IBM periodically runs internal crowd-funding campaigns, using an internal tool called ifundIT, which allows any IBMer to propose an idea to the crowd. In 2014 and 2015, I helped to design and develop the proposed ideas, using an external crowdsourcing platform called TopCoder.

Challenges

• Working with IBMers with a wide variety of backgrounds and skill, to help them achieve what they are envisioning
• Melding a crowd-sourcing process with our local Agile processes
• Managing numerous projects simultaneously -- 33 projects (design only) in the 2014 campaign (mobile-focus), and 17 projects (design AND development) in the 2015 campaign (Bluemix cloud focus).

Here are some images from the mobile campaign that we ran in 2014:

What I did

In my role as portfolio manager, I was involved in many steps of the process:

• Interviewing innovators to help develop their use cases
• Describing initial requirements, create wireframes (when needed), and review designs
• Managing schedules and budgets
• Closing down technical gaps
• Validating finished projects