Atlassian's Internal Innovation: Employee Product Ideas

Fostering Innovation at Scale: Atlassian's Point A Program

Maintaining the innovative spirit of a startup as a company grows into a public entity presents a significant challenge. Atlassian is addressing this by implementing a unique internal competition designed to identify and develop promising product ideas originating from its employees.

Introducing Point A: An Internal Startup Incubator

Steve Goldsmith, leading the initiative at Atlassian, describes Point A as an in-house startup incubator. The core objective is to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement, prompting employees to consistently explore novel approaches to product enhancement.

Participation is open to the entire workforce, extending beyond traditional innovators like engineers and product managers. Atlassian believes valuable insights can emerge from all corners of the organization.

From Idea to Product: A Structured Process

“Point A serves as our internal mechanism for transforming concepts into tangible products,” Goldsmith explained. “It allows us to harness the innovation occurring throughout the company and provides a structured pathway for ideas to mature into offerings for our customers.”

Many organizations host hackathons and similar events, often resulting in creative product concepts. However, these ideas frequently remain unrealized, shelved after the event concludes. Point A offers a platform for employees to compete and validate the viability of their experiments.

Unearthing Hidden Potential

Goldsmith elaborated, “We view Point A as a means of identifying the diverse ideas and prototypes that employees harbor, and providing a process for bringing them to fruition. It’s about investing in concepts that demonstrate potential.”

By establishing a formal internal process for evaluation and potential funding, Atlassian assures employees their proposals will be considered. This provides a clear channel for submission and ensures visibility for innovative ideas.

Success Stories and Program Evolution

Launched in 2019, the initial phase of Point A involved evaluating 35 potential projects. Following a rigorous selection process in January of the previous year, nine projects were chosen for further development. This week marks the release of four resulting products, including the Jira Work Management tool.

The program is now entering its next iteration, with employees preparing to present their ideas in a competitive pitch day. Goldsmith likened the event to a “fun Shark Tank or The Voice-inspired competition.”

Executive Support and Investment

The involvement of Atlassian’s co-founders and co-CEOs, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, as judges underscores the program’s importance and demonstrates a commitment to employee-driven innovation.

Participants receive dedicated funding, time allocated away from their regular duties, and guidance from executive coaches. This is combined with direct customer collaboration and early founder engagement, aiming to establish a scalable and repeatable process for translating innovative ideas into customer-focused solutions.

A Model for Internal Innovation

While not every idea will succeed, the Point A program has proven effective in fostering internal innovation. It serves as a valuable model for other companies seeking to maintain a startup mindset as they scale and grow.