Project Genesis

Solve each of the following brain teasers by determining the phrase depicted.

SOME SOME	D R A F T
PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE	DDOWNUMPS
N O S E	S E C S E C T I O N I O N
ban ana	weather feeling

DAY-06 & 07

Brainstorming

Introduction

Every organization is faced with change. There is continual pressure, both external and internal, for an organization to improve its products, services, financial performance and customer satisfaction levels. Change is continuing at an ever increasing pace fuelled by technology, the information revolution and shrinking barriers within the global marketplace. Organizations need good ideas to implement if they are going to continue to succeed. Innovation and creativity in the workplace is required as never before. If organizations do not continuously develop and improve their products, services and processes they are likely to go out of business. People often need an approach or process to follow in order to help them be more creative. Such an approach is Brainstorming

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a group technique for generating new, useful ideas and promoting creative thinking. Brainstorming generates a large number of thoughts and ideas in a short period of time. Wild views and ideas are safe to offer, as neither criticism nor ridicule is permitted during a Brainstorming session. Initially no explanation, elaboration or justification is required in order to encourage contributions from all participants. The process is continued until the supply of thoughts and ideas has been exhausted. All contributions are recorded for subsequent analysis. Brainstorming is a simple yet effective, technique that can be used in a wide variety of situations. This enables a well-rounded, comprehensive picture to be developed of the subject matter being addressed.

Uses:

1) Define what project or problem to work on.

2) Diagnose problems

3) Resolve a problem by coming up with possible solutions and identify possible

resistance to proposed solutions. The team will have to answer several "what", "why", and "how" questions.
Purpose

1. To break us out of our habit-bound thinking

2. To produce a set of ideas from which we can choose.
Individual Brainstorming

Individual brainstorming allows your mind to be creative, tread on different paths and produce a wider range of ideas. This involves improvising on one’s own ideas and being free from any physical or mental boundaries.

Group Brainstorming

Group brainstorming can be very effective as it uses the experience and creativity of all members of the group. When individual members reach their limit on an idea, another member's creativity and experience can take the idea to the next stage. Therefore, group brainstorming tends to develop ideas in more depth than individual brainstorming

Process of brainstorming

Step 1: Identify need for Brainstorming

The first step in the Brainstorming process is to ensure that there is a specific need for Brainstorming. You need to have a specific topic to address and you must decide whether or not Brainstorming is the most valid approach to adopt. The outcome of such a Brainstorming activity must serve an obvious purpose and there should be perceived benefit from generating views/ideas/solutions on this topic. Typically, the leader of the group identifies the need.

Step 2: Form Brainstorming Group

The next step is to decide who should be part of the group that will carry out the

Brainstorming activity. The subject matter and the purpose will have a major influence on who should be involved. You then need to approach these people and gain their commitment to participate.
Step 3: Prepare for Brainstorming session

You now need to carry out the following activities

• Agree subject matter

• Agree approach, roles, and responsibilities

• Agree a time and venue for the Brainstorm and arrange appropriate supporting

resources

• Start thinking about the subject matter – research, observe, take notes, explore – thinking doesn’t just begin in the Brainstorming session.
Step 4: Generate Ideas

Discuss the subject matter to make sure that you are all clear on what its definition and scope.

Step 5: Develop, group and prioritize ideas

Once the initial idea generation activity has ceased, the Brainstorming group should then review, develop and group related ideas to aid analysis. This allows the Brainstorming team to identify potential missing areas/gaps and provides the opportunity for further ideas and avenues of thought to be generated and developed. Ideas should then be prioritized based on the potential benefits that would result. Where would you expend your limited resources to achieve the biggest return?

Step 6: Decide next steps

Once the idea grouping session has been completed, the Brainstorming group should discuss what the next steps are that need to be taken to move the prioritized ideas forward into the analysis and implementation stages. At this stage, who does what, and when, is agreed and actions assigned accordingly. Finish prioritized ideas are available for development and implementation

Rules of Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a free-flowing, creative activity; there are still rules that you have to follow if the Brainstorming session is to be a success. The rules of idea generation within a Brainstorming session are simple:

1. Do not analyze.

As mere mortals, it is difficult for us to be creative and generate ideas whilst at

the same time analyzing them as to whether or not they are pertinent and/or

feasible. So, in the Brainstorm process, the initial idea generation stage is kept

separate from the idea analysis stage. No explanations, justifications. You do not need to justify your ideas during the initial idea generation stage. Everyone has something to contribute. We all have different levels of knowledge and xperience within our heads and therefore a unique insight on the subject being addressed.
2. Do not criticize

All ideas are potentially good, but they should not be judged during the initial idea generation stage. So, the more people contribute, the more ideas will be generated. You are initially going for quantity rather than quality – even apparently silly ideas can spark off an avenue of thought that leads to an excellent one. Criticism and derision are non-constructive and will only have a negative

effect on group participation.
3. Combine and improve

Participants are encouraged to feed off of the contributions of other participants,

to build on other’s ideas and to explore the different avenues of thought that other people’s suggestions trigger in them.
4. Freewheel

Wherever your mind and your imagination takes you, follow it and explore. There is no such thing as a bad idea and you’ll never know what will come of a suggestion unless you share it with the other participants.

