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Nine essential problem solving tools: The ultimate guide to finding a solution

October 26, 2023 by MindManager Blog

Problem solving may unfold differently depending on the industry, or even the department you work in. However, most agree that before you can fix any issue, you need to be clear on what it is, why it’s happening, and what your ideal long-term solution will achieve.

Understanding both the nature and the cause of a problem is the only way to figure out which actions will help you resolve it.

Given that most problem-solving processes are part inspiration and part perspiration, you’ll be more successful if you can reach for a problem solving tool that facilitates collaboration, encourages creative thinking, and makes it easier to implement the fix you devise.

The problem solving tools include three unique categories: problem solving diagrams, problem solving mind maps, and problem solving software solutions.

They include:

• Fishbone diagrams
• Strategy maps
• Mental maps
• Concept maps
• Layered process audit software
• Charting software
• MindManager

In this article, we’ve put together a roundup of versatile problem solving tools and software to help you and your team map out and repair workplace issues as efficiently as possible.

Let’s get started!

Problem solving diagrams

Mapping your way out of a problem is the simplest way to see where you are, and where you need to end up.

Not only do visual problem maps let you plot the most efficient route from Point A (dysfunctional situation) to Point B (flawless process), problem mapping diagrams make it easier to see:

• The root cause of a dilemma.
• The steps, resources, and personnel associated with each possible solution.
• The least time-consuming, most cost-effective options.

A visual problem solving process help to solidify understanding. Furthermore, it’s a great way for you and your team to transform abstract ideas into a practical, reconstructive plan.

Here are three examples of common problem mapping diagrams you can try with your team:

1. Fishbone diagrams

Fishbone diagrams are a common problem solving tool so-named because, once complete, they resemble the skeleton of a fish.

With the possible root causes of an issue (the ribs) branching off from either side of a spine line attached to the head (the problem), dynamic fishbone diagrams let you:

• Lay out a related set of possible reasons for an existing problem
• Investigate each possibility by breaking it out into sub-causes
• See how contributing factors relate to one another

Fishbone diagrams are also known as cause and effect or Ishikawa diagrams.

2. Flowcharts

A flowchart is an easy-to-understand diagram with a variety of applications. But you can use it to outline and examine how the steps of a flawed process connect.

Made up of a few simple symbols linked with arrows indicating workflow direction, flowcharts clearly illustrate what happens at each stage of a process – and how each event impacts other events and decisions.

3. Strategy maps

Frequently used as a strategic planning tool, strategy maps also work well as problem mapping diagrams. Based on a hierarchal system, thoughts and ideas can be arranged on a single page to flesh out a potential resolution.

Once you’ve got a few tactics you feel are worth exploring as possible ways to overcome a challenge, a strategy map will help you establish the best route to your problem-solving goal.

Problem solving mind maps

Problem solving mind maps are especially valuable in visualization. Because they facilitate the brainstorming process that plays a key role in both root cause analysis and the identification of potential solutions, they help make problems more solvable.

Mind maps are diagrams that represent your thinking. Since many people struggle taking or working with hand-written or typed notes, mind maps were designed to let you lay out and structure your thoughts visually so you can play with ideas, concepts, and solutions the same way your brain does.

By starting with a single notion that branches out into greater detail, problem solving mind maps make it easy to:

• Explain unfamiliar problems or processes in less time
• Share and elaborate on novel ideas
• Achieve better group comprehension that can lead to more effective solutions

Mind maps are a valuable problem solving tool because they’re geared toward bringing out the flexible thinking that creative solutions require. Here are three types of problem solving mind maps you can use to facilitate the brainstorming process.

4. Mental maps

A mental map helps you get your thoughts about what might be causing a workplace issue out of your head and onto a shared digital space.

Because mental maps mirror the way our brains take in and analyze new information, using them to describe your theories visually will help you and your team work through and test those thought models.

5. Idea maps

Idea maps let you take advantage of a wide assortment of colors and images to lay down and organize your scattered thought process. Idea maps are ideal brainstorming tools because they allow you to present and explore ideas about the best way to solve a problem collaboratively, and with a shared sense of enthusiasm for outside-the-box thinking.

6. Concept maps

Concept maps are one of the best ways to shape your thoughts around a potential solution because they let you create interlinked, visual representations of intricate concepts.

By laying out your suggested problem-solving process digitally – and using lines to form and define relationship connections – your group will be able to see how each piece of the solution puzzle connects with another.

Problem solving software solutions

Problem solving software is the best way to take advantage of multiple problem solving tools in one platform. While some software programs are geared toward specific industries or processes – like manufacturing or customer relationship management, for example – others, like MindManager , are purpose-built to work across multiple trades, departments, and teams.

Here are three problem-solving software examples.

7. Layered process audit software

Layered process audits (LPAs) help companies oversee production processes and keep an eye on the cost and quality of the goods they create. Dedicated LPA software makes problem solving easier for manufacturers because it helps them see where costly leaks are occurring and allows all levels of management to get involved in repairing those leaks.

8. Charting software

Charting software comes in all shapes and sizes to fit a variety of business sectors. Pareto charts, for example, combine bar charts with line graphs so companies can compare different problems or contributing factors to determine their frequency, cost, and significance. Charting software is often used in marketing, where a variety of bar charts and X-Y axis diagrams make it possible to display and examine competitor profiles, customer segmentation, and sales trends.

9. MindManager

No matter where you work, or what your problem-solving role looks like, MindManager is a problem solving software that will make your team more productive in figuring out why a process, plan, or project isn’t working the way it should.

Once you know why an obstruction, shortfall, or difficulty exists, you can use MindManager’s wide range of brainstorming and problem mapping diagrams to:

• Find the most promising way to correct the situation
• Activate your chosen solution, and
• Conduct regular checks to make sure your repair work is sustainable

MindManager is the ultimate problem solving software.

Not only is it versatile enough to use as your go-to system for puzzling out all types of workplace problems, MindManager’s built-in forecasting tools, timeline charts, and warning indicators let you plan, implement, and monitor your solutions.

By allowing your group to work together more effectively to break down problems, uncover solutions, and rebuild processes and workflows, MindManager’s versatile collection of problem solving tools will help make everyone on your team a more efficient problem solver.

Download a free trial today to get started!

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MindManager helps boost collaboration and productivity among remote and hybrid teams to achieve better results, faster.

Why choose MindManager?

MindManager® helps individuals, teams, and enterprises bring greater clarity and structure to plans, projects, and processes. It provides visual productivity tools and mind mapping software to help take you and your organization to where you want to be.

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• 29 brainstorming techniques: effective ...

29 brainstorming techniques: effective ways to spark creativity

Bright ideas don’t come as easily as flicking on a light. 

When it’s up to one individual to dream up a solution, it can be time-consuming and cause a lot of pressure. And when it comes to a group of people tasked with solving a problem, ideas might clash. Not to mention, everyone has a preferred method for their creative madness, making it difficult to get every team members’ wheels turning in the same direction.

That’s where brainstorming techniques come in. These techniques provide structure for brainstorming sessions, ignite creativity across all brainstormers, and ensure your ideas come to fruition. And luckily, there are lots of effective brainstorming techniques to choose from. 

What is brainstorming?

Here’s a general brainstorming definition: it’s an approach taken by an individual or team to solve a problem or generate new ideas for the improvement of a product, organization, or strategy. 

No matter your preferred method, most brainstorming techniques involve three steps:

Capture ideas

Discuss and critique the ideas

Choose which ideas to execute

Every brainstorming technique also involves the same ingredients. All you need is an individual or group of people, a problem to solve or an opportunity to address, and time. 

Brainstorming challenges

The golden rule of all brainstorming sessions is quantity over quality. The more ideas you have, the better your chances are that one will be worthy of execution. For these reasons, especially in group brainstorming sessions, be sure all team members check their criticisms at the door and let it be known that the only bad ideas are no ideas. 

Of course, not every brainstorming session will go off without a hitch. Some common brainstorming challenges include:

Unbalanced conversations, sometimes due to extroverts dominating discussions

The anchoring effect, meaning brainstormers cling to the first few ideas shared and don’t move on to others

Awkward silences, which often occur when participants are not prepared 

Perhaps you’ve experienced some of these uncomfortable brainstorming sessions yourself. Thankfully, there are plenty of tried-and-true, and also some unorthodox, brainstorming techniques and tools that tackle just these issues.

Analytic brainstorming techniques

When you need to look at an idea from all angles or vet a problem thoroughly, analytic brainstorming techniques might be worth implementing. Consider the following brainstorming methods and tools to generate and qualify ideas.

1. Starbursting  

A visual brainstorming technique, starbursting should be used once you or your team of brainstormers has homed in on a single idea. To begin starbursting, put an idea on the middle of a whiteboard and draw a six-point star around it. Each point will represent a question:

Consider every question and how it might pertain to your idea, such as, “Who will want to buy this product?” or, “When will we need to launch this program?” This will help you explore scenarios or roadblocks you hadn’t considered before.

Best for: large group brainstorms, vetting ideas thoroughly

2. The five whys, a.k.a. why analysis

Similar to starbursting, the five whys brainstorming technique helps you evaluate the strength of an idea. Challenge yourself to ask “why” questions about a topic or idea at least five times and consider what new problems you surface—and, importantly, note how you can address them. To help organize your thoughts, consider using a flowchart or fishbone diagram in hand with this brainstorming technique.

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, vetting ideas thoroughly

3. SWOT analysis

You might be familiar with SWOT analysis as it relates to strategic planning , and you might also be surprised to know that this concept can also be applied as a brainstorming exercise to help qualify an idea. The notion? Discuss the following aspects of your topic to determine whether it’s worth executing: 

Strengths : how does the idea dominate or stand out from competitors?

Weakness : are there any flaws in the idea that could jeopardize its execution?

Opportunities : what else can you capitalize on based on this idea?

Threats : what are potential downfalls that could arise if the idea is launched?

4. How Now Wow  

The How Now Wow brainstorming technique is all about categorizing ideas based on how unique they are and how easy they are to implement. Once you’ve collected several ideas, either individually or from team members, talk through where they fall in the How Now Wow spectrum:

How ideas are ideas that are original but not executable. 

Now ideas are unoriginal ideas that are easily executable.

Wow ideas are never-been-pitched before ideas that are also easy to implement.

Obviously, you want as many “Wow” ideas as possible since these are executable but also because they might set you apart from competitors or dispel monotony in a company. To help organize your ideas, consider using a matrix of four squares with difficulty weighted on the Y-axis and innovation on the X-axis. 

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, homing in on an executable solution

5. Drivers analysis

Just as the name implies, driver analysis is a brainstorming technique that analyzes the drivers or “causes” of a problem. To use this brainstorming technique, simply keep asking yourself or your team of brainstormers: “What’s driving [insert problem]?” and then, “What’s driving [insert answer to the previous question]?” Similar to why analysis, the deeper you dig into a problem, the more well-vetted it will be and the more confident you will be in executing solutions for those problems. 

6. Mind mapping

Another visual brainstorming technique, mind mapping addresses the anchoring effect—a common brainstorming challenge where brainstormers fixate on the first ideas instead of coming up with new ones. Mind mapping does this by using the first idea to inspire other ideas. 

You’ll need a large piece of paper or whiteboard to do this. Begin by writing down a topic and then drawing lines connecting tangential ideas to it. This essentially helps you paint a picture of your topic at hand and what might impact its execution or even expedite it.

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, visual thinkers

7. Gap filling, a.k.a. gap analysis

When you’re struggling with how to execute an idea, that’s where gap filling comes in—to address the obstacles standing in your way. Begin by starting with a statement of where you are and then a statement of where you want to be. For example, “Our company creates smart watches; we want to expand our portfolio to also include fitness trackers.”

It’s worth writing these out on a large piece of paper or a whiteboard for all of your brainstormers to see, perhaps using a flowchart or mind map to do so. Then, list obstacles that are preventing you from getting where you want to be and work through solutions for each of them. By the end of your brainstorming session, you should have a clearer plan of how to get where you want to be. 

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, visual thinkers, honing in on an executable solution

Quiet async brainstorming techniques

Best for businesses that are crunched for time or teams with more introverted individuals, these quiet brainstorming techniques allow brainstormers to contribute ideas on their own time and often anonymously. Look to the following methods to get your creative juices flowing, especially for remote teams with frequent virtual meetings .   

8. Brainwriting, a.k.a. slip writing

A nonverbal and in-person brainstorming technique, brainwriting addresses the brainstorming challenge of unbalanced conversations head-on. That’s because it requires participation and teamwork from every brainstormer, beginning with each person writing down three ideas relating to a topic on three separate slips of paper. Then everyone passes their ideas to the right or left and their neighbor builds on those ideas, adding bullet points and considerations. 

The slips of paper continue to be passed around the table until they’ve made it all the way around. Then, the brainstorm facilitator can digest all of the ideas themselves, or the brainstormers can discuss each idea out loud and determine what’s worth pursuing. Pro tip: limit this brainstorming technique to no more than 10 people to not be overwhelmed with ideas or time constraints.

Best for: group brainstorms and introverted team members

9. Collaborative brainwriting

You can think of collaborative brainwriting like a herd of cows grazing in a field, except it’s brainstormers grazing on ideas throughout a week, anonymously jotting down thoughts or ideas. Oftentimes a brainstorming facilitator will kick off this technique by posting a large piece of paper, sticky notes, or sharing a cloud-based document to jot down a few brainstorming ideas.

From there, team members can build off of those ideas on their own time and anonymously provide feedback. Be sure to set a clear deadline of when the brainstorming session closes to ensure all brainstormers have an opportunity to chime in.

Best for: individual brainstorming 

10. Brain-netting, a.k.a. online brainstorming

Great for remote teams, brain-netting is essentially a place for a team to brain dump their own ideas, whether that’s a Slack channel, Google Doc, or your project management tool . 

The notion is that brainstormers can add ideas whenever inspiration strikes and that the list will be ever-evolving. Of course, the team leader might want to inform their team of brainstormers of any important dates or deadlines when they need solutions to a problem. They may also want to hold a meeting to discuss the ideas. All brainstormers’ identities can be left anonymous even in the meeting. 

Best for: group brainstorms, introverted team members, remote teams

11. SCAMPER  

The SCAMPER brainstorming technique encourages brainstormers to look at an idea from different angles and it uses its acronym to inspire each lens: 

Substitute : consider what would happen if you swapped one facet of a solution for another.

Combine : consider what would happen if you combined one facet of a solution with another.

Adapt : consider how you could adapt an idea or solution in a new context.

Modify : consider how you can modify an idea to make it higher impact.

Put to another use : consider how else you could leverage your idea.

Eliminate : consider what you could remove from the idea or solution so that it’s simplified.

Reverse effective : finally, consider how you could reorganize an idea to make it most effective . 

When used in a group brainstorming session, you might want to use templates to track responses or pair the SCAMPER method with a brainwriting session to encourage all brainstormers to evaluate ideas from every angle. 

12. Lightning Decision Jam

Known as LDJ for short, the Lightning Decision Jam brainstorming technique requires 40 minutes to one hour to complete. What will you have by the end? Tangible results and buy-in from an entire team of brainstormers. 

This brainstorming technique is great for remote team alignment . It all begins with writing down positives about a topic or what’s working regarding the topic, then writing down negatives and identifying what needs to be addressed most urgently. This is followed by a few minutes of reframing problems as questions, then brainstorming solutions for those problems. 

Finally, your team uses a matrix to determine how high impact and how high effort your solutions are to decide which ideas are worth pursuing. For a more robust explanation of LDJ, watch this video by design agency AJ&Smart, which created the brainstorming technique. 

Best for: group brainstorms, remote workforces, tight deadlines, honing in on an executable solution

13. The idea napkin

Similar to LDJ, the idea napkin is essentially a brainstorming template that distills a broad topic into tangible solutions. How it works: Every brainstormer has an “idea napkin” that they commit one idea to, beginning by writing down their idea, as well as an elevator pitch for it. 

The idea napkin also includes a column for who the idea is targeting—meaning who you’re solving a problem for (customers, teammates, etc.)—and a column noting what problems your idea addresses. Brainstormers can fill out their napkins ahead of or during a brainstorming session, each is expected to present or share them. The final ideas will be placed on an impact and effort matrix to determine which are worth pursuing. 

Best for: group brainstorms, honing in on an executable solution

Roleplaying brainstorm techniques

Drama lovers rejoice! These roleplay brainstorming techniques encourage brainstormers to figuratively walk in someone else’s shoes or put on their hat—or six hats, in one instance—to address a problem or dream up ideas from a new perspective. An added benefit of this? When brainstormers take on a personality that’s not their own, it lowers inhibitions since it’s technically not their point of view being brought to the table.

14. Six thinking hats

This brainstorming technique requires a minimum of six brainstormers to wear imaginary hats—hence the name— that require them to look solely at an idea from one specific angle. For instance, one brainstormer might be wearing an impact hat and only concern themselves with the impact of an idea and another might be wearing a constraints hat and only looking at the constraints of an idea. 

You can pick and choose which angles are most important to your organization. And by the end of the group discussion, the whole brainstorming group should be able to hang their hats feeling confident about the ideas you’ll pursue.

Best for: group brainstorms (six or more people), introverted team members, vetting ideas thoroughly

15. Figure storming

Ever heard the phrase, “What would Abe do?” That’s pretty much the premise of this brainstorming technique in that brainstormers take on the identity of a famous or prominent figure, whether that’s a leader or celebrity, and put themselves in their brain space and how they’d approach an idea. 

This helps teams look at a topic through a different lens and, in the case of group brainstorms, alleviates any nervousness that brainstormers will put out bad ideas. Because they’re not putting out their ideas—they’re sharing someone else’s. So go on and give yourself a new job title for the day.

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, extroverted team members

16. Role storming  

Role storming is similar to figure storming in that brainstormers take on different personalities to dream up ideas, but with one dramatic twist—brainstormers act out those ideas. 

Generally, brainstormers are asked to take on the role of an average person who will be affected by the idea or solution in question, whether that’s an employee, client, or another party, and they act out a scenario that could stem from the idea to help them decipher what problems might arise from it. Consider this brainstorming technique for more extroverted teams. 

Best for: group brainstorms, extroverted team members

17. Reverse brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming is grounded in a little bit of chaos. It encourages brainstormers to play the role of disruptors by brainstorming problems first and then solutions. To kick off the brainstorming questions, a team leader will usually ask, “How do we cause [insert problem]?”

Once your team has listed the causes, they’ll have a new and different perspective for coming up with solutions to problems. 

Best for: group brainstorms, idea generation, problem-solving

18. Reverse thinking

Reverse thinking is a bit of a mashup of the figure storming and six thinking hats brainstorming techniques. It encourages brainstormers to merely ask themselves, “What would someone else do in this situation?” Then, it prompts them to think through why that person’s solution would work or not and if your current solution is more effective. 

Best for: group brainstorms, extroverted team members, vetting ideas thoroughly

Group brainstorm techniques

Most brainstorming techniques can be applied to groups of brainstormers, but these specific brainstorming techniques promote (and some even require) participation from everyone. When facilitated well, group brainstorming techniques not only yield more ideas but they can also:

Boost team morale through lighthearted brainstorming games and by involving participation in every step of the brainstorming process

Promote creative thinking, especially when brainstormers are given time to prepare their ideas and  a structured approach to solve problems

Bring more diverse ideas together, thanks to the unique perspective each brainstormer has and their individual strengths

All this to say, group brainstorming techniques are all about putting people’s heads together. 

19. Eidetic image method

The eidetic image method is grounded in setting intentions, and it begins with group members all closing their eyes to do just that. For example, if a company is setting out to design a new smartwatch, the brainstorming facilitator would encourage all brainstormers to close their eyes and quietly meditate on what smartwatches currently look like. 

Then the group would discuss and close their eyes once more and quietly imagine new features to add to the device. They’d all open their eyes and discuss again, essentially layering on the possibilities for enhancing a product. This brainstorming technique is ideal for revamping or building on an existing product or solution. 

Best for: visual thinkers, creating an idea anew

20. Rapid ideation

Great for teams that get sidetracked or have difficulty staying focused in meetings, the rapid ideation brainstorming technique encourages brainstormers to race against a clock and come up with as many ideas as possible—and importantly, not take themselves too seriously. This can be done by having brainstormers shout out ideas to a facilitator or write them on a piece of paper. You might find that some of the same ideas keep popping up, which likely means those are worth pursuing. 

Best for: extroverted team members, tight deadlines

21. Round-robin brainstorming

Participation is required for the round-robin brainstorming technique. Everyone must contribute at least one idea before the entire group can give feedback or share a second idea.

Given the requirement that everyone must share an idea, it’s best to allow brainstormers time to prepare ideas before each round-robin brainstorming session. This brainstorming technique is great for introverted team members and also for larger groups to ensure everyone can contribute. Moreover, the round-robin brainstorming technique also promotes the notion that the only bad idea is no idea. 

Best for: introverted team members and developing a surplus of ideas

22. Step-ladder brainstorming

Ideal for medium-sized groups of five to 15 people, the step-ladder brainstorming technique prevents ideas from being influenced by the loudest brainstormers of a group. 

Here’s how it works: A brainstorming facilitator introduces a topic to their group of brainstormers and then dismisses all but two brainstormers from the room. The two brainstormers left in the room discuss their ideas for a few minutes and then one brainstormer is welcomed back into the room and shares their ideas before the original two brainstormers divulge their ideas. 

Brainstormers are added back into the room one by one, with each new brainstormer sharing their ideas before the rest of the group divulges theirs, and so forth. Once the entire brainstorming group is back in the room, it’s time to discuss the ideas they’ve built together, step by step. 

Best for: introverted team members, vetting ideas thoroughly, honing in on an executable solution

23. Charrette

You might want to book a few rooms for this one. The charette brainstorming technique helps break up a problem into smaller chunks and also breaks up your brainstormers into separate teams to address them. 

For instance, you might reserve three rooms, write a topic or problem on a whiteboard, and have three sets of brainstormers walk into those rooms to jot down their ideas. Then, the sets of brainstormers rotate rooms and build off of the ideas of the group that was there before them. Consider it effective teamwork at its best.

Best for: vetting ideas thoroughly, honing in on an executable solution

More brainstorming techniques

For more unconventional approaches to get your individual or your team’s wheels turning, consider adding some of these brainstorming techniques to your arsenal of ways to ideate. 

24. ‘What if’ brainstorming

A very off-the-cuff brainstorming technique, “what if” brainstorming is as simple as throwing out as many “what if” questions surrounding a topic as possible, similar to the rapid ideation brainstorming technique. For instance, “what if this problem occurred in a different country,” or, “what if this problem occurred in the 1800s?” 

Walking through the scenarios might help spur new obstacles pertaining to your problem. Essentially, the “what if” brainstorming technique helps your team evaluate all the possibilities.

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, creating an idea anew, vetting ideas thoroughly

25. Change of scenery  

It’s no secret that physical surroundings can impact your team workflow and even creativity. When your brainstorming session is in a rut, consider relocating to another location, perhaps a park, a walking meeting, or even a coffee shop.

Being in a new setting might spur new ideas and even loosen up your brainstormers so that they’re more open to sharing ideas and helping you achieve quantity over quality.  

Best for: individual and group brainstorms, creating an idea anew

26. Random word picker

As this name implies, this brainstorming technique is a little random. Begin by tossing words into a hat and then pull them out and discuss how they relate to your brainstorming topic at hand. You may want to use a template to keep track of your thoughts and any new ideas the word association sparks.

To further organize your thoughts, consider pairing this brainstorming technique with word banking, meaning categorizing random words together and then drawing associations between their category and the brainstorming topic. 

Best for: group brainstorms, creating an idea anew

27. Storyboarding

Turns out, storyboarding isn’t only for television and film. You can also apply this as a brainstorming technique, meaning illustrating or drawing a problem and possible solutions. Consider it another way to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, especially those your solution impacts. It’s also a means to visualize any roadblocks you might experience when executing a solution. 

Best for: individual or group brainstorms, problem-solving, vetting ideas thoroughly

28. Wishing

Wishing is as simple as it sounds: You just wish for the solution you want to build. Think: “I wish our company was carbon neutral,” and then think of the possible ways in which you could achieve this, as well as areas that might be impossible to address for this. This will help uncover obstacles you might face and maybe even shed light on what you’re capable of overcoming. 

Best for: individual or group brainstorms, creating an idea anew

29. Crazy eights

A short and fun brainstorming technique, crazy eights delivers on quantity by encouraging brainstormers to think quickly using a template that has eight boxes and only eight minutes on the clock to sketch out eight ideas. Once the timer stops, the group discusses their ideas. 

For a larger group, consider having each brainstormer narrow in on only three ideas and give them a longer time limit of six minutes to sketch them out in more detail.

Best for: group brainstorms, visual thinkers, developing a surplus of ideas

8 tips for a productive brainstorming session

No matter which brainstorming technique is right for you and your team, consider the following best practices to brainstorm most effectively . Of course, it all begins with the brainstorming facilitator and how they set the tone for the session.

1. Allow time to prep 

A brainstorming facilitator isn’t the only one in a brainstorming session who needs time to prepare for a meeting . They also should give brainstormers some context ahead of the session, such as in the form of a meeting agenda , to get in the correct mindset for the brainstorming session. 

At least one day is standard but as little as two to 10 minutes is useful. Moreover, brainstorming facilitators should also have a few ideas in their back pocket for any creative ruts that might creep in.

2. Set a clear intention

The more context you can provide brainstormers from the get-go, the more fruitful ideas they can produce. For instance, clearly spell out what types of ideas you’re looking for. Whether it’s quickly executable ones or ones that are entirely pathbreaking, identify specific targets to address. 

Additionally, be sure to let brainstormers know of any constraints you or your organization is operating under, including project timelines or budgets, so they’re generating executable ideas.

3. Invite new teammates and ideas

When the same people brainstorm together over and over, they can tend to produce the same ideas over and over. For this reason, consider introducing new people to your brainstorming session to shake up the usual and lend a fresh perspective—and hopefully fresh ideas—to your brainstorming topics. Invitees can be colleagues from different departments, customers or clients for a focus group, or an outside consultant.

4. Promote inclusivity

Every brainstorming session should be considered a safe space to share ideas—even unconventional ones. Remember, the only bad ideas are no ideas, and any idea shared shouldn’t be shot down or judged. In addition, the brainstorm facilitator should ensure every brainstormer is treated equally and given the same amount of time to talk. This might mean setting a timer for each brainstormer to talk and acknowledging those who are dominating conversations. Likewise, every brainstormer should be open and curious to ideas.

5. Think out of the box

Creative thinking begins with not taking ourselves too seriously. Just as you encourage inclusivity, encourage imperfections and out-of-the-box thinking, too. This could include anything from fun team building games to unique icebreaker questions. Hey, even a bevy of silly ideas to build off of is better than no ideas at all. Brainstorming techniques like wishing can encourage team members to open up.

6. Amplify creativity with music

Similar to how a change of scenery can inspire new ideas, even a little background music can promote creativity. Consider putting some on for your brainstorming session, and for the best results ensure it’s:

Instrumental

In a major key

On a fixed tempo and volume

7. Mix and match brainstorming techniques

Just as brainstorming techniques aren’t necessarily one-size-fits-all, they also aren’t all one-type-fits-every-session. Be prepared to pivot your brainstorming technique depending on what your group of brainstormers is most receptive to and also how many ideas you're juggling. 

8. Execute your ideas 

Coming up with bright ideas is great. But they’re pretty useless unless you effectively execute them. While some brainstorming techniques build the execution process into them, others might require you to follow up with brainstormers using project templates to map out a plan using creative solutions. 

Brainstorming is about quantity over quality

When done right, a brainstorming session shouldn’t feel like a chore but rather an opportunity to create something together, especially when your brainstorming technique supports different styles of thinking and expression. 

