Brainstorming is one way of inventing. We recommend that all projects schedule at least one brainstorm session close to the beginning of the project before ideas become fixed. Brainstorming is useful for generating lots of contributions regarding what the scope of the problem should be. It does not mean promoting unconstrained scope creep. Instead, you collect ideas that could lead to a better product without incurring additional expense.  Brainstorming takes advantage of the group effect. That is, you gather a group of bright, willing people, and ask them to generate as many ideas as possible for the new product (Figure 5.8). Tell them that all ideas are acceptable no matter how crazy they may seem, and that they must not slow the process down by criticizing or debating ideas. The aim is to be as imaginative as possible, and to generate as many ideas as possible, often by using the ideas of others to trigger a different idea of their own. Figure 5.8.
A brainstorming session is a gathering of interested people whose task is to generate new ideas for the product. 
Here are some simple rules for brainstorming: Participants in the brainstorming session should come from a wide range of disciplines, with as broad a range of experience as possible. This mixture of backgrounds brings many more creative ideas to the fore. For the moment, suspend judgment, evaluation, criticism, and, most importantly, debate. Simply record requirements as they are generated. The practice of not stopping the flow is the fastest way to develop a creative and energized atmosphere for the brainstorming group. Produce lots of ideas. Come up with as many ideas as possible. Quantity will, in time, produce quality. Try to come up with as many ideas as you can that are unconventional, unique, crazy, and wild. The wilder the idea, the more creative it probably is, and often the more likely it is to turn into a really useful requirement. Piggyback a new idea onto an old one. That is, build one idea on top of another. Write every idea down, without censoring. "Ideas disappear faster than water evaporates unless written down." Source: Alex Osborne, the founder of brainstorming |
If you get stuck, seed the session with a word pulled randomly from a dictionary, and ask participants to make word associations that have some bearing on the product. That is, generate ideas using the word as a springboard. Make the session fun. You cannot mandate creativity; you have to let it come naturally. You won't see many ground-breaking ideas if the boss is on the session and says something like, "I only want to hear ideas that are marketable."
After the brainstorming session, the lead requirements analysts and the client evaluate the ideas. Some of them will be worthless, but they will have served their brainstorming purpose by inspiring other, more useful ideas. Some ideas may need to be merged with othersperhaps two half-formed ideas, when put together, will make some wonderful new idea. Keep the best of the ideas and, providing there is a reasonable chance of implementing them within the project constraints, turn them into requirements. Some of the ideas might warrant further investigation. Now you can bring into play the other trawling techniques described in this chapter. |
