IdeaScale is a globally recognized Idea and Innovation Management Software platform and a long-term partner of BeeWeb. After years of successful collaboration, we were entrusted with developing the Microsoft Teams application of IdeaScale, essentially extending the platform into a fully functional Teams app.

The goal was to replicate IdeaScale’s structured innovation ecosystem within Microsoft Teams while maintaining seamless synchronization with the client-managed backend. This meant translating a multi-layered organizational structure into a Teams-native experience that feels intuitive, fast, and aligned with Microsoft’s UI standards.

We handled the full frontend development of the Teams application and managed the integration layer connecting it to IdeaScale’s backend systems.

    🔹 Backend Managed by Client
One of the main challenges was that the backend was fully handled by IdeaScale’s internal team. This required constant communication, detailed API coordination, and frequent back-and-forth discussions to ensure proper alignment between frontend logic and backend responses.

    🔹 Microsoft Teams Store Submission:
Another significant challenge was the Microsoft Teams Store submission process. Microsoft conducts deep reviews not only of technical implementation but also of business logic, user journeys, compliance documentation, and privacy policies. During the review, we were asked to refine user flows, adjust privacy-related elements, and even implement additional components such as a Help Center, which was required for approval but not initially planned.

    🔹 Complex Hierarchical Logic
Additionally, mapping IdeaScale’s hierarchical structure - organizations, users, workspaces, campaigns, and ideas into a Teams interface demanded thoughtful UX architecture to ensure clarity without overwhelming the user.

To address integration and compliance complexity, we:

    🔹 Established structured API communication workflows with IdeaScale’s backend team

    🔹 Conducted continuous alignment sessions to reduce inconsistencies

    🔹 Carefully mapped organizational hierarchy into Teams-based UX

    🔹 Implemented missing compliance components such as Help Center and refined privacy documentation

    🔹 Iteratively adjusted user journeys based on Microsoft’s feedback

We ensured that the Microsoft Teams app maintained full feature parity with IdeaScale’s logic while adapting naturally to Teams’ interface standards.

The project was delivered over a period of 3–4 months by a focused team consisting of one Full Stack Developer and one Project Manager.

The development involved building workspace-based idea environments where each organization contains users, each user operates within a workspace, each workspace hosts campaigns, and each campaign contains ideas. Within this structure, users can create, draft, update, or delete ideas, as well as interact with others through likes, comments, favorites, and kudos.

We also implemented user profile settings and advanced idea search functionality with filtering by workspace and user, ensuring that larger organizations could easily navigate innovation activity.

The Project Manager played a key role in coordinating backend communication, aligning business logic, and managing the Microsoft Teams Store approval process from submission to final acceptance.

Technology & Architecture

• Frontend Framework: Next.js: enabling fast, scalable React-based application development.

• UI System: Fluent UI: Microsoft’s official design framework ensuring seamless Teams-native experience.

The architecture was designed to ensure smooth integration while preserving enterprise-grade innovation management logic.

    🔹 Structured Innovation Hierarchy
Organizations → Workspaces → Campaigns → Ideas.

    🔹 Collaborative Engagement Tools
Like, comment, favorite, and grant kudos to ideas within Teams.

    🔹 Advanced Idea Management
Draft, update, delete ideas, user profile settings, and filtered search by workspace or user.

The Ideascale Team Integration app is now:

✔ Live in Microsoft Teams

✔ Fully functional and compliant with Microsoft standards

✔ Successfully aligned with IdeaScale’s backend ecosystem

✔ Enabling structured innovation directly within enterprise collaboration environments

This project demonstrates our expertise in building secure, enterprise-grade integrations within third-party ecosystems like Microsoft Teams.

We’ve already navigated complex backend integrations, Microsoft compliance processes, and enterprise app store submissions. Let’s bring your product directly into your users’ daily workflow, seamlessly and at scale.

Extending a SaaS platform into Microsoft Teams?

We’ve already navigated complex backend integrations, Microsoft compliance processes, and enterprise app store submissions. Let’s bring your product directly into your users’ daily workflow, seamlessly and at scale. Book a call with our CTO for free today!