Brainstorming template

What makes a good brainstorm?

Brainstorming, made popular by Alex Osborn in the 1950s, separates having ideas from judging them. A good session starts with a clear question, collects as many ideas as possible without criticism, and only then groups them and chooses. Writing ideas down in silence before discussing them produces more and better ideas than talking from the first minute.

How to run a brainstorm with this template

1. Write the question. Phrase it as "How might we ...?", for example "How might we halve onboarding time?".
2. Go wide. Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes. Everyone writes ideas on their own notes, one per note, without discussion.
3. Share. Each person reads their notes aloud. Others add any new ideas this sparks.
4. Group. Drag similar ideas together and give each group a name.
5. Choose. Give everyone three votes. Talk through the top ideas and decide what to try first.

Example

The example board asks how to halve onboarding time. The ideas include an interactive product tour, a starter project with sample tasks, a one step CSV import, inviting teammates from the first screen, a two minute welcome video and a checklist of first steps.

Tips

• Quantity first. The best idea is rarely among the first five.
• Ban "yes, but" while ideas are flowing. Write a new idea instead.
• End with owners. An idea without a next step is forgotten by Friday.

Use this template in Starlex

Open a project, go to Notes, then Whiteboards, choose New whiteboard and pick Brainstorm. To add it to a board you already have, use the board's ⋯ menu.

• Everyone in the project can work on the board at once, with live cursors and cursor chat.
• Run a timer for silent writing, and use dot voting to choose.
• Turn any sticky note into an issue, or bring real issues onto the board as live cards.
• Export the board as a PNG or SVG image, or embed it in an issue description.