New Sopheon Software Links Idea Development to Strategic Product Planning and Execution

Idea LabTM Expands Capability of Accolade® Software Suite to Support Front End
of Innovation Process

BOSTON--(Business Wire)--
Sopheon, the international provider of software and services for product
lifecycle management, today announced the introduction of an addition to its
flagship software system, Accolade, designed specifically for use in generating,
nurturing and developing new product ideas. Called Idea Lab, the new solution is
the result of a partnership between Sopheon and Hype Software, a German-based
supplier of idea management software for product development. According to
Sopheon, the offering expands Accolade`s capacity to strengthen the early stages
of product innovation, and creates the first software solution in the industry
to provide all-in-one support for strategic product planning, ideation and
innovation process execution.

A Complete, Virtual Laboratory for Idea Development

Sopheon`s new Idea Lab software provides the adopting organization with a
comprehensive set of consistent, sustainable processes for successful ideation.
Idea Lab can be used to launch and manage campaigns, publicize and motivate
participation, and to establish communities of innovators within which ideas can
be solicited, shared and evaluated. The solution enables easy examination of the
fit between newly generated concepts and roadmaps and other plans, ensuring that
the ideas selected for development are aligned with market, technology and
corporate- growth strategies. Idea Lab supports scoring and filtering of ideas,
as well as voting-based assessment. The software contains process elements that
also allow submitted ideas to be challenged and expanded. High-value ideas are
forwarded into a gated process for concept development. The remainder can be
stored in Idea Lab`s idea bank for future consideration.

In most companies, ideation efforts suffer from a lack of focus: too many ideas
and not enough resources to implement them. Organization and prioritization are
essential to the generation of value. Idea Lab allows users to electronically
arrange promising ideas by categories such as innovation type, product line,
enabling technology or target market, making it easy to find those that are
relevant to specific business issues. Ideas can be ranked, merged or rejected,
and similar ideas can be organized inside portfolios for further evaluation.
Contributors are incented by the solution`s built-in reward and recognition
mechanisms.

An Incubator for Breakthrough Product Innovation

Individual effort generates good ideas. Collaboration generates great ones. Idea
Lab offers a rich mix of features that encourage and facilitate knowledge
transfer and collaborative ideation. Ideas can be shared with targeted users or
made visible to innovation communities throughout the enterprise for
system-aided feedback and discussion. Idea submitters are made aware of
individuals within the organization who have related interests. The software
provides an ideation commons where these contacts can easily converge, exchange
thoughts and initiate action. The resulting dialogue and work collaboration not
only help further shape existing ideas, they can spark additional ideas that
build on initial concepts and potentially turn them into transformational
innovation.

Idea Lab fosters serendipity by automatically showing the user previously
submitted ideas that are similar to his/her submission, and notifying him/her
when new ideas of potential interest enter the system. The software features
Idea BrowserTM, an embedded navigation engine that enables easy discovery within
Idea Lab`s repository of concepts, campaigns and idea challenges, oftentimes
inspiring further ideation.

Innovation Strategy, Ideation and Execution in a Single Solution

New ideas are rarely in short supply. Most organizations have an abundance of
them. But generating ideas and being able to turn those ideas into revenue and
profit are two entirely different things. One of the greatest shortcomings of
traditional idea and innovation management software is that it focuses only on
the generation, organization and, in the best cases, evaluation of ideas. There
is no systematic alignment of ideation with strategic planning, and no support
to help users traverse the potential "dead zones" that separate the generation
of ideas from getting those ideas into the developmental pipeline and through to
the market.

Because Idea Lab is a component of the Accolade software suite, it is easily
connected to the solution`s broader capabilities, including product planning,
product portfolio management, and innovation process automation and governance.
This integration surmounts the challenges of transitioning from one process
stage to another. At the front end of the innovation cycle, Accolade`s Vision
StrategistTM component delivers automated support for the development of
strategic product plans. The plans feed into Idea Lab, where they become part of
the litmus test for evaluating the strategic fit and viability of submitted
ideas. The most promising concepts seamlessly migrate from Idea Lab into the
user`s Accolade-supported gate- or phase-based innovation processes, ensuring
that they are not fumbled in the hand-off and reducing the time it takes to turn
ideas into products. Accolade also subsequently supplies the product portfolio
management, commercialization and post-launch support required to manage newly
created products until they are retired from the marketplace.

"Innovation isn`t about the number of ideas an organization generates," said
Bryan Seyfarth, director of product marketing for Sopheon. "It`s about business
outcomes and results. With the addition of Idea Lab, Accolade allows
organizations to draw a direct line between ideation and revenue and profit
growth."

Idea Lab is available immediately for purchase and implementation as part of the
Accolade software suite.

Accolade® is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc.
Idea LabTM, Idea BrowserTM and Vision StrategistTM are trademarks of Sopheon
plc.
All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

About Sopheon

Sopheon (LSE:SPE) is an international provider of product lifecycle management
software and services. Its solutions help organizations increase revenues and
profits from new products by synchronizing innovation planning and execution.
Sopheon`s Accolade® software automates the product innovation process and
provides strategic decision support for the management of product portfolios.
Its Vision Strategist™ component automates the roadmapping process, allowing
users to visualize and forecast the future of products, markets and
technologies. Sopheon`s solutions are used by industry leaders throughout the
world, including BASF, Cadbury Schweppes, Corning, Electrolux, General Motors,
Honeywell, Motorola and SAB Miller. Sopheon is listed on the AIM Market of the
London Stock Exchange and on the Euronext in the Netherlands. For more
information, please visit www.sopheon.com.

Media Contact:
Sopheon
Ron Helgeson +1 952-851-7585
ron.helgeson@sopheon.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009