Project Idea Submission

Project ideas shared through email or informal conversations give innovation and project review teams an incomplete and inconsistent record of what is being proposed. The problem or opportunity the idea addresses is not articulated. The proposed solution is described without reference to the target audience, the resources required, or the risks involved. Budget estimates are unstated. Milestones and timelines are not captured. Without a centralized, structured idea intake process, evaluating and comparing project ideas consistently and ensuring that promising proposals receive proper consideration requires more effort than it should.

The Project Idea Submission template for SharePoint, built with Infowise Ultimate Forms, provides an idea submission form that captures the submitter's details, the project title and type, a project summary, target audience or beneficiaries, the problem or opportunity being addressed, the proposed solution, key features and benefits, project goals, estimated budget, required resources, potential risks and challenges, proposed timeline with start and completion dates, key milestones, references or similar projects, and additional comments. Every submission is stored as a complete, reviewable record in SharePoint.

How it works

Submitter details and project identification

The form captures the submitter's full name, position or role, department, and contact email alongside the project title and project type. Capturing the submitter's role and department gives the review team the organizational context needed to assess the idea in relation to where it is coming from and whether the submitter has relevant domain expertise to inform its evaluation.

Problem statement and proposed solution

A project summary column provides a concise overview. A target audience or beneficiaries column identifies who the project is designed to serve. A problem or opportunity statement column asks the submitter to articulate what the idea is responding to. A proposed solution column captures how the submitter proposes to address it. Capturing problem and solution in distinct columns ensures that the review team can assess whether the proposed solution is well matched to the problem it is intended to solve, rather than evaluating the idea in the abstract.

Features, benefits, and goals

A key features and benefits column captures what the project will deliver and why it is valuable. A project goals column captures the specific outcomes the submitter expects the project to achieve. Separating features from goals ensures the review team has both a practical description of what will be built and a clear statement of what success looks like.

Budget, resources, and risks

An estimated budget column captures the anticipated financial investment. A required resources column documents what people, technology, or other assets will be needed. A potential risks and challenges column asks the submitter to identify what could go wrong and what obstacles might need to be overcome. Capturing risk awareness at the submission stage signals that the idea has been considered with appropriate realism and gives the review team a more complete picture for their evaluation.

Timeline, milestones, and references

Proposed start and expected completion date columns define the intended project window. A key milestones column captures significant delivery points within that window. A references or similar projects column allows the submitter to point to comparable initiatives, evidence of precedent, or supporting research. An additional comments column captures anything not covered by the structured columns.

What you get

• A project idea submission form capturing submitter name, role, department, email, project title, and project type
• Target audience, problem or opportunity statement, and proposed solution in distinct columns
• Key features and benefits alongside project goals for comprehensive idea evaluation
• Estimated budget, required resources, and potential risks and challenges
• Proposed start and completion dates with key milestones and references to similar projects
• Every submission stored as a complete, reviewable record in a standard SharePoint list
• Free for all Ultimate Forms customers, installed automatically with a single click

Built on standard SharePoint lists

The Project Idea Submission system is built entirely on standard SharePoint lists. There is no external data storage and no custom interface. All submission records stay inside your SharePoint environment, governed by your existing permissions and data policies. The system can be extended or adapted at any time in the browser by the administrator who manages the site.