Collect Internal and External Ideas for JPD via Automated Forms

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Capturing innovative ideas and valuable feedback is essential for driving product success. While Jira Product Discovery (JPD) offers a structured platform for managing and prioritizing ideas, it can be challenging to gather input from external users and internal teams without direct access to JPD ideas creation. Enter Smart Forms for Jira—the ultimate solution to bridge the gap between contributors and your JPD database, making idea collection seamless and efficient.

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Why Smart Forms for Jira?

1. Single Contributor, Unlimited Input

Unlike JPD, where each contributor requires a license, Smart Forms for Jira allows you to gather feedback and insights from unlimited external and internal users with internal and external sharing possibilities. This creates cost efficiencies while ensuring comprehensive input collection.

2. Multi-Channel Idea Collection

Smart Forms empowers you to gather ideas through various touchpoints:

• Embed Forms on Websites or Confluence pages: Create a public feature request portal to allow customers and partners to share ideas directly to your JPD or Jira without requiring access.
• Share via Links or QR Codes: Distribute forms in newsletters, at events, or via social media for maximum engagement.
• Add to issues automatically or manually: you can set up each for some projects and issue types within that project to auto-attach form to that issues. For example initiative issue type within product project will have idea collection form, so all of your ideas and initivives will be on JPD board for prioritization.
• Project Shortcuts: Attach forms directly to project shortcuts in Jira to simplify idea submission for internal teams. Any team member can go to the shortcuts link and submit form to create idea for validation

All submissions seamlessly generate an idea with form fields mapped to idea fields, centralizing feedback for streamlined prioritization and action.

3. Internal Collaboration Made Easy

Smart Forms aren’t just for external users. Attach forms to Jira issues or project shortcuts to collect ideas and improvement suggestions from your coworkers. This is especially effective for internal innovation campaigns or cross-departmental collaboration.

4. Effortless Idea Management

Every form submission automatically creates a new idea in JPD with mapped form fields. This ensures all feedback is well-organized and ready for analysis without manual data entry.

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How to Set It Up

Step 1: Design Your Idea Collection Form

• Navigate to Smart Forms in Jira: Create a form specifically designed for idea submissions.
• Key Fields to Include:
  • Idea Title: Mapped to JPD’s Summary field.
  • Description: Captures detailed context and potential solutions.
  • Goal or Purpose: Helps identify the idea’s objective.
  • Product Area: Categorizes the idea by its impact area.
  • Team/Department (Optional): Useful for internal forms to identify the source.
• Enable Pre-Fill Options: Automatically populate form fields like "Product Area" or "Department" with values from Jira fields for consistency.

Step 2: Configure Form Actions for JPD

• Create New Issue: Set the form to create a new idea in JPD upon submission.
• Field Mapping: Map form fields to JPD fields like Summary, Description, or Objective.
• Notifications: Configure notifications to inform teams or submitters when their ideas are logged.

Step 3: Share Forms for Internal and External Submissions

• External Channels:
  • Embed forms on public-facing websites or share links and QR codes for customers and partners.
• Internal Channels:
  • Add forms to Jira issues to allow employees to submit ideas directly within ongoing projects.
  • Attach forms to project shortcuts in Jira, giving teams quick and easy access to submit ideas without navigating through multiple menus.
  • Use Confluence integration to encourage idea sharing during team meetings or brainstorming sessions.

Step 4: Manage Submissions and Ideas

• JPD Integration: All form submissions automatically generate new JPD ideas, complete with mapped fields.
• Responses Tab: View and analyze all submissions in the Smart Forms add-on.
• Internal Collaboration: Link internal ideas submitted through forms to ongoing projects or epics in Jira.

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Use Cases for Multi-Channel Idea Collection

1. Public Feature Request Portal

Create a centralized portal for customers to share feature ideas by embedding forms on your website. Each submission directly populates your JPD database, enabling a streamlined feedback process.

2. Internal Improvement Campaigns

Attach forms to Jira project shortcuts, allowing employees to easily submit ideas for operational improvements or new initiatives. This encourages company-wide participation in innovation efforts.

3. QR Code Campaigns

Distribute QR codes at events, in marketing materials, or on product packaging. Customers scan the code, submit their ideas, and each response is recorded as a new JPD idea.

4. Product Feedback from Confluence

Embed forms in Confluence pages used by cross-functional teams. Gather structured feedback during retrospectives or planning meetings, and sync ideas directly to JPD.

5. Collaborative Team Brainstorms

Attach forms to Jira issues related to ongoing projects, encouraging team members to contribute suggestions for enhancements or problem-solving.

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Key Benefits of Smart Forms for JPD

1. Cost-Effective Contribution: Collect ideas from unlimited users with just one licensed contributor.
2. Unified Database: Sync all submissions—external and internal—into a single JPD idea base for easy management.
3. Time Efficiency: Automatically map and organize feedback, eliminating manual data entry.
4. Enhanced Collaboration: Empower both customers and employees to share ideas seamlessly across platforms.
5. Consistent Input: Use pre-fill options and mapped fields to ensure submissions are well-structured and actionable.

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Best Practices for Success

1. Guide Users with Clear Instructions: Ensure external contributors know what information is required and how their input will be used.
2. Create a Feedback Loop: Use automation to notify contributors when their idea is accepted or updated, keeping them engaged in the process.
3. Use Notifications for related team members: Set up in app notifications to product managers of new submissions, keeping them updated in real-time.
4. Leverage Tags and Labels: Organize submissions by category or priority in JPD to streamline the review process.
5. Combine Data with Analytics: Export responses from Smart Forms for further analysis, gaining deeper insights into trends and customer needs.

Why Multi-Channel Collection Matters

With Smart Forms for Jira, you’re not limited to a single touchpoint for idea collection. By enabling input from websites, links, QR codes, and Confluence, you:

• Expand Your Reach: Collect feedback from a wider audience, both internal and external.
• Centralize Feedback: Consolidate all submissions into your JPD database, creating a unified workflow for idea prioritization.
• Enhance Engagement: Make it easy for stakeholders to contribute ideas, no matter where they are.
• Scalability: Handle ideas from hundreds of users without needing individual contributor licenses for JPD.

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Conclusion

Smart Forms for Jira isn’t just a tool—it’s your gateway to streamlined ideas or feedback collection and management for all Jira products. Whether you’re gathering insights from external users, brainstorming internally, or running feature request campaigns, Smart Forms simplifies the process and maximizes impact.

➡️ Start using Smart Forms for Jira  today to connect with every idea, from every source!