Sprint

Brainstorm and develop potential solutions on Tuesday

Instructions

Compile a list of inspiring ideas. Request each team member to generate a list of products or services that can serve as sources of inspiration. Encourage them to think beyond your industry and consider both external and internal ideas. It is important that the items on the list have positive aspects to learn from. Allocate a few minutes for everyone to narrow down their list to their top one or two choices. Write down the collective list on a whiteboard in preparation for the upcoming demos.
Conduct three-minute demos. Have each team member who suggested a product or service give a brief three-minute tour, showcasing what makes their chosen item interesting or innovative. To keep the presentations on track, set a timer to ensure each tour adheres to the time limit.
Document significant ideas along the way. Given the fast-paced nature of the Lightning Demos, it's crucial to record the valuable ideas that arise. Begin by asking the presenter of each demo to identify the key concept that could be useful. Create quick sketches of these inspiring components, accompanied by simple headlines and the source of the idea. By the end of the Lightning Demos, you should have a whiteboard filled with around ten to twenty noteworthy ideas. This set of ideas will serve as a foundation for the subsequent sketching process.
Divide the problem. Examine your overall plan and engage in a brief team discussion. If your target is tightly focused, it may be feasible for the entire team to concentrate on the same aspect of the problem. However, if there are multiple key elements to address, it is advisable to divide the problem.
If the team decides to divide the problem, allocate responsibilities. Ask each team member to indicate their preferred area of interest. Mark each person's name next to the corresponding section on the map that they want to tackle in their sketches. If there is an imbalance in the distribution, encourage volunteers to switch areas to achieve a more even distribution.
Engage in solo collaboration. On Tuesday afternoon, the focus will be on generating solutions. At this stage, each team member should work independently to allow for deep thought and to avoid groupthink. This approach, known as "work alone together," enables individuals to generate diverse and competing ideas without being influenced by the collective brainstorming process.
Execute the four-step sketch.
- Take notes.: Each team member should take approximately twenty minutes to review the whiteboards containing your goals, maps, notes, and Lightning demos. Make detailed notes during this time. Once the note-taking period ends, close laptops and phones, and spend three additional minutes reviewing and highlighting the most notable points.
- Generate ideas.: Each team member should jot down rough ideas on a sheet of paper, utilizing doodles, sample headlines, diagrams, or stick figures to visualize their thoughts. Allow twenty minutes for idea generation, followed by three minutes to review and identify the most promising concepts.
- Do the Crazy 8s: This exercise involves rapidly sketching eight variations of the strongest ideas within eight minutes. Use a letter-size paper folded into eight panels. Set a timer for sixty seconds per panel and sketch quickly, aiming to improve upon initial reasonable solutions or explore alternatives. Remember, the Crazy 8s sketches will not be shared with the team.
- Create a solution sketch.: Instruct each team member to create a detailed sketch of their best idea, representing their opinionated hypothesis for solving the challenge. These sketches will be reviewed and evaluated by the rest of the team. Remind everyone to make the sketches self-explanatory, visually appealing, and easy to understand.
Put the solution sketches in a pile. Once all team members have completed their solution sketches, collect them and create a pile without looking at them. Save the reveal for Wednesday, as it allows for a fresh and unbiased evaluation of the sketches by the entire team.