Lock Idea Edits and Activities by Phase for Fair, Audit-Ready Evaluations

Who Decides When to Lock a Phase and When Ideas Move Through Stages?

Your team decides. You control which phases allow edits and which phases lock content. You also set permissions for who has the authority to move ideas from one phase to another. For example, you might allow department leaders or innovation managers to transition ideas into evaluation, while keeping those same ideas locked from further edits during rating.

This stage-gated approach gives you full governance over your process. You decide which roles hold decision rights at each step, so your workflow stays consistent and your audit trail stays clean.

How Do I Lock Ideas During Evaluation to Keep Ratings Fair?

You configure phase settings so that once an idea moves into your evaluation phase, edits are disabled. Raters see the idea exactly as it was when evaluation began. No one changes the content mid-rating, so all evaluators score the same version.

You also lock rating activities themselves, so submitted scores stay final. This protects the integrity of your evaluation and gives you a fair comparison when you review results later.

Can I Control Who Can Rate Ideas and When They Rate?

Yes. You set permissions by phase and by user group. You define which users form your rating panel, and you restrict rating to a specific phase in your process. Outside that phase, or outside that group, no one else submits scores.

This means you run a controlled validation period with the right evaluators, at the right time, without interference from other contributors.

Can Submitters See Other Ideas During Collection or Evaluation?

You control visibility for each phase. You decide whether contributors see other submissions, or only their own. This is useful when you run competitions or need unbiased input, such as when engineers submit ideas independently without influence from other entries.

You apply these visibility rules per phase, so you maintain a partially open process when collaboration helps, and a closed process when fairness or confidentiality matters.

Can I Approve or Moderate Ideas Before They Become Visible to Others?

Ideanote offers phase-based visibility controls. You place incoming ideas into a phase that remains hidden from most users. Admins or moderators review ideas there, then move approved entries into a visible phase where others engage.

This pre-moderation workflow keeps the process clean and ensures only relevant, appropriate ideas reach the wider team or public audience.

Does Locking Content Help With Compliance and Audit Requirements?

Yes. When you lock phases and activities, you preserve the original state of ideas, ratings, and form entries. Auditors see exactly what evaluators saw during rating, without retroactive changes. You also lock user profile fields, such as email addresses, when compliance rules require stable identity records.

These controls give you a clean audit trail and meet governance standards for transparency and fairness in your innovation process.

What Activities Can I Lock Besides Idea Edits?

You lock form entries so submitted data stays final. You lock ratings so evaluators cannot revise their scores after submission. You also lock commenting or other collaborative activities during specific phases, such as evaluation, when you need a stable record.

Each activity follows the rules you set for its phase. You configure the workflow once, then the platform enforces those rules automatically as ideas move forward.