15 ways to turn brainstorming into a “fire” result
"Talent wins the game, and the team championships." So once said Michael Jordan and he was right. Any successful decision, whether it won a championship or release a new product in the IT team, is achieved through the efforts of each individual. What begins the team path to success?
Remember the Latvian band Brainstorm with its popular hit Maybe from the beginning of the two thousandths? A good group, but in this article - about another brainstorm. One that, with a qualitative approach, can be a constant hit in the working days of your team and the beginning of a great success and global results.
Brainstorming or brainstorming is an effective way to solve problems and current tasks, based on stimulating the creative activity of team members. The purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible and in various ways to determine the best solution. Regular brainstorming can be a turning point in the fate of a project or an entire product.
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How often have the coolest and most profitable projects started on your team with a simple brainstorming session? Should brainstorming be used as a systematic practice in the working life of a team? In the Hygger.io team , brainstorming is not a must-have practice, but is carried out regularly. If you approach this process correctly, it will cease to be a waste of time.
In essence, brainstorming in an Agile team focuses on the same general goals as any other brainstorming. Differences in the team, where the core of the participants are the developers.
Do not confuse brainstorming and daily stand up.
Daily Stand Up is an event that takes place in Kanban, Scrum, Extreme Programming or other teams to synchronize actions and discuss status on short-term tasks.
Stand Up should not turn into brainstorming, since it has time limits set by product managers or project managers (most often, 10-15 minutes).
Brainstorming in Agile teams is a more thorough and detailed event with the specific goal of finding solutions.
During the brainstorming, the discussion participants are invited to express as many solutions to the issue as possible. As a result of the practice, several solutions most suitable for the problem are chosen.
Ideally, a brainstorming agenda should be announced within a few days so that participants and team members can prepare in advance. The moderator (in the Agile-team is, most often, a project manager or product manager) selects and notifies all participants, reports the place and time of the brainstorming. It is important for the moderator to understand who should be invited for this. It depends on the subject: the content manager is unlikely to be useful in technical issues of development, and the company's CEO does not have to be present to discuss the concept of the FAQ page of the site. Although, each case is individual and there are exceptions in everything.
Example 1: Brainstorm on the introduction of Android product application. The task is to remove as much as possible from the competitors' applications. Project manager invites developers, designer, tester, support manager.
Example 2: Brainstorming on the participation of a SaaS product in an industry show. The task is to develop the concept of the booth and related events for the release of a new product in the "last minute" terms. Invited to discuss the marketer, PR-specialist, designer, financier, logistics and specialist in procurement.
Clear wording is important to all team members. It is necessary to designate the problem so that there is no additional clarification.
Very often, the global outcome of a campaign depends on one goal statement. As they say, how to call a boat ... The more clear the initial data will be provided to each participant, the more effective the brainstorm will be. There is no need to invent a bicycle: set your goals, for example, on the SMART principle.
In fact, this is the main stage at which, among dozens of options, real solutions to the problem are born. It should be a continuous stream of ideas, from the most banal to fantastic. The more actively brainstorming participants behave, the greater the chances of successful ideas.
Visualization is the first step in finding a solution to a problem. Having recorded a thought on paper or a monitor, you will quickly find a related idea or you can build a chain from an abstract idea of a specific solution. Draw illustrations, graphics, use the advantages of Kanban with his boards with cards. All this will help to quickly find the right path.
It is important to be able not only to listen, but also to hear. Do not interrupt the participants and give an opportunity to speak to everyone. Any, even the craziest idea has a right to exist. Criticism during brainstorming can slow down or even offend.
After an active brainstorming session, the evaluation and ranking of ideas begins. It's time to remember the prioritization techniques and, if possible, use an accessible tool for determining priorities, which will quickly help visualize the most important and secondary ideas.
Even if the prioritization tool is designed for long-term plans and ideas, it can still be useful for short-term assistance. In Backlog Priority Chart , which offers a platform for managing Hygger products, criteria for this are thought out:
If the discussion process is at a standstill, or the voices of the disputing are equally divided, do not hesitate to call for “fresh” heads.
The brainstorming coordinator should not leave the process for a minute. Some participants may be timid and not speak out on time. You need to follow the timing, ask leading questions and let everyone speak.
It is very important to record all thoughts, so that later there will be an opportunity to go back and analyze something again.
Brainstorming can take place according to your rules, ranging from timing to the selection of participants, and can strictly obey the principles of one of the methodologies specifically designed for successful brainstorming.
