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SECTION 1: FREELY DESCRIBE YOUR PROBLEM

Your first step is to define today`s problem. First, make some
free descriptions. Always begin with `How to...' Problems can
usually be stated several ways. A cost cutting problem might be
alternatively stated as:

How to lower costs?
or How to increase revenue?
or How to avoid borrowing costs?

Think of several alternative statements of today's problem.
If you are working as a team, work together to come up with this list.

Type in from three to five alternative statements of the
problem, placing a semicolon after each one.
After your last one, press submit to store the list.

Take a look at the alert which pops up. It features all of what you did above. Now, please decide which one of them you would like to work on today and enter it in the box below. Then, press submit.

You have completed Section 1: Freely Describe Your Problem. To continue, please click here to return to the main menu and select Section 2: Re-Stating Today's Problem in 'ACTION FORMAT'.

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SECTION 2: RE-STATING TODAY'S PROBLEM IN 'ACTION FORMAT'

The 'action' format is a specialized 'shorthand' description of
your problem. The form is always the same:

HOW TO..(Action)..(Object)....(Qualifier).....SO THAT...(End Result)?

Some Examples will help

HOW TO..create....a report....quickly.........SO THAT...they will agree?
HOW TO..help......a family....better..........SO THAT...they will cope ?
HOW TO..remove....a problem...faster..........SO THAT...we get volume sales?
HOW TO..motivate..Bill........slowly..........SO THAT...he will perform well?
HOW TO..build.....a product...competitively...SO THAT...price stays high?
HOW TO..sell......a service...effectively.....SO THAT...we get increases?
HOW TO..make......a lock......better..........SO THAT...it will close?

STOP NOW! PHRASE YOUR PROBLEM IN THIS FORMAT!

HOW TO..(Action)..(Object).....(Qualifier)...SO THAT...(End Result)

STOP ! PHRASE THE WHOLE PROBLEM IN YOUR MIND NOW !
DO NOT TYPE ANYTHING YET ! JUST PHRASE IT IN YOUR MIND.
THEN WE WILL INPUT IT TO THE COMPUTER ONE SECTION AT A TIME.

HOW TO..(ACTION)..(Object).....(Qualifier)...SO THAT...(End Result)?

This special form will force you to define your problem in action.
oriented language. Most problems can be phrased using this
language even if it seems a little stilted at first.

Let's begin with the verb for the ACTION slot following the phrase 'HOW TO...'

Pick a verb from the list below -OR- CHOOSE YOUR OWN VERB
Type it in. Then click "Store ACTION".

(List of verbs to give you ideas)
Build, Make, Improve, Increase, Decrease, Analyze,
Add to, Slow up, Stop, Get, Create, Solve,
Train, Move, Clean, Save, File, Lower,
Ask, Sell, Study, Write, Protect, Build-in,
Market, Finance, Market, Hire, Select, Interview,
Cook, Organize, Take, Neutralize, Beat, Find

HOW TO..(Action)..(OBJECT).....(Qualifier)...SO THAT...(End Result)?

Next enter the noun in the OBJECT slot following the action verb.
It can be a name or a thing. Use the examples below -OR-
create your own.

Example names : Joe, Tom, Mary, Sandra etc.

Example things:

a report a new product an interview an employee
an analysis a problem a package an inventory system
a policy a competitor an advertiser a sale
a candidate a family a sales person a meeting
a cost a market share a blockage a boss

(NOTE: Please type an 'A' or 'AN' with the thing you select)

HOW TO..(Action)..(Object).....(QUALIFIER)...SO THAT...(End Result)

Now you have to select a descriptive word for the QUALIFIER
lot. This will focus the action you want to take. It will add
emphasis. This also implies what you can do to improve it.
Select from the list below -OR- add your own.

Example action Qualifiers:

Better More Colorfully More Creatively Quicker Easier
Emotionally More accurately Smoother Cheaper Lower
Faster Less effectively More intensely Straighter Bigger

HOW TO..(Action)..(Object).....(Qualifier)...SO THAT...(END RESULT)

Finally let's pick a result or goal for the END RESULT slot.
Begin by thinking what would happen if the problem were solved?
Think of completing the phrase 'SO THAT'....(blank)...WOULD HAPPEN.
Use the examples below -OR- make up your own.

Example results: SO THAT....

Cost would be lower. Time would be saved. Client approves.
Time would be saved. Product gets 10% share. Joe feels better
I would feel better. Family would be happier. It wins an award.

You have completed Section 2: Re-Stating Today's Problem in 'ACTION FORMAT'. To continue, please click here to return to the main menu and select Section 3: Find A New Perspective.

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SECTION 3: FIND A CREATIVE NEW PERSPECTIVE

NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN.

You have defined your problem for today's work session as:

Several things about this definition are interesting.

First, it is described in just a few words.
Second, the action verb is clear.
Third, the difficulty -- or challenge -- is more obvious.
Fourth, the exact end result that you want is now clearer.
Finally, this clarity gives us a frame for fanciful perspectives.

NOW TAKE A MOMENT TO RATE THE DIFFICULTY IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
On a scale of one to ten, with ten meaning hardest, how difficult
do you think this problem is to solve?
Enter a number from 1 to 10.

