Negative Brainstorming

Examine your solutions for potential failures.

Negative Brainstorming consists of a conventional Brainstorming session where you explore the negative aspects of solutions.

In Negative Brainstorming, negativity is seen as advantageous.

Start by asking questions, such as:

• How not to solve the problem?
• What’s the worst thing that you could do?
• How could somebody really mess this up?

Negative Brainstorming is especially useful when:

• An idea is very new.
• A solution is complex.
• There is little margin for error.
• Facing a lot skepticism or criticism.
• A solution will undergo an intense review.

Source:

Creative Problem Solving: An Introduction, Donald Treffinger PhD, Scott Isaksen PhD, and Brian Stead-Doval, Waco, TX: Prufrock Press, 2006.