Until the perfect project is discovered we must all learn to work together. Working in teams can sometimes lead to missing great ideas due to lack of time or the over powering of strong members. Brainstorming is a good way to allow everyone to share their ideas. The best ways to gather everyone’s ideas is to hold several short meeting rather than one long meeting. I have found that it can be hard to keep track of things when a meeting is dragged out to long. Begin by brainstorming general list of possible ideas and then going back and adding details. By the end of each meeting have a list of your strongest ideas to present to the decision makers. Wait to make any final decisions until the actual decisions makers are present.
The items bellow will help your team develop a strong brainstorming list:
- consider exaggerated ideas
- get as many ideas as possible
- give everyone a chance to participate and add to each others ideas
- avoid criticizing and provide productive feedback
To help shorten meetings have a prepared list of potential topics ahead of time. You can even send out a list before a meeting so members show up with ideas.
Possible topics to brainstorm about:
- project risk
- new business
- solutions to problems
Remember there is no perfect project so it’s important to communicate an let everyone know the final expectations for any given project. Projects can quickly lose scope and become unprofitable without a determined team. Does anyone else have any good ideas to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to speak out and add to the brainstorming list? Please add to my list above.
I am a young professional interested in the field of Project Management. I plan to blog about my current experience as well as research new ideas about Project Management. I hope to build relationships with individuals already in the field.
Marisela Fernandez 
#1 by Martin Webster on April 14, 2011 - 3:30 PM
Brainstorming is a very useful tool. I think it’s a particularly effective approach for identifying risks and considering suitable countermeasures. I recently covered this topic in my post Contingency Chart.
#2 by Marisela Fernandez on April 17, 2011 - 9:33 AM
Thanks, for continuing to read my blog. I read and tweet some of yours.