5. Record all ideas.

Every idea that is raised should be recorded. Remember the analysis, assessing and discarding of ideas comes after the initial idea generation phase. It is also a fact that the lifetime of an idea suggested is very short. We’ve all been at eetings where a lot of good things were said, but nothing was recorded, and at the end of the meeting we were left with only vague memories – the good ideas had all disappeared into the ether! Let’s learn from our mistakes. Shout out the

ideas, write them down!

Tips to trigger off brainstorming

There are quite a number of creative thinking techniques that can provide people with fresh stimuli and can spark off their thoughts in new and different directions, breaking down their current barriers to thinking and allowing them to explore with their imagination.

Such techniques include

• 
  Random words
  
• 
  Random pictures
  
• 
  Analogies
  
• 
  Transposition
  

DAY-06 & 07

Soap Box

[Do not let out the concept in the beginning]
Objective:

• 
  To introduce the group to the concept of brainstorming
  
• 
  To bring out the importance of idea generation in analytical thinking
  

Materials needed:

The case study: In a soap manufacturing company a soap in the soap box was missing which was complained by the customer.

Duration:

5 minutes for the briefing

15 minutes for the group discussion

20 minutes for presentation

5 minutes for debriefing
Process:

• 
  Divide the groups into teams.
  
• 
  Hand them over the case study sheet and ask them to generate ideas as a team to solve the problem.
  

• 
  Nominate one person from each team to note down the process adopted by the team to solve the problem.
  
• 
  Each team will present their solution and the process of arriving at the same.
  

Notes:

• 
  Insist on every team member’s participation.
  
• 
  The nominated person has the dual role of a participant and reporter.
  

DAY-08 & 09

The Beauty 4U Scenario

Your company, Beauty 4U, researches, develops, manufactures and sells natural beauty products. A young company, you have grown quickly, as the trend toward natural products has grown in recent years.

Cash flow is tight. Start-up costs are still being carried, as the company decided to go “first class all the way.” In addition to reaching clients via the traditional route through health food stores and pharmacies, Beauty 4U also embraced e-commerce and sell products directly to the customer through a web-site. However, the company has surpassed targets for the past three years, and you are in the process of going public, anticipating the company’s launch onto the stock exchange. Beauty 4U has developed a high profile and positive image as a result of creative and aggressive marketing, as well as by providing the highest quality products which have gained a loyal following of both retailers and consumers.
The tag line on your logo is “Natural products you can trust.”
Your company has recently launched, with much fanfare and a very large marketing budget, a new face cream which in clinical studies demonstrated an amazing ability to decrease lines and firm skin in a few short weeks. Since strong sales were projected and the product has a long shelf life, thousands of bottles of the product have been pr oduced. It has quickly become a best selling product.
However, during a quality check it was discovered that and error was made in manufacturing. The ingredient that is responsible for the most dramatic skin affects, Ingredient X, was inadvertently replaced with another ingredient, Y. Ingredient Y will not only render the cream useless, but it also has a drying component that could age the skin.
Beauty 4 U Mission Statement

Beauty 4U is committed to being the world’s leading provider of the highest quality natural beauty products. Our success will be evident in satisfied customers , employees and shareholders.

DAY-08 & 09

The Beauty 4U Dilemma – Instructions

1. 
   You will be assigned to a small divisional team: one of either marketing; finance; public relations and communications; or production
   

2. 
   In your divisional team, come to a consensus on the best next step for Beauty 4U.
   

Here are some of your options:

1. 
   Pull out the product from shelves and replace the stock with new product and announce that any product purchased previous to the replacement should be returned.
   

2. 
   Pull the stock from the shelves and replace with new stock.
   

3. 
   Leave the product on the shelves but replace the stock in the warehouse
   

4. 
   Do nothing – carry on and make changes in the next product run (once the remaining product is sold)
   

5. 
   Pull the product and discontinue it.
   

6. 
   Other
   

3. 
   Be prepared to take your decision in the form of a recommendation to the larger management team.
   

DAY-10 (Give Laminates and exercise)