And whether you're operating as an individual or on a team, there’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing your ideas come to fruition. Get the creative ideas flowing, then customize your workflow management tool to turn those ideas into action. 

Related resources

30-60-90 day plan: How to onboard new hires with ease

15 types of employee performance reviews

What is self-management? (7 skills to improve it)

Don’t like giving feedback? These 20 tips are for you

35 problem-solving techniques and methods for solving complex problems

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All teams and organizations encounter challenges as they grow. There are problems that might occur for teams when it comes to miscommunication or resolving business-critical issues . You may face challenges around growth , design , user engagement, and even team culture and happiness. In short, problem-solving techniques should be part of every team’s skillset.

Problem-solving methods are primarily designed to help a group or team through a process of first identifying problems and challenges , ideating possible solutions , and then evaluating the most suitable .

Finding effective solutions to complex problems isn’t easy, but by using the right process and techniques, you can help your team be more efficient in the process.

So how do you develop strategies that are engaging, and empower your team to solve problems effectively?

In this blog post, we share a series of problem-solving tools you can use in your next workshop or team meeting. You’ll also find some tips for facilitating the process and how to enable others to solve complex problems.

Let’s get started! 

How do you identify problems?

How do you identify the right solution.

• Tips for more effective problem-solving

Complete problem-solving methods

• Problem-solving techniques to identify and analyze problems
• Problem-solving techniques for developing solutions

Problem-solving warm-up activities

Closing activities for a problem-solving process.

Before you can move towards finding the right solution for a given problem, you first need to identify and define the problem you wish to solve. 

Here, you want to clearly articulate what the problem is and allow your group to do the same. Remember that everyone in a group is likely to have differing perspectives and alignment is necessary in order to help the group move forward. 

Identifying a problem accurately also requires that all members of a group are able to contribute their views in an open and safe manner. It can be scary for people to stand up and contribute, especially if the problems or challenges are emotive or personal in nature. Be sure to try and create a psychologically safe space for these kinds of discussions.

Remember that problem analysis and further discussion are also important. Not taking the time to fully analyze and discuss a challenge can result in the development of solutions that are not fit for purpose or do not address the underlying issue.

Successfully identifying and then analyzing a problem means facilitating a group through activities designed to help them clearly and honestly articulate their thoughts and produce usable insight.

With this data, you might then produce a problem statement that clearly describes the problem you wish to be addressed and also state the goal of any process you undertake to tackle this issue.  

Finding solutions is the end goal of any process. Complex organizational challenges can only be solved with an appropriate solution but discovering them requires using the right problem-solving tool.

After you’ve explored a problem and discussed ideas, you need to help a team discuss and choose the right solution. Consensus tools and methods such as those below help a group explore possible solutions before then voting for the best. They’re a great way to tap into the collective intelligence of the group for great results!

Remember that the process is often iterative. Great problem solvers often roadtest a viable solution in a measured way to see what works too. While you might not get the right solution on your first try, the methods below help teams land on the most likely to succeed solution while also holding space for improvement.

Every effective problem solving process begins with an agenda . A well-structured workshop is one of the best methods for successfully guiding a group from exploring a problem to implementing a solution.

In SessionLab, it’s easy to go from an idea to a complete agenda . Start by dragging and dropping your core problem solving activities into place . Add timings, breaks and necessary materials before sharing your agenda with your colleagues.

The resulting agenda will be your guide to an effective and productive problem solving session that will also help you stay organized on the day!

Tips for more effective problem solving

Problem-solving activities are only one part of the puzzle. While a great method can help unlock your team’s ability to solve problems, without a thoughtful approach and strong facilitation the solutions may not be fit for purpose.

Let’s take a look at some problem-solving tips you can apply to any process to help it be a success!

Clearly define the problem

Jumping straight to solutions can be tempting, though without first clearly articulating a problem, the solution might not be the right one. Many of the problem-solving activities below include sections where the problem is explored and clearly defined before moving on.

This is a vital part of the problem-solving process and taking the time to fully define an issue can save time and effort later. A clear definition helps identify irrelevant information and it also ensures that your team sets off on the right track.

Don’t jump to conclusions

It’s easy for groups to exhibit cognitive bias or have preconceived ideas about both problems and potential solutions. Be sure to back up any problem statements or potential solutions with facts, research, and adequate forethought.

The best techniques ask participants to be methodical and challenge preconceived notions. Make sure you give the group enough time and space to collect relevant information and consider the problem in a new way. By approaching the process with a clear, rational mindset, you’ll often find that better solutions are more forthcoming.  

Try different approaches  

Problems come in all shapes and sizes and so too should the methods you use to solve them. If you find that one approach isn’t yielding results and your team isn’t finding different solutions, try mixing it up. You’ll be surprised at how using a new creative activity can unblock your team and generate great solutions.

Don’t take it personally 

Depending on the nature of your team or organizational problems, it’s easy for conversations to get heated. While it’s good for participants to be engaged in the discussions, ensure that emotions don’t run too high and that blame isn’t thrown around while finding solutions.

You’re all in it together, and even if your team or area is seeing problems, that isn’t necessarily a disparagement of you personally. Using facilitation skills to manage group dynamics is one effective method of helping conversations be more constructive.

Get the right people in the room

Your problem-solving method is often only as effective as the group using it. Getting the right people on the job and managing the number of people present is important too!

If the group is too small, you may not get enough different perspectives to effectively solve a problem. If the group is too large, you can go round and round during the ideation stages.

Creating the right group makeup is also important in ensuring you have the necessary expertise and skillset to both identify and follow up on potential solutions. Carefully consider who to include at each stage to help ensure your problem-solving method is followed and positioned for success.

Document everything

The best solutions can take refinement, iteration, and reflection to come out. Get into a habit of documenting your process in order to keep all the learnings from the session and to allow ideas to mature and develop. Many of the methods below involve the creation of documents or shared resources. Be sure to keep and share these so everyone can benefit from the work done!

Bring a facilitator 

Facilitation is all about making group processes easier. With a subject as potentially emotive and important as problem-solving, having an impartial third party in the form of a facilitator can make all the difference in finding great solutions and keeping the process moving. Consider bringing a facilitator to your problem-solving session to get better results and generate meaningful solutions!

Develop your problem-solving skills

It takes time and practice to be an effective problem solver. While some roles or participants might more naturally gravitate towards problem-solving, it can take development and planning to help everyone create better solutions.

You might develop a training program, run a problem-solving workshop or simply ask your team to practice using the techniques below. Check out our post on problem-solving skills to see how you and your group can develop the right mental process and be more resilient to issues too!

Design a great agenda

Workshops are a great format for solving problems. With the right approach, you can focus a group and help them find the solutions to their own problems. But designing a process can be time-consuming and finding the right activities can be difficult.

Check out our workshop planning guide to level-up your agenda design and start running more effective workshops. Need inspiration? Check out templates designed by expert facilitators to help you kickstart your process!

In this section, we’ll look at in-depth problem-solving methods that provide a complete end-to-end process for developing effective solutions. These will help guide your team from the discovery and definition of a problem through to delivering the right solution.

If you’re looking for an all-encompassing method or problem-solving model, these processes are a great place to start. They’ll ask your team to challenge preconceived ideas and adopt a mindset for solving problems more effectively.

• Six Thinking Hats
• Lightning Decision Jam
• Problem Definition Process
• Discovery & Action Dialogue

Design Sprint 2.0

• Open Space Technology

1. Six Thinking Hats

Individual approaches to solving a problem can be very different based on what team or role an individual holds. It can be easy for existing biases or perspectives to find their way into the mix, or for internal politics to direct a conversation.

Six Thinking Hats is a classic method for identifying the problems that need to be solved and enables your team to consider them from different angles, whether that is by focusing on facts and data, creative solutions, or by considering why a particular solution might not work.

Like all problem-solving frameworks, Six Thinking Hats is effective at helping teams remove roadblocks from a conversation or discussion and come to terms with all the aspects necessary to solve complex problems.

2. Lightning Decision Jam

Featured courtesy of Jonathan Courtney of AJ&Smart Berlin, Lightning Decision Jam is one of those strategies that should be in every facilitation toolbox. Exploring problems and finding solutions is often creative in nature, though as with any creative process, there is the potential to lose focus and get lost.

Unstructured discussions might get you there in the end, but it’s much more effective to use a method that creates a clear process and team focus.

In Lightning Decision Jam, participants are invited to begin by writing challenges, concerns, or mistakes on post-its without discussing them before then being invited by the moderator to present them to the group.

From there, the team vote on which problems to solve and are guided through steps that will allow them to reframe those problems, create solutions and then decide what to execute on. 

By deciding the problems that need to be solved as a team before moving on, this group process is great for ensuring the whole team is aligned and can take ownership over the next stages. 

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)   #action   #decision making   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #innovation   #design   #remote-friendly   The problem with anything that requires creative thinking is that it’s easy to get lost—lose focus and fall into the trap of having useless, open-ended, unstructured discussions. Here’s the most effective solution I’ve found: Replace all open, unstructured discussion with a clear process. What to use this exercise for: Anything which requires a group of people to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges. It’s always good to frame an LDJ session with a broad topic, here are some examples: The conversion flow of our checkout Our internal design process How we organise events Keeping up with our competition Improving sales flow

3. Problem Definition Process

While problems can be complex, the problem-solving methods you use to identify and solve those problems can often be simple in design. 

By taking the time to truly identify and define a problem before asking the group to reframe the challenge as an opportunity, this method is a great way to enable change.

Begin by identifying a focus question and exploring the ways in which it manifests before splitting into five teams who will each consider the problem using a different method: escape, reversal, exaggeration, distortion or wishful. Teams develop a problem objective and create ideas in line with their method before then feeding them back to the group.

This method is great for enabling in-depth discussions while also creating space for finding creative solutions too!

Problem Definition   #problem solving   #idea generation   #creativity   #online   #remote-friendly   A problem solving technique to define a problem, challenge or opportunity and to generate ideas.

4. The 5 Whys 

Sometimes, a group needs to go further with their strategies and analyze the root cause at the heart of organizational issues. An RCA or root cause analysis is the process of identifying what is at the heart of business problems or recurring challenges. 

The 5 Whys is a simple and effective method of helping a group go find the root cause of any problem or challenge and conduct analysis that will deliver results. 

By beginning with the creation of a problem statement and going through five stages to refine it, The 5 Whys provides everything you need to truly discover the cause of an issue.

The 5 Whys   #hyperisland   #innovation   This simple and powerful method is useful for getting to the core of a problem or challenge. As the title suggests, the group defines a problems, then asks the question “why” five times, often using the resulting explanation as a starting point for creative problem solving.

5. World Cafe

World Cafe is a simple but powerful facilitation technique to help bigger groups to focus their energy and attention on solving complex problems.

World Cafe enables this approach by creating a relaxed atmosphere where participants are able to self-organize and explore topics relevant and important to them which are themed around a central problem-solving purpose. Create the right atmosphere by modeling your space after a cafe and after guiding the group through the method, let them take the lead!

Making problem-solving a part of your organization’s culture in the long term can be a difficult undertaking. More approachable formats like World Cafe can be especially effective in bringing people unfamiliar with workshops into the fold. 

World Cafe   #hyperisland   #innovation   #issue analysis   World Café is a simple yet powerful method, originated by Juanita Brown, for enabling meaningful conversations driven completely by participants and the topics that are relevant and important to them. Facilitators create a cafe-style space and provide simple guidelines. Participants then self-organize and explore a set of relevant topics or questions for conversation.

6. Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)

One of the best approaches is to create a safe space for a group to share and discover practices and behaviors that can help them find their own solutions.

With DAD, you can help a group choose which problems they wish to solve and which approaches they will take to do so. It’s great at helping remove resistance to change and can help get buy-in at every level too!

This process of enabling frontline ownership is great in ensuring follow-through and is one of the methods you will want in your toolbox as a facilitator.

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)   #idea generation   #liberating structures   #action   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   DADs make it easy for a group or community to discover practices and behaviors that enable some individuals (without access to special resources and facing the same constraints) to find better solutions than their peers to common problems. These are called positive deviant (PD) behaviors and practices. DADs make it possible for people in the group, unit, or community to discover by themselves these PD practices. DADs also create favorable conditions for stimulating participants’ creativity in spaces where they can feel safe to invent new and more effective practices. Resistance to change evaporates as participants are unleashed to choose freely which practices they will adopt or try and which problems they will tackle. DADs make it possible to achieve frontline ownership of solutions.

7. Design Sprint 2.0

Want to see how a team can solve big problems and move forward with prototyping and testing solutions in a few days? The Design Sprint 2.0 template from Jake Knapp, author of Sprint, is a complete agenda for a with proven results.

Developing the right agenda can involve difficult but necessary planning. Ensuring all the correct steps are followed can also be stressful or time-consuming depending on your level of experience.

Use this complete 4-day workshop template if you are finding there is no obvious solution to your challenge and want to focus your team around a specific problem that might require a shortcut to launching a minimum viable product or waiting for the organization-wide implementation of a solution.

8. Open space technology

Open space technology- developed by Harrison Owen – creates a space where large groups are invited to take ownership of their problem solving and lead individual sessions. Open space technology is a great format when you have a great deal of expertise and insight in the room and want to allow for different takes and approaches on a particular theme or problem you need to be solved.

Start by bringing your participants together to align around a central theme and focus their efforts. Explain the ground rules to help guide the problem-solving process and then invite members to identify any issue connecting to the central theme that they are interested in and are prepared to take responsibility for.

Once participants have decided on their approach to the core theme, they write their issue on a piece of paper, announce it to the group, pick a session time and place, and post the paper on the wall. As the wall fills up with sessions, the group is then invited to join the sessions that interest them the most and which they can contribute to, then you’re ready to begin!

Everyone joins the problem-solving group they’ve signed up to, record the discussion and if appropriate, findings can then be shared with the rest of the group afterward.

Open Space Technology   #action plan   #idea generation   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #large group   #online   #remote-friendly   Open Space is a methodology for large groups to create their agenda discerning important topics for discussion, suitable for conferences, community gatherings and whole system facilitation

Techniques to identify and analyze problems

Using a problem-solving method to help a team identify and analyze a problem can be a quick and effective addition to any workshop or meeting.

While further actions are always necessary, you can generate momentum and alignment easily, and these activities are a great place to get started.

We’ve put together this list of techniques to help you and your team with problem identification, analysis, and discussion that sets the foundation for developing effective solutions.

Let’s take a look!

• The Creativity Dice
• Fishbone Analysis
• Problem Tree
• SWOT Analysis
• Agreement-Certainty Matrix
• The Journalistic Six
• LEGO Challenge
• What, So What, Now What?
• Journalists

Individual and group perspectives are incredibly important, but what happens if people are set in their minds and need a change of perspective in order to approach a problem more effectively?

Flip It is a method we love because it is both simple to understand and run, and allows groups to understand how their perspectives and biases are formed. 

Participants in Flip It are first invited to consider concerns, issues, or problems from a perspective of fear and write them on a flip chart. Then, the group is asked to consider those same issues from a perspective of hope and flip their understanding.  

No problem and solution is free from existing bias and by changing perspectives with Flip It, you can then develop a problem solving model quickly and effectively.

Flip It!   #gamestorming   #problem solving   #action   Often, a change in a problem or situation comes simply from a change in our perspectives. Flip It! is a quick game designed to show players that perspectives are made, not born.

10. The Creativity Dice

One of the most useful problem solving skills you can teach your team is of approaching challenges with creativity, flexibility, and openness. Games like The Creativity Dice allow teams to overcome the potential hurdle of too much linear thinking and approach the process with a sense of fun and speed. 

In The Creativity Dice, participants are organized around a topic and roll a dice to determine what they will work on for a period of 3 minutes at a time. They might roll a 3 and work on investigating factual information on the chosen topic. They might roll a 1 and work on identifying the specific goals, standards, or criteria for the session.

Encouraging rapid work and iteration while asking participants to be flexible are great skills to cultivate. Having a stage for idea incubation in this game is also important. Moments of pause can help ensure the ideas that are put forward are the most suitable. 

The Creativity Dice   #creativity   #problem solving   #thiagi   #issue analysis   Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

11. Fishbone Analysis

Organizational or team challenges are rarely simple, and it’s important to remember that one problem can be an indication of something that goes deeper and may require further consideration to be solved.

Fishbone Analysis helps groups to dig deeper and understand the origins of a problem. It’s a great example of a root cause analysis method that is simple for everyone on a team to get their head around. 

Participants in this activity are asked to annotate a diagram of a fish, first adding the problem or issue to be worked on at the head of a fish before then brainstorming the root causes of the problem and adding them as bones on the fish. 

Using abstractions such as a diagram of a fish can really help a team break out of their regular thinking and develop a creative approach.

Fishbone Analysis   #problem solving   ##root cause analysis   #decision making   #online facilitation   A process to help identify and understand the origins of problems, issues or observations.

12. Problem Tree 

Encouraging visual thinking can be an essential part of many strategies. By simply reframing and clarifying problems, a group can move towards developing a problem solving model that works for them. 

In Problem Tree, groups are asked to first brainstorm a list of problems – these can be design problems, team problems or larger business problems – and then organize them into a hierarchy. The hierarchy could be from most important to least important or abstract to practical, though the key thing with problem solving games that involve this aspect is that your group has some way of managing and sorting all the issues that are raised.

Once you have a list of problems that need to be solved and have organized them accordingly, you’re then well-positioned for the next problem solving steps.

Problem tree   #define intentions   #create   #design   #issue analysis   A problem tree is a tool to clarify the hierarchy of problems addressed by the team within a design project; it represents high level problems or related sublevel problems.

13. SWOT Analysis

Chances are you’ve heard of the SWOT Analysis before. This problem-solving method focuses on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is a tried and tested method for both individuals and teams.

Start by creating a desired end state or outcome and bare this in mind – any process solving model is made more effective by knowing what you are moving towards. Create a quadrant made up of the four categories of a SWOT analysis and ask participants to generate ideas based on each of those quadrants.

Once you have those ideas assembled in their quadrants, cluster them together based on their affinity with other ideas. These clusters are then used to facilitate group conversations and move things forward. 

SWOT analysis   #gamestorming   #problem solving   #action   #meeting facilitation   The SWOT Analysis is a long-standing technique of looking at what we have, with respect to the desired end state, as well as what we could improve on. It gives us an opportunity to gauge approaching opportunities and dangers, and assess the seriousness of the conditions that affect our future. When we understand those conditions, we can influence what comes next.

14. Agreement-Certainty Matrix

Not every problem-solving approach is right for every challenge, and deciding on the right method for the challenge at hand is a key part of being an effective team.

The Agreement Certainty matrix helps teams align on the nature of the challenges facing them. By sorting problems from simple to chaotic, your team can understand what methods are suitable for each problem and what they can do to ensure effective results. 

If you are already using Liberating Structures techniques as part of your problem-solving strategy, the Agreement-Certainty Matrix can be an invaluable addition to your process. We’ve found it particularly if you are having issues with recurring problems in your organization and want to go deeper in understanding the root cause. 

Agreement-Certainty Matrix   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #problem solving   You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic .  A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate.  It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably.  A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail.  Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward.  A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”  The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Organizing and charting a team’s progress can be important in ensuring its success. SQUID (Sequential Question and Insight Diagram) is a great model that allows a team to effectively switch between giving questions and answers and develop the skills they need to stay on track throughout the process. 

Begin with two different colored sticky notes – one for questions and one for answers – and with your central topic (the head of the squid) on the board. Ask the group to first come up with a series of questions connected to their best guess of how to approach the topic. Ask the group to come up with answers to those questions, fix them to the board and connect them with a line. After some discussion, go back to question mode by responding to the generated answers or other points on the board.

It’s rewarding to see a diagram grow throughout the exercise, and a completed SQUID can provide a visual resource for future effort and as an example for other teams.

SQUID   #gamestorming   #project planning   #issue analysis   #problem solving   When exploring an information space, it’s important for a group to know where they are at any given time. By using SQUID, a group charts out the territory as they go and can navigate accordingly. SQUID stands for Sequential Question and Insight Diagram.

16. Speed Boat

To continue with our nautical theme, Speed Boat is a short and sweet activity that can help a team quickly identify what employees, clients or service users might have a problem with and analyze what might be standing in the way of achieving a solution.

Methods that allow for a group to make observations, have insights and obtain those eureka moments quickly are invaluable when trying to solve complex problems.

In Speed Boat, the approach is to first consider what anchors and challenges might be holding an organization (or boat) back. Bonus points if you are able to identify any sharks in the water and develop ideas that can also deal with competitors!   

Speed Boat   #gamestorming   #problem solving   #action   Speedboat is a short and sweet way to identify what your employees or clients don’t like about your product/service or what’s standing in the way of a desired goal.

17. The Journalistic Six

Some of the most effective ways of solving problems is by encouraging teams to be more inclusive and diverse in their thinking.

Based on the six key questions journalism students are taught to answer in articles and news stories, The Journalistic Six helps create teams to see the whole picture. By using who, what, when, where, why, and how to facilitate the conversation and encourage creative thinking, your team can make sure that the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the are covered exhaustively and thoughtfully. Reporter’s notebook and dictaphone optional.

The Journalistic Six – Who What When Where Why How   #idea generation   #issue analysis   #problem solving   #online   #creative thinking   #remote-friendly   A questioning method for generating, explaining, investigating ideas.

18. LEGO Challenge

Now for an activity that is a little out of the (toy) box. LEGO Serious Play is a facilitation methodology that can be used to improve creative thinking and problem-solving skills. 

The LEGO Challenge includes giving each member of the team an assignment that is hidden from the rest of the group while they create a structure without speaking.

What the LEGO challenge brings to the table is a fun working example of working with stakeholders who might not be on the same page to solve problems. Also, it’s LEGO! Who doesn’t love LEGO! 

LEGO Challenge   #hyperisland   #team   A team-building activity in which groups must work together to build a structure out of LEGO, but each individual has a secret “assignment” which makes the collaborative process more challenging. It emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, cooperation, patience and problem solving strategy.

19. What, So What, Now What?

If not carefully managed, the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the problem-solving process can actually create more problems and misunderstandings.

The What, So What, Now What? problem-solving activity is designed to help collect insights and move forward while also eliminating the possibility of disagreement when it comes to identifying, clarifying, and analyzing organizational or work problems. 

Facilitation is all about bringing groups together so that might work on a shared goal and the best problem-solving strategies ensure that teams are aligned in purpose, if not initially in opinion or insight.

Throughout the three steps of this game, you give everyone on a team to reflect on a problem by asking what happened, why it is important, and what actions should then be taken. 

This can be a great activity for bringing our individual perceptions about a problem or challenge and contextualizing it in a larger group setting. This is one of the most important problem-solving skills you can bring to your organization.

W³ – What, So What, Now What?   #issue analysis   #innovation   #liberating structures   You can help groups reflect on a shared experience in a way that builds understanding and spurs coordinated action while avoiding unproductive conflict. It is possible for every voice to be heard while simultaneously sifting for insights and shaping new direction. Progressing in stages makes this practical—from collecting facts about What Happened to making sense of these facts with So What and finally to what actions logically follow with Now What . The shared progression eliminates most of the misunderstandings that otherwise fuel disagreements about what to do. Voila!

20. Journalists  

Problem analysis can be one of the most important and decisive stages of all problem-solving tools. Sometimes, a team can become bogged down in the details and are unable to move forward.

Journalists is an activity that can avoid a group from getting stuck in the problem identification or problem analysis stages of the process.

In Journalists, the group is invited to draft the front page of a fictional newspaper and figure out what stories deserve to be on the cover and what headlines those stories will have. By reframing how your problems and challenges are approached, you can help a team move productively through the process and be better prepared for the steps to follow.

Journalists   #vision   #big picture   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   This is an exercise to use when the group gets stuck in details and struggles to see the big picture. Also good for defining a vision.

Problem-solving techniques for developing solutions 

The success of any problem-solving process can be measured by the solutions it produces. After you’ve defined the issue, explored existing ideas, and ideated, it’s time to narrow down to the correct solution.

Use these problem-solving techniques when you want to help your team find consensus, compare possible solutions, and move towards taking action on a particular problem.

• Improved Solutions
• Four-Step Sketch
• 15% Solutions
• How-Now-Wow matrix
• Impact Effort Matrix

21. Mindspin  

Brainstorming is part of the bread and butter of the problem-solving process and all problem-solving strategies benefit from getting ideas out and challenging a team to generate solutions quickly. 

With Mindspin, participants are encouraged not only to generate ideas but to do so under time constraints and by slamming down cards and passing them on. By doing multiple rounds, your team can begin with a free generation of possible solutions before moving on to developing those solutions and encouraging further ideation. 

This is one of our favorite problem-solving activities and can be great for keeping the energy up throughout the workshop. Remember the importance of helping people become engaged in the process – energizing problem-solving techniques like Mindspin can help ensure your team stays engaged and happy, even when the problems they’re coming together to solve are complex. 

MindSpin   #teampedia   #idea generation   #problem solving   #action   A fast and loud method to enhance brainstorming within a team. Since this activity has more than round ideas that are repetitive can be ruled out leaving more creative and innovative answers to the challenge.

22. Improved Solutions

After a team has successfully identified a problem and come up with a few solutions, it can be tempting to call the work of the problem-solving process complete. That said, the first solution is not necessarily the best, and by including a further review and reflection activity into your problem-solving model, you can ensure your group reaches the best possible result. 

One of a number of problem-solving games from Thiagi Group, Improved Solutions helps you go the extra mile and develop suggested solutions with close consideration and peer review. By supporting the discussion of several problems at once and by shifting team roles throughout, this problem-solving technique is a dynamic way of finding the best solution. 

Improved Solutions   #creativity   #thiagi   #problem solving   #action   #team   You can improve any solution by objectively reviewing its strengths and weaknesses and making suitable adjustments. In this creativity framegame, you improve the solutions to several problems. To maintain objective detachment, you deal with a different problem during each of six rounds and assume different roles (problem owner, consultant, basher, booster, enhancer, and evaluator) during each round. At the conclusion of the activity, each player ends up with two solutions to her problem.

23. Four Step Sketch

Creative thinking and visual ideation does not need to be confined to the opening stages of your problem-solving strategies. Exercises that include sketching and prototyping on paper can be effective at the solution finding and development stage of the process, and can be great for keeping a team engaged. 

By going from simple notes to a crazy 8s round that involves rapidly sketching 8 variations on their ideas before then producing a final solution sketch, the group is able to iterate quickly and visually. Problem-solving techniques like Four-Step Sketch are great if you have a group of different thinkers and want to change things up from a more textual or discussion-based approach.

Four-Step Sketch   #design sprint   #innovation   #idea generation   #remote-friendly   The four-step sketch is an exercise that helps people to create well-formed concepts through a structured process that includes: Review key information Start design work on paper,  Consider multiple variations , Create a detailed solution . This exercise is preceded by a set of other activities allowing the group to clarify the challenge they want to solve. See how the Four Step Sketch exercise fits into a Design Sprint

24. 15% Solutions

Some problems are simpler than others and with the right problem-solving activities, you can empower people to take immediate actions that can help create organizational change. 

Part of the liberating structures toolkit, 15% solutions is a problem-solving technique that focuses on finding and implementing solutions quickly. A process of iterating and making small changes quickly can help generate momentum and an appetite for solving complex problems.

Problem-solving strategies can live and die on whether people are onboard. Getting some quick wins is a great way of getting people behind the process.   

It can be extremely empowering for a team to realize that problem-solving techniques can be deployed quickly and easily and delineate between things they can positively impact and those things they cannot change. 

15% Solutions   #action   #liberating structures   #remote-friendly   You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference.  15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change.  With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

25. How-Now-Wow Matrix

The problem-solving process is often creative, as complex problems usually require a change of thinking and creative response in order to find the best solutions. While it’s common for the first stages to encourage creative thinking, groups can often gravitate to familiar solutions when it comes to the end of the process. 