Stepladder (literally - step-ladder) is a simple method that stimulates the entry of team members into a decision-making group and demonstrates how they do it.
Decision making within a group may not run smoothly. There are always more active participants and those who would prefer to remain silent if his / her position does not gain the necessary weight.
Some people need a lot of time to fight for recognition within the team, and some gain credibility from the first minutes. Because of this, the brainstorming process can get out of control, and the team does not make the best decision.
The technique was developed by Stephen Rogelberg, Janet Barnes-Farrell and Charles Low in 1992. It motivates all team members to participate at the individual level, without undue influence. This leads to a wider variety of ideas, does not force people to "close" and excludes "suppression" by more active members of the group.
Technique involves 5 stages:
The Stepladder method is a phased approach that involves all members of the group and allows everyone to be heard. The technique is useful for shy, modest, calm people to come to the fore and influence the opinions of others. To solve a problem is a set of different points of view and individual proposals.
This method is now considered effective for everyday life and for professional decisions, as it allows to take into account the opinions of all people, with the help of a consistent combination of proposals and conclusions. This is similar to the technology Stapladder. But the approach to brainstorming is different here.
In the Delphi method, the group is managed by the coordinator, in the “Stapladder” method all participants are equal.
The Delphi method assumes the anonymity of group members. The moderator controls the flow of information, and the participants may not know who else is in the group with them, while in Stapladder the meetings take place face-to-face.
The Delphic method is also considered a longer process that requires more people.
The authors Olaf Helmer, Norman Delky and Nicholas Resher developed the technique in the 50s – 60s of the 20th century.
Participants are divided into two groups:
Technique involves three stages:
Round-Robin is a variation of brainstorming, where the principle of circular development of ideas is taken as a basis. This method does not take as much time as the previous ones. The more people in the team, the better. This kind of brainstorming is best done at a large, preferably round, table.
The technique works like this:
Reverse Brainstorming (brainstorming, on the contrary) for many teams becomes useful when more traditional techniques “outlive” themselves. This is a radical way to increase team activity and come up with effective results from the opposite.
Reverse brainstorming is called a negative process. Instead of generating better ideas, participants are encouraged to “undermine” the process or suggest impossible goals. Proponents of technology claim that negative thoughts float to the outside, and the group receives useful information about what and how it does not work.
The best way to imagine a brainstorming process is to compare it with a typical brainstorming.
Examples of main questions for a brainstorming session: How are we so poorly serving our customers that they leave us and leave our product? How can we ensure that our product is malicious and useless?
Such a method can help when team members “burn out” or the company is “deadlocked”, when the team is used to the existing way of life and cannot get out of the comfort zone, when some team members prevent others from expressing themselves in other cases.
Always find the negative easier and faster than positive, and negative emotions provoke to speak. Therefore, reverse brainstorming can turn into a fascinating event within your team.
Rolestorming (role-playing brainstorming) may seem like a game or process, suitable only to creative teams. But often, this technique allows one to go beyond the accepted and “get” completely new and fresh ideas by presenting the problem on behalf of another person.
You can generate ideas on behalf of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, or Pope. Each participant describes his character and presents the problem and a possible solution from the point of view of the person being described. Ideas are discussed in a group.
Understand which of the techniques is right for your team only by testing each. Only by experience will you be able to determine that brainstorming is not a waste of time, but a productive event. The question "why" should give way to the question "how." Many of the results will depend on how you learn how to conduct brainstorming within the team.
Try and share your practice!
Remember the Latvian band Brainstorm with its popular hit Maybe from the beginning of the two thousandths? A good group, but in this article - about another brainstorm. One that, with a qualitative approach, can be a constant hit in the working days of your team and the beginning of a great success and global results.
Brainstorming or brainstorming is an effective way to solve problems and current tasks, based on stimulating the creative activity of team members. The purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible and in various ways to determine the best solution. Regular brainstorming can be a turning point in the fate of a project or an entire product.
')
How often have the coolest and most profitable projects started on your team with a simple brainstorming session? Should brainstorming be used as a systematic practice in the working life of a team? In the Hygger.io team , brainstorming is not a must-have practice, but is carried out regularly. If you approach this process correctly, it will cease to be a waste of time.
What are the features of brainstorming in Agile teams?
In essence, brainstorming in an Agile team focuses on the same general goals as any other brainstorming. Differences in the team, where the core of the participants are the developers.
Do not confuse brainstorming and daily stand up.
