One of the most overlooked reasons innovation programs struggle to evaluate ideas efficiently is that the ideas come in without consistent structure. One person writes two paragraphs. Another writes two sentences. One describes the solution in detail but never explains the problem. Another explains the problem beautifully but offers nothing specific as a solution.
Before you can evaluate ideas well, they need to be captured in a consistent format. This is that format.
Why a Submission Template Matters
A submission template does three things. First, it makes evaluation dramatically faster because every submission answers the same questions in the same order. Second, it improves the quality of submissions because people think more clearly when they have to answer specific questions rather than writing into a blank box. Third, it creates a shared language for reviewing ideas, so two evaluators working independently are assessing the same things.
The template below is designed to be short enough that people will actually complete it, and specific enough that submissions are actually useful.
The Idea Submission Template
Title
Give your idea a short, clear name. Not a slogan. Just a description in five words or fewer.
Example: Automated pre-shift safety checklist
What is the idea?
Describe the idea in 2 to 4 sentences. What would change, and how? Assume the reader is smart but does not know the details of your daily work.
Example: Replace the current paper-based pre-shift safety checklist with a simple mobile form that operators complete on a shared tablet before each shift. The completed form would auto-notify the shift supervisor and create a log for monthly audits, replacing the current manual collection and binder filing process.
What problem are we solving?
What is broken, slow, risky, or frustrating about the current situation? What specifically happens today that should not, or does not happen that should?
Example: The current paper checklist is frequently incomplete, lost, or illegible. Supervisors spend 20 to 30 minutes per week tracking down missing forms. Audit preparation requires manually compiling 3 months of paper records.
For whom are we solving it?
Who benefits if this idea is implemented? Be specific. Shift supervisors? End customers? A particular team or production line?
Example: Shift supervisors who currently chase missing paperwork. Safety auditors who currently compile records manually. New operators who struggle to remember which items the paper checklist covers.
How could this scale?
Small: This could be tested in one area or team without significant investment.
Medium: This could be rolled out to a department or site after an initial test.
Large: This could be applied across multiple sites or fundamentally change how we work.
Choose one and add a sentence explaining why.
Example: Medium. We could pilot on one shift on Line 4 within two weeks, using an existing shared tablet. If it works, it could roll out to all lines within a quarter.
Resources needed (rough estimate)
What would it take to test or implement this? Think in terms of time, money, or people. You do not need a business case. A rough sense of scale is enough.
Example: One day to build the form in our current survey tool. A shared tablet is already available on Line 4. No new budget required to pilot.
Who else should weigh in?
Is there someone whose expertise or approval matters for this idea? Name them or their role.
Example: The site safety manager, and the shift supervisor on Line 4 who currently owns the paper checklist process.
How to Introduce This Template to Submitters
Do not just drop the template into your campaign without context. Add a short note at the top of the submission form explaining why each section exists.
Something like: We ask for the problem separately from the solution because the best ideas often come from reframing the problem. You might answer the problem field and realize your idea needs adjusting. That is useful. Take two minutes to fill in each section honestly, even if your answers are rough.
What Good Looks Like vs. What to Watch For
A strong submission answers every field with specifics, not generalities. The problem section names a real situation, not a vague feeling. The for whom section names a specific group, not everyone or the whole company.
A weak submission has a strong solution and a vague problem, or names benefits without explaining the mechanism. When you see this pattern during evaluation, it usually means the submitter has a real insight but has not had time to articulate it fully. These are worth a follow-up conversation before being dismissed.
An incomplete submission is worth a gentle prompt to complete before evaluation. Set a soft expectation at launch that incomplete submissions may not be reviewed in the current cycle.