When selecting solutions, you don’t want to lose your creative energy! The How-Now-Wow Matrix from Gamestorming is a great problem-solving activity that enables a group to stay creative and think out of the box when it comes to selecting the right solution for a given problem.

Problem-solving techniques that encourage creative thinking and the ideation and selection of new solutions can be the most effective in organisational change. Give the How-Now-Wow Matrix a go, and not just for how pleasant it is to say out loud. 

How-Now-Wow Matrix   #gamestorming   #idea generation   #remote-friendly   When people want to develop new ideas, they most often think out of the box in the brainstorming or divergent phase. However, when it comes to convergence, people often end up picking ideas that are most familiar to them. This is called a ‘creative paradox’ or a ‘creadox’. The How-Now-Wow matrix is an idea selection tool that breaks the creadox by forcing people to weigh each idea on 2 parameters.

26. Impact and Effort Matrix

All problem-solving techniques hope to not only find solutions to a given problem or challenge but to find the best solution. When it comes to finding a solution, groups are invited to put on their decision-making hats and really think about how a proposed idea would work in practice. 

The Impact and Effort Matrix is one of the problem-solving techniques that fall into this camp, empowering participants to first generate ideas and then categorize them into a 2×2 matrix based on impact and effort.

Activities that invite critical thinking while remaining simple are invaluable. Use the Impact and Effort Matrix to move from ideation and towards evaluating potential solutions before then committing to them. 

Impact and Effort Matrix   #gamestorming   #decision making   #action   #remote-friendly   In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

27. Dotmocracy

If you’ve followed each of the problem-solving steps with your group successfully, you should move towards the end of your process with heaps of possible solutions developed with a specific problem in mind. But how do you help a group go from ideation to putting a solution into action? 

Dotmocracy – or Dot Voting -is a tried and tested method of helping a team in the problem-solving process make decisions and put actions in place with a degree of oversight and consensus. 

One of the problem-solving techniques that should be in every facilitator’s toolbox, Dot Voting is fast and effective and can help identify the most popular and best solutions and help bring a group to a decision effectively. 

Dotmocracy   #action   #decision making   #group prioritization   #hyperisland   #remote-friendly   Dotmocracy is a simple method for group prioritization or decision-making. It is not an activity on its own, but a method to use in processes where prioritization or decision-making is the aim. The method supports a group to quickly see which options are most popular or relevant. The options or ideas are written on post-its and stuck up on a wall for the whole group to see. Each person votes for the options they think are the strongest, and that information is used to inform a decision.

All facilitators know that warm-ups and icebreakers are useful for any workshop or group process. Problem-solving workshops are no different.

Use these problem-solving techniques to warm up a group and prepare them for the rest of the process. Activating your group by tapping into some of the top problem-solving skills can be one of the best ways to see great outcomes from your session.

• Check-in/Check-out
• Doodling Together
• Show and Tell
• Constellations
• Draw a Tree

28. Check-in / Check-out

Solid processes are planned from beginning to end, and the best facilitators know that setting the tone and establishing a safe, open environment can be integral to a successful problem-solving process.

Check-in / Check-out is a great way to begin and/or bookend a problem-solving workshop. Checking in to a session emphasizes that everyone will be seen, heard, and expected to contribute. 

If you are running a series of meetings, setting a consistent pattern of checking in and checking out can really help your team get into a groove. We recommend this opening-closing activity for small to medium-sized groups though it can work with large groups if they’re disciplined!

Check-in / Check-out   #team   #opening   #closing   #hyperisland   #remote-friendly   Either checking-in or checking-out is a simple way for a team to open or close a process, symbolically and in a collaborative way. Checking-in/out invites each member in a group to be present, seen and heard, and to express a reflection or a feeling. Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment; checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure.

29. Doodling Together  

Thinking creatively and not being afraid to make suggestions are important problem-solving skills for any group or team, and warming up by encouraging these behaviors is a great way to start. 

Doodling Together is one of our favorite creative ice breaker games – it’s quick, effective, and fun and can make all following problem-solving steps easier by encouraging a group to collaborate visually. By passing cards and adding additional items as they go, the workshop group gets into a groove of co-creation and idea development that is crucial to finding solutions to problems. 

Doodling Together   #collaboration   #creativity   #teamwork   #fun   #team   #visual methods   #energiser   #icebreaker   #remote-friendly   Create wild, weird and often funny postcards together & establish a group’s creative confidence.

30. Show and Tell

You might remember some version of Show and Tell from being a kid in school and it’s a great problem-solving activity to kick off a session.

Asking participants to prepare a little something before a workshop by bringing an object for show and tell can help them warm up before the session has even begun! Games that include a physical object can also help encourage early engagement before moving onto more big-picture thinking.

By asking your participants to tell stories about why they chose to bring a particular item to the group, you can help teams see things from new perspectives and see both differences and similarities in the way they approach a topic. Great groundwork for approaching a problem-solving process as a team! 

Show and Tell   #gamestorming   #action   #opening   #meeting facilitation   Show and Tell taps into the power of metaphors to reveal players’ underlying assumptions and associations around a topic The aim of the game is to get a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on anything—a new project, an organizational restructuring, a shift in the company’s vision or team dynamic.

31. Constellations

Who doesn’t love stars? Constellations is a great warm-up activity for any workshop as it gets people up off their feet, energized, and ready to engage in new ways with established topics. It’s also great for showing existing beliefs, biases, and patterns that can come into play as part of your session.

Using warm-up games that help build trust and connection while also allowing for non-verbal responses can be great for easing people into the problem-solving process and encouraging engagement from everyone in the group. Constellations is great in large spaces that allow for movement and is definitely a practical exercise to allow the group to see patterns that are otherwise invisible. 

Constellations   #trust   #connection   #opening   #coaching   #patterns   #system   Individuals express their response to a statement or idea by standing closer or further from a central object. Used with teams to reveal system, hidden patterns, perspectives.

32. Draw a Tree

Problem-solving games that help raise group awareness through a central, unifying metaphor can be effective ways to warm-up a group in any problem-solving model.

Draw a Tree is a simple warm-up activity you can use in any group and which can provide a quick jolt of energy. Start by asking your participants to draw a tree in just 45 seconds – they can choose whether it will be abstract or realistic. 

Once the timer is up, ask the group how many people included the roots of the tree and use this as a means to discuss how we can ignore important parts of any system simply because they are not visible.

All problem-solving strategies are made more effective by thinking of problems critically and by exposing things that may not normally come to light. Warm-up games like Draw a Tree are great in that they quickly demonstrate some key problem-solving skills in an accessible and effective way.

Draw a Tree   #thiagi   #opening   #perspectives   #remote-friendly   With this game you can raise awarness about being more mindful, and aware of the environment we live in.

Each step of the problem-solving workshop benefits from an intelligent deployment of activities, games, and techniques. Bringing your session to an effective close helps ensure that solutions are followed through on and that you also celebrate what has been achieved.

Here are some problem-solving activities you can use to effectively close a workshop or meeting and ensure the great work you’ve done can continue afterward.

• One Breath Feedback
• Who What When Matrix
• Response Cards

How do I conclude a problem-solving process?

All good things must come to an end. With the bulk of the work done, it can be tempting to conclude your workshop swiftly and without a moment to debrief and align. This can be problematic in that it doesn’t allow your team to fully process the results or reflect on the process.

At the end of an effective session, your team will have gone through a process that, while productive, can be exhausting. It’s important to give your group a moment to take a breath, ensure that they are clear on future actions, and provide short feedback before leaving the space. 

The primary purpose of any problem-solving method is to generate solutions and then implement them. Be sure to take the opportunity to ensure everyone is aligned and ready to effectively implement the solutions you produced in the workshop.

Remember that every process can be improved and by giving a short moment to collect feedback in the session, you can further refine your problem-solving methods and see further success in the future too.

33. One Breath Feedback

Maintaining attention and focus during the closing stages of a problem-solving workshop can be tricky and so being concise when giving feedback can be important. It’s easy to incur “death by feedback” should some team members go on for too long sharing their perspectives in a quick feedback round. 

One Breath Feedback is a great closing activity for workshops. You give everyone an opportunity to provide feedback on what they’ve done but only in the space of a single breath. This keeps feedback short and to the point and means that everyone is encouraged to provide the most important piece of feedback to them. 

One breath feedback   #closing   #feedback   #action   This is a feedback round in just one breath that excels in maintaining attention: each participants is able to speak during just one breath … for most people that’s around 20 to 25 seconds … unless of course you’ve been a deep sea diver in which case you’ll be able to do it for longer.

34. Who What When Matrix 

Matrices feature as part of many effective problem-solving strategies and with good reason. They are easily recognizable, simple to use, and generate results.

The Who What When Matrix is a great tool to use when closing your problem-solving session by attributing a who, what and when to the actions and solutions you have decided upon. The resulting matrix is a simple, easy-to-follow way of ensuring your team can move forward. 

Great solutions can’t be enacted without action and ownership. Your problem-solving process should include a stage for allocating tasks to individuals or teams and creating a realistic timeframe for those solutions to be implemented or checked out. Use this method to keep the solution implementation process clear and simple for all involved. 

Who/What/When Matrix   #gamestorming   #action   #project planning   With Who/What/When matrix, you can connect people with clear actions they have defined and have committed to.

35. Response cards

Group discussion can comprise the bulk of most problem-solving activities and by the end of the process, you might find that your team is talked out! 

Providing a means for your team to give feedback with short written notes can ensure everyone is head and can contribute without the need to stand up and talk. Depending on the needs of the group, giving an alternative can help ensure everyone can contribute to your problem-solving model in the way that makes the most sense for them.

Response Cards is a great way to close a workshop if you are looking for a gentle warm-down and want to get some swift discussion around some of the feedback that is raised. 

Response Cards   #debriefing   #closing   #structured sharing   #questions and answers   #thiagi   #action   It can be hard to involve everyone during a closing of a session. Some might stay in the background or get unheard because of louder participants. However, with the use of Response Cards, everyone will be involved in providing feedback or clarify questions at the end of a session.

Save time and effort discovering the right solutions

A structured problem solving process is a surefire way of solving tough problems, discovering creative solutions and driving organizational change. But how can you design for successful outcomes?

With SessionLab, it’s easy to design engaging workshops that deliver results. Drag, drop and reorder blocks  to build your agenda. When you make changes or update your agenda, your session  timing   adjusts automatically , saving you time on manual adjustments.

Collaborating with stakeholders or clients? Share your agenda with a single click and collaborate in real-time. No more sending documents back and forth over email.

Explore  how to use SessionLab  to design effective problem solving workshops or  watch this five minute video  to see the planner in action!

Over to you

The problem-solving process can often be as complicated and multifaceted as the problems they are set-up to solve. With the right problem-solving techniques and a mix of creative exercises designed to guide discussion and generate purposeful ideas, we hope we’ve given you the tools to find the best solutions as simply and easily as possible.

Is there a problem-solving technique that you are missing here? Do you have a favorite activity or method you use when facilitating? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you! 

thank you very much for these excellent techniques

Certainly wonderful article, very detailed. Shared!

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What is brainstorming?

Table of contents

Definition of brainstorming.

Brainstorming is a creative thinking technique for coming up with new ideas and solving problems. Teams use this ideation method to encourage new ways of thinking and collectively generate solutions. Brainstorming encourages free thinking and allows for all ideas to be voiced without judgment, fostering an open and innovative environment. This process typically involves a group of people, although it can be done individually as well.

This guide will help you get the most out of every creative session. When you're ready to start your next free thinking exercise, jump into Miro’s brainstorming tool to generate ideas and turn them into action.

What is the main purpose of brainstorming?

The primary purpose of a brainstorming session is to generate and document many ideas, no matter how “out there” they might seem. Through this lateral thinking process, inventive ideas are suggested, which sparks creative solutions. By encouraging everyone to think more freely and not be afraid to share their ideas, teams can build on each other’s thoughts to find the best possible solution to a problem. Brainstorming usually takes place in a group setting where people get together to creatively solve problems and come up with ideas. However, it’s also useful for individuals who need to explore novel solutions to a problem. Sitting down by yourself and writing down solutions to potential problems is a great way to brainstorm individually. Focusing your mind on a defined problem allows you to think of many creative ways to get to an answer. While brainstorming normally allows for free-form methods of thinking and doesn’t require many rules, the best results usually stem from controlled sessions. Posing questions and role-playing different scenarios during the brainstorming session is a smart way to pull out unusual ideas and never-before-thought-of solutions.

Benefits of brainstorming

Why is brainstorming such a popular approach to solving problems and generating ideas? Here are some of its many advantages:

Encourages creativity

Brainstorming sessions are meant to be free of judgment. Everyone involved is meant to feel safe and confident enough to speak their minds. There will be some good and some bad ideas, but this doesn’t matter as long as the final outcome is one that can solve the problem. This kind of free-thinking environment, along with a few essential brainstorming rules, encourage creativity in the workplace.

Fosters collaboration and team building

Brainstorming is not only good for problem-solving. It also allows employees and team members to understand how the people around them think. It helps the team get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and helps build a more inclusive and close-knit workforce.

Generates innovative, revolutionary ideas

Brainstorming is the perfect mix between a free-thinking, creative environment and one that is governed by rules. Being faced with a defined problem or asking questions like “What do we do in X scenario?” forces everyone in the room to come up with ideas and solutions. No two people think alike. So, combining the good parts of everyone’s answers will result in holistic and revolutionary solutions.

Establishes different perspectives

One of the major benefits of brainstorming is that it allows and encourages all members of the session to freely propose ideas. This type of environment fosters courage in people who may not usually offer their perspective on a problem. Garnering a range of different perspectives can lead to a never-before-thought-of solution.

Introduces many ideas quickly

The beauty of brainstorming is that it encourages teams to come up with many ideas in a relatively short period of time. Ideas are thrown around, and every train of thought is documented. Different perspectives give different answers, and sifting through a few good answers in quick succession may lead to the perfect solution in no time.

Types of brainstorming techniques

There are plenty of creative brainstorming techniques to choose from. Here are some of the most popular ones:

Reverse brainstorming

In a typical brainstorming session, the group is asked to consider solutions to a problem. This means that they will spend time thinking about the outcome — the end goal — rather than the root of the problem — the starting point. Reverse brainstorming is simply the opposite: teams are asked to ideate on the problem instead of the solution. This type of brainstorming is done before the start of an important project, as it helps teams anticipate any future obstacles that might arise. To help frame this way of thinking, use a Reverse Brainstorming Template to get the team started.

Random word brainstorming

One of the main goals of a brainstorming session is to come up with new ideas. One of the best ways to do this is to say the first words that come to mind when a specific topic or subject is mentioned. Random word brainstorming allows for exactly that. The team is given a problem, and they need to shout out the first words that they think of, regardless of what they are. These words are then written down and later put into interesting combinations to see if they will lead to a usable solution. This brainstorming method is extremely fast and usually very efficient at solving a defined problem. The Random Words Brainstorming Template can help get you started.

The 5 Whys Method

Like the reverse brainstorming method, the 5 Whys method aims to look at the root causes of a problem to stop that same issue from arising again. This method attempts to curb the problem before it can reoccur by asking the question “why?” over and over until it can no longer be answered. Once you reach this stage, you have arrived at the root cause of the issue.

SCAMPER model

Developed by Bob Earle, an author of creativity books for kids, the SCAMPER model was originally a game aimed at imagination development in adolescents. It has, however, become popular in the corporate world as a means of improving and encouraging creativity in team members when dealing with complex, defined problems. Using this model, your team will view a problem through 7 filters: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, and reverse.

Rapid ideation

Rapid ideation brainstorming is almost the exact same thinking model as random word brainstorming. In this method, however, everyone writes down the solutions they are thinking of instead of shouting them out. This gives participants a bit more privacy with their immediate thoughts — possibly leading to even more creative and revolutionary outcomes.

Starbursting

Once again, brainstorming can change based on the team’s perspective and each session’s expected outcome. Starburst brainstorming focuses on getting the team to ask questions instead of coming up with answers.

How to hold a brainstorming workshop

Ready to harness the power of a well-run brainstorming session? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to organize a successful brainstorming workshop:

1. Assign a facilitator

When done as a group, a brainstorming session needs to have boundaries. You need to choose someone who will facilitate the session and provide guidelines for the thinking exercises that the group will partake in. This is so the session doesn’t get too scattered and stays on the right track. The facilitator should pose questions and guide the group from start to finish.

2. Establish context and ensure group understanding

A brainstorming session cannot be properly carried out without context. The group must understand why they are meeting and what the end goal of the session is. Everyone should also understand the meaning of brainstorming and what to expect from the brainstorming process. The brainstorming method that will be used should also be established (see point 5) and explained at the outset.

3. Define an objective

While brainstorming is often looked at as a form of free-thinking creativity, it is best to try to stay within certain rules. It’s essential that you define a clear objective and use the session to reach your predetermined goal.

4. Set a time limit

Setting a defined time limit before the session starts is important to the success of your brainstorming session. No doubt your team could come up with countless ideas, but there has to be a limit on how long the session can run. Knowing that you need to solve a problem within one hour, for instance, will help the team focus on the job at hand and come up with ideas faster. It will also keep everyone thinking about the same problem.

5. Decide on the brainstorming technique

The brainstorming technique that will be used must be decided on before the session begins. The best way to do this is to look at the problem at hand. If you’re looking to prevent obstacles from arising in the future, try the “5 Whys” technique. If you’re looking to come up with new marketing ideas or get creative with workplace conflicts, try the rapid ideation technique.

6. Set some ground rules

As stated above, the best and most productive brainstorming sessions are those that allow for free thinking and creativity within preset boundaries. Brainstorming ground rules are essential to to the success of the session, as they keep everyone focused on the topic at hand and ensure that no one goes off track.

7. Capture all ideas

The entire point of a brainstorming session is to come up with as many ideas as possible, regardless of whether the standalone suggestion will lead to success. This means that you need to use the right tools to document the ideas being suggested. Miro has a host of idea-capturing tools, including a simple-to-use visual platform for remote brainstorming sessions and digital sticky notes .

8. Discuss and vote on ideas

After all the ideas have been captured, it’s time to discuss them. The team needs to be productive in choosing a creative idea that suits the problem, or they can try combining a few ideas to come up with a holistic solution. To make decisions as a group and come to an agreement, teams can use the dot voting method . This technique reveals group priorities and helps everyone reach a consensus on the direction to take.

9. Turn ideas into action

Once the final idea has been chosen, it’s time to create a plan of action and a deadline for the idea to be put in place. Transform your ideas into detailed, tangible steps with the Action Plan Template . This will help with coordination between team members and ensures that nothing is missed.

Tips for your brainstorming activities

While all brainstorming sessions look a little different, here are some best practices to get the most out of yours:

Record all ideas

If you want to have a successful and productive brainstorming session, it’s important that you capture every idea suggested, good and bad. An idea might seem silly when first brought up, but it might become an invaluable idea as the session moves on. Capture everything, and right at the end, work out which ideas best suit the problem.

Ensure that everyone’s ideas are heard

When brainstorming is done as a group activity, everyone needs to feel comfortable and confident to propose ideas. The best way to make sure the environment fosters these feelings is to make the session feel like a conversation, not a presentation. Create a safe and open environment that gives everyone equal opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas.

Focus on quantity

People often like to say, "Focus on quality, not quantity," but it’s the opposite when brainstorming. In a brainstorming session, you should focus on getting as many ideas on the board as possible, even if they're only one-word ideas. These can all be used to come to a holistic solution at the end of the session. Each suggestion could be invaluable if you're coming up with a combined idea.

Brainstorming should be a fun and creative endeavor. You shouldn’t be too rigid — though some ground rules are important. If your team has weekly brainstorming sessions, try new brainstorming techniques and activities each time you meet. This will keep your team members on their toes and help make them excited about the next meeting. It will also encourage out-of-the-box thinking, which is essential to any successful brainstorming session.

Avoid criticism

We’ll say it again: there are no bad ideas in a brainstorming session. This is the attitude that all team members must adopt when entering the session. No one should be criticized for the ideas that they propose. The best way to foster an environment that is devoid of criticism and encourages creativity is to maintain a relaxed approach. This will make everyone feel comfortable and happy to contribute their ideas.

Discover more

Guide to collaborative brainstorming

When to use brainstorming (and which techniques are best)

What is brainwriting?

What is reverse brainstorming?

How to conduct a brainstorming session

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Brainstorming techniques

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What are brainstorming techniques? Brainstorming techniques are best practices for getting the highest-quality ideas out of a brainstorming session. You’ve put a brainstorming session on the calendar and you’re ready for the brilliant ideas to start rolling in. 

But here’s the thing: you can’t assume that you’ll simply gather everybody in a room and watch the magic happen. 

An effective brainstorming session needs more than just a bunch of brains — it needs structure. That means you should come prepared with some prompts and exercises to kick off the idea generation process. 

Below are a variety of brainstorming techniques in four different categories, so you can help everybody pull out their best ideas and make the most of your time together.

Visual brainstorming techniques

You don’t need to be an artist to pull this off. Whipping out some markers and doodling away with these visual brainstorming exercises can help you get out of your own head and come up with some creative ideas.

1. Mind mapping

You can do this : Alone or with a team

What you’ll need:

• Whiteboard or paper

How it works : Mindmapping forces you to explore different facets of a problem and organize your ideas for possible solutions. You’ll need to start with the central question you’re trying to answer or problem you’re trying to solve, which should be put at the center of your paper or whiteboard. 

Make this specific enough to provide direction without boxing people into one way of thinking. For example, ask, “How can we improve our customer response times?” rather than something general like, “How can we provide better customer service?” 

From there, write down different thoughts that are related to that question and jot them in separate bubbles around the core question. Then, use those ideas to spark even more ideas that you can connect using circles, lines, and arrows.

End up with a mess? That’s exactly the point. But now you can comb through all of those ideas and pull out the best ones.

2. Storyboarding

• Sticky notes
• A blank wall

How it works : You’ve probably heard of storyboarding in the context of planning out a movie plot or a script. And that makes sense because this technique is especially helpful for brainstorming and designing a series or a process.

For example, imagine that you and the rest of your team are trying to design a new employee onboarding process. Using this type of brainstorming technique, everybody gets some sticky notes and writes down the different elements they think belong in your onboarding process (i.e., a welcome lunch, an office tour, and a one-on-one meeting with the team manager).

After that, you can collect the sticky notes, remove any duplicates, and place and move the notes around on a blank wall to find the best order for your onboarding process. Once everyone agrees, document that order so everyone has it for reference. 

3. Group sketching

You can do this : With a team

• Pieces of paper

How it works : Science says that doodling can improve our focus, enhance our creativity, and give our problem-solving skills a boost. It’s time to pull out some pencils, channel your inner artist, and do some group sketching.

It’s simple: each team member gets a sheet of paper and sketches something related to the core concept you’re brainstorming, for example, activities for your next team outing.

When those first rounds of sketches are finished, papers get passed to the next person who sketches another related image. Maybe the first drawer sketched a pizza, while the next person sketched a wine bottle. Continue passing those papers. Once they’ve made it all the way through the group, collect and discuss the sketches.

It’s a fun activity that can help your team identify new connections and generate more innovative ideas. 

Starbursting

• Paper or whiteboard

How it works : On your paper or whiteboard, draw a six-pointed star and write the challenge, problem, or opportunity you’re brainstorming at the center. For example, imagine that your team wants to put together a new webinar but you haven’t ironed out any other details yet.

Within each point of the star, write the following terms: who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Now, jot down questions that start with each of those terms. Maybe it’s, “Who will host our webinar?” or “Who is the intended audience for this webinar?” Think of as many questions – both obvious and non-obvious – for each term as possible.

Starbursting enables you and your team to explore all possibilities and thoroughly think through all elements of an idea or project.

Analytical brainstorming techniques

1. customer journey mapping.

How it works : This technique helps you visualize how customers experience your product or service, as well as how they feel along the way.

What does this have to do with brainstorming? Well, sometimes all you need is to get outside of your own head and explore different perspectives on a problem or question. 

Customer journey mapping puts you in the shoes of your customer so that you can potentially identify solutions or ideas that you wouldn’t have thought of on your own. There’s a detailed breakdown of how to use customer journey mapping in this playbook . 

2. Dependency mapping

You can do this: With a team

What you’ll need :

• Large display screen
• Whiteboard or shared digital document

How it works : Brainstorming doesn’t have to be all about coming up with innovative new ideas. It can be just as helpful for proactively addressing any project problems before they throw you off track.

That’s where dependency mapping comes into play. It helps you spot any potential sticking points and manage them ahead of time. Through dependency mapping, you and your team will identify:

• Systems affected : What teams and processes will your work affect and how?
• Risks and mitigations : What are the worst fears about this project? To what degree will each influence the project?

Once that’s done, you and the team should look back at the risks and dependencies you’ve identified, and come up with a plan for managing them all. Make sure to name a stakeholder for each, so you know who should be actively managing each risk throughout the project.

Want to learn more? A full description of how to use dependency mapping can be found in this playbook.

3. Premortem

• Whiteboard or butcher’s paper

How it works : A premortem is all about picturing the glass half full – and then the glass half empty. You’ll divide your team into two groups: the failure team and the success team. 

The failure team will brainstorm all of the potential reasons your project could take a major nosedive, while the success team thinks about all of the ways your project could be worthy of your best victory dance. From there, you’ll cross-examine those hypothetical successes and pitfalls and narrow them down to the top three risks and opportunities.

That gives you a chance to see into the future and steer clear of any roadblocks. Learn more about how to conduct a premortem in this playbook.

4. S.W.O.T. Analysis

You can do this: Alone or with a team

How it works : S.W.O.T. stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and those four things are exactly what you’ll be identifying to better plan your project. 

On a piece of paper, label four columns with S, W, O, and T (one for each letter of the acronym) and then begin jotting things down within each column. 

As just one of many brainstorming examples, maybe that new app idea will separate you from your competitors (strength) and could be promoted at your upcoming user conference (opportunity). However, you haven’t seen huge demand for that type of app yet (weakness) and more and more of your competitors are moving toward a similar product (threat). 

S.W.O.T. analysis helps you thoroughly think through that product, anticipate any potential problems, and really get it into tip-top shape before pitching it elsewhere. Here’s more information about how to turn your S.W.O.T. findings into actionable strategies.

Creative and game-like brainstorming techniques

While brainstorming is an organized effort to get your team coloring outside the lines, it should also be a good time. Throw in a couple of creative techniques to gamify the process a little bit. Here are a few ideas.

1. Disruptive brainstorming

• Disrupt cards

How it works : Disruptive brainstorming is a great tool for generating as many ideas as possible and then finding the best ones within a certain set of constraints.

There’s quite a bit to it (and you can get the full rundown in this playbook ), but the gist is that you should have your team break into groups, and have each group brainstorm as many ideas within a theme as possible. For example, how can we increase signups to our newsletter list? Groups will write their ideas on sticky notes and hang them on their whiteboard.

Then, each person walks around the room, going to each group’s board and removing the ideas they don’t support. They’ll throw these ideas to the floor – literally. 

From there, you’ll move into disruptive brainstorm loops that last 10 minutes each. You’ll add new disrupt cards , move team members between different groups, and come up with as many ideas as possible within the constraints dictated by the disrupt card. For instance, if you pull the “limited access” disrupt card (which pushes the idea that people love exclusivity), how can you make your newsletter more selective? Should it be a paid membership? Should it offer discounts or content that nobody else gets? 

After doing that, you weed through all of the ideas again. It’s fun, it’s team-focused, and it gets people moving around, so they aren’t falling asleep at the conference room table.

How it works : One of the characteristics of brainstorming is that it gives you a chance to think beyond limitations and come up with your most dream-worthy solutions to problems – you know, if resources and budget weren’t an issue.

