Brainstorming

What is Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a group idea generation technique where team members freely propose solutions without criticism or evaluation. The goal is quantity over quality: the more ideas generated, the higher the chance of finding an innovative solution. In PIPS, brainstorming follows the "Expand Then Contract" principle — Step 3 (Generate) is pure expansion, and Step 4 (Select) handles contraction.

When to Use It

• •In Step 3 (Generate) after root causes have been identified in Step 2
• •When the team needs fresh, creative solutions beyond the obvious fixes
• •When team energy is high and people are comfortable speaking up
• •When combined with brainwriting for teams with mixed participation styles

How to Use It: Step by Step

1. 1

   Set the ground rules

   No criticism. No evaluation. Build on others' ideas ("Yes, and..."). Quantity matters. Wild ideas are welcome. All ideas are recorded.

2. 2

   State the problem to solve

   Read the problem statement from Step 1 and the key root causes from Step 2. Ensure everyone understands what they are solving for.

3. 3

   Generate ideas (timed)

   Set a timer for 15-20 minutes. Go around the room in rounds, with each person contributing one idea per round. Record every idea on a whiteboard or sticky notes.

4. 4

   Group and clarify

   After the timer ends, read through all ideas. Group similar ones into themes. Clarify any that are ambiguous. Do not evaluate yet — that happens in Step 4.

Pro Tips

• ✓Set a numerical target — "Let us get to 30 ideas" pushes teams past the obvious
• ✓Record every idea exactly as stated — do not rephrase or filter
• ✓If the group goes quiet, ask: "What would we do if we had unlimited budget?" or "How would a competitor solve this?"
• ✓Combine brainstorming with brainwriting: start with silent writing, then open up to verbal sharing

Facilitation Guide

Hold a 60-minute idea generation session. Set ground rules: no criticism, quantity matters, build on ideas (5 min). Run silent brainwriting round — each person writes 3 ideas and passes to the next person, repeat 5 times (30 min). Read all ideas aloud and cluster into themes on a wall (15 min). Do a quick round-robin where each person adds one more idea inspired by the clusters (10 min). Count total ideas and celebrate the quantity.

Other Tools in Step 3