Your First Idea Challenge: From Question to Decision in 10 Days
You have never run an idea campaign before. You want to start small and get quick proof of concept before scaling. Here is a 10-day sprint that will give you one.
Day 1: Pick Your Problem
Pick a real problem that:
Is specific enough that you can describe it in one sentence
Affects a population of at least 20 people
You actually have budget and willingness to solve if you get a good idea
Example: "We want to reduce the time it takes to get a project from approval to kickoff from six weeks to four weeks."
Not: "We want to innovate our business." (Too vague.)
Not: "We want to figure out how to do 3D printing." (Assuming the solution instead of inviting the thinking.)
Day 2: Define the Challenge
Write your challenge brief (500 words max). You need:
Context: Why does this problem matter right now? What is happening in the business that makes this a priority?
The actual question: What specifically are you asking people to think about?
What good looks like: What would success sound like? (Does not lock people in, but calibrates their thinking.)
Constraints: What are the real boundaries? Budget? Timeline? Scope?
Example: "We want to reduce approval-to-kickoff time. We have a $50K budget. We need a solution that works with our current tools. We want to implement within two months."
Day 3-4: Invite a Specific Population
Pick 30 to 50 people who either work on this problem or are affected by it. Do not open it to "anyone in the company."
An open challenge to 500 people will generate lots of noise. A targeted challenge to 40 people will generate signal.
Send them an invite that includes the challenge brief and tells them exactly how to submit (link, form, email, whatever your vehicle is).
Create a simple submission form: Name, idea title, idea description (two paragraphs max), one thing you would want to know more about.
Days 5-9: The Campaign Window
The challenge is live. Do three things:
Day 5 (midpoint): Send a reminder to anyone who has not submitted yet. Share the number of ideas you have received and one theme that is emerging.
Day 7 (near end): Final reminder. "Three days left to submit."
Day 9 (close): Thank everyone who submitted. Tell them when they will hear the outcome (pick a real date three to five days out).
Day 10: Evaluation
Spend two hours evaluating all the ideas you received. Use the three-dimension scorecard: strategic fit, feasibility, and impact. Rate each idea 1-5 on each dimension.
Ideas that score 4+ on at least two dimensions are your finalists. You will probably have 3 to 7 ideas in this group.
Then make a decision:
Which one to advance? (Pick one. You are proving the concept, not trying to solve everything.)
Which ones to park for next time?
Which ones to decline?
Send an email to the submitters telling them which category their idea is in and why.
The Follow-Up: Proving the Model
If you advance an idea, create one concrete next step: "Alice is leading a working group to prototype this. They will have something to show by [date]."
One month later, share an update with the original participants: "We advanced Sarah's idea about [idea]. Here is what we have learned so far. Here is what comes next."
That conversation creates momentum for the next campaign.
Related Guides
- How to Write an Idea Challenge That Actually Gets Relevant Ideas
- The Idea Scoring Scorecard: 3 Models for Different Situations
- How to Get Executive Buy-In for an Idea Management Program
→ See our full comparison of the 10 best idea management tools
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