Daily Stand Up is an event that takes place in Kanban, Scrum, Extreme Programming or other teams to synchronize actions and discuss status on short-term tasks.
Stand Up should not turn into brainstorming, since it has time limits set by product managers or project managers (most often, 10-15 minutes).
Brainstorming in Agile teams is a more thorough and detailed event with the specific goal of finding solutions.
During the brainstorming, the discussion participants are invited to express as many solutions to the issue as possible. As a result of the practice, several solutions most suitable for the problem are chosen.
How to achieve effective brainstorming? 10 rules
Preparatory stage
Ideally, a brainstorming agenda should be announced within a few days so that participants and team members can prepare in advance. The moderator (in the Agile-team is, most often, a project manager or product manager) selects and notifies all participants, reports the place and time of the brainstorming. It is important for the moderator to understand who should be invited for this. It depends on the subject: the content manager is unlikely to be useful in technical issues of development, and the company's CEO does not have to be present to discuss the concept of the FAQ page of the site. Although, each case is individual and there are exceptions in everything.
Example 1: Brainstorm on the introduction of Android product application. The task is to remove as much as possible from the competitors' applications. Project manager invites developers, designer, tester, support manager.
Example 2: Brainstorming on the participation of a SaaS product in an industry show. The task is to develop the concept of the booth and related events for the release of a new product in the "last minute" terms. Invited to discuss the marketer, PR-specialist, designer, financier, logistics and specialist in procurement.
We present the problem correctly
Clear wording is important to all team members. It is necessary to designate the problem so that there is no additional clarification.
Set the right goals
Very often, the global outcome of a campaign depends on one goal statement. As they say, how to call a boat ... The more clear the initial data will be provided to each participant, the more effective the brainstorm will be. There is no need to invent a bicycle: set your goals, for example, on the SMART principle.
We generate ideas
In fact, this is the main stage at which, among dozens of options, real solutions to the problem are born. It should be a continuous stream of ideas, from the most banal to fantastic. The more actively brainstorming participants behave, the greater the chances of successful ideas.
Unload thoughts
Visualization is the first step in finding a solution to a problem. Having recorded a thought on paper or a monitor, you will quickly find a related idea or you can build a chain from an abstract idea of a specific solution. Draw illustrations, graphics, use the advantages of Kanban with his boards with cards. All this will help to quickly find the right path.
Only constructive criticism
It is important to be able not only to listen, but also to hear. Do not interrupt the participants and give an opportunity to speak to everyone. Any, even the craziest idea has a right to exist. Criticism during brainstorming can slow down or even offend.
Evaluate, classify, prioritize
After an active brainstorming session, the evaluation and ranking of ideas begins. It's time to remember the prioritization techniques and, if possible, use an accessible tool for determining priorities, which will quickly help visualize the most important and secondary ideas.
Even if the prioritization tool is designed for long-term plans and ideas, it can still be useful for short-term assistance. In Backlog Priority Chart , which offers a platform for managing Hygger products, criteria for this are thought out:
- Quick Wins - for ideas of first order.
- Big Bets - for ideas with high priority, but which can be executed a little later.
- Maybes - ideas with less value and urgency, they can be postponed.
- Time sinks - the ideas of the latest priority.
Call for help
If the discussion process is at a standstill, or the voices of the disputing are equally divided, do not hesitate to call for “fresh” heads.
Constantly moderated
The brainstorming coordinator should not leave the process for a minute. Some participants may be timid and not speak out on time. You need to follow the timing, ask leading questions and let everyone speak.
Do not distract, do not lose conclusions
It is very important to record all thoughts, so that later there will be an opportunity to go back and analyze something again.
Brainstorming can take place according to your rules, ranging from timing to the selection of participants, and can strictly obey the principles of one of the methodologies specifically designed for successful brainstorming.
5 popular brainstorming techniques and practices
Technique Stepladder
Stepladder (literally - step-ladder) is a simple method that stimulates the entry of team members into a decision-making group and demonstrates how they do it.
Decision making within a group may not run smoothly. There are always more active participants and those who would prefer to remain silent if his / her position does not gain the necessary weight.
Some people need a lot of time to fight for recognition within the team, and some gain credibility from the first minutes. Because of this, the brainstorming process can get out of control, and the team does not make the best decision.
The technique was developed by Stephen Rogelberg, Janet Barnes-Farrell and Charles Low in 1992. It motivates all team members to participate at the individual level, without undue influence. This leads to a wider variety of ideas, does not force people to "close" and excludes "suppression" by more active members of the group.
