Industrial Glossary

Visit Brainstorming, or «Brainstorming», Brainstorming is a creative group-work technique designed to produce as many ideas as possible in a limited time on a given subject (problem, opportunity or cause and effect). It's an essential tool for stimulating lateral thinking and engaging collaboration teams.

In-depth definition : Developed by Alex Osborn in the 1940s, brainstorming is based on the principle of "brainstorming". separation of generation and evaluation phases ideas. The initial objective is to quantity, not quality. This technique is often used in the Planning (Plan) cycle PDCA or in the D4 (Determine Root Cause) a 8D analysis, when the team needs to explore all possible avenues for a new solution. Root Cause Analysis (RCA).

The Four Basic Rules of Brainstorming

To guarantee the success of a session, the facilitator must ensure compliance with these four simple rules, which are key principles of participative management:

1. Aim for Quantity: The more ideas you have, the greater your chances of finding the ideal solution. Quantity is the first goal.
2. No Criticizing or Judging: Judgment (positive or negative) is strictly forbidden during the generation phase. The wildest or simplest ideas must be accepted without criticism, to avoid self-censorship.
3. Encouraging Original and Eccentric Ideas: Unconventional ideas are encouraged, as they can often lead to unexpected solutions or breakthroughs.
4. Combining and Improving Ideas (Synergy Phenomenon) : Participants are invited to bounce ideas off others to improve, merge or transform them. The final idea is often the result of a combination of several proposals.

Brainstorming in the Context of Industrial Engineering

Brainstorming is essential to feed the’Continuous Improvement (KAIZEN) and risk management :

• Troubleshooting (RCA) : When data (via the Big Data or the KPI as the TRS) identify a problem (e.g. a recurring breakdown or quality defect), brainstorming is the ideal tool for generating all possible causes before validating them (often using the Pareto method to prioritize them).
• Design and FMECA : During the’Industrialisation, brainstorming is used by engineers to imagine all the potential failure modes of a new product or process (the initial stage of the’FMECA) or to design Poka-Yoke creative.
• Process Optimization : Visit Lean Management, the team can brainstorm to find ways of eliminating waste (Muda) identified in the field or to reorganize a work area according to the principles of the 5S method.

Brainwriting: An Alternative for Industry 4.0

In modern environments or for groups where personalities are too dominant, the brainwriting (where ideas are written anonymously or silently, then shared) is a frequently preferred alternative. This method ensures that all voices are heard, even the most discreet, and reduces the impact of hierarchical bias.

In conclusion, the Brainstorming is a simple yet powerful participative management technique that enables companies to mobilize the collective intelligence of their teams to innovate, solve complex problems and generate the ideas that will fuel the success of their business strategy.’Operational Excellence.