That’s what the wishing technique is all about: reaching for the stars. For example, if you’re planning your annual client lunch, what’s your dream venue? (top of the Empire State Building) Who would you love to have speak? (Michelle Obama) What would you serve as the meal? (Kobe beef steak) Go ahead and dream big. 

When you all have your wishes, share them with the group and talk about how your ideas might not be that far-fetched. How could you actually make them a reality? You might be surprised by what you come up with.

3. Forced connections

• Random objects

How it works : Sometimes you just need to get your team’s neurons firing – even if it has nothing to do with your end goal or project.

Try this: bring a bag of random objects to your next brainstorming session. Pull out two or more items and challenge the team to come up with all the ways those things could be related to each other.

It may not have anything to do with, well, anything. But, figuring out how an umbrella could possibly be related to catnip is bound to awaken your team’s inventive side.

4. Team brainwriting

How it works: You can think of this brainstorming technique sort of like a big game of Telephone. Each team member writes a few ideas on a piece of paper.

Pass those papers around and have each person add their own ideas, using the original idea as their inspiration. Once each slip of paper has gone around once, it’s time to discuss.

Not only is it fun to see what everybody comes up with and how ideas build upon each other, but this type of brainstorming format gives everyone a chance to actively participate – whether they’re introverts or extroverts.

5. Role playing

• Bag or a hat
• Slips of paper

How it works : It’s human nature to get stuck in our own perspectives, but role playing can help you think about things in new ways by putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Bring a hat or bag filled with slips of paper into your next brainstorming session. On each slip, write somebody’s name. It could be the names of customers, board members, celebrities, historical figures, etc.

Have people pull out a slip of paper one at a time and try to come up with ideas as if you’re the person named on the paper. How would Abraham Lincoln increase paid app downloads? What about Oprah? It’s a great way to step away from your own biases and shake things up!

6. “What if” brainstorming

• A vivid imagination

How it works: Sometimes you just need a breather, a moment to think about a situation in an entirely different way. 

That’s when it’s time to ask a lot of hypothetical questions in the form of “what if?” For example, what if the problem were worse? Or, what if it was happening to a different team? Or at a totally different time? What if it wasn’t happening at all?

Having an open conversation about these sorts of questions can encourage some serious out-of-the-box solutions and keep your team from getting too stuck in their own opinions. 

7. Improv games

• Depends on your chosen game

How it works: Maybe you just need to get your team’s brains warmed up, ready to work, and used to thinking on their feet. Improv games are a lighthearted and often hilarious way to get your team to open up. 

Try these ideas: Tell a story a word at a time by going around in a circle. Or play “family portrait” where groups have 10 seconds to pose for a family portrait based on a prompt, for example, “like a family of gymnasts” or something equally silly. Or assign people characters to act out a scene and then require them to switch characters whenever someone yells, “Switch!” 

Check out more improv games to try out with your team. 

Even something as simple as having team members start your session with an embarrassing story can put your team in the right headspace to start openly sharing some fresh ideas. 

Brainstorming techniques to focus and refine your ideas

Your brainstorming session was a smash hit, and now you have billions of ideas that you want to pursue. That’s awesome! But also too much of a good thing. It might be worth it to pull your team together one more time to refine some of those suggestions and zero in on your best bets. Try these approaches.

1. Elevator pitch

• Whiteboard or blank wall

How it works: You’ve settled on one idea that you love from your brainstorming session. But now you’re facing another hurdle: getting buy-in from other departments or stakeholders.

Don’t go sharing your idea until you and your team have worked through this elevator pitch exercise. Have the team create a bunch of different two- to three-line statements that really sell your idea and then vote on the best one. Find more details about how to run an elevator pitch session in this playbook . 

After you’re done, you should have zoned in on the best aspects and top benefits of your idea.

2. Sparring

• Print-outs of your ideas or work
• Pens or markers

How it works: Maybe you’re stuck between several ideas or are unsure about which one you can actually get done. Sparring is a useful way to get peer feedback and land on the winning idea.

Sparring is more about bettering ideas than coming up with them. Share the work or ideas you need feedback on and then invite team members to smash it: mark it up, pose questions, and offer criticisms, etc.

Resist the urge to fix the work or ideas right now. This is simply all about raising questions and collecting valuable feedback. Intrigued? See if sparring can help flush out your ideas in this playbook.

3. S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

How it works : S.C.A.M.P.E.R stands for substitute, combine, adapt, modify, eliminate, and reverse, and you follow each letter of the acronym to really noodle on your ideas. 

For example, what would happen to the project if we substituted this for that? Or, what would happen if we eliminated this whole feature? 

This will help you think through all aspects of your idea and make sure that you truly are on the right path.

• Laptop or pencils and paper
• DACI framework template  

How it works: You have an idea or a solution, but you’re feeling stuck about how to move forward. What happens now?

DACI streamlines decision-making, so you always know how much say people have and who has to sign off on the end result. Using this system, you assign the driver, approver, contributors, and informed to make roles and responsibilities clear.

Learn more about the DACI framework in this playbook. 

5. Problem framing

How it works : Unlike the others, this technique is best used ahead of your brainstorming session so that you can set your team up for success.

Problem-framing challenges you to pinpoint the core problem that you’re solving for (for example, improving collaboration between your marketing and sales teams) and then draft a problem statement. That way, you can come prepared with brainstorming questions that make your goal clear – without boxing people in.

Check out this playbook see how you can use problem framing to your advantage.

Here come the lightbulb moments…

There are tons of advantages of brainstorming – as long as you do it right. Remember that a meeting of the minds won’t do you much good if you aren’t prepared to lead the discussion with some thoughtful exercises, tools, and prompts.

So, the next time you’re feeling stumped about how to brainstorm effectively, return to this guide to pull out some activities that will help your team come up with their best ideas and have a great time doing it.

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Brainstorming

Generating many radical, creative ideas.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

How often have you used brainstorming to solve a problem? Chances are, you've used it at least once, even if you didn't realize it.

For decades, people have used brainstorming to generate ideas, and to come up with creative solutions to problems. However, you need to use brainstorming correctly for it to be fully effective.

In this article, we'll look at what brainstorming is, why it's useful, and how to get the best from it.

Click here to view a transcript of this video.

What Is Brainstorming?

Madison Avenue advertising executive Alex Osborn developed the original approach and published it in his 1953 book, "Applied Imagination." [1]

Since then, researchers have made many improvements to his original technique. The approach described here takes this research into account, so it's subtly different from Osborn's approach. [2]

Brainstorming combines a relaxd, informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking. It encourages people to come up with thoughts and ideas that can, at first, seem a bit crazy. Some of these ideas can be crafted into original, creative solutions to a problem, while others can spark even more ideas. This helps to get people unstuck by "jolting" them out of their normal ways of thinking.

Therefore, during brainstorming sessions, people should avoid criticizing or rewarding ideas. You're trying to open up possibilities and break down incorrect assumptions about the problem's limits. Judgment and analysis at this stage stunts idea generation and limit creativity.

Evaluate ideas at the end of the session – this is the time to explore solutions further, using conventional approaches.

Why Use Brainstorming?

Conventional group problem solving can often be undermined by unhelpful group behavior . And while it's important to start with a structured, analytical process when solving problems, this can lead a group to develop limited and unimaginative ideas.

By contrast, brainstorming provides a free and open environment that encourages everyone to participate. Quirky ideas are welcomed and built upon, and all participants are encouraged to contribute fully, helping them develop a rich array of creative solutions.

When used during problem solving, brainstorming brings team members' diverse experience into play. It increases the richness of ideas explored, which means that you can often find better solutions to the problems that you face.

It can also help you get buy-in from team members for the solution chosen – after all, they're likely to be more committed to an approach if they were involved in developing it. What's more, because brainstorming is fun, it helps team members bond, as they solve problems in a positive, rewarding environment.

While brainstorming can be effective, it's important to approach it with an open mind and a spirit of non-judgment. If you don't do this, people "clam up," the number and quality of ideas plummets, and morale can suffer.

How to Use the Tool

You often get the best results by combining individual and group brainstorming, which we explain below, and by managing the process according to the "rules" below. By doing this, you can get people to focus on the issue without interruption, you maximize the number of ideas that you can generate, and you get that great feeling of team bonding that comes with a well-run brainstorming session!

To run a group brainstorming session effectively, follow these steps.

Step 1: Prepare the Group

How much information or preparation does your team need in order to brainstorm solutions to your problem? Remember that prep is important, but too much can limit – or even destroy – the freewheeling nature of a brainstorming session.

First, choose an appropriate and comfortable meeting space. This can be in the office, or virtual. Consider what would work best for your team. Make sure you have the right resources beforehand; you can use virtual brainstorming tools like Miro or LucidSpark, and you'll need pens and Post-Its for an in-person session.

Now consider who will attend the meeting. A brainstorming session full of like-minded people won't generate as many creative ideas as a diverse group , so try to include people from a wide range of disciplines, and include people who have a variety of different thinking styles.

When everyone is gathered, appoint one person to record the ideas that come from the session. This person shouldn't necessarily be the team manager – it's hard to record and contribute at the same time. Post notes where everyone can see them, such as on flip charts or whiteboards; or use a computer with a data projector.

If people aren't used to working together, consider using an appropriate warm-up exercise, or an icebreaker .

Step 2: Present the Problem

Clearly define the problem that you want to solve, and lay out any criteria that you must meet. Make it clear that that the meeting's objective is to generate as many ideas as possible.

Give people plenty of quiet time at the start of the session to generate as many of their own ideas as they can. Then, ask them to share or present their ideas, while giving everyone a fair opportunity to contribute.

Step 3: Guide the Discussion

Once everyone has shared their ideas, start a group discussion to develop other people's ideas, and use them to create new ideas. Building on others' ideas is one of the most valuable aspects of group brainstorming.

Encourage everyone to contribute and to develop ideas, including the quietest people, and discourage anyone from criticizing ideas.

As the group facilitator, you should share ideas if you have them, but spend your time and energy supporting your team and guiding the discussion. Stick to one conversation at a time, and refocus the group if people become sidetracked.

Although you're guiding the discussion, remember to let everyone have fun while brainstorming. Welcome creativity, and encourage your team to come up with as many ideas as possible, regardless of whether they're practical or impractical. Use thought experiments such as Provocation to generate some unexpected ideas.

Don't follow one train of thought for too long. Make sure that you generate a good number of different ideas, and explore individual ideas in detail. If a team member needs to "tune out" to explore an idea alone, allow them the freedom to do this.

Also, if the brainstorming session is lengthy, take plenty of breaks so that people can continue to concentrate.

Individual Brainstorming

While group brainstorming is often more effective at generating ideas than normal group problem solving, several studies have shown that individual brainstorming produces more – and often better – ideas than group brainstorming. [3]

This can occur because groups aren't always strict in following the rules of brainstorming, and bad behaviors creep in. Mostly, though, this happens because people pay so much attention to other people that they don't generate ideas of their own – or they forget these ideas while they wait for their turn to speak. This is called "blocking."

When you brainstorm on your own, you don't have to worry about other people's egos or opinions, and you can be freer and more creative. For example, you might find that an idea you'd hesitate to bring up in a group develops into something special when you explore it on your own.

However, you may not develop ideas as fully when you're on your own, because you don't have the wider experience of other group members to draw on.

To get the most out of your individual brainstorming session, choose a comfortable place to sit and think. Minimize distractions so that you can focus on the problem at hand, and consider using Mind Maps to arrange and develop ideas.

Individual brainstorming is most effective when you need to solve a simple problem, generate a list of ideas, or focus on a broad issue. Group brainstorming is often more effective for solving complex problems.

Group Brainstorming

Here, you can take advantage of the full experience and creativity of all team members. When one member gets stuck with an idea, another member's creativity and experience can take the idea to the next stage. You can develop ideas in greater depth with group brainstorming than you can with individual brainstorming.

Another advantage of group brainstorming is that it helps everyone feel that they've contributed to the solution, and it reminds people that others have creative ideas to offer. It's also fun, so it can be great for team building!

Group brainstorming can be risky for individuals. Unusual suggestions may appear to lack value at first sight – this is where you need to chair sessions tightly, so that the group doesn't crush these ideas and stifle creativity.

Where possible, participants should come from a wide range of disciplines. This cross-section of experience can make the session more creative. However, don't make the group too big: as with other types of teamwork, groups of five to seven people are usually most effective.

Other Brainstorming Techniques

If you're not getting enough good quality ideas, try using the approaches below to increase the number of ideas that you generate:

• The Stepladder Technique – This improves the contribution of quieter group members by introducing one person at a time.
• Brainwriting – This is a written approach that you can use to encourage all individuals to generate and develop ideas.
• Online Brainstorming (also known as Brain-netting) – An electronic method of brainstorming, this uses a document stored on a central server, or on a Cloud-based system.
• Crawford's Slip Writing Approach – You can use this approach to get plenty of ideas from all participants, and to get a view of each idea's popularity.

These techniques help you in specific situations:

• Reverse Brainstorming – This is used to improve a product or service.
• Starbursting – Starbursting helps you develop questions that you need to ask to evaluate a proposal.
• Charette Procedure – This helps you brainstorm with large groups of people. (Conventional brainstorming becomes increasingly ineffective when more than 10 or 12 people are involved.)
• Round-Robin Brainstorming – You can use this approach to get people to contribute ideas without being influenced by others.
• Rolestorming – This technique encourages group members to take on other people's identities while brainstorming, thereby reducing their inhibitions.

The Next Step – Taking Action

After your individual or group brainstorming session, you'll have a lot of ideas. Although it might seem hard to sort through these ideas to find the best ones, analyzing these ideas is an important next step, and you can use several tools to do this.

Use Affinity Diagrams to organize ideas and find common themes.

Decision Matrix Analysis and Paired Comparison Analysis will help you choose between different options. You can also use the Six Thinking Hats technique to look at ideas from different perspectives; and the Modified Borda Count and Multi-Voting can help you choose between options as a team, particularly where the differences between options are quite subjective.

When managed well, brainstorming can help you generate radical solutions to problems. It can also encourage people to commit to solutions, because they have provided input and played a role in developing them.

The best approach combines individual and group brainstorming. During the process, there should be no criticism of ideas, and creativity should be encouraged.

[1] Osborn, A. (1953) 'Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem-Solving,' New York: Creative Education Foundation Press.

[2] Diehl, M. and Stroebe, W. (1987) 'Productivity Loss in Brainstorming Groups: Toward the Solution of a Riddle,'  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , Vol. 53, No. 3. 1987. (Available here .)

[3] Lamm, H. and Trommsdorff, G. (1973) 'Group Versus Individual Performance on Tasks Requiring Ideational Proficiency (Brainstorming): A Review,'  European Journal of Social Psychology.  Vol. 3, Issue 4. October/December 1973. (Available  here .)

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What is brainstorming? Definition, guide, and methods

When you hear the term brainstorming, there are a few images that might come to mind. One is the classic stock photo of a group of colleagues huddled around a whiteboard or a pile of papers, all big smiles and high energy.

But brainstorming sessions don’t always go as smoothly as these images make them seem. Sometimes, there are disagreements between co-workers. Other times, there’s too much agreement with just one person’s ideas. And then there are days when ideas just don’t seem to make their way onto the blank canvas in front of you. 

Whether you’re problem-solving, developing a new product, or trying to come up with creative ideas for your business, brainstorming isn't just about gathering your group members together and hoping the innovation sparks fly. 

There are proven methods, techniques, and tools that can make effective brainstorming easier than ever. 

In this guide, we’ll dive into all of the resources Mural has put together to help managers and their teams run successful brainstorms.

What is brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a method for producing ideas and solving problems by tapping into creative thinking. Brainstorming usually takes place in an informal, relaxed environment, where participants are encouraged to share their thoughts freely, build upon the ideas of others, and explore a wide range of possibilities.

How to get the most out of your next brainstorming session  

Running a great brainstorming session encourages your team to use techniques that inspire creative thinking. As a manager, you’ll likely be the one to facilitate these sessions and make sure they run smoothly and produce positive results. 

How to run a brainstorming session

As a facilitator, it’s your job to guide your team in the right direction throughout the process, from start to finish. To start, prepare for the session and define your brainstorming topic. 

This means setting a clear purpose or goal for the session, deciding on a structure, and dividing your team up into small groups if need be. You’ll also want to define the rules and parameters for your team members. 

Next, depending on the brainstorming method you’ve chosen, you may need to keep an eye on the time to give everyone a chance to contribute. Throughout the process, encourage members to voice their opinions. Toward the end, make sure you explain any next steps or action items for your team. 

Strategies for better group brainstorming

Group brainstorming can help you generate awesome ideas that one person alone might never come up with. But when you gather a group of people together, it often comes with some challenges. Dominant personalities can hijack a conversation, making the exercise less effective and the rest of the group feel unheard. Groupthink is another potential issue in which too much conformity prevents you from delivering original or creative solutions. 

Here are a few things you can do to combat these challenges and have better group brainstorming sessions:

• Establish rules that emphasize the importance of diverse points of view.  
• Choose a brainstorming technique that's beneficial for groups, like reverse brainstorming or ‘Crazy 8s.’ 
• Make sure team members have time to also do some solo thinking. 

No matter what techniques you implement, the key is to make sure every participant is on the same page when it comes to rules and expectations. 

Structured brainstorming and when to use it 

A structured brainstorm helps keep everyone focused on your goals or the task at hand. It’s also a good way to make sure everyone’s opinion is heard. In some cases, participants can also prepare ahead of time, which could be beneficial for the overall success of the activity. 

Structured brainstorms are best for remote or distributed teams to efficiently replicate past successes, and for large groups. 

Understanding problem framing

Problem framing is a critical step in the brainstorming process that gives context and provides a deeper understanding of the purpose of the brainstorm. It helps provide your team with clarity and a narrow scope so that their ideas aren’t all over the place. It also helps increase the efficiency of the session as you or the facilitator can spend less time re-orienting them back in the right direction.  

Here are a few steps for framing a problem: 

• Create a problem statement . 
• Identify the root of the problem. 
• Empathize with customers or stakeholders. 
• Frame the problem with prompts or questions that can be used during brainstorming. 

Brainstorming questions to generate better ideas

Thought-provoking questions can really help your team thrive during a brainstorming session. They provide participants with a starting point to think up ideas or directions. They can also be used to enhance or refine any suggestions or solutions that have already been produced. Here are a few examples of the types of questions that produce better ideas: 

• Information-gathering questions (e.g., “Why did we shift our marketing strategy from traditional advertising to digital platforms?”) 
• Problem-solving questions (e.g., “What are the criteria we should use to evaluate potential solutions?”) 
• Refining questions (e.g., “How can we ensure the sustainability of the solution over time?”) 

Questions can help reduce the overwhelm or blind spots that can happen as you develop ideas. It narrows everyone’s focus and helps you make ideal decisions.  

Advice for teams during a brainstorming session 

Generating ideas that solve challenges can be a lot of pressure for your team. It can also be discouraging if it feels like they’re not coming up with anything groundbreaking or even viable. Not to mention, there can be a lack of cohesion and beneficial collaboration among group members. 

But, knowing the right strategies and rules for effective brainstorming can help turn a stressful activity into a productive and fruitful one.  

Ground rules for brainstorming

Ground rules help set expectations, decrease the chance of a conflict, and make participants feel more comfortable throughout the process. Before your team gets started on ideation, they should create a “rules of brainstorming” document that they can refer to throughout the process. You can create this for them or have them make one as a team. 

Here are a few examples of significant ground rules that improve the flow of a brainstorming session:

• There are no “bad ideas”; be accepting of all suggestions no matter how crazy and wild. (You can always iterate, refine, or vote on it later.) 
• Incorporate a “private” portion of the brainstorm so people can think for themselves. 
• Read ideas carefully before commenting, and don’t judge others' ideas at face value. 

Following these rules and others relevant to your team’s needs can help ensure a smooth and efficient process. 

Avoiding groupthink in teams

Groupthink is when people, consciously or unconsciously, choose to agree with one another rather than challenge each other with conflicting views. This can happen when there’s poor conflict management, a lack of diversity, or psychological safety issues. One way you can tell that your team is under the spell of groupthink is when there's quick and unanimous agreement or a lack of push-back or follow-up questions to others’ ideas. 

To reduce the chances of groupthink, consider ways you can remove bias, like using a private mode or voting feature. Participants should encourage each other to express their own ideas, even if that means light conflict when there's a difference of opinion. It’s also important that every team member understands groupthink and how to spot it. 

Creating better action items to follow up on

At the end of a brainstorming session, team members should have a list of action items to follow up on. These action items hold everyone accountable and help keep track of progress as you carry out tasks related to the solutions developed during the brainstorming session. 

An effective list of action items has the following traits: 

• They summarize what needs to be done. 
• They explain why each action item or task matters. 
• They have a team member assigned to each item with a due date. 

You can use a simple to-do list or a project kickoff template , whatever works best for your team! 

Tips for brainstorming remotely 

Remote brainstorming exercises can be just as successful at idea generation as in-person brainstorming. The main difference between running a regular brainstorm and a virtual one is the tools you use to communicate and collaborate. Group discussions can be done easily through software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams . Plus, online whiteboards like Mural work just as well, if not better than the analog version. 

Optimize your virtual brainstorming session

Virtual brainstorms lack some of the face-to-face interaction of an in-person session. This means you’ll need to adapt your processes to fit an online dynamic. For one, it’s crucial to find a collaboration platform where everyone can contribute their ideas in a central location. You’ll also need a facilitator or point person to keep everyone on track and update the shared document or whiteboard accordingly. Brainstorming templates are also extremely useful for creating an efficient and smooth virtual meeting. 

Try asynchronous brainstorming 

Asynchronous brainstorming is a great option for those who want to prevent groupthink, improve focus, and reduce time constraints — especially for distributed teams. If you have a team that works across different time zones or working hours, ‌individual brainstorming allows them to contribute at a time that works best for them. 

Just like a synchronous brainstorming, you still want to establish a clear goal, select a collaborative platform, and outline the rules and expectations. However, a key difference is that for async work, you need to establish a timeframe and set deadlines so that you’re not waiting on any one person to contribute, iterate, or respond to ideas.  

Related: 6 essential steps for building an async-first culture

Improve group communication

Whether you’re in-person or remote, effective communication improves collaboration, increases productivity, and promotes problem-solving. But when you’re working on a distributed team, solid group communication is vital. In our busy digital spaces, things can either get lost in translation or literally lost in a pile of emails and Slack messages. 

Here are a few helpful things you can do to combat poor online communication:

• Recognize and celebrate healthy behavior and helpful communication examples. 
• Foster a supportive culture that invites constructive feedback but not judgemental criticism. 
• Build trust through team activities like icebreakers or team check-ins .  
• Use tools that make communication easy and efficient. 

Working on each of these will help your team get their footing when it comes to communicating and flourishing in remote work environments. 

Brainstorming techniques, methods, and templates 

There are countless brainstorming methods and techniques you and your team can use to uncover creative solutions. Some involve lateral thinking, while others start with a basic brain dump. Regardless of which you choose, it’s a good idea to try out different ones over time and see which produces the best results for your team. In fact, switching up the brainstorming method could add some novelty by reengaging your team to come up with new ideas each time you’re faced with a challenge. 

One thing most brainstorming methods have in common is the idea of quantity over quality. At the beginning of any brainstorming session, the number of ideas you produce is often more valuable than the quality or viability of any one of those ideas. You can always keep workshopping the existing ones until you narrow down and refine the optimal ones.  

Rapid ideation

Producing a high quantity of ideas is the name of the game here. There are many brainstorming exercises that incorporate rapid ideation. The key is to be quick and spontaneous so as not to censor or edit any ideas that come to mind. 

Brain-netting

Brain-netting is a term used to describe brainstorming via multiple digital tools and spaces, in other words, online brainstorming. Typically, it’s preceded by online brain dumping, and then connecting related ideas and concepts to narrow down the best ones.

Reverse brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming is a counterintuitive technique in which you come up with ideas on how to make a problem worse. Then, you “reverse” those ideas by coming up with applicable solutions to those problems. This process helps you discover some possible ideas for your original challenge.   

Round-robin

In round-robins, each participant writes their idea down during a set time limit before the next person gets a turn to contribute. There are a few variations of this: You can compile ideas on sticky notes to return to later, pass them off to the next person to iterate on, or refine the ideas by providing feedback. 

Ready to get started? Try the round-robin template from Mural.

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a visual way to brain-dump ideas onto a blank page and use those existing ideas to spark new ones. You start with one concept in the middle of the whiteboard and add related ideas on branches shooting out from the central topic. Then you keep building on it like a map or family tree. 

Get started with the Mind map template .

Rolestorming

During rolestorming, participants role-play as someone else, such as a famous person or customer persona, to embody different perspectives. Taking on that character during the brainstorm can change the way they think and help them produce creative ideas. 

Brainwriting

Brainwriting takes advantage of solo brainstorming time. Participants develop their ideas individually before sharing them with the rest of the team. There are different variations of this method, including a rapid ideation version in which six participants need to each generate three ideas in five minutes. 

Start generating ideas with the 6-3-5 brainwriting template .

Starbursting

During a starbursting exercise, group members develop questions that begin with “who, what, when, where, why, and how.” These six questions are based on a specific topic or problem statement. The team uses a star graphic, with each point on the star representing one of the six types of questions you come up with during this exercise.   

Step-ladder technique

The step-ladder technique begins by selecting two participants in the group to discuss the problem and come up with an idea. Then, you introduce a third team member to the first two, and they present ideas to each other and discuss. Then you add a fourth person, and so on and so forth.  

Enhance the collaborative process of brainstorming with the right tools

We use brainstorming activities to help us with creative problem-solving. But without the right tools, it can be difficult to collaborate and record the ideas you’re coming up with together. To make the process more efficient and productive, use tools that make collaboration easier — whether you work in-person, remote, or hybrid. 

That’s where Mural can help. 

Mural is the visual work platform for all kinds of teams to do better work together — from anywhere. Get team members aligned faster with templates, prompts, and proven methods that guide them to quickly solve any problem. They can gather their ideas and feedback in one spot to see the big picture of any project and act decisively. From online brainstorming , to retrospectives , Mural helps you change how you work, not just where.

That’s what happens when you change not just where, but how you work.

Get started with the free, forever plan with Mural to start collaborating with your team.

About the authors

Bryan Kitch

Tagged Topics

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5 brainstorming techniques for efficient problem-solving

Executive Summary:

There are plenty of advantages that come with efficient problem-solving, such as quicker decision-making, overcoming obstacles, gaining a competitive edge, and generating business growth. So, it’s pretty clear that problem-solving is crucial for businesses, and effective brainstorming techniques are vital when it comes to achieving it.

Brainstorming is a method used by individuals or groups to generate innovative ideas or solutions for a specific issue. It encourages free thinking and unrestricted sharing of thoughts, promoting a creative and collaborative atmosphere. Yet, at the end of the day, brainstorming is only part of problem-solving; they aren’t the same thing and here are three reasons why:

• Brainstorm focuses on generating ideas, while problem-solving involves analyzing andimplementing solutions.
• Brainstorming is informal and spontaneous, encouraging creativity and diverse opinions, whereas problem-solving follows a systematic and structured method whereby the outcome is a solution.
• Brainstorming produces multiple ideas, while problem-solving simply seeks one practical and effective solution.

So, as you’re probably realizing, brainstorming is only the starting point for problem-solving. During brainstorming sessions, a wide range of ideas and perspectives are generated. These ideas are then evaluated and selected during the problem-solving phase of the process. By incorporating diverse ideas, problem-solving becomes more innovative and creative, leading to more effective solutions.

To help you reach your goals for efficient problem-solving, here are five examples of brainstorming techniques that you can implement in your company:

• Team Relay : small groups share and build on ideas to foster creativity and initiate new projects.
• Reverse Brainstorming: generating ideas that exacerbate the problem to find unconventional, out-of-the-box solutions.
• Focus Group: small group discussions to generate suggestions and ideas for problem-solving.
• Crazy-8 : fast-paced brainstorming technique to generate ideas within 8 minutes. ‍
• 1-2-4-All: individual and group idea generation to facilitate teamwork and quick idea generation.