Technique involves 5 stages:
- Before the discussion, all participants will learn about the problem to be discussed. They need some time to form their own opinion on how best to complete the task or solve the problem.
- Formed a group of two people. They begin to discuss the problem between themselves.
- A third member is added to the group. He / she presents his ideas to the first two participants before hearing their ideas that have already been discussed. After all three participants have presented their individual decisions and ideas, they discuss the options together.
- The process is repeated with the addition of a fourth person, etc.
- The final decision is reached after all the participants have submitted their ideas in turn and discussed them with everyone.
The Stepladder method is a phased approach that involves all members of the group and allows everyone to be heard. The technique is useful for shy, modest, calm people to come to the fore and influence the opinions of others. To solve a problem is a set of different points of view and individual proposals.
Delphi Method
This method is now considered effective for everyday life and for professional decisions, as it allows to take into account the opinions of all people, with the help of a consistent combination of proposals and conclusions. This is similar to the technology Stapladder. But the approach to brainstorming is different here.
In the Delphi method, the group is managed by the coordinator, in the “Stapladder” method all participants are equal.
The Delphi method assumes the anonymity of group members. The moderator controls the flow of information, and the participants may not know who else is in the group with them, while in Stapladder the meetings take place face-to-face.
The Delphic method is also considered a longer process that requires more people.
The authors Olaf Helmer, Norman Delky and Nicholas Resher developed the technique in the 50s – 60s of the 20th century.
Participants are divided into two groups:
- Experts who present their views on the problem.
- Analysts who should bring expert opinions to a common denominator.
Technique involves three stages:
- Preliminary , where the selection of the expert group (optimally - up to 20 people).
- The main . At this stage, the experts study the main issue, they “break” it into several smaller ones. Analysts select the most common questions and make up a general questionnaire. The questionnaire is returned to the experts. They should tell whether something else should be added, whether there is enough data. Experts need to offer their own solutions to the problem and explore alternative positions. Efficiency, availability of resources, relevance of solutions are evaluated. Analysts highlight the main opinions of experts and try to bring them closer. The steps are repeated until the experts come to a consensus, and there is no consensus.
- Analytical - coordination of expert opinions, analysis of the findings and final recommendations.
Technique for the development of ideas Round-Robin
Round-Robin is a variation of brainstorming, where the principle of circular development of ideas is taken as a basis. This method does not take as much time as the previous ones. The more people in the team, the better. This kind of brainstorming is best done at a large, preferably round, table.
The technique works like this:
- There is a presenter who voices the problem to the assembled.
- Each participant writes their own decision on a sheet of paper.
- Sheets with records are sent clockwise to the next.
- Each next should come up with their own idea based on the written and also write it down.
- Sheets are transferred and the rounds are repeated until each team member returns his sheet. As a result, each participant receives his “bank of ideas”. The discussion begins.
Reverse brainstorming method
Reverse Brainstorming (brainstorming, on the contrary) for many teams becomes useful when more traditional techniques “outlive” themselves. This is a radical way to increase team activity and come up with effective results from the opposite.
Reverse brainstorming is called a negative process. Instead of generating better ideas, participants are encouraged to “undermine” the process or suggest impossible goals. Proponents of technology claim that negative thoughts float to the outside, and the group receives useful information about what and how it does not work.
The best way to imagine a brainstorming process is to compare it with a typical brainstorming.
Examples of main questions for a brainstorming session: How are we so poorly serving our customers that they leave us and leave our product? How can we ensure that our product is malicious and useless?
Such a method can help when team members “burn out” or the company is “deadlocked”, when the team is used to the existing way of life and cannot get out of the comfort zone, when some team members prevent others from expressing themselves in other cases.
Always find the negative easier and faster than positive, and negative emotions provoke to speak. Therefore, reverse brainstorming can turn into a fascinating event within your team.
Rolestorming technique
Rolestorming (role-playing brainstorming) may seem like a game or process, suitable only to creative teams. But often, this technique allows one to go beyond the accepted and “get” completely new and fresh ideas by presenting the problem on behalf of another person.
You can generate ideas on behalf of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, or Pope. Each participant describes his character and presents the problem and a possible solution from the point of view of the person being described. Ideas are discussed in a group.
What technique to choose?
Understand which of the techniques is right for your team only by testing each. Only by experience will you be able to determine that brainstorming is not a waste of time, but a productive event. The question "why" should give way to the question "how." Many of the results will depend on how you learn how to conduct brainstorming within the team.
Try and share your practice!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/351784/
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