Brainstorming To invent new way of doing things or when much is unknown When there are few or too many ideas Early on in a project particularly when Terrain is uncertain There is little expertise for the type of applications ID: 465123
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BrainstormingSlide2
Brainstorming
To invent
new way
of doing things or when much is unknownWhen there are few or too many ideasEarly on in a project particularly when:Terrain is uncertainThere is little expertise for the type of applicationsInnovation is important (e.g., novel system)Two main activities: The Storm: Generating as many ideas as possible (quantity, not quality) – wild is good!The Calm: Filtering out of ideas (combine, clarify, prioritize, improve…) to keep the best one(s) – may require some voting strategyRoles: scribe, moderator (may also provoke), participantsSlide3
Brainstorming – Objectives
Hear ideas from everyone, especially unconventional ideas
Keep the tone informal and non-judgemental
Keep the number of participants “reasonable“ – if too many, consider a “playoff “-type filtering and invite back the most creative to multiple sessionsEncourage creativityChoose good, provocative project name.Choose good, provocative problem statementGet a room without distractions, but with good acoustics, whiteboards, coloured pens, provide coffee/donuts/pizza/beerProvide appropriate props/mock-upsSlide4
Brainstorming – Roles
Scribe
Write down all ideas (may also contribute)
May ask clarifying questions during first phase but without criticizingModerator/LeaderCannot be the scribeTwo schools of thought: traffic cop or agent provocateurTraffic cop – enforces "rules of order", but does not throw his/her weight around otherwiseAgent provocateur – traffic cop plus more of a leadership role, comes prepared with wild ideas and throws them out as discussion wanesMay also explicitly look for variations and combinations of other suggestionsSlide5
Brainstorming – Participants
Virtually any stakeholder, e.g.
Developers
Domain expertsEnd-usersClients... “Ideas-people” – a company may have a special team of peopleChair or participate in brainstorming sessionsNot necessarily further involved with the projectSlide6
Brainstorming – The Storm
Goal is to generate as many ideas as possible
Quantity, not quality, is the goal at this stage
Look to combine or vary ideas already suggestedNo criticism or debate is permitted – do not want to inhibit participantsParticipants understand nothing they say will be held against them later onScribe writes down all ideas where everyone can seee.g., whiteboard, paper taped to wallIdeas do not leave the room Wild is goodFeel free to be gloriously wrongParticipants should NOT censor themselves or take too long to consider whether an idea is practical or not – let yourself go!Slide7
Brainstorming – The Calm
Go over the list of ideas and explain them more clearly
Categorize into "maybe" and "no" by pre-agreed consensus method
Informal consensus50% + 1 vote vs. “clear majority”Does anyone have veto power?Be careful about time and peopleMeetings (especially if creative or technical in nature) tend to lose focus after 90 to 120 minutes – take breaks or reconvene laterBe careful not to offend participantsReview, consolidate, combine, clarify, improveRank the list by priority somehowChoose the winning idea(s)Slide8
Brainstorming – Eliminating Ideas
There are some common ways to eliminate some ideas
Blending ideas
Unify similar ideas but be aware not to force fit everything into one ideaGive each participant $100 to spend on the ideasApply acceptance criteria prepared prior to meetingEliminate the ideas that do not meet the criteriaVarious ranking or scoring methodsAssign points for criteria met, possibly use a weighted formulaVote with threshold or campaign speechesPossibly select top k for voting treatmentSlide9
Brainstorming – Tool Support
With many good ideas, some outrageous and even farfetched, brainstorming can be really fun!
Creates a great environment that stimulates
people and motivates them to perform well!Can be done by email, but a good moderator/leader is needed toPrevent flamers to come into playPrevent race conditions due to the asynchronous communication mediumBe careful not to go into too much detailCollaboration tools are also possibleTWiki and many other more appropriate tools such as BrainStorm and IdeaFisherSlide10
The Stepladder Technique
This improves the contribution of quieter members of the group, by introducing ideas one person at a time.
Brainwriting
Brainwriting uses a written approach to brainstorming to generate and develop ideas. This helps you get ideas from all individuals, and develop these ideas in depth.Brain-netting This is similar to Brainwriting, but uses an electronic document stored on a central server.The Crawford's Slip Approach
The Crawford's Slip Approach helps you get plenty of ideas from all participants in your session, and gives you a view of the popularity of each idea.The techniques below help you in specific brainstorming situations:
Reverse Brainstorming
This is useful for improving a product or service.
Star bursting
Star bursting helps you brainstorm the questions you need to ask to evaluate a proposal.
Charette
Procedure
This procedure helps you brainstorm effectively with large groups of people.
Round-Robin Brainstorming
This technique helps you ensure that people will contribute great ideas
without being influenced by others in the group.
Brainstromming