Note: You may become aware that the problem that you have
described is actually a small part of a much larger problem.
You can focus on this part today and identify others to work on
in later sessions.

The next step is to try to get a new perspective on your problem.
Scroll down for new perspectives about your problem
using Connect-A-Phors .

HERE IS WHERE THE FAR-OUT THINKING, TO GIVE YOU A NEW
PERSPECTIVE, BEGINS

In a minute, the computer is going to give you an imaginary
situation ranging anywhere from barely possible to total nonsense.
This imaginary, unrelated situation will serve to get you away from
the problem -- so you can come back to it in a more productive way.
You will be asked to picture the fantasy situation in your mind
-- in detail -- and then make a linkage (called a 'Connect-A-Phor')
from the fantasy situation to your problem. Your Connect-A-Phor will
be similar to the way the character in the fantasy is solving his or
her problem. It need not be logical or even possible. Its only
purpose is to force a new perspective.

This technique is purposefully non-logical and some people may
find it a little uncomfortable at first. These techniques however
will provide a powerful stimulus to new perspectives.
Please give yourself time to get used to this powerful method.

Here's an example computer-generated imaginary situation :

A lethargic clown washing a
car with a piece of spaghetti.

and suppose the problem that you were working on today was:

HOW TO...market...a toy...better
SO THAT...children will be attracted to it.

Someone might come up with this Connect-A-Phor (tm.):

Washing away all negative thoughts
as the children look at the toy.

Using 'washing' you have formed a linkage (a Connect-A-Phor tm.)
from the fantasy to the problem. Needless to say this does not solve
the problem,but it may lead you to an answer. For example to use
the idea of 'washing' to increase the appeal we could:

( SOLUTION )
Put an appealing cartoon washcloth in every toy package.

OK, LET'S TRY IT FOR REAL!

HERE IS YOUR IMAGINARY SITUATION:

Whenever you or a member of the team come up with a
'Connect-A-Phor', type it in, placing a semicolon and a space after each one.
The computer will keep track of as many 'Connect-A-Phors' as you'd like

?

(Type in a linkage or continue)

Or you might try...

instead of having to it.

(Type in a linkage or continue)

Now

Some of the above Connect-A-Phors will SUGGEST a solution to try.
Force yourself to find a simple idea to test and modify later.

To continue, click here to return to the menu and select Section 4: Examine the Plusses and Minuses of an Idea.

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SECTION 4: EXAMINE THE PLUSSES AND MINUSES OF AN IDEA

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY IDEA THAT YOU GET:

Almost as important as finding new ideas is making good use of the ones you do find.
A common pitfall is passing judgment too quickly. Often a valuable idea is thrown out because part of it wouldn't work. We're about to show you a way to prevent that from happening. A very productive way to evaluate ideas is the Plus/Minus
Inventory. It allows you to keep all the advantages and fix
the problems with the idea you just generated.

In order to test and modify your solution, we will have to separate the plusses and minuses of the idea and deal with them individually. We will examine these plusses and minuses and modify your original solution in ways that remove the minuses -- yet save the plusses.

(Notice how different this is from the old, standard procedure,
in which one listed the good points and bad points and then
added up each column. If there were more bad points than good,
the idea was discarded. Also a single bad point might dismiss
the idea completely.)

But the Plus/Minus Inventory is more practical. It acknowledges
that any idea has some good points. And, to really make
it work you have to modify to remove bad points, not discard it.

WE LIKE TO PICTURE THE PLUS/MINUS INVENTORY THIS WAY

The key will be in examining the plusses and the minuses separately
and then finding ways to modify the idea to remove the minuses
and preserve the plusses.

Let's think of one example. Think about the possible solution
of killing your best customers in order to increase sales.
At first this seems like a useless idea, but let's go through
the plus and minus process.

PLUSSES
-------
We know exactly who to kill
It would get attention
Make us look at other customers

MINUSES
-------
Short term sales would suffer
Increase fear of other customers
Killing is illegal

Do you see any useful ideas in this list?

How about focusing effort on smaller customers? This could
increase our broad middle range of sales. And note that we do
not, in fact, have to kill off our best customers to achieve this
end. The separation of the plusses and the minuses allowed us to
modify the ideas and use the positive part. Always separate the
minuses from the plusses -- ON EVERY IDEA -- even the crazy ones.

This technique is used to find faults in Just-In-Time
manufacturing plants by deliberately speeding up the line
until a fault occurs and then fixing it.

Now let's first examine the plusses of your idea.

Find three plusses in your idea and type them in one after another, separated by semicolons.

Now let's look at the minuses in the idea. When you type a minus
begin by typing HOW TO..... This will insure an action orientation
when you are ready to go back and solve it, in the future.

Please type in 3 minuses with this idea and use a semicolon after
each one.

On a scale of zero to ten, with ten meaning hardest; how
difficult do you think these minuses are to solve
to get the solution ready to implement?

Click here to return to the main menu. In the future, we will have more creative ways to suggest linkages.
Click if you would like to print your session.
Close the print view

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SECTION 5: GETTING A PRINT SUMMARY OF THE SESSION
JUST Print the Window"