You have no idea if your idea matters until you share it.
I am a firm believer that you need a well-defined leadership role to deal with unexpected and non-linear side effects of people working together. You need someone to keep the threads untangled and forming a high-functioning web rather than a big snarl of a Gordian knot.
Your work speaks for you.
Start with something messy, get to the point, get an editor, and make it good.
A milestone is less date and more definition.
Watch with awe and amazement at how quickly an engineer will become totally annoyed by inefficiency.