?

In the first case you can count on lot of ideas – well that depends also on the level of innovation culture). Sometimes this campaigns can be supported with brainstorming workshops, well if everyone is invited, it will be impossible to have it all on the workshop.

If you choose just the small team (up to 25 participants), then it’s not a problem to have a phone call to everyone, or 2-3 workshops shouldn’t be a problem.

With smaller groups the topic can be widely described on a workshop and even some guest from sales team or executive can be invited to speak about the topic or targeted customer.

Then, there is a need to choose the creative process, will you go for large number of ideas or to use some of brainstorming methods to play with participants. In each case ideas which are generated should be grouped and selected, before they will enter next step of innovation process.

In weeks after the campaign there are always lot of questions from campaigns participants about the outcome of their ideas. So, the campaign should not be over until the last information is delivered (at least in the head of campaign manager).