Military

Brainstorm: Soliciting Variety of Ideas Yields Better Results

Brainstorming is a valuable technique when an organization must develop the plan for a large-scale or complex project or an enduring program for which there are ambiguous mission parameters, multiple constituencies, and multiple references—or worse, none—to guide the enterprise. Brainstorming helps staff generate ideas, solutions and action steps to inform the venture. It also supports the building of strong, engaged teams.

Typical issues that might lend themselves to an organization’s use of brainstorming are doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel and facilities assessments; after-action reviews; and examining ways to free up “white space” on the unit calendar.