Software Architecture for Co-Innovation Projects

Purpose Innovation is essential for competitive advantage and business growth and can be driven by approaches like open innovation (OI) and co-innovation (COI). Because of the complexity of innovation, traditional project management principles cannot be implemented to innovation projects. To deal with the complexity of innovation, software solutions can be used, especially to coordinate co-innovation projects (COIP). However, current software options only cover a few project phases and fail to address COI challenges comprehensively. Consequently, this study aims to develop a software architecture that addresses these gaps. Methodology The architecture was developed using requirement engineering. A focus group of ten industry experts used a canvas to determine specific requirements for producing companies. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify international requirements and global challenges. Finally, existing software solutions were analyzed to identify further gaps in requirements. These methods ensure that the proposed system is both practical and applicable in a wide context. Results The system architecture is composed of five distinct layers: (i) the client, (ii) API-gateway, (iii) the orchestration, (iv) the business logic, and (v) the data access. The system comprises microservices, which are categorized into five main groups: idea-, strategy-, patent management, collaboration and communication. These microservices are designed to perform core tasks, and their functionality is triggered by event-driven processes. Value The paper proposes a new type of software architecture that is not yet available for COIP. It includes the most important functional requirements, demonstrating how innovation projects, including those with high degree of complexity, can be supported and coordinated by software applications. The system displays the fundamental characteristics of a system structure to assist companies and developers in COIP coordination and proposes a foundation for optimal project management. The findings can be utilized as a basis for subsequent software developments. The study offers a notable contribution in the form of a specific software architecture that is tailored to the unique requirements of COIP.