To follow is an example of how to use brainstorming to generate solutions to a business issue.
This process includes the following steps:
- Identifying the Business Issue
- Defining the Brainstorming Topic
- Documenting the Results
- Sorting/Ranking the Results
Business Issue: A team is concerned with reducing the number of errors in its order entry process
Defining the Brainstorming Topic
First, they worked on writing the best question for the brainstorming exercise. Initially, they suggested brainstorming the topic: “How could we improve our order entry system?”
This was deemed too broad a topic. The topic they ultimately selected was: “What could we do to reduce the number of errors in orders as they are entered into our system?”
The group chose this narrower brainstorming question to focus more sharply on the errors at this relatively early stage of its investigation.
Below is a refined list of ideas generated from the initial brainstorming session after the group clarified each idea to make sure everyone understood what was meant and then combined related ideas.
- Train people better
- Make the forms easier to read
- Get people to print the order
- Use bigger order forms
- Use electronic readers to make the entry
- Employ more order entry operators
- Offer recognition for error free performance
- Make it easier to enter the data
- Use bar coding stickers in the catalogue to avoid keying
- Don't take so many orders
- Get customers to dial into a 1-800-# to make the order
- Have someone check the entries
- Stop Accepting orders
- Make people accept what you send them
- Train salesmen to enter orders directly
- Simplify our process
- Fire people who get the worst error record for three months running
- Develop an award for the person who has the least errors
- Increase our prices so people stop ordering
- Reduce the range of products we sell so there is less chance of error
- Only accept phone orders and read back the order
- Send out confirmation of the order to let the customer know what they ordered and get them to check it
- Ensure the input operators understand the cost of a mistake
- Improve keying standards for new hires
- Electronically match the order with our inventory and give the operator a description of the product.
The group then decided to proceed with an attempt to categorize their ideas and began a sorting process. Base on their assessment, they determined the following:
1) We can eliminate several ideas immediately: 6,10,12,13,14,17,19,20 would not make good business sense
2) Some are possible but not probably because they imply changing customer behavior: 3,11,21, 22
3) The rest are worthy of a second look. These can be categorized as easy or hard to implement
- Easy: 2, 3, 7, 18, 23, and 24
- Hard: 1, 9, 8, 16, 15, and 25
At this point the group felt it had categorized the ideas, separated the “jewels” from the “junk” and could move ahead with its investigation.
This is a fairly simple and intuitive example of generating, sorting, categorizing, and ranking results of a brainstorming session. Some circumstances call for more sophisticated tools. Here are two tools that we recommend:
Nominal Group Technique: Provides a more structured form of brainstorming which results in a prioritized list of ideas. It is particularly useful when brainstorming with a large group and when it is important to synthesize results into several prioritized items.
Prioritization Matrix: Provides a structured method of establishing the relative priority and sequencing of alternatives regarding an issue, objective or goal.
If you have questions about using the Nominal Group Technique or other Brainstorming methods, please contact Beth Chartier at 781-343-4008 or at email@example.com. She will set up time for you talk to one our consultants, free of charge, who will help you with your specific questions and concerns.