Effective brainstorming can be accomplished by following simple brainstorming DOs and DONTs with your team. A brainstorming session is a tool for generating as many ideas or solutions as possible to a problem or issue. It is not a tool…
In the Improve phase of a Six Sigma project, a team is often required to jump from one river of thinking into another. Two river-jumping ways to generate innovative ideas are found in four techniques for creative thinking and the use of TRIZ.
Before brainstorming, it is important to understand not only the fundamentals of the method, but also how to prepare for and conduct a session. With the right atmosphere, team members and encouragement, the ideas will flow.
Six Sigma practitioners looking to clarify a task or develop their strategic thinking skills may want to consider using webbing. Similar to the 5 Whys, it encourages questioning a process in order to break down assumptions and find new solutions.
Creativity and team management tools, often employed in solution finding, can also generate deep understanding of the process mechanics and help the team prepare for the distilling and data-based validation of the root causes of a problem.