If you run a business, you should know one thing.

You’re inevitably going to be faced with challenges. 

While no one likes to talk about when things go wrong, there’s no denying that it happens pretty regularly in the world of business. There are always going to be problems and challenges to overcome. But instead of becoming sitting ducks for these challenges, you’ll gain the upper hand if you know how to solve these problems… and how to solve them fast !

Quick problem-solving has many advantages, including quick decision-making , overcoming obstacles, a competitive edge over others , business success/growth, among many more.

That said, all the benefits look great, but there’s one underlying question: how can you solve your company’s problems fast? The answer lies in the concept of efficient brainstorming techniques .

In this article, you’ll find a step-by-step guide, telling you all you need to know about brainstorming to make problem-solving decisions more efficiently, boosting your company's success and promoting efficient teamwork .

Key concepts

What is problem-solving.

Problem-solving is a process that seeks to find solutions to problems or challenges. It includes a series of steps: 

• Examining the problem
• Identifying potential solutions
• Assessing them
• And then choosing the optimal solution

But most importantly, you should know that problem-solving follows a structured methodology . It combines critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making abilities , all to reach the goal of a straightforward solution to problems.

Now that that’s sorted, let’s talk about brainstorming .

What is brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a method used by individuals or groups to generate multiple inventive ideas or solutions for a particular issue or subject. The whole concept is based on a cooperative effort and an approach that prompts you and your team members to think freely, articulating any thoughts you have without restriction.

This process aims to build a creative and encouraging atmosphere , where everyone within your company can expand each another's ideas to collaboratively come to creative solutions.

It takes the pressure to come up with one ultimate solution, and shares it out between everyone on the team – as they say, “a problem shared is a problem halved” and the same notion applies here!

You can skip the next section if you’re already confident in differentiating between the two concepts of brainstorming and problem-solving . However, plenty of people tend to mix the two up given their similarities. So, the next section focuses on the differences between them.

What are the differences between problem-solving and brainstorming?

There are three key differences between problem-solving and brainstorming,  but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use them in close connection. After this section, we’ll cover how the two concepts work hand-in-hand, but in order to combine them successfully, you also need to understand each of them individually .

The first difference is the focus or the objective . Aside from the fact that brainstorming is simply an initial stage within the problem-solving process, it also has a different objective. The goal of brainstorming techniques is to simply generate ideas. In this phase, there’s no evaluation of their feasibility or efficiency - the goal is simply to come up with as many ideas as possible for solving the problem in question.

Conversely, problem-solving is a more complex process. It entails the analysis of the problem, the evaluation of potential solutions, and the selection of the most suitable way to implement it. It revolves around identifying the best solution from the numerous ideas generated through the brainstorming process. The goal of problem-solving is not to generate ideas, but rather to find the ones that will solve the problem.

Another difference between the two can be found in the approach by which the process is conducted . Brainstorming adopts a more informal approach as participants are encouraged to think freely, to share ideas spontaneously , and to build on each other's suggestions. Of course, there is a need for structure, but there are no boundaries for efficient teamwork.

Then, we have the difference in the emphasis on encouraging creativity and a range of opinions , which isn’t so much the case in problem-solving. The problem-solving process adheres to a systematic and structured methodology, including problem identification, analysis, solution evaluation, and implementation. It relies on an established structure that can guarantee a solution.

The last of the three differences lies in the result — or the outcome, as we often refer to it. Brainstorming sessions produce so many ideas, as they aim to drum up as many options through different creative thinking approaches that can then be further explored. For problem-solving, you’re only looking for one practical and effective solution to the problem.

The success of a problem-solving process doesn’t just depend on how many ideas you can come up with, but rather depends on whether the identified solution is able to adequately address the issue and achieve the desired results.

If you’ve kept up this far, you’ve probably started to realize that the two can work hand-in-hand.

How can brainstorming and problem-solving be complementary for efficient teamwork?

You already know that a brainstorming session is the starting point for a problem-solving process, but that’s not all that there is to it.

You and your team members can generate various ideas, approaches, and perspectives during the brainstorming phase. This uninhibited flow of ideas helps expand everyone’s thinking and thought processes , and to explore multiple potential solutions.

Once the brainstorming phase is complete, you can transition into problem-solving mode . This is when you and your team can evaluate the ideas generated during brainstorming and select the most promising ones for further analysis and development. This evaluation ensures that the chosen ideas align with the problem at hand and are more likely to succeed.

By incorporating the diverse ideas generated during brainstorming, problem-solving becomes more creative and innovative . You and your team can explore unconventional approaches and perspectives that may only have been briefly considered during the brainstorming phase. The result? More effective and efficient solutions.

How can brainstorming help in problem-solving in teams of any size?

You might be thinking, ‘Haven’t we already gone over this?’, but the answer is, not really!

While we have explored the correlation between brainstorming and problem-solving, this section will look into the benefits of brainstorming and which ways it can be the best starting point to guarantee optimally efficient problem-solving process. Here are a few reasons as to why brainstorming is the ultimate solution for efficient problem-solving in your business.

A range of perspectives leading to a broader range of solutions

Brainstorming involves collecting input and ideas from different team members. So, the larger the team, the more diverse perspectives and experiences are likely to be offered up. This diversity can lead to a broader range of ideas and solutions as individuals approach problems from various angles .

Higher chance of unique ideas

Brainstorming encourages free thinking and is conducive to creativity. Purely down to numbers, larger teams have a higher chance of generating unique and innovative ideas. Team members' collective intelligence and creativity can result in unexpected, breakthrough solutions.

Collective intelligence and synergy

Brainstorming facilitates collaboration and encourages active participation from team members. When people come together to generate ideas, they can build on each other's suggestions, expand upon initial concepts, and create synergistic solutions. The whole team can benefit from the collective intelligence and creativity of everyone involved.

Brainstorming facilitates problem-understanding

In a larger team, different individuals bring diverse expertise and knowledge to the table, and brainstorming allows team members to share their insights and understanding of the problem, enabling a more comprehensive analysis. This broader perspective can lead to a deeper understanding of the problem and help uncover underlying factors that may have been previously overlooked.

Increased solution pool

With a larger team, there is a higher likelihood of generating a larger pool of potential solutions. Brainstorming enables the team to explore a wide range of ideas, even if some may initially seem unconventional or unlikely. A larger solution pool enhances the chances of finding an optimal and effective solution .

Increased motivation to find a solution through team accountability

When team members are actively involved in brainstorming sessions, they feel a sense of accountability and engagement to the problem-solving mission. In larger teams, more individuals have the opportunity to contribute and to be heard, leading to higher engagement levels and boosting motivation to find a solution.

Higher chances of making a decision

Brainstorming also helps in narrowing down the options and selecting the most viable solutions . Larger teams can leverage their collective wisdom and diverse perspectives to evaluate and prioritize the ideas generated during brainstorming. This collaborative decision-making process increases the likelihood of selecting the best solution for the problem.

5 brainstorming methods that can help for efficient problem-solving – and how they do it

Team Relay involves working together in small groups to share ideas. It’s just like a relay race; instead of passing on the baton, you pass and build on ideas. Everyone takes turns to put their two cents in, and the ideas continue to evolve within the group . This helps you to work with your team members and come up with lots of creative ideas.

Team Relay is best for teams of about 12 participants , and this method helps you find new ideas by bouncing off what the team says. You can identify and initiate new projects by working as a cohesive team, capitalizing on every idea collectively and elevating your thinking powe r to new heights. If you want to kick things off with the Team Relay method, the Klaxoon visual platform has a readymade template for this brainstorming technique that you can use.

Reverse Brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming is a technique where, instead of generating ideas to solve a problem, you focus on creating ideas that will make the problem worse or that will cause the problem. In other words, you’ll turn the problem upside down to define the worst-case scenario. So, how does this help solve the problem?

This excellent brainstorming tool can be used with your team at the start of a project or when you're stuck at a crossroads with a problem. It helps you t hink outside the box and unleash your imagination . Then, just like magic, the solutions will start to appear on their own! Give this tool a go, and try this template .

Focus group

A focus group is a small group of people (about 6 to 12 participants) who have been selected to meet up and talk or share ideas about a specific problem (strategic development, marketing positioning, etc.). 

This selected team works together to generate thoughts and suggestions to help solve the problem or develop new ideas. You can either conduct a qualitative survey on a concept, product, or service, or you can ask the participants to fill in this ready-to-use template .

Crazy 8 is a pretty fast-paced, dynamic technique, so we’ll try to keep up the pace and explain it concisely.

This is a unique strategy that allows you to brainstorm with your team with a key element… speed ! While some brainstorming techniques could simply waste time and drum up an excessive volume of sub-par or irrelevant ideas, this method is all about eyes on the prize, full steam ahead. 

With the Crazy 8 methodology, you can generate new ideas as a team in less than 8 minutes ! If you want to know more about this unique technique, head over to the this Klaxoon template .

As the last of the five, we are introducing you to a concept that has proven to be very effective. The 1-2-4-All method is like regular brainstorming but in several steps:

• First, everyone thinks on their own; 
• Then, they share their ideas in bigger groups (in pairs, then in groups of 4, and then with everyone). 

The goal is to help your team come up with ideas together. With this method, everyone can first think independently , no matter how many people are in the group. Other people can't influence their ideas or make them doubt themselves, and in this uninhibited way, the ideas pile up quickly. 

It makes it easier for both you, as the leader, and your team members, to contribute their ideas and progressively confirm their objectivity through the groups’ input. It's a relaxed and pressure-free way to get everyone involved.

Try ready-to-use brainstorming tools and resources

On the Klaxoon visual platform, we have tools that you can use with your team to lead more effective brainstorming sessions . We also provide ready-to-use templates for brainstorming that can be used in different ways for quick problem-solving.

Our visual tools are designed to promote efficient teamwork and collaboration, no matter what kind of business you have. So, if you want to boost your business, hone your problem-solving strategy, and refine your brainstorming techniques , check out our resources and see how the Klaxoon platform can help you.

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15 Best Brainstorming Tools To Supercharge Your Ideas

By Krystle Wong , Sep 07, 2023

Whether you’re striving to ignite the next big project, unlock a novel concept or simply find fresh solutions to everyday challenges, having the right brainstorming tools at your fingertips can be a game-changer for you and your team.

That said, I’ve carefully picked 15 of my favorite brainstorming tools that have redefined the way I generate and refine ideas. From virtual whiteboards and mind mapping software to collaborative platforms and AI-driven aids, these tools are your ticket to a world of unlimited creativity and innovation. 

To save time, you can always turn to Venngage’s professionally designed brainstorming templates . Venngage offers a variety of mind mapping templates that can significantly aid brainstorming sessions by providing structure, visual appeal and enhanced organization. 

Click to jump ahead:

15 Must-have brainstorming tools to ignite your creative spark

What are the key features to look for in a brainstorming tool, online brainstorming tools v.s. traditional brainstorming methods, 7 essential tips for effective brainstorming, best brainstorming tools faqs, enhance your team’s brainstorming sessions, 1. venngage.

Venngage is a powerhouse when it comes to transforming ideas into engaging visuals. Its main forte lies in infographic creation, making it an ideal choice for marketers, data analysts and educators. Here’s what sets Venngage apart:

User-friendly interface

Venngage boasts an intuitive, user-friendly interface that allows both beginners and experienced professionals to dive right in. You don’t need to be a design guru to create stunning visuals and infographics to represent your ideas effectively.

Wide array of brainstorming templates

With Venngage, you have access to a vast library of professionally designed brainstorming templates . This extensive collection ensures that you can find the perfect template for your brainstorming needs.

Customization at your fingertips

Flexibility is key when it comes to brainstorming and Venngage understands that. You can customize every aspect of your brainstorming project – colors, fonts, icons and more – to match your unique style and brand and make your brainstorming idea presentation-ready with our brainstorm presentation templates .

Data visualization made easy

Sometimes, brainstorming involves data analysis. Venngage’s charts and graphs feature allows you to present complex data in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner, making it an invaluable tool for strategic planning and decision-making.

Real-time collaboration features

Brainstorming is often a team effort and Venngage makes collaboration a breeze. Invite team members or classmates to collaborate in real-time, offering feedback and ideas directly on your projects.

Main features

Infographic creation, templates, data visualization.

Who’s it for

Marketers, data analysts, educators.

Create your first 5 designs with Venngage for free and upgrade to a premium or business plan for $10 USD/month per user and $24 USD/month per user to enjoy premium features. For larger teams who need extra support, controls and security, the enterprise plan starts from $499 USD/month for 10+ seats.

Additionally, there are also plans available for classrooms priced at $99 USD/year for up to 35 students per instructor. Non profit organizations can also apply for a nonprofit discount to any Venngage plan.

Scapple offers a refreshing approach to brainstorming with its freeform mind mapping capabilities. It provides a digital canvas where users can freely jot down ideas, concepts and connections. 

Simplicity and intuitiveness are the hallmarks of Scapple. The brainstorming software is an ideal tool for users who prefer a clean slate for their thoughts, making it especially popular among writers, researchers and creative thinkers. 

While Scapple’s strength lies in its simplicity, this also means it lacks some of the advanced features found in more specialized brainstorming tools. Users seeking features like advanced collaboration or complex diagramming may find Scapple less suitable.

Main features: Freeform mind mapping, drag-and-drop interface.

Pros: Simple and intuitive, versatile brainstorming.

Cons: Lack of advanced features.

Who’s it for: Writers, researchers, creative thinkers.

Pricing: Scapple offers a 30-day free trial while the standard license is available for a one time purchase of$20.99. For students and academics, the educational license is available at $16.79 with institutional affiliation required. 

3. IdeaBoardz

IdeaBoardz is all about straightforward, collaborative brainstorming. With its virtual sticky notes and real-time collaboration features, it’s a no-fuss tool favored by small teams, educators and remote collaborators. 

While its simplicity is a strength, the free brainstorming tool may be considered basic in terms of interface and features. Users who need more advanced functionality or advanced organization capabilities may find it lacking.

Main features: Virtual sticky notes, real-time collaboration.

Pros: Easy to use, collaborative, no login required.

Cons: Basic interface.

Who’s it for: Small teams, educators, remote collaboration.

Pricing: Ideaboardz is a free product. 

Coggle shines in collaborative mind mapping, offering real-time updates and an intuitive interface. This makes it a top pick for project managers, educators and creative teams. 

The online brainstorming tool strikes a balance between simplicity and functionality. It’s visually appealing and offers teamwork features that facilitate collaborative brainstorming. Users appreciate its intuitive approach and the ability to create aesthetically pleasing diagrams.

While Coggle provides a free version, it has limitations and users with more demanding needs may consider upgrading to a paid plan to access advanced features. The free version may also have restrictions on the number of diagrams you can create.

Main features: Collaborative mind mapping, real-time updates.

Pros: User-friendly, visually appealing, teamwork features.

Cons: Limited free version.

Who’s it for: Project managers, educators, creative teams.

Pricing: Users can create 3 private diagrams and unlimited public diagrams for free with Coggle. Additionally, the personal plan with unlimited private diagrams is available for $5 per month while the organization plan is priced at $8 per month/user with more advanced features. 

5. TheBrain

TheBrain takes mind mapping to the next level, offering dynamic mind maps and advanced organization capabilities. It’s the tool of choice for users dealing with complex projects, intricate research and detailed planning. 

TheBrain is available both as an online application and as an offline software application for both Mac and Windows users to download and install on their computers or devices. Users can access and work on their brainstorming projects from anywhere with an internet connection, while also having the option to work offline when connectivity is limited or when they prefer not to rely on the internet.

It excels in rich visualization and advanced organization, making it ideal for handling multifaceted projects and extensive research. However, due to its advanced features, TheBrain may have a learning curve. Users seeking a quick and straightforward brainstorming solution may find it overwhelming.

Main features: Dynamic mind mapping, advanced organization.

Pros: Rich visualization, extensive features, hierarchical structuring.

Cons: Learning curve.

Who’s it for: Complex projects, researchers, strategists.

Pricing: A 30-day free trial is available for all users. One-time purchase of the offline software is priced at $219 while the online version is available at $15 per month when billed annually. Alternatively, for access to both offline licenses and cloud services, users would have to pay a fee of $299 per year/seat. 

Miro offers a comprehensive range of products for businesses and teams with different needs from product roadmap workflows to wireframing, visual project management and more. 

For teams looking for a collaborative brainstorming tool, Miro’s digital whiteboard offers a versatile canvas for teams to brainstorm, design and ideate together. It’s a favorite among design teams and those involved in agile projects. The collaborative tool is tailored for design teams seeking a digital canvas for brainstorming and remote collaboration. 

While Miro is intuitive for basic use, its advanced features may require a learning curve. Some users might find these features challenging to master.

Main features: Digital whiteboard, real-time collaboration.

Pros: Versatile, teamwork features, integrations.

Cons: Learning curve for advanced features.

Who’s it For: Design teams, agile projects, remote collaboration.

Pricing: While there is a free version available for all users, the starter pack with unlimited private boards and essential features is priced at $8 per month when billed annually and $10 when billed monthly. For businesses that require advanced collaboration, the business pack is priced at $20 per month or $16 per month when billed annually. Alternatively, enterprises can reach out to the Miro sales team for more scaled up packages. 

7. MindMeister

MindMeister is an online mind mapping tool designed for collaboration. It offers an intuitive platform for creating, sharing and collaborating using mind maps . 

One of the most significant advantages of the MindMeister mobile app that is available on both Android and iOS devices is its accessibility. You can brainstorm ideas and create mind maps from your smartphone or tablet, whether you’re commuting, waiting in line or simply away from your computer. 

While a free version is available, the brainstorming app comes with limitations, which may prompt users with more extensive needs to consider upgrading.

Main features: Online mind mapping, collaboration.

Pros: User-friendly, collaborative, integration options.

Who’s it for: Educators, project managers, creative teams.

Pricing: Users can create up to 3 mind maps for free and subscribe to the personal plan for $6 per month/user. For teams looking for more advanced collaboration features, the Pro Plan is priced at $10 per month/user while the business plan costs $15 per month/user. 

8. Bubbl.us

Bubbl.us is all about straightforward online mind mapping and real-time collaboration. It’s designed to simplify brainstorming and idea visualization.

Being one of the many virtual brainstorming tools, Bubbl.us shines in ease of use and quick setup. The collaborative brainstorming tool is an ideal choice for students seeking a straightforward tool for project planning, small teams involved in rapid brainstorming sessions and educators facilitating collaborative learning activities.

However, being an innovative web-based tool, Bubbl.us would require a stable internet connection to function. Users in areas with unreliable or slow internet access may experience interruptions or difficulties in accessing their mind maps.

Main features: Simple online mind mapping, real-time collaboration.

Pros: Easy to use, quick setup, sharing options.

Cons: Dependency on internet connectivity. 

Who’s it for: Students, small teams, educators.

Pricing: Create up to 3 mind maps for free and subscribe to the Premium version for $4.91 per month or $59 per year. For teams, the team plan starts at $59/year per user for a minimum of 3 users. 

9. WiseMapping

WiseMapping is one of the free brainstorming tools that makes brainstorming, idea visualization and thought organization a breeze. Plus, it’s open-source, which means no fancy licenses or restrictions. 

The beauty of WiseMapping lies in its simplicity. The user-friendly interface ensures that you spend less time learning the tool and more time brainstorming creatively. Invite team members, classmates or colleagues to join your mind map in real time and watch as ideas merge and evolve together on the virtual canvas. 

If you value simplicity, open-source software and ease of use for basic mind mapping tasks, WiseMapping can be a valuable tool. However, it may not be the ideal choice for handling complex projects or extensive data analysis.

Main features: Online mind mapping, open-source.

Pros: Free and open-source, collaborative.

Cons: Less polished interface, less suitable for complex projects. 

Who’s it for: Educators, open-source enthusiasts, small teams.

Pricing: WiseMapping is a free tool with no restrictions of any type. 

When it comes to brainstorming tools, Trello stands out as a powerful and versatile option that can turn your creative ideas into actionable plans. This user-friendly platform is widely known for its Kanban-style task management , but it’s also a formidable tool for brainstorming sessions.

At its core, Trello is a visual project management tool that uses boards, lists and cards to help teams organize tasks and projects. However, it’s this visual and flexible nature that makes it a valuable asset for brainstorming and idea generation.

That said, Trello’s brainstorming features, while robust, may not offer the same level of advanced capabilities as dedicated brainstorming tools. It can also be challenging to keep track of a large number of cards and lists for extensive projects with numerous tasks and ideas. 

Main features: Kanban-style task management, collaboration.

Pros: Highly customizable, visual organization, integration options.

Cons: Can become complex for extensive projects.

Who’s it for: Project managers, agile teams, task-driven projects.

Pricing: The free plan includes up to 10 boards per workspace or you can upgrade to the standard plan for $5 per month/user when billed annually for unlimited boards, advanced checklists and more. For larger teams that require more advanced features, the premium plan is priced at $10 per month/user (billed annually) while the enterprise plan starts at $17.50 per month/user (billed annually) starting with 50 users. 

Slack, primarily known as a team communication platform, offers valuable features for brainstorming. Its real-time communication capabilities facilitate instant idea sharing and feedback.

Additionally, the platform’s diverse integrations with various apps and tools allow users to seamlessly incorporate brainstorming sessions into their existing workflows. 

However, Slack can sometimes feel overwhelming, as it’s not exclusively focused on brainstorming. Nonetheless, the tool is ideal for remote teams, collaborative workspaces and businesses looking to enhance their communication and integrate brainstorming into their daily operations.

Main features: Team communication, file sharing, integrations.

Pros: Real-time communication, diverse integrations.

Cons: Can be overwhelming, not focused solely on brainstorming.

Who’s it for: Remote teams, collaborative workspaces, businesses.

Pricing: There is a free version available for Slack with only up to 90 days of access to message and file history. For paid plans, the Pro version is priced at $7.25 per month/user when billed annually while the Business+ plan would cost $12.50 per month/user. Alternatively, enterprises with more advanced needs may contact their sales representatives for a price estimate. 

12. Conceptboard

Conceptboard is a versatile virtual whiteboard designed for visual collaboration. Its standout feature is the ability to create visual representations of ideas in real-time, making it an excellent choice for designers and creative teams. 

While some advanced features may require a paid plan, the platform’s ease of use and real-time editing capabilities more than compensate. The visual collaboration platform is tailored for creative professionals, remote collaboration and anyone seeking a visually engaging brainstorming experience.

Main features: Virtual whiteboard, visual collaboration.

Pros: Versatile for visual collaboration, real-time editing.

Cons: May require paid plans for advanced features.

Who’s it for: Designers, creative teams, remote collaboration.

Pricing: For individuals who are just getting started with visual collaboration, Conceptboard offers a free plan and a 30 day free trial for all of its paid plans. For small and medium teams, the premium plan is priced at $6 per month/user when billed annually while larger teams can opt for the business plan for $9.50 per month/user with annual billing. Alternatively, enterprises, those in the public sector and a data center edition is also available upon request. 

Mural stands out as a digital workspace that excels in visual collaboration. With a rich set of collaborative features, including templates and integrations, it’s perfect for design thinking teams and innovation workshops. 

However, there might be a learning curve for new users as they explore the extensive features. Nevertheless, Mural shines in fostering creativity and collaboration among remote teams engaged in visual brainstorming sessions.

Main features: Digital workspace, visual collaboration.

Pros: Rich collaborative features, templates, integrations.

Cons: Learning curve for new users.

Who’s it for: Design thinking teams, innovation workshops, remote collaboration.

Pricing: Get started with 3 free murals with their free plan and subscribe to the Team+ plan $9.99 per month/user with annual billing. For larger teams, the Business plan is available at $17.99 per month/user when billed annually while enterprises can reach out to their sales team for a customized quote. 

14. Stormboard

Stormboard offers a unique approach to brainstorming with its digital sticky notes and real-time collaboration features. 

Its user-friendly interface allows for interactive brainstorming without requiring users to create accounts, which is particularly beneficial for small teams and educators. 

While the free version is limited, Stormboard remains an accessible option for remote workshops and collaborative idea generation.

Main features: Digital sticky notes, real-time collaboration.

Pros: User-friendly, interactive, no account needed.

Who’s it for: Small teams, educators, remote workshops. 

Pricing: Get started for individuals or teams of 5 or less with their free plan or upgrade to the business plan for $8.33 per month/user when billed annually. For larger organizations looking for added security, scalability and support, you can reach out to their sales team for custom pricing. 

15. Microsoft Teams

When it comes to brainstorming and collaborative work, Microsoft Teams has emerged as a powerful contender. 

As a part of the Microsoft 365 suite, it offers a robust platform that seamlessly integrates messaging, document sharing, video conferencing and more, making it a versatile tool for unleashing creativity within teams.

However, it’s essential to recognize that Teams may come with a learning curve and the potential risk of over-integration, which could impact the efficiency of brainstorming sessions. Nevertheless, with the right approach and training, Microsoft Teams can be a dynamic ally in your quest for creative brilliance.

Main Features: Real-time chat, document collaboration, video conferencing, file sharing, cross-platform access, Microsoft 365 integration and organization tools.

Pros: Versatile collaboration, cross-platform compatibility, secure file sharing and robust organization features.

Cons: Not solely dedicated to brainstorming, a learning curve for new users, potential for distractions due to extensive integration.

Who’s It for: Business professionals, writers and students seeking versatile collaboration, organization and communication tools.

Pricing: Subscribe to Microsoft Teams Essentials for $4 per month/user or get the Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan for only $6 per month/user that comes with the web and mobile versions of Microsoft 365 apps. The Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan on the other hand is priced at $12.50 per month/user. 

The key to harnessing the full potential of brainstorming in this digital age lies in finding the perfect brainstorming tool. From ease of use and collaboration capabilities to the versatility of idea capture and robust security, let’s explore the essential features you should keep in mind when evaluating your options:

Ease of use

A user-friendly interface can make or break your brainstorming sessions. Look for a tool that boasts an intuitive design, allowing team members to dive in without the need for extensive training. The smoother the learning curve, the more your team can focus on generating creative ideas.

Collaboration capabilities

Seek tools with real-time collaboration features that enable team members, regardless of their location, to work together seamlessly. The ability to contribute, edit and comment on ideas in real-time fosters a sense of teamwork and collective creativity.

Venngage enables real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to work together on brainstorming projects, no matter where team members are located. Team members can provide feedback and comments directly on the visuals, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas can be refined and developed collectively.

Versatile idea capture

Ideas come in various forms – from text descriptions to visual sketches, images and multimedia. A versatile brainstorming tool should accommodate multiple media types, ensuring that every idea, regardless of its format, can be captured and explored.

Organization and structure

As ideas flow, it’s essential to organize and structure them coherently. A good tool should offer features for categorizing, grouping and visually arranging ideas.

Export and integration

The ability to export or share your brainstormed content in different formats, such as PDF or CSV, is crucial. Additionally, integration with other software your team uses, such as project management tools or document storage platforms, streamlines the transition from brainstorming to implementation.

Venngage offers various export options, such as PDFs, PNGs and more with a Premium or Business account. This versatility ensures that you can share your brainstorming outputs in the format that best suits your needs.

Customization

Every team has its unique preferences and needs. Customizable tools allow you to tailor the interface, layouts and templates to match your team’s specific brainstorming processes and branding.

With Venngage’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, you have the creative freedom to design visuals that best represent your ideas. You can experiment with different layouts and design elements to create truly unique and engaging content.

Customization in Venngage extends to adapting your visuals for various purposes, whether it’s for a presentation, report or social media post. This adaptability makes it a versatile tool for brainstorming across different contexts.

