Presentation on creativity for Business Analysts given by David Baskerville and David Avis at BA2011

2. In 1502 Leonardo da Vinci produced a
drawing of a single span 720 foot bridge.
It was not built until 2001 (in Norway)
because it was thought such a construction
was impossible.

3. What is Creativity and why is it important?
What is Creativity? Newness
Creativity = The generation of new ideas that is
(Innovation = is how we make those ideas practical) useful
“Genius is seeing what everyone has seen and thinking what no one else has thought”
Albert Szent, discover of Vitamin C
Why is Creativity important?
Increasingly organisations and the people who work for them are recognising that
creativity is an essential part of creating and maintaining a competitive edge.

4. tive
Cre
a
Behaviour

5. Agenda
• Share proven Creativity techniques that are used within our organisation
• Provide some real life Creativity success stories
• Share with you some skills, knowledge and techniques to help you become more
creative
Objective
• Provide you with some creative thinking techniques and advise how to use these so
you can become more creative in your BA role.

6. The Creative Process Model
Set focus …Framing the problem
How can we make the marketing department more profitable
Idea Generation
How can we make all departments more profitable
Ideas Pool
How can we make Online Marketing profitable
Evaluation
Implementation

7. The Creativity Process – The Rules
Running a Creative thinking session:
1. Be prepared - Juggling balls, Stop clock / timer & ….
2. Set a clear Focus statement
3. Choose the creativity tool to use
4. Run the session
All ideas have value, defer judgment!
5. Evaluate the most popular idea(s) and decide which ones to take forward
(Dr Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats)

8. The Creativity Process – Environment

9. The Creativity Process – Environment
http://1dak.com/people/google-office-pictures-47-pics

10. The Creativity Process
Stand Up Musical Chairs
Unleash the inner child
Have fun!
Be a visitor Go for a walk

11. S it u a ti o n /
S o lu t io n
R ev er s a l
TECHNIQUE
CREATIVITIY
one

12. Situation / Solution Reversal
What:
• Reverse the situation
When:
• Group meetings
How:
• Restate the challenge so it’s the reverse
• Use ‘How’ questions to ensure beneficial output
• Reverse the ideas/answers and examine to apply them to original challenge
• Careful not to simply list opposites
Benefits:
• Effective way of breaking people out of fixed ways of looking at a situation
How can we make the department How can we make the department
MORE profitable? LESS profitable?

13. SCAMMPERR
TECHNIQUE
CREATIVITIY
two

14. SCAMPER – Brainstorming Enhancer & Standalone
• Substitute something
• Combine it with something else
• Adapt something to it (or Adopt something else)
• Modify / Magnify / Minimise it
• Put it to some other use
• Eliminate something
• Reverse it / Rearrange it
(Process Improvement - use 3-5 letters)

15. A n a lo g ie s a n d
M et a p h o rs
TECHNIQUE
CREATIVITIY
three

16. Metaphors – (AKA Force Fitting) – Brainstorming Enhancer & Standalone
What:
• Metaphors can help develop new insights into problem = create better understanding and
possibilities of solutions
• Compare problem to metaphor
How:
• Choose a current problem/issue
• Compare to something else (e.g. riding bicycle, gardening, getting married, swimming, having
a bath, mixing cocktail, writing book, fishing, running, cooking, washing dishes, playing
tennis….)
• See how many similarities can be found between problem and metaphor

17. Analogies
What:
• Look at problem completely differently – ask group to compare to totally different situation
How:
• “It’s a bit like…”
• Or group leader impose situation (e.g fairy tale, historic event…)
• Ask group to compare problem at hand to analogy and come up with suggested actions
• E.g. 7 dwarfs could be smaller companies/departments who could help solve your ‘Wicked
Witch’ problem

18. /
B ra in s to rm in g
B ra in W ri ti n g
TECHNIQUE
CREATIVITIY
four

19. Brainstorming
THE SEVEN RULES OF BRAINSTORMING (FROM IDEO)
1) Defer judgment
Don’t dismiss any ideas.
Any idea is a good idea, no matter how crazy.
Nothing can kill the spirit of a brainstorm quicker than judging ideas before they have a chance to
gain legs.
2) Encourage wild ideas
Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions because they can be the key to solutions.
The whole point of brainstorming is coming up with new and creative ideas.
3) Build on the ideas of others
No “buts”, only “ands.”
Sometimes people say crazy and bizarre things, like “make it on Mars”, but there is some element
of truth in it. When you build on the ideas of others, you might bring those crazy ideas back down
to earth and make them real innovations.
4) Stay focused on the topic
Always keep the discussion on target.
Otherwise you can diverge beyond the scope of what you’re trying to design for.
5) One conversation at a time
No interrupting, no dismissing, no disrespect, no rudeness.
Let people have their say.
6) Be visual
Use yellow, red and blue markers to write on big 30-inch by 25-inch Post-its that are put on a wall.
Nothing gets an idea across faster than drawing it. Doesn’t matter how terrible of a sketcher you
are.
7) Go for quantity
Aim for as many new ideas as possible. In a good session, up to 100 ideas are generated in 60
minutes.
Crank the ideas out quickly.

20. M in d M a p p in g
TECHNIQUE
CREATIVITIY
five

21. Mind Mapping
What:
• System of note making created by Tony Buzan for effective creative thinking
• Generate fresh thinking and new insights
• Concept and idea extraction tool
Who:
• Students, Businesses, Professionals to think learn and work more effectively
When:
• Brainstorming sessions
• In groups
• Personal aid
How:
• Centre of blank page – Problem statement/subject
• Thick branches closest to Centre
• Branch thinner lines off the ends of main branches to add sub themes
• Add further branches to get down to the ideas for each concept
• Concept – Idea – Concept - Idea

22. Mind Mapping

23. o ’s
E d w a rd D e B o n
ts
6 T h in k in g H a
TECHNIQUE
EVALUATION
De Bono’s 6
Thinking Hats

24. De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats
Blue Hat – Control of the thinking process itself: the blue hat sets the agenda.
White Hat – Information thinking: What information would we like to have?
Yellow Hat – The logical positive: Optimism, looks for benefits?
Black Hat – Caution and the logical negative: prevents us from making mistakes,
points out what cant be done.
Green Hat – Creative effort and Creative thinking: New ideas, alternatives, puts
forward all possibilities.
Red Hat – Intuition and Feeling: “My gut feeling is that it will/will not work”
(Selecting the Hit).

25. Creativity
People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world…
are the ones that do!
…Apple