Osborn – Parnes

Creative Education Foundation

CREATIVEPROBLEM SOLVING

PROCESS

CPS PROCESS

• Created 1950s

• Alex Osborn & Dr. Sidney J. Parnes

• Follows natural human process

• Three stages, six steps

TYPICAL APPROACH• Gather around the whiteboard

• Present the Problem

• Ask for Ideas

• Shoot Down Ideas

• Reach Uncomfortable Consensus.

THREE STAGES• Explore the Challenge

• Generate Ideas

• Prepare for Action

SIX STEPS – EXPLORATION

SIX STEPS – EXPLORATION• Objective Finding

• Fact Finding

• Problem Finding

SIX STEPS – IDEAS

SIX STEPS – IDEAS• Idea Finding

SIX STEPS – SOLUTIONS

SIX STEPS – SOLUTIONS• Solution Finding

• Acceptance Finding

WHAT’S WITH THE ARROWS DUDE?

DIVERGENCE AND CONVERGENCE• Brainstorming Done Right

DIVERGENCE• Creative Process

• Gather Many Options

• No Judgement!

• Write It All Down

• Move Quickly.

CONVERGENCE• Analytical Process

• Reduce the Options

• Apply Judgement

• Write It All Down

• Move Less Quickly

DIVERGENCE AND CONVERGENCE• Brainstorming Done Right

• Divergence – Exploring Ideas

• Convergence – Selecting Ideas

SIX STEPS

FACILITATION• Select one Person as a Guide

• They Oversee Each Step

• Keep People On Track.

FORTH WISDOM• Forth?

• Restate the Problem Until it Goes Away

• Identify and Reject Your Illusions – Things that don’t help

• Identify and Reject Non-Problems

• Simplify Viciously

• Write 90% Less Code – And Make It Awesome!

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING• Use The Process

• Use The Principles

• Embrace Simplicity

Life is too short to do anything else.

MAKE AWESOME HAPPEN