Privacy and security

For teams handling sensitive information or proprietary ideas, robust security features are non-negotiable. Ensure your chosen tool offers strong data protection measures and gives you control over who can access and edit your brainstorming content.

Compatibility

Effective collaboration relies on accessibility. Consider whether the tool is available on the platforms and devices your team uses. Cross-platform compatibility ensures that everyone can participate, regardless of their choice of device or operating system.

Search and retrieval

Ideas generated in past sessions can be a goldmine of inspiration. An effective search function helps you quickly find and retrieve these past ideas and notes, making it easier to reference and build on previous brainstorming sessions.

Cross-platform compatibility

In today’s diverse tech landscape, teams often use a variety of devices and operating systems. A tool with cross-platform compatibility ensures that everyone on your team can participate in brainstorming, no matter their device or OS.

Templates and frameworks

Structured brainstorming sessions benefit from predefined templates and frameworks. Some tools offer these resources, making it simpler to get started with organized and productive brainstorming sessions.

Venngage offers an extensive collection of professionally designed brainstorming templates across numerous categories. These templates serve as a starting point, helping you structure your brainstorming sessions effectively. Looking for more ideas? This article on brainstorming examples might help.

For those seeking a visual tool to clarify, organize and communicate complex ideas or relationships — concept map is for you. To help kickstart your brainstorming session, here are some concept map examples that you could use. 

Brainstorming, the creative engine that drives innovation and problem-solving, comes in various forms, each with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. In the digital age, online brainstorming tools and traditional brainstorming methods stand as two formidable contenders. Let’s break down the good, the bad and the in-between:

Online brainstorming tools

The positives:.

Accessibility: Allow for remote collaboration, enabling team members to participate in real-time brainstorming sessions even if you’re not in the same room.

Versatility: Many online tools offer a wide range of features, such as mind mapping, brainstorming board and multimedia integration, making them adaptable to various brainstorming styles.

Organization: Online tools often provide features for categorizing and structuring ideas, which can help streamline your online brainstorming sessions and effectively generate ideas.

Documentation: Ideas and discussions are digitally recorded, making it easier to review and reference them later.

Integration: They can often integrate with other digital tools and software, facilitating seamless transitions from brainstorming to project planning and execution.

The drawbacks:

Learning curve: Some team members may find it challenging to adapt to new online tools, potentially slowing down the brainstorming process.

Dependency on technology: Online tools rely on internet connectivity and may be vulnerable to technical issues or outages.

Privacy and security: Ensuring the security of sensitive information can be a concern when using online tools.

Traditional brainstorming methods

Simplicity: Traditional methods, like whiteboard sessions or in-person meetings, are straightforward and require little to no technology.

Face-to-face interaction: In-person brainstorming can foster better communication and immediate feedback among team members.

Tangible: Ideas written on sticky notes or a physical whiteboard are tangible, making it easy to rearrange and visualize the brainstormed content.

No Tech Barriers: Traditional methods don’t require team members to be tech-savvy or have access to specific software or devices.

Geographical constraints: In-person brainstorming limits participation to those who can physically attend meetings, excluding remote team members.

Documentation challenges: Traditional methods often rely on manual note-taking, which may be less organized and harder to share and store.

Limited versatility: Traditional methods may be less versatile in terms of capturing and organizing ideas, especially for complex or multifaceted projects.

Time and resource intensive: Setting up physical meetings and arranging materials can be time-consuming, especially for distributed teams.

At the end of the day, you should always consider your project’s nature, your team’s preferences and the tech resources you have on hand. Sometimes, mixing and matching both styles can cook up the perfect brainstorming concoction.

When it comes to brainstorming, success hinges on the approach you take. Here are seven vital tips to ensure your brainstorming session hits the mark:

1. Choose the right tool

Your brainstorming tool can make or break the session. Select one that aligns with your team’s needs and preferences. Ensure it offers the features and capabilities that will support your brainstorming process. 

2. Create a welcoming environment

The brainstorming environment matters. Foster an open and non-judgmental atmosphere where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Encourage diversity of thought; sometimes, the most unconventional ideas spark innovation.

3. Set clear objectives

To make sure that everyone on the team is on the same page, clearly define the problem or goal you’re addressing in the brainstorming session. Having a specific focus helps guide the discussion and leads to more targeted and actionable ideas.

4. No idea is a bad idea

In brainstorming, there’s no room for idea discrimination. Encourage participants to share even the wildest or seemingly unconventional ideas. Sometimes, the best ideas come from these out-of-the-box concepts.

5. Use visual aids and templates

Many brainstorming tools offer visual aids, such as mind maps and templates. Take advantage of these features to organize and structure all the good ideas effectively. Visual aids can clarify complex concepts and enhance creativity.

6. Build upon ideas

Brainstorming is a collaborative effort. Collect ideas and encourage participants to build upon each other’s ideas and iterate. Online tools make it easy to refine and expand upon concepts as the session progresses. 

7. Time management

Productive brainstorming is also about efficiency. Set time limits for each phase of the ideation session within the tool. This keeps the discussion focused and ensures the session doesn’t drag on endlessly. 

Remember, effective brainstorming is not just about generating ideas; it’s about fostering an environment for creative thinking. With these tips and the right tool in hand, your brainstorming sessions can become a wellspring of innovation and problem-solving.

Mind maps are perfect for visually organizing ideas, fostering creativity and clarity during brainstorming sessions. Explore these guides for more mind map examples and top mind-mapping software that can allow you and your team to explore connections, identify patterns and generate new insights

How do virtual whiteboards function as brainstorming tools?

Virtual whiteboards function as brainstorming tools by providing a digital canvas where teams can ideate, collaborate and organize ideas. Participants can use drawing tools, add text, images and diagrams to visually represent ideas in real-time, fostering creativity and group interaction.

What is mind mapping and how is it related to brainstorming tools?

Mind mapping is a brainstorming technique and a visual representation of ideas, concepts and information. It’s related to brainstorming tools because many of these tools include mind mapping features. Users can create interconnected diagrams to explore and expand upon ideas, making mind mapping an integral part of brainstorming processes.

How can I integrate brainstorming tools into project management workflows?

You can integrate brainstorming tools into project management workflows by exporting or linking brainstormed ideas and plans to project management software like Trello, Asana or Jira. This integration ensures a seamless transition from brainstorming to project execution, making it easier to track and implement creative solutions.

What are some common brainstorming techniques?

Common brainstorming techniques include traditional brainstorming sessions, brainwriting, mind mapping, SWOT analysis and the Delphi method, among others. These techniques offer structured approaches to idea generation and problem-solving, often enhanced by using brainstorming tools.

Are there any mobile apps for brainstorming on the go?

Yes, there are mobile apps designed for brainstorming on the go. Apps like MindMeister, SimpleMind and Brainstormer allow users to brainstorm and capture ideas using their mobile devices, ensuring flexibility and accessibility.

What are the advantages of using cloud-based brainstorming tools over desktop applications?

Cloud-based brainstorming tools offer advantages like real-time collaboration, automatic syncing across devices and accessibility from anywhere with an internet connection. Desktop applications may lack these features and can be less flexible for team collaboration.

Can I use brainstorming tools for personal projects and goal setting or are they primarily for business use?

Brainstorming tools can be used for both personal projects and business purposes. Many tools cater to a wide range of users, allowing individuals to brainstorm ideas, set personal goals and organize their thoughts effectively.

Are there any specific brainstorming tools designed for creative writing?

While there are brainstorming tools suitable for creative writing, they might not be exclusive to this purpose. Tools like Scrivener and Ulysses are commonly used by writers for brainstorming, organizing plot ideas and drafting content.

Can you recommend some user-friendly brainstorming tools suitable for students?

Some of the user-friendly brainstorming tools that are suitable for students include MindMeister, Bubbl.us and Coggle. These tools offer intuitive interfaces and collaborative features, making them ideal for educational settings.

Are there free brainstorming tools available or do I need to pay for them?

Yes, there are free brainstorming tools available. Some options include MindMup, Bubbl.us and Stormboard, which offer basic features at no cost. However, premium versions often provide more advanced capabilities to fuel your brainstorm session.

How can I measure the effectiveness of brainstorming sessions conducted with these tools?

Measuring the effectiveness of brainstorming sessions conducted with these tools can involve assessing the quantity and quality of new ideas, tracking the implementation of ideas into projects and soliciting feedback from participants through surveys or retrospectives. The effectiveness may also be judged by the impact of generated ideas on project outcomes or problem-solving success.

In conclusion, the world of brainstorming tools is filled with options that can genuinely turbocharge your idea-generation process. With the 15 stellar tools I’ve walked you through, you now have a versatile toolkit at your disposal, each offering its own unique features to cater to various team dynamics and creative demands.

However, it’s important to remember that the tool is just one part of the equation. The success of your brainstorming sessions also hinges on cultivating a collaborative and open-minded atmosphere, setting clear objectives and executing well-defined action plans.

So, whether you opt for virtual whiteboards, concept maps, mind mapping or keep it simple with the traditional pen and paper, the key is finding the right tool that complements your team’s strengths and aligns with your specific goals.

In a world where innovation is the engine driving success, these brainstorming tools can fuel your creative thinking, leading you to groundbreaking ideas and creative solutions. Armed with the right tools and a team that’s ready to collaborate, the sky’s the limit for what you can achieve. 

• The Art of Effective Problem Solving: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Learn Lean Sigma
• Problem Solving

Whether we realise it or not, problem solving skills are an important part of our daily lives. From resolving a minor annoyance at home to tackling complex business challenges at work, our ability to solve problems has a significant impact on our success and happiness. However, not everyone is naturally gifted at problem-solving, and even those who are can always improve their skills. In this blog post, we will go over the art of effective problem-solving step by step.

You will learn how to define a problem, gather information, assess alternatives, and implement a solution, all while honing your critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. Whether you’re a seasoned problem solver or just getting started, this guide will arm you with the knowledge and tools you need to face any challenge with confidence. So let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Problem solving methodologies.

Individuals and organisations can use a variety of problem-solving methodologies to address complex challenges. 8D and A3 problem solving techniques are two popular methodologies in the Lean Six Sigma framework.

Methodology of 8D (Eight Discipline) Problem Solving:

The 8D problem solving methodology is a systematic, team-based approach to problem solving. It is a method that guides a team through eight distinct steps to solve a problem in a systematic and comprehensive manner.

The 8D process consists of the following steps:

• Form a team: Assemble a group of people who have the necessary expertise to work on the problem.
• Define the issue: Clearly identify and define the problem, including the root cause and the customer impact.
• Create a temporary containment plan: Put in place a plan to lessen the impact of the problem until a permanent solution can be found.
• Identify the root cause: To identify the underlying causes of the problem, use root cause analysis techniques such as Fishbone diagrams and Pareto charts.
• Create and test long-term corrective actions: Create and test a long-term solution to eliminate the root cause of the problem.
• Implement and validate the permanent solution: Implement and validate the permanent solution’s effectiveness.
• Prevent recurrence: Put in place measures to keep the problem from recurring.
• Recognize and reward the team: Recognize and reward the team for its efforts.

Download the 8D Problem Solving Template

A3 Problem Solving Method:

The A3 problem solving technique is a visual, team-based problem-solving approach that is frequently used in Lean Six Sigma projects. The A3 report is a one-page document that clearly and concisely outlines the problem, root cause analysis, and proposed solution.

The A3 problem-solving procedure consists of the following steps:

• Determine the issue: Define the issue clearly, including its impact on the customer.
• Perform root cause analysis: Identify the underlying causes of the problem using root cause analysis techniques.
• Create and implement a solution: Create and implement a solution that addresses the problem’s root cause.
• Monitor and improve the solution: Keep an eye on the solution’s effectiveness and make any necessary changes.

Subsequently, in the Lean Six Sigma framework, the 8D and A3 problem solving methodologies are two popular approaches to problem solving. Both methodologies provide a structured, team-based problem-solving approach that guides individuals through a comprehensive and systematic process of identifying, analysing, and resolving problems in an effective and efficient manner.

Step 1 – Define the Problem

The definition of the problem is the first step in effective problem solving. This may appear to be a simple task, but it is actually quite difficult. This is because problems are frequently complex and multi-layered, making it easy to confuse symptoms with the underlying cause. To avoid this pitfall, it is critical to thoroughly understand the problem.

To begin, ask yourself some clarifying questions:

• What exactly is the issue?
• What are the problem’s symptoms or consequences?
• Who or what is impacted by the issue?
• When and where does the issue arise?

Answering these questions will assist you in determining the scope of the problem. However, simply describing the problem is not always sufficient; you must also identify the root cause. The root cause is the underlying cause of the problem and is usually the key to resolving it permanently.

Try asking “why” questions to find the root cause:

• What causes the problem?
• Why does it continue?
• Why does it have the effects that it does?

By repeatedly asking “ why ,” you’ll eventually get to the bottom of the problem. This is an important step in the problem-solving process because it ensures that you’re dealing with the root cause rather than just the symptoms.

Once you have a firm grasp on the issue, it is time to divide it into smaller, more manageable chunks. This makes tackling the problem easier and reduces the risk of becoming overwhelmed. For example, if you’re attempting to solve a complex business problem, you might divide it into smaller components like market research, product development, and sales strategies.

To summarise step 1, defining the problem is an important first step in effective problem-solving. You will be able to identify the root cause and break it down into manageable parts if you take the time to thoroughly understand the problem. This will prepare you for the next step in the problem-solving process, which is gathering information and brainstorming ideas.

Step 2 – Gather Information and Brainstorm Ideas

Gathering information and brainstorming ideas is the next step in effective problem solving. This entails researching the problem and relevant information, collaborating with others, and coming up with a variety of potential solutions. This increases your chances of finding the best solution to the problem.

Begin by researching the problem and relevant information. This could include reading articles, conducting surveys, or consulting with experts. The goal is to collect as much information as possible in order to better understand the problem and possible solutions.

Next, work with others to gather a variety of perspectives. Brainstorming with others can be an excellent way to come up with new and creative ideas. Encourage everyone to share their thoughts and ideas when working in a group, and make an effort to actively listen to what others have to say. Be open to new and unconventional ideas and resist the urge to dismiss them too quickly.

Finally, use brainstorming to generate a wide range of potential solutions. This is the place where you can let your imagination run wild. At this stage, don’t worry about the feasibility or practicality of the solutions; instead, focus on generating as many ideas as possible. Write down everything that comes to mind, no matter how ridiculous or unusual it may appear. This can be done individually or in groups.

Once you’ve compiled a list of potential solutions, it’s time to assess them and select the best one. This is the next step in the problem-solving process, which we’ll go over in greater detail in the following section.

Step 3 – Evaluate Options and Choose the Best Solution

Once you’ve compiled a list of potential solutions, it’s time to assess them and select the best one. This is the third step in effective problem solving, and it entails weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each solution, considering their feasibility and practicability, and selecting the solution that is most likely to solve the problem effectively.

To begin, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. This will assist you in determining the potential outcomes of each solution and deciding which is the best option. For example, a quick and easy solution may not be the most effective in the long run, whereas a more complex and time-consuming solution may be more effective in solving the problem in the long run.

Consider each solution’s feasibility and practicability. Consider the following:

• Can the solution be implemented within the available resources, time, and budget?
• What are the possible barriers to implementing the solution?
• Is the solution feasible in today’s political, economic, and social environment?

You’ll be able to tell which solutions are likely to succeed and which aren’t by assessing their feasibility and practicability.

Finally, choose the solution that is most likely to effectively solve the problem. This solution should be based on the criteria you’ve established, such as the advantages and disadvantages of each solution, their feasibility and practicability, and your overall goals.

It is critical to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to problems. What is effective for one person or situation may not be effective for another. This is why it is critical to consider a wide range of solutions and evaluate each one based on its ability to effectively solve the problem.

Step 4 – Implement and Monitor the Solution

When you’ve decided on the best solution, it’s time to put it into action. The fourth and final step in effective problem solving is to put the solution into action, monitor its progress, and make any necessary adjustments.

To begin, implement the solution. This may entail delegating tasks, developing a strategy, and allocating resources. Ascertain that everyone involved understands their role and responsibilities in the solution’s implementation.

Next, keep an eye on the solution’s progress. This may entail scheduling regular check-ins, tracking metrics, and soliciting feedback from others. You will be able to identify any potential roadblocks and make any necessary adjustments in a timely manner if you monitor the progress of the solution.

Finally, make any necessary modifications to the solution. This could entail changing the solution, altering the plan of action, or delegating different tasks. Be willing to make changes if they will improve the solution or help it solve the problem more effectively.

It’s important to remember that problem solving is an iterative process, and there may be times when you need to start from scratch. This is especially true if the initial solution does not effectively solve the problem. In these situations, it’s critical to be adaptable and flexible and to keep trying new solutions until you find the one that works best.

To summarise, effective problem solving is a critical skill that can assist individuals and organisations in overcoming challenges and achieving their objectives. Effective problem solving consists of four key steps: defining the problem, generating potential solutions, evaluating alternatives and selecting the best solution, and implementing the solution.

You can increase your chances of success in problem solving by following these steps and considering factors such as the pros and cons of each solution, their feasibility and practicability, and making any necessary adjustments. Furthermore, keep in mind that problem solving is an iterative process, and there may be times when you need to go back to the beginning and restart. Maintain your adaptability and try new solutions until you find the one that works best for you.

• Novick, L.R. and Bassok, M., 2005.  Problem Solving . Cambridge University Press.

Daniel Croft

Daniel Croft is a seasoned continuous improvement manager with a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. With over 10 years of real-world application experience across diverse sectors, Daniel has a passion for optimizing processes and fostering a culture of efficiency. He's not just a practitioner but also an avid learner, constantly seeking to expand his knowledge. Outside of his professional life, Daniel has a keen Investing, statistics and knowledge-sharing, which led him to create the website learnleansigma.com, a platform dedicated to Lean Six Sigma and process improvement insights.

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Using Brainstorming Tools for Effective Problem-Solving

• Introduction

Brainstorming is a powerful technique that can be used for problem-solving in various domains. By leveraging the collective intelligence and creativity of a group, or even as an individual, brainstorming can generate innovative ideas and solutions. In this article, we will delve into the what, why, who, when, where, and how of using a brainstorming tool for problem-solving. We will also provide detailed examples to illustrate each point.

What is a Brainstorming Tool?

Why use a brainstorming tool for problem-solving, who can benefit from using a brainstorming tool, when to use a brainstorming tool, where can a brainstorming tool be used, how to use a brainstorming tool.

A brainstorming tool is a software or online platform designed to facilitate the brainstorming process. It provides a structured environment for generating, organizing, and collaborating on ideas. These tools often offer features such as virtual whiteboards, live chat, voting systems, and idea categorization. They can be used by teams or individuals to engage in brainstorming sessions, regardless of physical location.

Example: One popular brainstorming tool is “Miro.” It allows users to create virtual boards, add sticky notes, visually organize ideas, and collaborate in real-time. It offers a wide range of templates and integrations, making it suitable for various problem-solving scenarios.

• Enhanced Collaboration : A brainstorming tool enables real-time collaboration among team members, even if they are geographically dispersed. This accessibility promotes diverse and inclusive participation, leading to a broader range of ideas.
• Structured Approach : Brainstorming tools provide a structured framework for ideation and problem-solving. They prompt participants to think critically, explore different perspectives, and contribute their insights. This helps to avoid idea duplication and encourages more targeted solutions.
• Efficient Idea Management : With a brainstorming tool, ideas can be captured, organized, and visually displayed in a central location. This makes it easier to manage and revisit generated ideas, ensuring that no valuable thoughts are lost or forgotten during the problem-solving process.

Example: Let’s say a team is tasked with finding innovative marketing strategies for a new product. By utilizing a brainstorming tool, team members can simultaneously contribute ideas, categorize them based on relevance (e.g., social media, traditional marketing), and easily refer back to previous suggestions.

• Teams : Brainstorming tools are ideal for collaborative problem-solving in team environments. They allow team members to work collectively, leveraging their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• Individuals : Even as an individual, using a brainstorming tool can be highly beneficial. It provides a structured approach to organizing thoughts, exploring alternatives, and gaining clarity in problem-solving processes.
• Organizations : Companies of all sizes can benefit from implementing brainstorming tools in their problem-solving strategies. It fosters a culture of innovation , encourages employee engagement, and helps generate valuable solutions.

Example: A small startup with limited resources can greatly benefit from a brainstorming tool. It allows remote employees to contribute their ideas, ensuring that everyone has a voice in the problem-solving process.

• Idea Generation : When seeking a multitude of ideas to solve a problem or generate innovative concepts, a brainstorming tool can be utilized. It accelerates the ideation process, leveraging the collective intelligence of participants.
• Complex Problems : Brainstorming tools are particularly useful when facing complex or challenging problems that require diverse perspectives and creative thinking. They enable the exploration of unconventional solutions and breaking down complex issues into manageable ideas.
• Team Collaboration : When working with a team, especially one that is geographically dispersed, a brainstorming tool becomes indispensable. It breaks down barriers of space and time, allowing simultaneous collaboration regardless of physical location.

Example: A software development team encounters a critical bug that needs immediate resolution. By leveraging a brainstorming tool, team members remotely share possible solutions, provide feedback, and eventually come up with an effective fix.

• Workplace : Brainstorming tools find extensive utility in workplace environments. They enable collaboration among colleagues, encourage equal participation, and contribute to an innovative work culture.
• Educational Institutions : Brainstorming tools can be utilized in educational institutions to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. It fosters an interactive learning environment and stimulates creativity.
• Community Groups : Brainstorming tools can benefit community groups, associations, or organizations. They serve as a virtual meeting space, allowing members to share ideas, develop plans, and address complex community issues collectively.

Example: A nonprofit organization planning an environmental campaign can utilize a brainstorming tool to facilitate idea sharing among its volunteers. This ensures that everyone’s suggestions are considered and leads to a more effective campaign strategy.

• Define the Problem : Clearly articulate the problem or challenge you wish to address. Provide background information, context, and objectives to ensure all participants have a common understanding.
• Set the Stage : Create a collaborative and inclusive environment. Establish guidelines, rules, and encourage participants to freely express their ideas without judgment or criticism.
• Generate Ideas : Utilize the brainstorming tool’s features (e.g., virtual whiteboards, sticky notes) to allow participants to contribute their ideas. Encourage both quantity and quality of ideas through timed sessions or open-ended discussions.
• Organize and Evaluate Ideas : Once ideas are generated, participants can collaboratively organize and categorize them. Use the brainstorming tool’s features (e.g., drag and drop, voting) to filter and prioritize ideas.
• Refine and Develop Solutions : Select the most promising ideas and explore them further. Develop actionable plans, refine concepts, and identify potential challenges and solutions.
• Conclusion : Summarize the generated ideas, the most promising solutions, and next steps. Document the brainstorming session for future reference, ensuring that valuable ideas are not lost.

Example: Imagine a team is asked to find cost-effective ways to improve customer satisfaction. By utilizing a brainstorming tool, team members can first define the problem, generate ideas around improving service quality, and later categorize these ideas into areas such as employee training, workflow optimization, or customer feedback channels.

Brainstorming tools have become invaluable assets for problem-solving in various contexts. Their ability to facilitate collaboration, provide a structured approach, and enhance idea management makes them essential for teams and individuals alike. By understanding the what, why, who, when, where, and how of using a brainstorming tool, you can leverage this powerful technique to drive innovation and find effective solutions to complex problems.

Remember, a well-executed brainstorming session supported by a reliable brainstorming tool can unleash immense creative potential and pave the way for successful problem-solving endeavors.

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How to Choose the Right Visual Collaboration Tool for Brainstorming and Problem Solving

Visual collaboration tools are essential for brainstorming and problem-solving sessions, for both in-person and remote teams. They provide a shared space where team members can generate and share ideas visually, using tools such as diagrams and sticky notes. This can help to improve communication and collaboration, and lead to more creative and innovative solutions.

The Importance of Visual Collaboration Tools in Brainstorming and Problem-Solving

The right visual collaboration tools can help you brainstorm and solve problems faster and more effectively. These tools empower teams to share insights, troubleshoot challenges, and cultivate innovative solutions with remarkable efficiency. Let’s see how you can benefit from visual collaboration tools in brainstorming and problem-solving:

• Clear Communication: Visuals simplify the communication of complex technical ideas better than text alone.
• Real-time Collaboration: These tools enable team members to work together in real time, regardless of their locations. Real-time collaboration is essential for geographically dispersed teams to troubleshoot problems collectively and ensure alignment.
• Stimulated Creativity and Innovation: Visual tools are great for sparking new technical ideas and creative solutions. When technical concepts are visually presented, team members often make insightful connections that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

Understanding Your Team’s Requirements

Choosing the right visual collaboration tool for brainstorming involves assessing various factors to ensure the tool aligns with the team’s needs. Here’s a straightforward approach:

• Team Size: Consider the size and composition of your team. Decide how many members will be actively using the tool during brainstorming sessions. This will help you identify tools that can accommodate your team’s size effectively.
• Collaboration Mode: Different tools offer varying degrees of support depending on whether your team primarily operates in a remote, in-person, or hybrid environment. For remote teams, prioritize tools that enable seamless online collaboration. For in-person or hybrid teams, consider tools that support physical and digital collaboration, such as digital whiteboards.
• Project Complexity: Analyze the complexity of the projects your team typically engages in during brainstorming sessions. Are they relatively straightforward or highly intricate? Complex projects may require tools with advanced features like data visualization and integration capabilities to handle technical aspects effectively.
• User Skill Level: Assess the technical proficiency of your team members. Some tools may have steeper learning curves than others. Opt for a tool that aligns with the skill level of your team to ensure a smooth onboarding process.
• Specific Use Cases: Identify the specific use cases your team intends to address with the tool. Are you primarily using it for mind mapping, flowcharting, diagramming, or other visualization purposes? Some tools excel in certain areas, so choose one that best suits your intended applications.
• Scalability: Consider whether your team anticipates growth in the future. Select a tool that can scale with your team’s evolving needs, accommodating additional users and projects without major disruptions.
• Integration Requirements: Take into account any existing software or tools your team uses for project management, documentation, or other purposes. Ensure that the visual collaboration tool integrates smoothly with these systems to maintain a cohesive workflow.
• User Feedback: Gather input from your team members on who will be using the tool. Understand their preferences, requirements, and any pain points they’ve experienced with previous tools. This first hand feedback can be very helpful in making an informed decision.
• Trial Period: Whenever possible, take advantage of trial periods or demos offered by visual collaboration tool providers. This hands-on experience will allow your team to assess the tool’s usability and compatibility with your specific requirements.

