Expand Then Contract
Principle
Definition
The PIPS principle of first generating many options (diverge) then selecting the best (converge).
Expand Then Contract is the second core PIPS principle. It requires that idea generation (Step 3) be separated from evaluation (Step 4). First, the team diverges — producing as many ideas as possible without judgment. Then, the team converges — applying objective criteria to select the best option. This prevents the common trap of evaluating ideas before enough options have been considered.
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