Design of an Idea Evaluation Method for SMEs Involving External Support Units

Abstract

The joint effects of digital innovations constitute a continuous change process known as digital transformation. Every digital innovation is inevitably preceded by the initial idea for it. Furthermore, the success of innovations and, thereby, digital transformation is vitally dependent on their starting points, that is, ideas. Literature and practice observations reveal that SMEs often base their idea selection on intuitions and gut feelings rather than rigorous methods. Furthermore, they often miss the opportunity to involve external support units. Therefore, the research objective is to develop an IT-supported, criteria-based, and multi-stage idea evaluation method supporting the selection of digital innovation ideas in the context of SMEs' digital transformation. Methodologically, a design science research approach is followed. A structured literature review, two focus group discussions, and three interviews inform the artifact's design. The artifact comes with a comprehensive set of evaluation criteria embedded into a flexible evaluation method that involves an interaction concept with external supporters. Thereby, it solves a practice-inspired problem and contributes to the existing repertoire of idea management tools.