Key Features For Brainstorming & Problem Solving

Key features in a visual collaboration tool that is used for brainstorming and problem solving include functionalities that facilitate effective communication, idea generation, organization, and collaboration. Here are the essential features to look for:

• Real-Time Collaboration: The tool should support real-time collaboration, allowing team members to work on the same canvas simultaneously, regardless of their physical location. Real-time updates ensure that everyone is on the same page and can actively contribute during brainstorming sessions. With Creately, your team can collaborate in real-time, working together on the same digital canvas from anywhere. Creately’s live cursor tracking lets you see where others are working and comments make communication a breeze. For more information, see Real-time Collaboration .
• Customizable Canvases: The ability to create and customize canvases is important. It allows users to adapt the workspace to the specific needs of each brainstorming session, whether it’s creating mind maps, flowcharts, diagrams, or other visual representations. Creately provides a versatile platform where you can not only create but also customize your canvases using frames, tables, and an array of styling and formatting options to meet the specific requirements of your brainstorming sessions. For more information, see Diagramming .
• Templates for Brainstorming Techniques: Look for pre-designed templates that facilitate popular brainstorming techniques. These templates streamline the process and provide a structured starting point for brainstorming sessions. Creately offers a range of pre-designed templates that are tailored to popular brainstorming techniques like SCAMPER, Reverse-Brainstorming, Round Robin, Mind Mapping, Brainwriting 6-3-5, Six-Thinking Hats, and many more. To view all of Creately’s Brainstorming templates, see Creately Community . For additional information, see Working with Templates .
• Integration with Other Software: The tool should seamlessly integrate with other software and tools your team uses, such as project management platforms, document repositories, or productivity apps. Creately allows you to import data from CSV and Excel files, and to export your data visualizations in CSV and PDF formats.
• Data Visualization Capabilities: For problem-solving in data-rich environments, data visualization features are essential. This includes the ability to create charts, graphs, and other visual representations of data to identify trends, patterns, and insights. Creately offers an array of data visualization capabilities such as frames, context-aware shapes, and not to forget the shape data functionality that can be extended to create databases and access its information easily via its search and filter options. Here is a comparison of four popular visual collaboration tools:

Budget Considerations

The cost of a visual collaboration tool can vary depending on the features and number of users. It is important to set a budget before you start purchasing and to choose a tool that fits your needs and budget. Following table brings you a summary of the pricing models among four popular visual collaboration tools:

Creately’s Business plan offers a unique model that delivers an unlimited visual collaboration experience to users with no seat limits. With this plan, you can utilize nearly all of Creately’s capabilities, including creating unlimited workspaces and folders, importing an unlimited number of files and attachments, enabling guest and group sharing for workspaces and folders, customizing sharing controls for guest users, and more. For more information, see Creately Plans .

User Support and Ease of Use

When choosing a visual collaboration tool, it is important to consider the quality of user support and the ease of use of the tool. You want to choose a tool that is easy to learn and use, and that offers good customer support. Creately delivers 24x7 customer support and a comprehensive Resource Center that helps you learn and kickstart your journey on a visual collaboration tool to brainstorm and solve problems.

Selecting the right visual collaboration tool for brainstorming and problem-solving is paramount for enhancing teamwork and productivity. Visual collaboration tools like Creately offer a multitude of features that empower teams to communicate effectively, generate innovative ideas, and streamline complex processes.

Creately excels in real-time collaboration, providing live cursor tracking, spotlighting, and commenting, ensuring that team members can work together seamlessly, regardless of their physical location. Customizable canvases in Creately allow you to tailor your workspace precisely to your brainstorming needs, offering frames, tables, and extensive styling options. The availability of pre-designed templates, specifically designed for popular brainstorming techniques, simplifies the initiation of brainstorming sessions.

Moreover, Creately seamlessly integrates with other software, enabling a smooth workflow, and boasts powerful data visualization capabilities for data-rich problem-solving scenarios. While cost considerations are essential, Creately’s features are complemented by 24x7 customer support and an extensive Resource Center , ensuring that you have the support and resources needed to make the most of your visual collaboration journey.

In essence, the right visual collaboration tool, such as Creately, can transform your brainstorming and problem-solving efforts into efficient, creative, and innovative endeavors, ultimately driving your team toward successful outcomes.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

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Paramee is a technical writer who thrives in bridging the gap between complex technical subjects and accessible, engaging prose. Outside of her professional pursuits, she finds solace in the exploration of oceans and jungles.

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The 10 Best Problem-Solving Software to Use in 2024

Engineering Team

February 14, 2024

Do you want a solution to help your teams work well together, reduce friction, and speed up productivity?

The best problem-solving software has all the answers for you. Problem-solving software helps find bottlenecks, simplify workflows, and automate tasks to improve efficiency. The result? Communication is easy, and your team enjoys a collaborative work environment.

Problem-solving software gives you the right visualization tools and techniques to better articulate your ideas and concepts.

That’s not all; it also automates repetitive tasks while your team focuses on brainstorming and ideating. 

In this article, we’ll cover the best problem-solving software and highlight its various features, limitations, customer ratings, and pricing details to help you make an informed decision. 

What Should You Look For In Problem-Solving Software? 

1. clickup , 2. omnex systems , 5. meistertask, 6. teamwork, 10. airtable .

Businesses encounter many challenges, from operational inefficiencies and customer complaints to financial discrepancies. 

As your team slowly navigates through these issues, having problem-solving software with the right features will reduce the hassle. Before investing in one, consider some of these following factors:

• User-friendly interface: The software should have an intuitive and easy-to-use interface to minimize the learning curve for users
• Versatility: Look for software that addresses various problem types and complexities. It should be adaptable to different industries and scenarios
• Mind maps and Visualization features: Get yourself problem-solving software solutions that offers mind maps and other visual tricks. It must be a digital canvas for your team to brainstorm ideas, connect the dots, and execute strategies
• AI assistant: If your team is stuck with repetitive mundane tasks, then it’s time you let AI take over. With the right problem-solving tool comes in-built AI that handles  everyday tasks, leaving your team to focus on the important stuff
• Automation capabilities:  Look for problem-solving process that’s all about automation. This way, you ensure efficiency and effectiveness without the grunt work
• Goal tracking: Your efforts improve when you optimize your tracking process. You need goal monitoring and tracking features to ensure you are on track 
• Cost-effectiveness: Look for the features that various plans offer and compare them to choose an option that provides maximum features while the benefits justify the cost 

The 10 Best Problem Solving Software In 2024

While you have many options, select the one with the right features that suit your needs . 

Check out our list of the ten best problem-solving tools to ensure you have the features to solve complex issues effectively: 

Henry Ford once said that success takes care of itself if everyone moves forward together. ClickUp problem-solving software helps you succeed by ensuring all your team members are always on the same page. 

With its live collaboration, you can see if your teammates are looking at or editing documents. Also, edit documents together in real-time. Moreover, any changes on any device are updated instantly, so nobody falls behind. 

The whiteboard feature is super helpful in getting your team together for brainstorming and ideating. As problem-solving involves generating and evaluating multiple ideas, the whiteboard helps write, modify, and build ideas together. 

Now that you have brainstormed on core problems, you must establish a clear visual reference point for ongoing analysis. That’s where the ClickUp mind maps feature stands out. Create a hierarchical structure, with the main problem at the center and subtopics branching out.

Since these maps have interconnections, it is easy to visualize connections between different elements. This feature effectively identifies possible cause-and-effect relationships in a problem.

ClickUp best features 

• Documentation: Address and solve problems by storing and accessing project-related documents in ClickUp Docs
• Mind maps : Identify critical connections, uncover insights, and implement creative approaches by visually mapping relationships between concepts and information with ClickUp Mind Maps
• Task prioritization: Make problem-solving easier for your software developers—sort tasks by urgency. This helps your team focus on the most crucial aspects, making problem resolution more efficient 
• Virtual whiteboards: Enhance collaborative problem-solving and critical thinking through ClickUp Whiteboards . Brainstorm, visualize ideas, and collectively work towards solutions in an interactive setting 
• Goal monitoring: Set and monitor business metrics to address challenges, track progress, and ensure the software development team remains aligned with objectives 
• Custom access rights: Customizing access rights ensures that the right individuals have the necessary permissions to contribute to problem resolution 
• ClickUp AI: Use ClickUp AI to automate repetitive tasks, analyze data for insights, and enhance productivity in tackling complex problems 

ClickUp limitations 

• Learning curve is involved in fully grasping all features and capabilities

ClickUp pricing

• Free Forever Plan 
• Unlimited Plan: $7 per month per user
• Business Plan : $12 per month per user
• Business Plus Plan : $19 per month per user
• Enterprise Plan : custom pricing 
• ClickUp AI: $5 per Workspace on all paid plans

ClickUp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)

Omnex’s problem-solving software has many helpful features to track, manage, and solve problems quickly. It’s a one-stop shop for dealing with internal and external issues. 

The platform is also customer-centric, which responds to customers in their preferred formats. This ensures a tailored and user-friendly experience, further enhancing problem resolution through seamless interaction with stakeholders. 

Omnex best features 

• Define timelines and metrics for problem resolution 
• Leverage several problem-solving tools, such as 5Why, Is/Is Not, etc
• Respond to customers in various formats, including 8D, 7D, and PRR

Omnex limitations

• Initiating projects involves many steps
• Temporary delays may occur

Omnex pricing 

• Omnex has custom pricing plans 

Hive is another excellent platform to instruct your teams better while solving complex challenges and enhancing their problem-solving skills. It’s highly interactive and lets all your team members view what’s happening and express their opinions simultaneously. 

Collaborative work management helps you solve issues effectively. Hive is your virtual file cabinet where sharing documents with different teams and collaboratively working becomes more accessible. 

Hive best features

• User-friendly interface ensures seamless navigation
• Gantt view helps in mapping out project timelines
• Project hierarchies allow for easy task execution
• Kanban view allows you to understand progress better

Hive limitations 

• Being a relatively new tool, it needs frequent updates and additional features
• There are occasional bugs that slow down processes
• Locating notes from tasks and meetings is time-consuming
• Auto-generated reports are not always accurate
• Apart from ticketing, the platform needs some intuitive features

Hive pricing 

• Teams: $12 per month per user
• Enterprise: custom plans

Hive customer ratings

• G2: 4.6/5 (480+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (190+ reviews)

Asana is a popular problem-solving tool that speeds up decision-making . It improves project management , and its many integrations are useful. The well-organized project documents make it easy to find what you need quickly.

It’s excellent for managing many small projects and suitable for teams without complex workflows or collaboration features.

Asana best features 

• The rules and workflow feature helps automate repeating activities
• Customizable workflows help teams adapt the tool to their unique needs
• For easy understanding, organize tasks as a list, calendar, timeline, Gantt chart, or Kanban board
• Integrate with popular tools and apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, Zoom, Microsoft, etc. 

Asana limitations

• Inefficient for handling larger projects with sub-projects and multiple workstreams
• Limited capability to measure project deviations from original plans
• Lack of comprehensive workflows and customizable animations, a feature some competitors offer
• Pricing is less favorable for smaller teams; advanced features like custom fields, portfolios, and timeline views are only available in premium plans

Asana pricing 

• Personal (free)
• Starter: $10.99 per month per user
• Advanced: $24.99 per month per user 

Asana customer ratings 

• G2: 4.3/5 (9,520+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (12,290+ reviews) 

Mesitertask is one of those problem-solving tools that offers strong kanban boards. These boards visualize the workflow and make it easier to identify bottlenecks and trace issues back to their source. Such visualizing features are similar to the ones found in the best root cause analysis tools . 

A customizable drag-and-drop feature further allows users to rearrange and prioritize tasks easily. Therefore, your team members will easily play around the field and segregate tasks effectively. 

Meistertask best features 

• Gain a visual representation of task timelines with a timeline view
• Streamline processes with automated workflows
• Easily categorize and prioritize tasks within sections 
• Monitor and analyze time spent on tasks for valuable insights

Meistertask limitations 

• Unnecessary negative space impacts task visibility
• Limited report and analytics features, not accessible offline
• Confusing registration process

Meistertask pricing

• Basic (free)
• Pro: $6.50 per month per user 
• Business: $12 per month per user 
• Enterprise: custom pricing 

Meister task ratings and reviews 

• G2: 4.6/5 (170+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (1130+ reviews) 

Teamwork is another viable problem-solving software dealing with operational challenges. It provides a clear overview of task assignments, project profitability, and other essential details. 

When combined with effective brainstorming techniques , such a clear division of work will help you solve complex issues faster. 

Teamwork features 

• Get four distinct project views, including List, Table, Boards, and Gantt
• Efficient task management simplifies the process of creating and assigning tasks to users, enhancing team collaboration  
• The time tracking feature helps determine billable hours, aiding in project budgeting and resource allocation
• Standard communication features, such as commenting and mentioning coworkers, are seamlessly integrated, promoting practical collaboration 

Teamwork limitations 

• You need to subscribe to premium plans to unlock advanced features
• The user interface is intricate and poses a challenge for some users
• Certain features, like the reminder function, do not operate on mobile apps
• Continuous email notifications have the potential to disrupt focus, as not all updates or status changes are crucial

Teamwork Pricing 

• Free Forever
• Starter: $5.99 per month per user 
• Deliver: $9.99 per month per user
• Grow: $19.99 per month per user 
• Scale: custom pricing 

Teamwork Customer Ratings 

• G2: 4.4/5 (1,070+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (830+ reviews)

Trello is another good option if you are searching for efficient problem-solving software. With powerful task management tools, it ensures you handle your issues efficiently. 

However, Trello’s communication and collaboration tools are not up to the mark compared to other problem-solving tools. Also, it relies heavily on integrations to do the heavy lifting.

Trello Features 

• Streamline your workflow effortlessly by arranging tasks with a simple drag-and-drop interface
• The project map feature gives a complete overview to help you visualize tasks, dependencies, and progress at a glance
• Focus on what matters the most and prioritize tasks effectively with its intuitive tools 
• Stay on top of your responsibilities with dynamic to-do lists

Trello Limitations 

• The free version imposes limitations on file attachments, a lack of advanced integrations, and automation
• Manually arranging Trello cards one by one is a time-consuming task
• There is a lack of functionality for creating a comprehensive dashboard or Gantt chart to provide a clear overview
• The absence of restrictions on card movement poses a security risk, with anyone accessing and potentially disrupting the board
• Trello becomes less practical when the board becomes densely populated with cards

Trello pricing 

• Standard: $5 per month per user 
• Premium: $10 per month per user 
• Enterprise: $17.50 per month per user 

Trello customer ratings 

• G2: 4.4/5 (13,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (23,000+ reviews)

Wrike is one of the preferred project management collaboration tools that help businesses of all sizes. With preconfigured templates for tasks, workflows, and communication, it takes the burden off your shoulders. 

It also has a user-friendly dashboard with enterprise-grade tools to manage recurring and one-time projects. 

Wrike best features 

• Planning tools to outline tasks, set deadlines, and allocate resources
• A clear visual overview helps in identifying potential challenges
• Detailed reports to analyze project performance
• Helps efficiently address issues by prioritizing tasks

Wrike limitations 

• There are no options to view projects on the Kanban board (only tasks)
• Basic project management features are missing, such as time breaks for a task
• Pricing remains on the higher end

Wrike pricing 

• Professional variant: $9.80 per month per user 
• Business variant: $24.80 per month per user 

Wrike customer ratings 

• G2: 4.2/5 (3500+ reviews) 
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (2540+ reviews) 

Monday is a cloud-based open platform, allowing businesses to collaborate better on projects. Explore many pre-built templates or create one from scratch depending on what you need. 

Monday best features

• Streamline workflows by making bulk changes efficiently
• Plan and organize tasks effectively with powerful scheduling tools
• Keep a detailed record of project activities, providing transparency and aiding in tracking progress, which is critical for troubleshooting and resolving issues
• Gain valuable insights through customizable views and comprehensive reporting, facilitating data-driven decision-making

Monday limitations 

• There is a minimum team size of three required for paid plans 
• The free trial lasts only for 14 days
• Advanced features like time tracking are only available in premium plans 

Monday pricing 

• Basic: $8 per month per user 
• Standard: $10 per month per user 
• Pro: $16 per month per user 
• Enterprise: custom pricing

Monday customer ratings

• G2: 4.7/5 (9,570+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,430+ reviews)

Airtable is a cloud-based collaboration platform that combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the complexity of a relational database.

It allows users to create and manage databases, spreadsheets, and other types of structured data in a flexible and user-friendly way. With its user-friendly interface,  you will quickly organize and track crucial information for problem-solving. 

Airtable best features

• Supports real-time collaboration 
• Attach files, images, and other multimedia directly to records
• Highlight and format cells based on specific conditions with conditional formatting
• Use pre-built templates for different use cases 

Airtable limitations

• While the interface is user-friendly, users unfamiliar with databases may find it initially complex
• For extremely large datasets or complex relationships, Airtable may face performance challenges
• As a cloud-based platform, it relies on an internet connection, and lack of connectivity may hinder problem-solving efforts

Airtable pricing 

• Team: $20 per month per user
• Business: $45 per month per user 

Airtable customer ratings

• G2: 4.6/5 (2,180+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (1920+ reviews)

Solve Problems to Drive Successful Business Outcomes

It is best to invest in problem-solving software to ensure that problems do not bog down your team and that you have the tools to solve and focus on strategic work. Our list of the ten best problem-solving software should help you find the right fit for your organization. 

Thousands of businesses of all sizes choose ClickUp. With ClickUp, you get different tools to map your project, divide tasks, view the interdependence of tasks, allocate resources, and resolve bugs on time. Whether improving team productivity or identifying and squashing bugs, ClickUp does it all!  

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Smart Solution Book, The: 68 Tools for Brainstorming, Problem Solving and Decision Making Paperback – October 6, 2016

Purchase options and add-ons.

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF PROBLEM-SOLVING TOOLS, GAMES AND TECHNIQUES USED BY BRAINSTORMERS, GAMECHANGERS AND TRAILBLAZERS.

As working life becomes more complex, we are increasingly faced with problems which may at first seem insoluble. The Smart Solution Book is your guide to solving these problems, whatever their size.

The Smart Solution Book explains each tool in detail – what it is, when and how to use it, its strengths and its limitations. The tools range from quick fixes, which can be used by someone working alone, to large scale solutions which can be used by groups of 100 and more. You can also use the tools separately or in combination with each other.

• Frame problems so they can be solved

• Find a solution to even the most intractable problem

• Enjoy the process of problem solving, whether alone or in collaboration with others

• Become more creative in your thinking so that, over time, solutions begin to present themselves

The Smart Solution Book will change your way of thinking about business problems: apply the techniques and see the solutions unfold.

“The essential guide for any problem solving situation. Effective, practical and very accessible. Highly recommended.” Chris Garthwaite, CEO CGA Consulting

"There isn't a single individual or organisation that could fail to benefit from the many practical approaches to problem-solving in this book. Everyone should read it!” Andrew Hilton, Managing Director, Corporate Training Partnerships Ltd

“F. Durrenmatt says 'What concerns everyone, can only be solved by everyone' - and David's book is the practical guide to getting everyone fully engaged with a creative technique to solve any of your challenges .” Peter SchwanhTMußer, Partner, papilio ag, Zurich

"As one of the most highly respected and long standing professionals on the Leadership and Management Development circuit, when David Cotton recommends a particular problem solving approach, you know it has earned its place in his invaluable new book. Look no further for a comprehensive compendium of pragmatic and well thought through techniques." David McWhir, Consultancy Vérité Limited

• Print length 192 pages
• Language English
• Publisher FT Publishing International
• Publication date October 6, 2016
• Dimensions 6 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• ISBN-10 1292142316
• ISBN-13 978-1292142319
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

“F. Durrenmatt says 'What concerns everyone, can only be solved by everyone' - and David's book is the practical guide to getting everyone fully engaged with a creative technique to solve any of your challenges .” Peter Schwanh™ußer, Partner, papilio ag, Zurich

From the Back Cover

About the author.

David Cotton spent 21 years with Arthur Andersen and PwC before becoming a freelance trainer in 2002. He has worked in four continents and more than 40 countries, delivering a wide range of training in management, leadership, communication skills, business networking, confidence building, dealing with difficult people, change management, business strategy, coaching and mentoring.

David’s clients span local and national government and nearly every industry sector and include the European Parliament, European Commission and many of its agencies, the United Nations, BBC, Syrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Russian Federal Commission, Croatian MOD, PwC, most of the major Middle Eastern oil and gas companies, Manchester Business School and many others.

He has published scores of articles and more than a dozen books, including Key Management Development Models (FT Publishing, 2015).

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ FT Publishing International; 1st edition (October 6, 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1292142316
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1292142319
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.6 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• #3,492 in Business Decision Making
• #4,636 in Decision-Making & Problem Solving
• #16,342 in Business Management (Books)

About the author

David cotton.

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Problem Solving: Practical Tools and Techniques

Experiential Education

When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves. Anthony J. D'Angelo

What will you learn?

• An introduction to problem solving
• The different stages of problem solving
• Tools and techniques for defining problems, finding causes, and coming up with solutions
• How to do an action plan

Introduction

Effective problem solving often requires you to collect, process, analyse and evaluate information to find a solution/s. Along with other transferable skills like communication, planning and organisation, teamwork, critical thinking, digital literacy, and active inquiry (for example), it is essential in work and life more generally.

There are a few different stages in the problem solving process, which makes it a little more complicated than it probably sounds. For example, you first have to define the problem, then collect more information about it and do some research and investigations into causes. After that, you need to process the material to understand it, and then analyse and evaluate it (whilst generating possible solutions along the way). The final solution/s and action plan then come from there.

Stages in the Problem Solving Process

There are various stages to problem solving. We have described those that we see as key in the process, starting with recognising the problem to begin with and defining and labelling it; through to solving it, evaluating it and planning for contingencies. In connection with this, we have introduced certain problem solving tools and techniques that can be used at each stage. This is because some methods work better at different stages than others. The methods are presented in more detail in the section following this one, titled ‘Tools of the Trade’.

So, what are the key stages in the problem solving process?

• Problem Recognition – determining what the problem is
• Labelling the problem
• Conducting a problem-cause analysis
• Optional solutions
• Making a decision based on the best options you have generated
• Developing an action plan to solve the problem
• Evaluating and monitoring your solution to the problem
• Contingency planning and resource examination

Problem Recognition

This first stage is where you identify the symptoms. You look for facts and analyse data, as well as explore history and human factors such as attitudes, values and reactions (soft data). Symptom identification can be achieved through collecting all kinds of data, including through interviews and focus groups, brainstorming and mind mapping. More on these methods can be found later in this module.

Define and label the Problem (and determine causes)It is important to have a clear definition of the problem otherwise the solutions generated will not work. This is because the solutions you come up with will not necessarily address the actual problem (i.e. ‘the real problem’ or ‘key stone’). For example, if you define the problem as being poor performance by employees, when in fact it is a lack of training or high expectations, the solutions generated to address the problem are unlikely to be effective.

In this stage, it is good to write down some problem statements. Begin by noting the problem and why it is important to solve. Consider the benefits to solving the problem (e.g. costs, consumer satisfaction, employee wellbeing, time, product quality).

Work out stakeholders (both internal and external) and who all the members of the team are. In regards to the problem, think through - who, what, where, when, how and why.

Find the root cause of the problem (do not be caught on symptoms otherwise you won’t find the real issue).

The tools we recommend to help you define the problem and determine the cause (including the root cause) are:

• The 5W’s (and the 5 WHY’s)

SWOT Analysis

Mind mapping, brainstorming.

• The Fishbone Diagram (or Cause and Effect Diagram)

Affinity Mapping

To explore some of these further, see below under ‘Tools of the Trade’.

Generate Ideas and Solutions

After defining the problem and finding the root cause, you need to generate ideas and solutions. This usually happens through brainstorming and mind mapping. These are good techniques for generating ideas quickly (and just getting it all down).

These methods help to generate thought not only around problem statements, definitions or causes (in stage one) but about potential solutions, impacts, and much more. These techniques are more concerned with ‘quantity’ in terms of getting as many ideas as possible, rather than ‘quality’. You can also do a force-field analysis in this stage or positive and negative analysis.

Students interested in watch in a lecture on critical thinking and problem solving in the context of agriculture can watch the following video:

Critical thinking and Problem solving | 19:08 mins

To explore brainstorming and mind mapping, please see below under ‘Tools of the Trade’.

Decide on the Best Solution

Once you have generated optimal solutions, you then need to make some decisions about what to choose. There are many decision-making tools that can be used. Some of these include:

• Brainstorming.
• Elimination – In business a process of elimination and selection of the best solution.
• Weighting of consequences – you can select as solution and then weigh up all the consequences or outcomes from that solution.
• Prioritising - You may have several solutions with good outcomes but you wish to select the best.

Take Action

Once you arrived at your solution to your problem, an action plan should be developed. Elements to include in your action plan could be a series of questions. There are no hard and fast rules on what to include in your action plan. However, it must be highly effective in solving the problem or problems. It must be well thought through, achievable and highly relevant to your business.

Some elements to include in your plan may be:

• What is to be done?
• How is it to be done?
• Who is responsible?
• When will it be done by?

This section of the module provides some detail on problem solving tools – and when to use them. Not all possible tools are described but we have tried to include those that are often used in business/enterprise.

The 5W’s and the 5 WHY’s

The 5W’s approach is most useful when defining the problem and then later on when identifying if more data or analysis is required.

In most cases, you can define a problem by noting:

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that is used to generate information on which rigorous, logical, defendable decision can be based. As the diagram highlights, SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

To complete a SWOT Analysis for your business/company/enterprise or workplace, start with asking the following questions:

• What advantages (e.g. location, resources, facilities, etc.) does your enterprise have?
• What do you do better than anyone else?
• What make your enterprise unique? (Think about costs, resources, facilities or geographical locations etc. you identified above.)
• In addition, view your strengths by placing yourself in your competitor’s shoes?

Weaknesses:

• What would you need to do to improve in your enterprise?
• What would you avoid doing in your enterprise or what to improve in your enterprises position?
• View your weaknesses, by placing yourself in your competitor’s shoes? What are your weaknesses?
• What aspects of your enterprise is costing you sales?

Opportunities:

• What are the best opportunities for your enterprise to improve?
• What are the future trends emerging in your industry, and how aware of these are you?
• These may be new technology and changes in markets internationally or nationally.
• Consumers consumption patterns may be changing based on perceived healthy, clean, safe, environmentally produced practices.
• Governments (international and domestic) may change policies related to your enterprise activities.
• Social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes and demographics etc. may change.
• Operating environments (Social, Economic, Environmental) in which your enterprise operates may be changing.
• What impediments, obstacles and barriers does your enterprise face in its operating environment?
• Are your competitors changing their practices and their mode of operation?
• Are the food safety, quality standards, or specifications under which your enterprise operates (work place health and safety, labour force costs and tax requirement etc.), or the products changing due to consumer demands or government policies locally, state wide, nationally and internationally?
• Is globalisation, communications and changes technology threatening your enterprises position to remain sustainable, viable and grow?
• Management of your enterprise (Human Resources, Material Resources, Financial Resources etc.)?
• What is your true economic situation (cash flows, capital investment, bad debts etc/)?
• What is your social standing and position in the industry?
• What is your environmental situation (pollution, chemical usage, fertiliser, irrigation etc.) and your industry position?
• What factors can seriously threaten your enterprise and threaten your operating practices?

To explore SWOT Analysis further (and to find blank templates to use) please follow this link to a module on SWOT Analysis

Mind mapping is an effective means to brainstorm and collect your thoughts. A mind map is a diagram that visually organises information and involves writing down a central theme/concept and thinking of new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre.

By focussing on key ideas written down in your own words and looking for connections between them, you can map knowledge in a way that will help you better understand and retain information. 

To see an example from the contemporary issues and sustainability unit, look below. You will see a mind map by Dr Nissen of economic, environmental and social issues that enterprises may face (and various strategies and plans that can be used to sustainably manage these issues). The map shows you a way of viewing how to undertake the process. It is best to produce a mind map that is suited to your own agricultural enterprise.

Find more on Mind Mapping here including examples.

Brainstorming is a popular group problem-solving technique.

A desktop search of definitions of brainstorming revealed that it is typically referred to as a technique for:

• Group thinking sessions (where all ideas are collected)
• Stimulating creative thinking
• Spontaneous participation
• Group problem-solving (around a specific question or challenge)
• Generating new ideas or creative solutions (drawing on lateral thinking/thinking outside the box)
• Ensuring all ideas are captured and nothing is criticised or critiqued until the later analysis stage

If you are interested in exploring the method of brainstorming beyond this brief description, please follow this link to a short module on Brainstorming .

The Fishbone

A fishbone analysis is often useful for trying to organise information generated from a root cause analysis, brainstorming or mind mapping exercise. You input this information into a fishbone diagram i.e. a picture of a fish where you write the main problem in the head, then record causes in the spines. The best way to do this is to write the problem as a statement or question and then add to the backbones of the fish with potential causes. The picture below provides an example of what a fishbone diagram looks like.

For other examples and access to fishbone templates, please click here .

