BMAD-METHOD/.claude/data/brainstorming-techniques.md

Brainstorming Techniques for Enterprise Development

Creative Expansion Techniques

1. What If Scenarios

Ask one provocative question, get response, then ask another:

• "What if this had unlimited budget?"
• "What if security wasn't a concern?"
• "What if users were technical experts?"
• "What if this needed to work offline?"

2. Analogical Thinking

Give one example analogy, ask for 2-3 more:

• "This system is like a library checkout system because..."
• "User authentication is like hotel key cards because..."
• "Data flow is like a restaurant kitchen because..."

3. Reversal/Inversion

Pose the reverse question:

• "How would we make this completely unusable?"
• "What would cause maximum security vulnerabilities?"
• "How could we ensure the worst user experience?"

4. First Principles Thinking

Break down to fundamentals:

• "What are the core user needs?"
• "What are the essential data flows?"
• "What are the minimum technical requirements?"

Structured Frameworks

5. SCAMPER Method

Go through one letter at a time:

• Substitute: What can be substituted?
• Combine: What can be combined?
• Adapt: What can be adapted?
• Modify: What can be modified?
• Put to other uses: What other uses?
• Eliminate: What can be eliminated?
• Reverse: What can be reversed?

6. Six Thinking Hats

Present one hat at a time:

• White Hat: Facts and information
• Red Hat: Emotions and feelings
• Black Hat: Critical judgment
• Yellow Hat: Positive assessment
• Green Hat: Creative alternatives
• Blue Hat: Process control

7. Mind Mapping

Start with central concept, suggest branches:

• Core functionality branches
• User type branches
• Technical component branches
• Integration point branches

Collaborative Techniques

8. "Yes, And..." Building

Alternate building on ideas:

• User suggests feature
• Orchestrator "yes and" adds enhancement
• User "yes and" adds complexity
• Continue building

9. Brainwriting/Round Robin

Build on each other's ideas:

• One party suggests base concept
• Other party builds enhancement
• First party adds implementation detail
• Continue developing

10. Random Stimulation

Give random prompt/word, make connections:

• "Coffee shop" → How does this relate to user onboarding?
• "Garden hose" → How does this inform data flow design?
• "School bell" → How does this apply to notifications?

Deep Exploration

11. Five Whys

Ask "why" and wait for answer before next "why":

• Why do users need this feature?
• Why is that important to them?
• Why does that matter for their work?
• Why is their work structured that way?
• Why hasn't this been solved before?

12. Morphological Analysis

List parameters first, then explore combinations:

• User types × Access methods × Data sources × Output formats
• Explore unusual combinations for innovation opportunities

13. Provocation Technique (PO)

Give provocative statement, extract useful ideas:

• "PO: All data is public"
• "PO: Users never make mistakes"
• "PO: The system works backwards"

Advanced Techniques

14. Forced Relationships

Connect unrelated concepts:

• "Social media" + "Database backup" = ?
• "Gaming" + "Security audit" = ?
• "Music streaming" + "API design" = ?

15. Assumption Reversal

Challenge core assumptions:

• "What if users don't want privacy?"
• "What if performance doesn't matter?"
• "What if mobile isn't important?"

16. Role Playing

Brainstorm from different perspectives:

• End User: Daily workflow perspective
• Administrator: Management and control needs
• Developer: Implementation and maintenance concerns
• Security Auditor: Risk and compliance perspective

17. Time Shifting

Temporal perspective changes:

• "How would you solve this in 1995?"
• "How will this work in 2030?"
• "What would the solution look like in 2050?"

18. Resource Constraints

Artificial limitation brainstorming:

• "What if you had only $100 budget?"
• "What if you had only 1 week?"
• "What if you could only use open-source tools?"

19. Metaphor Mapping

Use extended metaphors:

• "This system is like a city, where..."
• "User workflow is like a journey, where..."
• "Data architecture is like an ecosystem, where..."

20. Question Storming

Generate questions instead of answers:

• Focus on questioning assumptions
• Identify information gaps
• Explore edge cases through questioning
• Challenge requirements through questions

Enterprise Application Techniques

21. Stakeholder Perspective Shift

Consider different enterprise viewpoints:

• Executive: ROI and strategic alignment
• Compliance: Regulatory and audit requirements
• Support: Maintenance and troubleshooting needs
• Sales: Customer-facing value propositions

22. Risk-Benefit Matrix

Explore trade-offs systematically:

• High risk, high benefit scenarios
• Low risk, high benefit opportunities
• Risk mitigation brainstorming
• Benefit amplification strategies

23. Technology Stack Exploration

Brainstorm technical approaches:

• Alternative architectures
• Technology substitutions
• Integration patterns
• Scalability approaches

24. User Journey Optimization

Focus on experience improvements:

• Onboarding optimization
• Task completion efficiency
• Error recovery enhancement
• Accessibility improvements

Implementation Guidelines

For Analyst Agent: Use techniques 1-4, 11, 16, 21 for requirements exploration For PM Agent: Use techniques 5-7, 12, 22 for feature prioritization For Architect Agent: Use techniques 14, 15, 23 for technical innovation For Developer Agent: Use techniques 8, 13, 18 for implementation creativity For UX Expert Agent: Use techniques 16, 19, 24 for user experience enhancement For QA Agent: Use techniques 3, 11, 17 for testing scenario development