Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

This is a basic thing to do when working as a group to create and refine ideas.

This procedure works with just about any task where a group of persons is working together to create and refine ideas. One example is gathering requirements and creating preliminary designs. Another is outlining or formulating a document ranging from a business proposal to a script for a play.

Use several white boards or flip charts or whatever you have. Have on such board for each step or set of ideas.

Stand at one board, work it, gather ideas from the group until the room becomes quiet for a few moments. Stop at this board.

Move to the next board, work it, gather ideas from the group until the room becomes quiet for a few moments. Stop at this board.

Move to the next board and repeat.

Keep moving to the next board until you reach the last board and repeat.

Go back to the first board and repeat all of the above. This is the “walk around” idea. We have walked all the way around the room and we return to the first board.

Review, change, and continue.

How many times do we walk around the room? When the ideas stop, we stop.