GoLeanSixSigma also have a great Excel tool for fishbone diagrams:

After you have undertaken the initial research on a topic, affinity mapping is a useful strategy to visualise and categorise this information. It is an effective and dynamic way of recording the qualitative and quantitative data you have collected such as on-site observations and interviews. The first step to affinity mapping involves documenting your findings on separate sticky notes, followed by grouping them according to topics (e.g. trends, challenges, themes) and then categorising them with headings. Be prepared to move your sticky notes around; affinity mapping is a dynamic process.

Pokars, S. 1989. Systematic Problem Solving and Decision Making. The Viability Group, Inc. USA.

Porter, M. E. 1979 How competitive forces shape strategy, Harvard Business Review, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 137-145.

Porter, M. E. 2008. The five forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, vol. 88, pp. 78-93

< https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/critical-thinking-skills-cheatsheet-infographic >.

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Do You Understand the Problem You’re Trying to Solve?

To solve tough problems at work, first ask these questions.

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Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But all too often, we jump to find solutions to a problem without taking time to really understand the dilemma we face, according to Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg , an expert in innovation and the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve .

In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe tough problems by asking questions that reveal all the factors and assumptions that contribute to the situation. You’ll also learn why searching for just one root cause can be misleading.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, power and influence, business management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Secret to Better Problem Solving (2016)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org .

HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR on Leadership , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock the best in those around you.

Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But even the most experienced among us can fall into the trap of solving the wrong problem.

Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg says that all too often, we jump to find solutions to a problem – without taking time to really understand what we’re facing.

He’s an expert in innovation, and he’s the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve .

  In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe tough problems, by asking questions that reveal all the factors and assumptions that contribute to the situation. You’ll also learn why searching for one root cause can be misleading. And you’ll learn how to use experimentation and rapid prototyping as problem-solving tools.

This episode originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in December 2016. Here it is.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review. I’m Sarah Green Carmichael.

Problem solving is popular. People put it on their resumes. Managers believe they excel at it. Companies count it as a key proficiency. We solve customers’ problems.

The problem is we often solve the wrong problems. Albert Einstein and Peter Drucker alike have discussed the difficulty of effective diagnosis. There are great frameworks for getting teams to attack true problems, but they’re often hard to do daily and on the fly. That’s where our guest comes in.

Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is a consultant who helps companies and managers reframe their problems so they can come up with an effective solution faster. He asks the question “Are You Solving The Right Problems?” in the January-February 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review. Thomas, thank you so much for coming on the HBR IdeaCast .

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Thanks for inviting me.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, I thought maybe we could start by talking about the problem of talking about problem reframing. What is that exactly?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Basically, when people face a problem, they tend to jump into solution mode to rapidly, and very often that means that they don’t really understand, necessarily, the problem they’re trying to solve. And so, reframing is really a– at heart, it’s a method that helps you avoid that by taking a second to go in and ask two questions, basically saying, first of all, wait. What is the problem we’re trying to solve? And then crucially asking, is there a different way to think about what the problem actually is?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, I feel like so often when this comes up in meetings, you know, someone says that, and maybe they throw out the Einstein quote about you spend an hour of problem solving, you spend 55 minutes to find the problem. And then everyone else in the room kind of gets irritated. So, maybe just give us an example of maybe how this would work in practice in a way that would not, sort of, set people’s teeth on edge, like oh, here Sarah goes again, reframing the whole problem instead of just solving it.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: I mean, you’re bringing up something that’s, I think is crucial, which is to create legitimacy for the method. So, one of the reasons why I put out the article is to give people a tool to say actually, this thing is still important, and we need to do it. But I think the really critical thing in order to make this work in a meeting is actually to learn how to do it fast, because if you have the idea that you need to spend 30 minutes in a meeting delving deeply into the problem, I mean, that’s going to be uphill for most problems. So, the critical thing here is really to try to make it a practice you can implement very, very rapidly.

There’s an example that I would suggest memorizing. This is the example that I use to explain very rapidly what it is. And it’s basically, I call it the slow elevator problem. You imagine that you are the owner of an office building, and that your tenants are complaining that the elevator’s slow.

Now, if you take that problem framing for granted, you’re going to start thinking creatively around how do we make the elevator faster. Do we install a new motor? Do we have to buy a new lift somewhere?

The thing is, though, if you ask people who actually work with facilities management, well, they’re going to have a different solution for you, which is put up a mirror next to the elevator. That’s what happens is, of course, that people go oh, I’m busy. I’m busy. I’m– oh, a mirror. Oh, that’s beautiful.

And then they forget time. What’s interesting about that example is that the idea with a mirror is actually a solution to a different problem than the one you first proposed. And so, the whole idea here is once you get good at using reframing, you can quickly identify other aspects of the problem that might be much better to try to solve than the original one you found. It’s not necessarily that the first one is wrong. It’s just that there might be better problems out there to attack that we can, means we can do things much faster, cheaper, or better.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, in that example, I can understand how A, it’s probably expensive to make the elevator faster, so it’s much cheaper just to put up a mirror. And B, maybe the real problem people are actually feeling, even though they’re not articulating it right, is like, I hate waiting for the elevator. But if you let them sort of fix their hair or check their teeth, they’re suddenly distracted and don’t notice.

But if you have, this is sort of a pedestrian example, but say you have a roommate or a spouse who doesn’t clean up the kitchen. Facing that problem and not having your elegant solution already there to highlight the contrast between the perceived problem and the real problem, how would you take a problem like that and attack it using this method so that you can see what some of the other options might be?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Right. So, I mean, let’s say it’s you who have that problem. I would go in and say, first of all, what would you say the problem is? Like, if you were to describe your view of the problem, what would that be?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: I hate cleaning the kitchen, and I want someone else to clean it up.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: OK. So, my first observation, you know, that somebody else might not necessarily be your spouse. So, already there, there’s an inbuilt assumption in your question around oh, it has to be my husband who does the cleaning. So, it might actually be worth, already there to say, is that really the only problem you have? That you hate cleaning the kitchen, and you want to avoid it? Or might there be something around, as well, getting a better relationship in terms of how you solve problems in general or establishing a better way to handle small problems when dealing with your spouse?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Or maybe, now that I’m thinking that, maybe the problem is that you just can’t find the stuff in the kitchen when you need to find it.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Right, and so that’s an example of a reframing, that actually why is it a problem that the kitchen is not clean? Is it only because you hate the act of cleaning, or does it actually mean that it just takes you a lot longer and gets a lot messier to actually use the kitchen, which is a different problem. The way you describe this problem now, is there anything that’s missing from that description?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: That is a really good question.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Other, basically asking other factors that we are not talking about right now, and I say those because people tend to, when given a problem, they tend to delve deeper into the detail. What often is missing is actually an element outside of the initial description of the problem that might be really relevant to what’s going on. Like, why does the kitchen get messy in the first place? Is it something about the way you use it or your cooking habits? Is it because the neighbor’s kids, kind of, use it all the time?

There might, very often, there might be issues that you’re not really thinking about when you first describe the problem that actually has a big effect on it.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: I think at this point it would be helpful to maybe get another business example, and I’m wondering if you could tell us the story of the dog adoption problem.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Yeah. This is a big problem in the US. If you work in the shelter industry, basically because dogs are so popular, more than 3 million dogs every year enter a shelter, and currently only about half of those actually find a new home and get adopted. And so, this is a problem that has persisted. It’s been, like, a structural problem for decades in this space. In the last three years, where people found new ways to address it.

So a woman called Lori Weise who runs a rescue organization in South LA, and she actually went in and challenged the very idea of what we were trying to do. She said, no, no. The problem we’re trying to solve is not about how to get more people to adopt dogs. It is about keeping the dogs with their first family so they never enter the shelter system in the first place.

In 2013, she started what’s called a Shelter Intervention Program that basically works like this. If a family comes and wants to hand over their dog, these are called owner surrenders. It’s about 30% of all dogs that come into a shelter. All they would do is go up and ask, if you could, would you like to keep your animal? And if they said yes, they would try to fix whatever helped them fix the problem, but that made them turn over this.

And sometimes that might be that they moved into a new building. The landlord required a deposit, and they simply didn’t have the money to put down a deposit. Or the dog might need a $10 rabies shot, but they didn’t know how to get access to a vet.

And so, by instigating that program, just in the first year, she took her, basically the amount of dollars they spent per animal they helped went from something like $85 down to around $60. Just an immediate impact, and her program now is being rolled out, is being supported by the ASPCA, which is one of the big animal welfare stations, and it’s being rolled out to various other places.

And I think what really struck me with that example was this was not dependent on having the internet. This was not, oh, we needed to have everybody mobile before we could come up with this. This, conceivably, we could have done 20 years ago. Only, it only happened when somebody, like in this case Lori, went in and actually rethought what the problem they were trying to solve was in the first place.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, what I also think is so interesting about that example is that when you talk about it, it doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that would have been thought of through other kinds of problem solving methods. There wasn’t necessarily an After Action Review or a 5 Whys exercise or a Six Sigma type intervention. I don’t want to throw those other methods under the bus, but how can you get such powerful results with such a very simple way of thinking about something?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: That was something that struck me as well. This, in a way, reframing and the idea of the problem diagnosis is important is something we’ve known for a long, long time. And we’ve actually have built some tools to help out. If you worked with us professionally, you are familiar with, like, Six Sigma, TRIZ, and so on. You mentioned 5 Whys. A root cause analysis is another one that a lot of people are familiar with.

Those are our good tools, and they’re definitely better than nothing. But what I notice when I work with the companies applying those was those tools tend to make you dig deeper into the first understanding of the problem we have. If it’s the elevator example, people start asking, well, is that the cable strength, or is the capacity of the elevator? That they kind of get caught by the details.

That, in a way, is a bad way to work on problems because it really assumes that there’s like a, you can almost hear it, a root cause. That you have to dig down and find the one true problem, and everything else was just symptoms. That’s a bad way to think about problems because problems tend to be multicausal.

There tend to be lots of causes or levers you can potentially press to address a problem. And if you think there’s only one, if that’s the right problem, that’s actually a dangerous way. And so I think that’s why, that this is a method I’ve worked with over the last five years, trying to basically refine how to make people better at this, and the key tends to be this thing about shifting out and saying, is there a totally different way of thinking about the problem versus getting too caught up in the mechanistic details of what happens.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: What about experimentation? Because that’s another method that’s become really popular with the rise of Lean Startup and lots of other innovation methodologies. Why wouldn’t it have worked to, say, experiment with many different types of fixing the dog adoption problem, and then just pick the one that works the best?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: You could say in the dog space, that’s what’s been going on. I mean, there is, in this industry and a lot of, it’s largely volunteer driven. People have experimented, and they found different ways of trying to cope. And that has definitely made the problem better. So, I wouldn’t say that experimentation is bad, quite the contrary. Rapid prototyping, quickly putting something out into the world and learning from it, that’s a fantastic way to learn more and to move forward.

My point is, though, that I feel we’ve come to rely too much on that. There’s like, if you look at the start up space, the wisdom is now just to put something quickly into the market, and then if it doesn’t work, pivot and just do more stuff. What reframing really is, I think of it as the cognitive counterpoint to prototyping. So, this is really a way of seeing very quickly, like not just working on the solution, but also working on our understanding of the problem and trying to see is there a different way to think about that.

If you only stick with experimentation, again, you tend to sometimes stay too much in the same space trying minute variations of something instead of taking a step back and saying, wait a minute. What is this telling us about what the real issue is?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, to go back to something that we touched on earlier, when we were talking about the completely hypothetical example of a spouse who does not clean the kitchen–

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Completely, completely hypothetical.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Yes. For the record, my husband is a great kitchen cleaner.

You started asking me some questions that I could see immediately were helping me rethink that problem. Is that kind of the key, just having a checklist of questions to ask yourself? How do you really start to put this into practice?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: I think there are two steps in that. The first one is just to make yourself better at the method. Yes, you should kind of work with a checklist. In the article, I kind of outlined seven practices that you can use to do this.

But importantly, I would say you have to consider that as, basically, a set of training wheels. I think there’s a big, big danger in getting caught in a checklist. This is something I work with.

My co-author Paddy Miller, it’s one of his insights. That if you start giving people a checklist for things like this, they start following it. And that’s actually a problem, because what you really want them to do is start challenging their thinking.

So the way to handle this is to get some practice using it. Do use the checklist initially, but then try to step away from it and try to see if you can organically make– it’s almost a habit of mind. When you run into a colleague in the hallway and she has a problem and you have five minutes, like, delving in and just starting asking some of those questions and using your intuition to say, wait, how is she talking about this problem? And is there a question or two I can ask her about the problem that can help her rethink it?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Well, that is also just a very different approach, because I think in that situation, most of us can’t go 30 seconds without jumping in and offering solutions.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Very true. The drive toward solutions is very strong. And to be clear, I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that if the solutions work. So, many problems are just solved by oh, you know, oh, here’s the way to do that. Great.

But this is really a powerful method for those problems where either it’s something we’ve been banging our heads against tons of times without making progress, or when you need to come up with a really creative solution. When you’re facing a competitor with a much bigger budget, and you know, if you solve the same problem later, you’re not going to win. So, that basic idea of taking that approach to problems can often help you move forward in a different way than just like, oh, I have a solution.

I would say there’s also, there’s some interesting psychological stuff going on, right? Where you may have tried this, but if somebody tries to serve up a solution to a problem I have, I’m often resistant towards them. Kind if like, no, no, no, no, no, no. That solution is not going to work in my world. Whereas if you get them to discuss and analyze what the problem really is, you might actually dig something up.

Let’s go back to the kitchen example. One powerful question is just to say, what’s your own part in creating this problem? It’s very often, like, people, they describe problems as if it’s something that’s inflicted upon them from the external world, and they are innocent bystanders in that.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Right, or crazy customers with unreasonable demands.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Exactly, right. I don’t think I’ve ever met an agency or consultancy that didn’t, like, gossip about their customers. Oh, my god, they’re horrible. That, you know, classic thing, why don’t they want to take more risk? Well, risk is bad.

It’s their business that’s on the line, not the consultancy’s, right? So, absolutely, that’s one of the things when you step into a different mindset and kind of, wait. Oh yeah, maybe I actually am part of creating this problem in a sense, as well. That tends to open some new doors for you to move forward, in a way, with stuff that you may have been struggling with for years.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, we’ve surfaced a couple of questions that are useful. I’m curious to know, what are some of the other questions that you find yourself asking in these situations, given that you have made this sort of mental habit that you do? What are the questions that people seem to find really useful?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: One easy one is just to ask if there are any positive exceptions to the problem. So, was there day where your kitchen was actually spotlessly clean? And then asking, what was different about that day? Like, what happened there that didn’t happen the other days? That can very often point people towards a factor that they hadn’t considered previously.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: We got take-out.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: S,o that is your solution. Take-out from [INAUDIBLE]. That might have other problems.

Another good question, and this is a little bit more high level. It’s actually more making an observation about labeling how that person thinks about the problem. And what I mean with that is, we have problem categories in our head. So, if I say, let’s say that you describe a problem to me and say, well, we have a really great product and are, it’s much better than our previous product, but people aren’t buying it. I think we need to put more marketing dollars into this.

Now you can go in and say, that’s interesting. This sounds like you’re thinking of this as a communications problem. Is there a different way of thinking about that? Because you can almost tell how, when the second you say communications, there are some ideas about how do you solve a communications problem. Typically with more communication.

And what you might do is go in and suggest, well, have you considered that it might be, say, an incentive problem? Are there incentives on behalf of the purchasing manager at your clients that are obstructing you? Might there be incentive issues with your own sales force that makes them want to sell the old product instead of the new one?

So literally, just identifying what type of problem does this person think about, and is there different potential way of thinking about it? Might it be an emotional problem, a timing problem, an expectations management problem? Thinking about what label of what type of problem that person is kind of thinking as it of.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: That’s really interesting, too, because I think so many of us get requests for advice that we’re really not qualified to give. So, maybe the next time that happens, instead of muddying my way through, I will just ask some of those questions that we talked about instead.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: That sounds like a good idea.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, Thomas, this has really helped me reframe the way I think about a couple of problems in my own life, and I’m just wondering. I know you do this professionally, but is there a problem in your life that thinking this way has helped you solve?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: I’ve, of course, I’ve been swallowing my own medicine on this, too, and I think I have, well, maybe two different examples, and in one case somebody else did the reframing for me. But in one case, when I was younger, I often kind of struggled a little bit. I mean, this is my teenage years, kind of hanging out with my parents. I thought they were pretty annoying people. That’s not really fair, because they’re quite wonderful, but that’s what life is when you’re a teenager.

And one of the things that struck me, suddenly, and this was kind of the positive exception was, there was actually an evening where we really had a good time, and there wasn’t a conflict. And the core thing was, I wasn’t just seeing them in their old house where I grew up. It was, actually, we were at a restaurant. And it suddenly struck me that so much of the sometimes, kind of, a little bit, you love them but they’re annoying kind of dynamic, is tied to the place, is tied to the setting you are in.

And of course, if– you know, I live abroad now, if I visit my parents and I stay in my old bedroom, you know, my mother comes in and wants to wake me up in the morning. Stuff like that, right? And it just struck me so, so clearly that it’s– when I change this setting, if I go out and have dinner with them at a different place, that the dynamic, just that dynamic disappears.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Well, Thomas, this has been really, really helpful. Thank you for talking with me today.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Thank you, Sarah.  

HANNAH BATES: That was Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg in conversation with Sarah Green Carmichael on the HBR IdeaCast. He’s an expert in problem solving and innovation, and he’s the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve .

We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about leadership from the Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review.

We’re a production of Harvard Business Review. If you want more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos like this, find it all at HBR dot org.

This episode was produced by Anne Saini, and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. Music by Coma Media. Special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Adi Ignatius, Karen Player, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener.

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Creative Minds: Problem Solving by Brainstorming

Problem-solving involves brainstorming, where creative minds gather to generate innovative ideas. This collaborative and open-minded approach helps uncover new solutions to challenging obstacles. This article will explore the benefits of brainstorming and its role in effective problem-solving. Whether in a classroom, workplace, or personal setting, harnessing the power of brainstorming can lead to breakthroughs and creative solutions.

Understanding Problem Solving and Brainstorming

Defining problem solving in creative contexts.

Brainstorming and problem solving are essential for teamwork in business. They help with quicker decision-making and overcoming obstacles. Brainstorming allows for unique ideas, better problem-understanding, and increased motivation. Using digital tools can make brainstorming more efficient, especially for remote collaboration. This method is proven to help achieve business success through teamwork and innovative strategies.

The Concept and Process of Brainstorming

Brainstorming helps groups solve problems by encouraging diverse and unique ideas. It expands the pool of potential solutions and fosters collective intelligence. This leads to more comprehensive problem-solving outcomes and promotes team motivation.

Various methodologies for successful brainstorming include brainwriting, SWOT analysis, mind mapping , and nominal group technique. These methods offer a structured approach to idea generation, enabling teams to explore different angles and leverage collective expertise.

Technological aids like online collaboration tools, virtual whiteboards, and idea management software can enhance brainstorming. These platforms facilitate synchronous and asynchronous brainstorming, allowing team members to contribute ideas and develop solutions regardless of physical location. They streamline the process, enhance creativity, and ensure no idea is overlooked.

The Synergy of Brainstorming in Problem-Solving

The interconnection between brainstorming and problem solving.

Brainstorming is helpful for problem-solving because it encourages creative ideas and potential solutions. It allows team members to express their thoughts and contribute diverse perspectives freely. This creates an environment where unconventional and innovative strategies can emerge. Brainstorming leads to a broader range of potential solutions and fosters collaboration and creativity within the team.

Using collective intelligence leverages team members’ diverse strengths and skills, facilitating the identification of effective problem-solving strategies . Technological aids, such as digital whiteboards or collaborative brainstorming software, can enhance the effectiveness of brainstorming sessions by providing real-time documentation and organization of ideas. These tools enable teams to capture, share, and build upon ideas efficiently, ultimately contributing to more effective problem-solving processes.

How Brainstorming Enhances Problem-Solving in Groups

Brainstorming in a group setting is helpful for problem-solving. It helps team members to generate diverse ideas and solutions. This is because everyone has different perspectives and expertise.

Team accountability and motivation also play a significant role. When team members feel accountable and motivated, they are more likely to participate and share their ideas actively. This leads to a more robust problem-solving outcome in a group setting.

Collective Intelligence: Leveraging Team Strengths

Brainstorming helps groups solve problems and use team strengths. It encourages open communication, collaboration, and creativity. Team members freely share ideas and build off each other’s suggestions. This fosters collective intelligence and leads to better solutions.

For example, it results in a wider range of potential solutions for complex problems. Brainstorming techniques like mind mapping, round-robin brainstorming, and rapid ideation provide structured frameworks for idea generation and evaluation.

Technology can enhance brainstorming and team collaboration. Platforms for virtual collaboration and idea-sharing, like digital whiteboards, online brainstorming tools, and collaborative document editing software, enable real-time idea contribution, regardless of location. These tools facilitate the rapid exchange of ideas and create a collective intelligence repository that can be accessed and built upon over time. By using these technological aids, teams can maximize their problem-solving potential and leverage the diverse strengths of their members for optimal results.

Aiding Problem Comprehension Through Group Discussion

Group discussion helps in understanding and solving problems. It uses everyone’s different perspectives and experiences to look at problems in new ways and develop many different ideas. This makes problem-solving better by finding more creative solutions. When a team works together, they can use their combined knowledge and skills to understand the problem better and develop better solutions.

Expanding the Pool of Potential Solutions

Efficient problem-solving and brainstorming require team members to be held accountable. This promotes motivation and encourages active participation. Diverse input from team members brings forth a wider range of perspectives and ideas, improving decision-making probabilities. Technological aids, like collaborative platforms and virtual whiteboards, can enhance and streamline the brainstorming process.

They allow team members to contribute simultaneously and engage in virtual brainstorming sessions. This makes it easier for remote employees to share their ideas and contribute to problem-solving.

The Role of Team Accountability in Motivation

Team accountability is important for individual motivation. When team members hold themselves and each other accountable, it creates a sense of responsibility and commitment to the team’s success. This boosts motivation as each member is driven to contribute their best effort to achieve the team’s goals.

Additionally, team accountability fosters an environment of trust and respect, further enhancing motivation among the team members.

Integrating team accountability into problem-solving and brainstorming has benefits for motivation. It ensures that each team member is actively involved in finding solutions, fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment. This leads to increased motivation to drive the problem-solving process forward. Furthermore, team accountability encourages open communication and collaboration, creating a supportive and motivating environment for brainstorming and problem-solving.

Team accountability contributes to the effectiveness of brainstorming by ensuring that each team member is equally responsible for generating and evaluating ideas. This shared responsibility leads to a more inclusive brainstorming process, where every member’s contributions are valued, and diverse perspectives are considered.

As a result, team accountability leads to more comprehensive and innovative solutions, motivating team members to engage in the problem-solving process actively.

Improving Decision-Making Probabilities with Diverse Input

Diverse input and perspectives can improve decision-making. They bring a wider range of ideas and solutions, leading to a better understanding of the problem.

This collective intelligence draws on each team member’s unique experiences and expertise. It allows the team to leverage their strengths and maximize their potential. For example, team members challenge prevailing assumptions and viewpoints through contrarian thinking. This leads to a more robust evaluation of potential solutions.

Rapid idea generation allows for a quick and varied exploration of options, promoting an inclusive approach to decision-making. By integrating these brainstorming methodologies, teams can tap into a more diverse pool of solutions. This enhances their decision-making capabilities and increases the likelihood of finding the best possible path forward.

Brainstorming Methodologies for Success

Sequential brainstorming: team relay technique.

The Sequential Brainstorming: Team Relay Technique helps groups solve problems by promoting efficient idea generation and collaboration. Team members build upon each other’s ideas in a relay format, encouraging creativity and diverse perspectives. This leads to comprehensive problem-solving solutions. This technique in brainstorming sessions increases the solution pool, motivation, and decision-making.

It ensures active participation from all team members, resulting in a wider range of potential solutions. It also enhances collective intelligence and decision-making probabilities by leveraging team members’ combined expertise and insights. Facilitating a structured process for idea sharing and refinement increases the likelihood of identifying effective and innovative solutions to complex problems.

Contrarian Thinking: The Method of Reverse Brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming is a way to solve problems. Instead of coming up with solutions, you think about potential problems or obstacles. It’s different from regular brainstorming because it focuses on generating problems rather than solutions. This helps teams uncover hidden issues. Contrarian thinking can also be used with reverse brainstorming. It encourages team members to challenge the status quo and think creatively. This can lead to finding unexpected solutions.

Teams can use reverse brainstorming before traditional brainstorming to identify obstacles first. This helps them understand the problem better and find better solutions.

Harnessing Collective Wisdom: The Focus Group Approach

The focus group approach combines diverse perspectives and experiences to generate innovative solutions. It allows for open discussion and idea sharing, leveraging collective intelligence for a broader range of potential solutions.

The approach enables individuals to build on each other’s ideas and leads to more comprehensive and effective problem-solving outcomes. It facilitates the exchange of ideas and insights, encouraging consideration of a wide range of perspectives for a more robust set of potential solutions.

Digital tools can enhance the effectiveness of brainstorming sessions by providing platforms for virtual collaboration and idea sharing. They enable participants from different locations to engage in problem-solving discussions and streamline the organization of ideas for more efficient sessions.

Rapid Idea Generation: The Crazy 8 Strategy

Rapid idea generation is essential for problem-solving. One strategy is the Crazy 8, where a group develops eight ideas in eight minutes. This fosters creativity and gives everyone a chance to contribute.

Technology like digital whiteboards and online tools can help by allowing remote collaboration and real-time documentation of ideas. They also help teams organize, prioritize, and build upon each other’s ideas for better problem-solving.

Inclusive Idea Development: The 1-2-4-All Workshop

The 1-2-4-All Workshop is a helpful tool for inclusive idea development. It allows participants to brainstorm individually, in pairs, and in larger groups. This method ensures a wide range of perspectives and prevents one person from dominating the conversation.

The workshop fosters diverse ideas and input from all team members. It promotes collective intelligence by building off each other’s ideas, resulting in more innovative solutions.

Technological Aids in Brainstorming

Utilizing digital tools for efficient brainstorm sessions.

Using digital tools for brainstorming has many benefits. These include remote collaboration, real-time idea tracking, and easy document sharing among team members. Digital tools also help with group problem-solving by allowing simultaneous contributions and visual idea generation on virtual whiteboards. They also enable instant feedback and discussion through chat features.

In addition, digital tools aid in rapid idea generation and inclusive idea development with mind mapping software, idea management platforms, and interactive polling tools. These tools ensure that all team members can contribute and build on each other’s ideas. This maximizes the potential for innovative solutions in problem-solving sessions.

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Computer Science > Computation and Language

Title: chatglm-math: improving math problem-solving in large language models with a self-critique pipeline.

Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) have shown excellent mastering of human language, but still struggle in real-world applications that require mathematical problem-solving. While many strategies and datasets to enhance LLMs' mathematics are developed, it remains a challenge to simultaneously maintain and improve both language and mathematical capabilities in deployed LLM this http URL this work, we tailor the Self-Critique pipeline, which addresses the challenge in the feedback learning stage of LLM alignment. We first train a general Math-Critique model from the LLM itself to provide feedback signals. Then, we sequentially employ rejective fine-tuning and direct preference optimization over the LLM's own generations for data collection. Based on ChatGLM3-32B, we conduct a series of experiments on both academic and our newly created challenging dataset, MathUserEval. Results show that our pipeline significantly enhances the LLM's mathematical problem-solving while still improving its language ability, outperforming LLMs that could be two times larger. Related techniques have been deployed to ChatGLM\footnote{\url{ this https URL }}, an online serving LLM. Related evaluation dataset and scripts are released at \url{ this https URL }.

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