CLARIFY

Step 1. Explore the Vision

Purpose: Identify the goal, wish, or challenge

Diverge

Generate goal and/or wish statements. Use stems like; IW (I wish...) or IWBGI (It would be great if...)

Divergent questions:

• What are goals you’d like to accomplish?
• What challenges are you facing?
• What would you like to do differently?
• Inagine yourself one year from today... What goals, dreams or visions would you like to accomplish or begin in the next year?
• What would that be like?

Tools: Brainstorming, brainwriting, mindmapping

Converge

Choosing from your divergent thinking using the 3i’s - Is it important?, Do you have Influence? Do you need new Ideas?

Tools: Dot voting, highlighting, 3 “i”s

Outcome: Statement of Key Goal, wish or challenge to address

Step 2. Gather Data

Purpose: Indentify data to enable a clear understanding or the challenge.

Diverge

• Generate as much data/facts/feelings as possible.

Divergent questions:

• What is the history of the situtation?
• How does this make you feel?
• Who else is involved?
• Why is this a challenge?
• What is your influence?
• What have you already tried?
• What is stopping you?
• What does your gut tell you?
• What is your ideal outcome?
• What are the success criteria?

Tools: Brainstorming, 5 whys, 5 hows

Converge

Review and select the most important data

Tools: Dot voting, highlighting

Outcome

Significant data, information, and success criteria to enable a clear understanding of the challenge.

Step 3. Formulate Challenges

Purpose: Identify the real challenges that invite solutions

Diverge

• Generate challenge statements phrased as questions. Look at your challenge from as many directions as you can imagine.
• Use stems: How to..., How might we..., In what ways might we...

Divergent questions:

• Rephrase challenge statement from Explore the Vision and HMW questions.
• Rephase key data as questions.
• Rephrase barriers to success as questions.
• Rephrase questions from other perspectives.

Tools: Brainstorming, Why whats stopping you...

Converge

Select the challenge statement that addresses what really needs to be addressed or solved.

Tools: Dot voting

Outcome

A refined challenge question that invites solution and stimulates new thinking.

IDEATE

Step 4. Explore Ideas

Purpose: Generate ideas that answer the challenge question.

Diverge

• Stretch for as many ideas as possible, then generate more.
• Write ideas in headling form.

Divergent questions:

• What ideas come to mind?
• What are all the ideas you can imagine for solving this?
• What ideas would key stakeholders have?

Tools: Brainstorming, Forced Connection, SCAMPER

Converge

Select ideas that are workable, innovative, and may solve the challenge.

Tools: Dot voting

Outcome

List of ideas or alternative actions that may solve the challenge.

“What I see myself doing is...”

DEVELOP

Step 5. Formulate Solutions

Purpose: Move from ideas to solutions. Evaluate, strengthen, and select solutions.

Diverge

Generate a list of options to strengthen the idea(s), Pluses, Potentials, Concerns and ways to Overcome key concerns (PPCO).

Divergent questions:

• What are the Pluses?
• Whare the Potentials, spin-offs, future gains? It might...
• Wat are the Concerns, limitations? (phrase as How to... or In what ways might....)

Tools: Brainstorming, PPCO

Converge

Select the most important options to incorporate and create a more robust solution that starts with, “Now what I see myself doing is...”

Tools: Dot voting, Evaluation Matrix

Outcome

Solutions to be implemented. Restate (”NOW what we see ourselves doing is...”)

IMPLEMENT

Step 6. Formulate a Plan

Purpose: Explore acceptance and identify resources and action steps.

Diverge

Explore assisters and resisters (people, timing, location, resources)

Generate all the action steps to make your solution a reality

Divergent questions:

• Who might assist or resist?
• What resources are available?
• How can you gain acceptance?
• How can you gain enthusiasm?
• What steps might you take?
• Where might you start?
• What are short, mid, long-term actions?
• What cna you do in the next 24 hours?

Tools: Brainstorming

Converge

Select the necessary steps and create a plan for actionm detailing: What is going to be done? Who will do it? By when will it be done? Who will check?

Tools: Dot voting, Action Plan, 6 page memo, Working Backwards

Outcome

Listing of resources and action steps needed to sell or implement selected soltuion.

Source / Learn More:

The creative problem solving framework is from the CREATIVE EDUCATION FOUNDATION - more information is available from their site:

Creative Education Foundation | Creative Education Foundation on my Computer

CPSI