Brainstorming Best Practices

Sourcing Innovation has nice coverage of McKinsey’s new piece detailing a seven step model for more effective brainstorming.  While all seven steps are important, I would argue that the last one on the list is the most important: Follow Up Quickly.  It’s no good to brainstorm the perfect solution if you are unable to implement.  A long lag time between the end of the brainstorming session and trying to implement the ideas will result in a lack of momentum and the potential to lose the buy-in you had initially.  Any actions resulting from the brainstorming session should be taken within 7 to 10 business days and the team should follow-up within 2 weeks of the session to evaluate progress.