Brainstorming

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From the course by University System of Georgia

Six Sigma Advanced Define and Measure Phases

83 ratings

University System of Georgia

Six Sigma Advanced Define and Measure Phases

83 ratings

Course 2 of 4 in the Specialization Six Sigma Green Belt

This course is for you if you are looking to dive deeper into Six Sigma or strengthen and expand your knowledge of the basic components of green belt level of Six Sigma and Lean. Six Sigma skills are widely sought by employers both nationally and internationally. These skills have been proven to help improve business processes and performance. This course will take you deeper into the principles and tools associated with the "Design" and "Measure" phases of the DMAIC structure of Six Sigma. It is highly recommended that you complete the "Yellow Belt Specialization" and the course "Six Sigma and the Organization (Advanced)" before beginning this course. In this course, your instructors will introduce you to, and have you apply, some of the tools and metrics that are critical components of Six Sigma. This course will provide you with the advanced knowledge of team dynamics and performance, process analysis, probability, statistics, statistical distributions, collecting and summarizing data, measurement systems analysis, process and performance capability, and exploratory data analysis associated with Six Sigma and Lean. Every module will include readings, videos, and quizzes to help make sure you understand the material and concepts that are studied. Registration includes online access to course content, projects, and resources but does not include the companion text The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook (2nd edition). The companion text is NOT required to complete the assignments. However, the text is a recognized handbook used by professionals in the field. Also, it is a highly-recommended text for those wishing to move forward in Six Sigma and eventually gain certification from professional agencies such as American Society for Quality (ASQ).

From the lesson

Yellow Belt Refresher - Team Basics

This module is a Yellow Belt Refresher Area, since some learners may have entered this course without having taken the previous yellow belt material. This refresher area does not serve as a "replacement" for taking the yellow belt specialization. It is only a "patch" for those who already have some knowledge of six sigma, but find the yellow belt specialization to be too introductory for their current situation. If you find yourself struggling with the green belt material in this course, it is highly recommended that you travel through the yellow belt specialization before attempting the green belt content. In this module you will learn about team development, different types of teams, tools for decision making, and tools for communication.

Explaining Yellow Belt Refresher Areas1:26

The Importance of Teams in Quality Improvement4:13

Types of Teams3:54

Stages of Team Development5:52

Brainstorming4:34

Team Decision Tools5:41

Agendas, Minutes, and Status Reports6:29

Meet the Instructors

Christina Scherrer, PhD
Professor of Industrial Engineering
Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering
Gregory Wiles, PhD
Interim Chair and Assistant Professor
Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering
Bill Bailey, PhD
Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering
Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering

Brainstorming is a commonly used and

effective method for generating a large number of ideas.

Brainstorming can lead to creative solutions, and

strengthen team identity through participation.

The purpose in a brainstorm session is to generate lots of ideas.

The goal at this stage is quantity, not quality.

We can sort out the quality of the ideas later.

We will look at some basic types of brainstorming, but there are many,

many more.

Some like cause and

effect diagrams are specialized structured brainstorming tools.

Use brainstorming whenever you need to generate ideas.

This could be a way to begin your problem statement.

To identify root causes, or corrective actions, or improvement ideas.

Remember, that brainstorming only generates ideas.

Later, we will learn a few tools for selecting ideas.

When you begin a brainstorming session,

it's important to clearly define the purpose of the brainstorm.

Define your topic and give participants a few minutes to think about it.

One of the most important and difficult rules to follow is no evaluation.

Not even positive evaluation like good idea.

We want to encourage lots of ideas, and

some of them might seem like wild ideas, even to those who proposed them.

This is okay, wild idea may not be so wild when we examine it.

Or it may trigger a useful idea from someone else.

Sharing in this manner, allows team members to build on each other's ideas.

Again, the objective is quantity.

We want lots and lots of ideas.

These are just a few of the common variations of brainstorming.

Free wheeling is probably the most common.

Everyone just shouts out their ideas.

This is good, because it creates a certain energy and excitement.

But sometimes, you may have team members who are uncomfortable and

hesitant, or others who tend to dominate.

If this is the case you might want to use one of the alternatives.

In the round robin, you can go around the room and take turns.

This can prevent one person from dominating.

In the slip method, participants write down their ideas, and

pass them to a scribe, this helps quieter members.

Some people prefer a quiet room for thinking.

But with either of these methods, you lose some of the energy, and

possibly opportunities to build on ideas that you might have in a free wheeling

brainstorm session.

These are some tips for successful brainstorming.

If possible, particularly in your first brainstorming session,

it's a good idea to use an experienced facilitator who

was not a participant in the brainstorm.

This facilitator can enforce the brainstorming rules and manage the team,

in a way that will prevent anyone from dominating,

while drawing out others who are more hesitant.

Use more than one scribe.

Typically, ideas will come more quickly than the scribe can record them.

Waiting for the scribe to catch up can drain some energy from the session.

Two Scribes can use two flip charts, and while one is writing,

the other can receive the next idea.

It's important to try to record ideas exactly as participants have stated them.

We do not want scribes to interpret,

because this might change the meaning of the idea.

When the brainstorm dies down, the scribes should go through the list of ideas to

confirm that they captured them accurately.

Then ideally in the same session, other tools can be used to reduce the list,

and ultimately select one, or a few ideas.

Most teams use brainstorming frequently.

It's useful in nearly every phase of an improvement project.

Brainstorms often begin spontaneously, and are informal.

But they're more effective, if they're intentional and structured.

It's very difficult to not evaluate ideas as they're proposed.

This takes discipline, which can be imposed by a facilitator.

Remember, there will be ample opportunity for evaluation in subsequent activities.

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