Transcript Brainstorming - STM Quality.co.uk

STM Quality
Limited
Brainstorming
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Brainstorming
©©ABSL
Power Solutions
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Limited 2007
What is ‘Brainstorming’?
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 It is a technique which
encourages creative thinking
and the generation of ideas.
It is used to:
 Generate a list of problems and
opportunities
 Generate possible solutions
 Develop Action Plans
 Enhance other techniques such
as F.M.E.A.s
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What can Brainstorming Do?
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 Providing that the rules and principles are
carefully followed, brainstorming should
achieve the following results:
 Produce a lot of ideas in a short time
 Enable team members to contribute
individually and to benefit from ideas
generated by others
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What Else Can
Brainstorming Do?
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 Helps to create an environment which
enhances group activity or teamwork
 Provides a more positive environment in
which to approach problem solving
 Encourages deeper thinking about particular
problems
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Thinking
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 Most people have well developed logical
thinking skills.
 As a result most people use logical thinking
when trying to solve a problem which in most
cases is appropriate.
 Some situations require the generation of
new and different ideas.
 In these situations, creative or lateral thinking
may be required.
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Logical & Lateral Thinking
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 Both logical & lateral thinking skills are
needed in analytical problem solving.
 Lateral thinking is used to generate
alternatives.
 Logical thinking is used to evaluate
them.
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Barriers to Lateral Thinking
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 There are many barriers to lateral thinking
which people need to overcome:
 Tramline thinking – people limit their
thoughts to what has been done before
and do not stray outside the boundaries of
the situation.
 People also assume what is or isn’t
possible – ‘we’ve always done it that way’’!
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Barriers to Lateral Thinking
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 The fear of sounding foolish – this limits
the scope of peoples thoughts to what is
seen as safe or acceptable. This prevents
raising of radical ideas which could be
useful.
 Ideas can be judged too early without
proper consideration. As a result they are
discarded for being impractical or
impossible.
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Remember…
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THERE MAY BE MORE THAN
ONE RIGHT ANSWER TO A
SITUATION!
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1. Build a Team
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 Once a problem has
been bought to our
attention, a team must
be formed to tackle the
problem.
 Ideally, this will be a
team of people with a
variety of skills and
knowledge relating to
the problem.
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2. Introduce the Problem
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 Explain the purpose of the brainstorming
session
 There is no rank structure – everyone is
equal
 Address the objectives by asking questions:
 What are the ways of…………?
 How could we……………?
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3. Make Sure
Everyone Understands
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 Ensure everyone understands the following
points:
 No criticism of any idea, however radical
 Record all ideas – flipcharts are ideal
 Aim for a large number of ideas
 Keep going until all members have
exhausted their ideas
 Build on ideas
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4. Start the Thought Process
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 The reasoning behind brainstorming is for
people to generate both logical & lateral
ideas. Ways of going about this include:
 A free-for-all where people call out ideas;
 Going round in turn, collecting new ideas;
 Ideas are written down & passed to a scribe;
 Any combination of the above.
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5. Reflect on the Ideas
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 Take time to reflect on the list of ideas
 New ideas may be forthcoming as a result
 More than one meeting may be necessary –
keep the ideas fresh.
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6. Evaluate the Ideas
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 Trying to deal with a list of ideas is not easy.
Evaluation can be done in a number of ways:
 Plus, minus & interesting technique allocates
a ‘+’ to the most promising, ‘-’ to the least
promising & ‘interesting’ rating to those inbetween.
 Rank ideas 1 to 10, higher the number, the
more promising the idea.
 Do not discard any ideas – even at this stage.
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7. Summary
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 It is important that the brainstorming
session is seen in context and that
members recognise the importance of
their input and involvement.
 An explanation of the group’s future role
should be given and reinforced by
identifying follow-up dates and mapping
out future progress.
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