The overview page in Aha! Ideas provides real-time insights into your submitted feedback. In turn, you can prioritize work that aligns with customer needs.
6 steps to building your idea management process
A structured approach makes it difficult to overlook valuable ideas. Below are key steps to follow:
1. Capture ideas: Use idea management software like Aha! Ideas to centralize feedback. A dedicated ideas portal gives customers a transparent way to submit suggestions, see other requests, and vote on the ones that resonate with them.
2. Review every idea: Set a consistent review cadence to assess new submissions. Some ideas will need more context; engage with the submitter to clarify use cases and explore how the idea could enhance the product.
3. Score ideas objectively: Use a value-based scorecard to rank ideas according to impact and effort. Even a simple value vs. effort scale helps prioritize what will bring the most benefit to customers and the business.
4. Identify common themes: Leverage AI-powered analysis to spot trends across submissions and understand broader customer needs. Recognizing patterns helps focus on high-impact opportunities rather than reacting to individual requests.
5. Promote the best ideas to your roadmap: Once prioritized, the strongest ideas should transition into features and end up on your roadmap. Aha! Roadmaps makes it easy to connect ideas to initiatives while ensuring alignment with your strategy and team capacity.
6. Keep customers informed: Transparent communication builds trust, so let customers know when their ideas are planned. And if an idea is not a fit, explain why (kindly). A thoughtful response encourages future participation and keeps engagement high.
Related:
Ideas are endless, but your team's time is not. That is why it is essential to weigh opportunities against what is realistic to deliver. Your strategic goals and initiatives should serve as the framework for deciding which ideas will have the most impact — helping you focus on improvements that truly enhance your product and business.
Refer back to your product strategy and team capacity when determining what to build and when. Prioritizing ideas effectively helps you deliver meaningful, innovative product experiences that align with customer needs and business objectives.
FAQs about idea management
What is idea management?
Idea management is how you turn feedback into action. It is the process of capturing and prioritizing ideas to shape a better product. The best product teams go beyond simply collecting input — they analyze trends and connect ideas to strategic goals. Aha! Ideas gives you a central place to gather insights and confidently decide what to build next.
How do you determine the best ideas to prioritize?
Not every idea is worth pursuing, but the right ones can drive incredible impact. The key is determining whether an idea aligns with your strategy and meets customer needs. Aha! Ideas helps you score ideas based on these factors, making it easier to determine what will add the most value. Features like voting and custom scorecards can help you identify high-value ideas that align with your roadmap.
How can I keep customers and stakeholders informed about idea progress?
Transparency builds trust. When people take the time to share ideas, they want to know what happens next. Aha! Ideas portals make it easy to give customers and internal teams visibility into submitted ideas and status updates. You can use status labels and automated emails to communicate decisions and show how feedback influences your roadmap.
