Transportation Security Administration’s IdeaFactory:

Crowdsourcing for a Safer America

A Web–based tool that uses social media concepts to harness the “wisdom of the crowds” and expand upon the traditional

suggestion box. 1

TSA wanted to bring employees together

2

Frontline employees know how to “mitigate the threat”

3

Innovation is one of TSA’s Core Values

TSA is committed to doing things better, and knew the

workforce could provide these

answers!

4

TSA built a ground-breaking, internal social network that is the model for

collaboration and transparency in the government

5

Driven from the top of the organization

Integrated Project Team

Concept to launch within 6 weeks

Teaser campaign and live webcast

Quick implementation of ideas

“Build it and they will come” philosophy doesn’t work; processes and rules of

engagement were necessary

Like social media, IdeaFactory is not technology, it’s people!

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Engaged Employees Optimized

Processes

Strategic Communicatio

ns

Senior Leadership

Users build solutions to problems

8

The community decides which ideas they like best, and those ideas are

evaluated

9

Also, users comment on each other’s ideas, collaborating to make

them better and making a connection

between distant airports

Popular or “hot” ideas are elevated for evaluation

10

The dedicated members of the IdeaFactory Review Board review ideas

for implementation

11

The IdeaFactory Team promotes every move we make, which keeps our process

transparent

12

Program office experts respond to all evaluated ideas, whether or not they make

the cut

13

TSA has four people who help put ideas into action, and keep users coming back

for more

• Program Management

• Analysis, Evaluation and Process Optimization

• Site Moderation

• Communications

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On average, 10 ideas are submitted each day, each idea receives 9 comments and 23 ratings

Approximately 150 new users visit the site each week, 6,000 users visit the site each month, and 40 percent of the visitors actively contribute

As of August 26, there were:9,700 ideas79,000 comments275,000 ratings27,000 users40 + new programs

IdeaFactory has definitely won the popularity contest at TSA

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IdeaFactory is a success at TSA

• Employees contribute actively

• Provides a “voice” for employees

• Employees “talk”, educate and inform each other and build an online community

• HQ programs obtain valuable program feedback and interact with employees directly

• Fosters information sharing

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“I feel

empowered to

improve my job.” “…gives me a look at the ‘big

picture’”

“It keeps employees up to date on current issue/happenings.”

The White House named TSA IdeaFactory a model of Open

Government

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Tip #1 Don’t be afraid to start small and grow

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Listening to the users helps build a community…

Tip #2: It’s all about balance

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Wisdom of the Crowds

+Subject Matter

Expertise

= Success!

Tip #3: The IdeaFactory is a program, not a website

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