Brainstorming Techniques

to use the Brainstorming template that comes with the Six Sigma Tools

Purpose

Use brainstorming to generate a large number of ideas in a short amount of time.

Standard Brainstorming Process

Review how to do brainstorming

1. General rules
2. Any special alternative brainstorming techniques that will be used in this session

General Rules of Brainstorming Suspend judgment. There are no stupid ideas The craziest ideas sometimes spawn the seed of the best ideas No criticism, or evaluation, or discussion of ideas as they are being generated Every idea is written down Encourage piggybacking of other ideas - to modify, combine, expound, reverse...

Clearly state the question or problem

that you are seeking to resolve

(A problem well defined is a problem half solved, right?)

Often phrased with why, how, or what.

Agree upon Objectives

Most disagreements come from seeking to optimize different objectives.

Example: Your idea optimizes time-savings, but I'm trying to optimize quality.
No wonder we don't agree on the best way to solve our problem...

Allow a few minutes of silence

to think, ponder, and reflect on the question

Facilitate brainstorming

1. Follow the agreed upon rules.
2. Suspend judgment. No discussion or debate. Just ideas.
3. Encourage piggyback ideas and radical ideas.
4. Write ideas exactly as they are stated. (Can clarify later.)

Clarify and organize

1. When done brainstorming, ask for clarifications (from the person that suggested the idea), and perhaps rephrase some ideas more clearly.
2. Combine ideas that are similar or complimentary.
3. Tip: Even if you did your original brainstorming on paper - this is where it is often "worth it" to transcribe your ideas to your Systems2win Brainstorming Worksheet - to make editing & organizing much easier.

The Brainstorming template
is a Word template
(not Excel)

Organize ideas into "Affinity Group" categories

Also known as Affinity Diagram

1. Show the Navigation Pane: Home > Navigation Pane    
   or Word 2003: View > Document Map.

   This will open a sidebar collapsible menu in the left sidebar -
   that makes viewing affinity groups easier.

   This brainstorming template has been designed so that
   ideas should be documented using Style Heading 3,
   which will appear within the collapsible Document Map.

   If any ideas are somehow documented using Normal Style -
   convert them to Heading 3. (Shortcut = CTRL+ALT+3)

2. Facilitate consensus-building to cut and paste all Brainstorm Ideas into Affinity Group Headings.
3. Your goal is to identify patterns, overcome old paradigms, and stimulate fresh ideas -
   so encourage new ideas to come up, and add them to your list.
4. Use your intuitive minds to allow Affinity Group category headings to emerge.

   In addition, you might consider using classic organization category headings:

   4 M’s - Man, Machine, Material, Methods
   6 M's - Machine, Method, Materials, Man, Measurement, Mother Nature
   4 P’s - People, Place/Plant, Policies, Procedures
   8 P's - Price, Promotion, People, Processes, Place/Plant, Policies, Procedures, Product
   4 S's - Surroundings, Suppliers, Systems, Skills
   6 X's - Equipment, Process, People, Materials, Environment, Management
   4I’s - System, Sub-system, and Component Interfaces:
   Spatial (physically touching), Energy (transfer), Information (exchange), Material (exchange)
   5Pd’s - P-diagram design robustness noises:
   Piece-to-piece, Customer usage and duty cycle, Degradation over time, Environment, Interactions with other systems (4I’s)

5. If an Affinity Group only has 1 or 2 items, perhaps it can be combined with another.
6. If an Affinity Group contains an overwhelming number of ideas, perhaps it can be divided further.

Optional: Seek root causes

by transferring your data to a Fishbone Diagram template

1. Copy the ideas for each Affinity Group into a separate column in a blank Excel spreadsheet.
2. Import your ideas into the fishbone diagram
3. Continue brainstorming ideas - seeking deeper root causes by continuing to ask "Why?"

Agree upon solutions

Optionally take the time to rank ideas.

Perhaps give each person a specified number of votes. (e.g. their vote for the top 5 ideas).
Just add an x next to each idea for each vote that it receives.

And then make your decision - using any of the following decision-making approaches:

1. Autocratic decision

   (the leader considers the options, and makes the decisions)

2. Democratic majority vote

   (either simple majority, or any moderating rules you come up with.
   Sometimes result in hard feelings and/or sabotage)

3. Consensus

   (everyone agrees to support a decision, even if not their personal top choice)

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Two popular ways to use the Brainstorming template

1) Use a projector - to record ideas as they are generated
directly on the Systems2win Brainstorming tool.

2) Write ideas on large paper - while an assistant uses the Systems2win Brainstorming tool to transcribe the results into a more legible version that can then...

• be used for easier editing and Affinity Grouping
• be electronically archived and emailed to participants after the meeting

Tip: The brainstorming.doc template is a Word template (not Excel)

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Bookmark = alt

Alternative Brainstorming Techniques

Root Cause Analysis

For Root Cause Analysis -
follow the above instructions for standard brainstorming,
but do your brainstorming right within the Fishbone template,
and keep brainstorming answers to the repeated question: why? why? why? why? why?

Round Robin Brainstorming

1. Move around the room in sequential order - each person states and idea or has the option to "pass".
2. Keep going around the room until everyone passes.

Wildest Idea

When everyone is out of ideas - or imagination is running low - start again -
but this time allowing only outrageous ridiculous ideas.

Afterward - see if some of these ideas might be modified into realistic possibilities.

Double Reversal

When everyone is out of ideas - or imagination is running low - start again -
but this time reverse the problem statement -
so that you're brainstorming ideas for how to make the problem worse.

Afterward - reverse each idea to see if any reversed ideas lead to new ideas that can now be added to the original brainstorming (for how to make the problem better).

Affinity Diagram

Same as above - but rather than using the Brainstorming template - use hand written cards.

Using a thick marker pen - write each idea on a card or sticky note.

Randomly spread cards on large work surface where the team gathers round.

Without talking - all team members participate to move cards into groups that seem related in some way. It's okay to move a card someone else has already placed. It's okay to make a second card for something that seems to belong in more than one group. It's okay for a card to be all alone.

When everyone seems done - talk. Discuss the groups. Come up with a label for each group (perhaps using a different colored card or ink).

Perhaps combine groups into larger groups - if appropriate.

Brainwriting

Same as brainstorming - but no talking during the brainstorming phase.

Participants write one idea per card.

All cards are placed in the center of the table and shuffled.

Then follow the instructions for Affinity Diagram.