Brainwriting Technique(Shared Enhancement Variation)

The distinction in brainwriting is the generation of ideas individually and recording them on a piece of paper. The advantage over brainstorming is reduction in the effect of dominating individuals; brainwriting ensures that all participants have equal opportunity to share their ideas. The other advantage comes from the rotation of ideas among participants with each person expanding and improving the idea. By the time the process is completed, everyone has ownership in the idea. The result is a more mature idea, ready to be implemented, compared to the results of brainstorming where the ideas are mostly immature. The shared enhancement variation uses the following additional steps: 1. The problem or opportunity is recorded at the top of a sheet of paper. 2. Participants record a possible solution on the sheet of paper. 3. The sheets of paper are collected and distributed randomly among participants. (Each time the sheets are redistributed, care is taken to ensure that recipients never receive the same sheet twice.) 4. The recipient of a sheet is asked to record three useful things about the idea. 5. The sheets are collected and redistributed and Step 4 is repeated. 6. The sheets are collected and redistributed and Step 4 is repeated. 7. The Sheets are collected and redistributed. Recipients are asked to respond to all the question, “what is missing from the idea: what would make it more useful”? 8. The sheets are collected and redistributed and Step 7 is repeated. 9. The Sheets are collected and redistributed for the final time. Recipients are asked, “Assume that cost is not a constraint, what has to happen to make this idea work? 10. The Sheets are collected and typed. The approach normally produces sufficient information for each idea to be forwarded to management for evaluation