Assessing your idea

By Department of Innovation On May 22, 2012 4 Comments
  • Intro
  • Questions
  • Perceptions
  • Stakeholders
  • Risks
  • Resources
  • Results

Intro

The purpose of the IDEAS framework is to help you identify, evaluate and promote innovative ideas in the public sector.

Everything, from the smallest incremental improvement to the most transformational innovation, starts with an idea. Many public servants know of many opportunities to apply innovative solutions in their workplace. However the process of getting an idea, to implementing it, keeping it going and diffusing it throughout an agency and to other agencies can be complex, costly and time consuming.

Being able to evaluate the merit of new ideas very early in the innovation process is very important as it is the least costly stage in which to identify and eliminate likely failures, and focus attention on the more promising ideas. Innovation is not a democracy in which all ideas are created equal – it is a meritocracy where those ideas with demonstrated merit should be the ones to receive encouragement.

An IDEAS assessment is used to make an early assessment of a new idea. It should take place long before there is enough information to do a business case, and its purpose is to decide if further work on the idea is warranted.

IDEAS consists of a standardised analysis drawn from innovation research on the public sector. It provides a uniform, easily communicated and easily understood basis for assessment coupled with comprehensive feedback.

Instructions: To use the IDEAS framework, first click on Get Started! below. Fill out each page of the questionnaire according to the instructions at the top of the page, then click Next. Once you've completed the final page, click Get Results.


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4 comments

  1. neda February 26, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    I would like to see one example that other mentioned and was assessed

    Reply

  2. neda February 26, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    I would like to see one example that the other was mentioned and was assessed

    Reply

  3. Sharon Duggan August 31, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    Hi
    Would it be possible to view each stage of the Ideas Assessment without completing the fields? I would like to view the question set and provide feedback on this. A practical example is also useful and will help add more meat to the assessment questions.

    Reply

    • Alex Roberts - Centre for Excellence August 31, 2012 at 5:04 pm

      Sharon – the questions are available in alternate format from this page.

      The questions are very targeted at the user’s specific circumstances, drawing on their knowledge and their perspective, rather than against a benchmark. I can’t speak for Professor English, but I think there’s strength in not having an example as we don’t want to bias people’s responses – some people from the same organisation could very well have different responses against the questions to the very same idea. As well different examples will have differing relevance for different people – some relate more to policy, some to services, some to operational/administrative matters. What I think it usefully provides is a basis for setting out more systematically what our gut instict might be telling us, and giving us a means to discuss it with others. Alex

      Reply

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