Brainstorming


Brainstorming is a valuable technique for generating ideas about potential causes of or solutions to a problem. It fosters creative thinking, incites enthusiasm, and allows transparency among team members through the open sharing of ideas. Brain- storming can be structured, unstructured, or even silent. The most commonly used of these is structured brainstorming, in which a problem is proposed to a group and each participant takes a turn identifying one thing that could be contributing to the problem. This gives everyone on the team a chance to share their ideas. A team member can skip their turn, but the facilitator continues the process until no further ideas are generated. All ideas are posted for the group to see, and then each idea is considered.16,17 In unstructured brainstorming, group members call out ideas as they think of


them. This affords people the freedom to state what they would like to say without having to wait their turn. This approach to brainstorming allows people to share their frank opinions about what might be causing a problem, but it can also deter more introverted members of the team or those who prefer to take more time to consider their ideas before sharing them—especially in an animated group setting. If you use unstructured brainstorming, let the team know at the outset that you value everyone’s ideas, whether they are shared during the brainstorming session or shortly after it. In silent brainstorming, the facilitator asks each participant to take a few minutes


to write down as many issues they can and then pass their lists to the facilitator. This allows participants to anonymously voice their opinions without the risk of being criticized by others. It is important for the facilitator of a brainstorming session to promote open-


mindedness and make it clear to participants that there are no wrong answers. Regardless of which brainstorming technique you use, the more input you receive, the more valuable the brainstorming session is.


Tools for Process Assessment and Mapping Value Stream Map or Flow Chart


Value stream mapping (VSM) is a method for documenting and analyzing the state or flow of a process. A value stream map, also called a flow chart, is a visual tool that displays all critical steps in a specific process from beginning to end and quantifies the time, materials, and information used at each step.16 There are two kinds of VSMs: current state and future state. The current-state VSM


is used to determine what the process currently looks like, and the future-state VSM focuses on what the process will (ideally) look like after process improvements have been made. The current-state VSM must be created before the future-state VSM. The VSM process requires input from everyone involved. Stakeholders must


agree on an acceptable way of describing the current process taking place. Details are discussed and opportunities for improvement come into focus. These details are captured as opportunities to be evaluated when developing a future-state VSM. VSM allows the team to visualize the entire flow of the process and shows the linkage be- tween the information gathered and material flow.12


For example, a VSM can identify sources of waste in a process; this information will prove valuable when revising CHAPTER 13: Quality Management and Improvement 277


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