This year's R&D Innovation and Product Development World Summit sparked some great conversations with teams navigating the real-world challenges of scaling innovation across regions, product lines, and timelines. While everyone's context is different, a few clear themes emerged.
Seeing the Whole Picture
One of the biggest reactions we heard? “Relief” at the idea that you can finally manage innovation from start to finish in one system. Most vendors only focus on a narrow slice of the process such as idea management or PPM, but what stood out about Wellspring’s approach is the ability to track progress from early-stage ideation all the way through delivery, and continue managing it post-launch. That end-to-end view resonated.
Scaling Without Overcomplicating
Many teams are trying to do more with what they already have: lean teams, evolving priorities, and systems that sort of work, but not quite. That’s where Accolade Core resonated as it offers a strong foundation and the flexibility to expand over time. The modular approach means teams can begin with what makes sense for them now, then grow the solution as their needs change.
Smarter Priorities
Resource planning was a common thread. How do you know which projects to fund, where to allocate resources, or how to compare initiatives across regions? Leaders are hungry for more visibility here, especially when innovation portfolios span continents. Having one place to assess trade-offs and make decisions more confidently? That got attention.
A Fix for Spreadsheet Fatigue
It’s 2025, and yet many teams are still managing innovation in spreadsheets. It’s exhausting, error-prone, and it slows everything down. Without a shared structure, it’s difficult to compare projects, spot risks early, or keep leadership aligned. The move toward a system that brings clarity and consistency was a welcome shift for many.
That’s why Accolade’s built-in structure resonated so strongly. Instead of stitching together manual processes, teams get a platform that standardizes how innovation is captured, evaluated, progressed, and reported. With configurable workflows, consistent data inputs, and automated steps where they matter, teams finally gain a repeatable process they can trust and spend more time moving work forward, not wrangling spreadsheets!
The conversations from the summit made one thing clear: teams are ready for a smarter, more connected way to drive Growth innovation forward, and Accolade is meeting that moment.
See how Accolade can help your R&D team scale growth. Book a demo today.