Kevin Keller
Brainstorming is an intensive group problem solving exercise. It is widely understood to be useful in bringing fresh perspective and more brainpower to a problem, but there are no consensus techniques for how to most effectively run a brainstorm. Over the years, we at Pump have really worked to refine our brainstorm process to maximize the problem solving effectiveness. Here are some of the key techniques that have improved our results.
Effectively Define the Problem (BE PREPARED)
To effectively solve a problem you have to know what the problem you are solving really is. Since many of the participants in a brainstorm are learning of the problem for the first time, it is really important to define the problem and provide the constraints that the solution must live by. In most cases, for us, this means having CAD available so participants can see the context they are working in. It is also helpful to have cross-section views, sub-assemblies, and various orthographic and isometric views to sketch on top of. A list of constraints can be helpful so that you can refer back to them while sketching (typical constraints might be things like materials, space available for a mechanism, required mechanical advantage, cost, manufacturability, etc, etc.). Having printouts or images to draw on can allow participants to focus on what is important, (generating ideas) not struggling to recreate the geometry.
Bonus: If you have physical samples or prototypes of a relevant example, or previous generation product, that is great for understanding what works and what does not. Participants (should) want to understand the big picture.
(An example of problem statement and images to draw on top of.)
The Process of Generating Ideas
When you get a group together to brainstorm, it is all too tempting to just start shouting out ideas and jumping right in. This can be an effective problem solving strategy when there are just 2 or 3 people working together and problem solving in real time. However, when working with a larger group, the loudest voices or the most senior people often drown out the rest of the room. A great strategy to get ideas from everyone is to spend time individually working on the problem and sketching through ideas. After some time working on the problem, each person can present their concept to the group. This review is the perfect environment for the traditional discussion of ideas. It is very common for one person’s initial sketch to inspire further ideas and refinements to the approach.
Bonus: Many people need some time to sit with a problem and think about it before having more thoughtful concepts. If possible, split the brainstorm into 2 sessions, one for a problem statement download, and a second for concept generation. Having an information session and an idea session can be a great way to let ideas marinate.
(This Miro board illustrates where each participant worked on concepts and shared ideas.)
Capturing Ideas
In the early days we would use printer paper, Post-It notes, and whiteboards for capturing ideas. If someone was prepared and had images to sketch on, they were physically printed out. This was/is a perfectly valid way of brainstorming and capturing ideas that you can review later (Simply take pictures of the whiteboard and collect all of the loose paper). We have evolved the paper process to use a shared, digital whiteboard (Miro), and tablet computers (iPads) for sketching. This gives us better quality drawings (it is easier to have multiple pen colors and easily erase or copy with the tablet), and it also allows us to have participants in the brainstorm from remote locations (we generally combine this with a screenshare meeting in Google Meet or Zoom). The digital whiteboard is a great place to collect sketches and images that we can return to later when reviewing the ideas of the brainstorm. If laid out in advance it can be a more organized and easier way to navigate, and present the concepts after the brainstorm has ended.
Conclusion
The best brainstorms take advantage of the collective brainpower of EVERYONE in the room. The key is to organize a brainstorm that allows people to contribute who are quick to come up with ideas AND those who need some time to think about the problem before suggesting solutions. People who are loud and in charge, and those who are reserved and less vocal. If you come prepared to get people involved and are effective in capturing all of the ideas generated, your team problem solving will be Maximized! Good Luck!!
