Introduction

• General
  • Introduction
  • Definition

Topics

• Resources
• General

• Techniques
  • The bigger view
  • Change your character
  • Challenge current thinking
  • Confine the problem
  • Change the scene
  • Combining known ideas
  • Reverse thinking
  • Circumvent the issue
  • Lateral thinking
  • Logical approach
  • Aim for less
  • Multiple tools

• General principles
• Personnel and the meeting
• Prepare properly
• The meeting process
• The brainstorm process
• Simple example
• Managing the meeting process
• Assessing ideas
• Implementing ideas

Challenge current thinking

Get out of the rut

Human beings have a nasty habit of getting into a rut.
This often means doing things in the same way which quickly leads to thinking in the same way.
It usually takes a conscious effort to change set practices.

If you travel the same route all the time it is easy to switch off and the brain goes into autopilot.
By making changes in the way you approach things you will stimulate the way you think.

Unfortunately, it can be easier to maintain routines and carry on with particular assumptions.
In short, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, is an adage that has held sway for many years.
This may very well be the correct approach if the output is exactly what you are looking for.

What tends to happen is that once an item does ‘break’ it raises an opportunity for change.
Rather than just patching up and carrying on you could redesign, add quality, improve efficiency etc.
However, if the item works but does not meet perceived requirements then there is no reason not to review it.
That is, why not challenge the status of the current system.
With a little thought tremendous improvements might be made.

If we challenged everything that we had to make a decision about we would never get anything done.
So, this technique can be used on specific issues where you judge that improvements are warranted.

Identify assumptions and constraints

Begin by trying to identify and list all of the assumptions and constraints.
Challenge these and thus open up the problem for discussion.

Assumptions and constraints are slightly different. (see Assumptions)

• Assumptions

These are what the Project Manager expects to have or are easily accessible for the project.
If they are not, then key project milestones may be missed, for example, late completion date etc.

• Constraints

These could have a negative effect on the project.
They are often not under the control of the Project Manager and tend to be imposed.
For example, the personnel department may have an embargo on recruitment.
Whilst the project plan will have been prepared with these in mind, these constraints may still prove to be the undoing of the project.
Budget limits are another.

Conducting this process requires a very strong mentality to not allow the ‘routine thinking’ process to creep back in during the exercise.