Creativity Techniques (Pt II)

Question 1

Describe benchmarking

Answer 1

Compare your processes or activities to the very best
similar practices you can find.

1. Determine what to benchmark and develop a target at which to aim at (Business Mission Statement).
2. Analyze benchmarking information and identify critical success factors (CSFs).
3. Compare your performance and identify the level of performance that you want to match or exceed.
4. Take your action to establish superior performance.

Question 2

Describe an affinity diagram

Answer 2

A tool to organize brainstorming ideas and large amounts of data in a group.

Allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming to be sorted into groups, based on their natural relationships, for review and analysis. It is also frequently used in contextual inquiry as a way to organize notes and insights from field interviews. It can also be used for organizing other free form comments, such as open-ended survey responses, support call logs, or other qualitative data.

Step 1: Record each idea with a marking pen on a separate sticky note or card

Step 2: Look for ideas that seem to be related in some way and place them side by side

Step 3: Begin a discussion with your team

Step 4: Combine groups into “supergroups,” if appropriate

After completion, may be used to create a cause and effect diagram.

Devised by Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s, thus often called the KJ Method.

One of the seven new management and planning tools.

https://asq.org/quality-resources/affinity

Question 3

Define consensus reaching

Answer 3

A methodical way to find a collective conclusion.

1. Discussion introducing the issue
   - Gather and share all information.
   - Define key questions.
   - Individual list of own ideas from each team member.
2. Make proposals and discuss
   - Incorporate all viewpoints.
   - Display all suggestions.
3. Test of consensus
   Ask: “Do all agree?”
   - Who agrees/does not agree with the proposal?
   - Major Objections?
   OPTION 1: Disagreement
   - Return to discussion (1) & modify or create a new proposal
   OPTION 2: Agreement
   - Ask “Are there concerns (not objections)?”
   - If YES: Stand aside
   - If NO: Consensus achieved, implement the decision

Question 4

Describe breaking set (adding new ideas)

Answer 4

A technique used to generate additional ideas related to those already defined.

3 columns:
1st - The change/verb
2nd - Questions following from 1st
3rd - Empty for writing

1. Adapt
   - How can this idea used as is?
   - What are other uses or other ideas like this?
2. Modify
   - Change of meaning, material, smell, color, form, shape, etc.?
3. Magnify
   - Add any ingredient?
   - Duplicate, multiply or exaggerate?
4. Minimize
   - Split up?
   - Take something out?
5. Substitute
   - Who else, where else or what else?
   - Other material, process, place or approach?
6. Rearrange
   - Interchange parts?
   - Other layouts, sequence or patterns?
7. Reverse
   - Transpose positive and negative?
   - Turn opposite or backward?
8. Combine
   - Combine parts and ideas?
   - How about blend?

Question 5

Describe paired comparison

Answer 5

A method to prioritize a number of alternatives and to achieve group consensus at the end of a brainstorming meeting.

Table
First column: All options, one per row (ex A - E)
Next columns: Votes for this option vs another. Ex, A vs B, A vs C… D vs E
Last column: Total of all votes for each respective option

Question 6

Describe nominal group technique/forced ranking

Answer 6

A decision making method for use among groups of many sizes who want to make their decision quickly.

Table
First column: Each row is a different solution/option
Middle columns: Each column is a different team member’s ranked votes of all options (1st gets most points, 2nd gets less,… last gets least points)
Last columns: Total votes and final rank

Question 7

Quote

Answer 7

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort. - John Ruskin

Question 8

List the creativity techniques

Answer 8

1. Benchmarking
2. Affinity diagram
3. Consensus reaching
4. Breaking set
5. Paired comparisons
6. Nominal group technique/forced ranking