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1.4 Troubleshooting Methodology 15
Figure 1.6 Scrap tally sheet
1.4.7.4 Brainstorming
Brainstorming can be conducted in a variety of fashions but is basically intended
to gather some people together to capture as many potential causes as possible.
The normal intent of brainstorming is that people can feed off of the ideas of others
to build on concepts. Brainstorming can be an effective way of establishing poten-
tial root causes.
Some of the common brainstorming techniques include:
Wide open. In wide-open brainstorming everyone can call out ideas as they come
to them. The advantage of this method is that people may build on another’s
ideas. The disadvantages of this method are that quiet people might not speak
up, and the free-flowing dialogue may disrupt creative thinking (or help it de-
pending on the person).
Round robin. In the round-robin approach a facilitator asks people around the
room for an idea and then documents the idea. Advantages of this method are
that quiet people get a chance to contribute and it is more focused than the
wide-open method. A disadvantage is that there may be not as much of a group
dynamic.
Silent start. In this method everyone starts out the session by writing down a list
of ideas. After a set period of time the facilitator asks for ideas and then docu-
ments them. Advantages of this method are that it limits group-think concerns
and may allow more focused thinking. Disadvantages can include less initial
discussion and leapfrogging from others’ ideas.
