Brainstorming Techniques for a Business Analyst

Brainstorming is my favorite and in my opinion the most productive method or the technique one can try out when it comes to analysis or trying to solution a problem.

It’s a very simple method and I will point out some techniques which you can use during your session.

1. Be very thoughtful when you are selecting people 💡

You have to get the most productive, solution oriented and technical people into this. In my work I usually invite,

• The product owner or BA - Who knows in and out of the product from customer point of view
• The architect or the tech lead - They know the functionality of the system and the technical aspect of it 
• Solution architect or engineers – So we can have many solutions on the table 
• QA – Because they think in different angles 

2. Do your homework and be pro-active

Since you are going to be the organizer of the session you have to know what the problem you are going to discuss, give them a background as to why we need to have the change, present them few possible solutions (this is not a must since the goal of the session is to come up with a solution) 

Always keep in mind to plan the session 3,4 days in advance so that they also can prepare for this when they are walking into the session.

3. Plan your resources 

Find a bigger meeting room –Since people are going to sit and discuss about problems and solution they should not feel packed. Need to have space to walk and talk. I would personally recommend if all the attendees can be in the same place physically. But if it’s not possible try to get them in a video conference so that everybody feels connected.

Materials – A place where you can draw (white-board, canvases) marker pens with different colors, sticky notes etc. (Once you are in the meeting you cannot run here and there to find things you need to draw and write. So make sure you have everything you need.

4. Make everyone feel comfortable

We have different personalities in our working environment. Some people can be very straight forward whereas some can be really shy. But again we need to hear what they have to say. Don’t be so formal when it comes to a session like this. Make a joke or a two and feel them comfortable. If they are not talking then ask questions and make them talk. If they have a problem of speaking the language don’t hesitate to change the language you speak in the middle without noticing that you are doing it on purpose.

5. Draw and write
Trust me this works! 👌
Just don’t talk and talk during the entire session. Draw diagrams, write down the points, and make use of all the materials you got. Something we don’t get the problem or the solution by speaking about it. But if we can draw a diagram then it can be more productive.

6. Plan your time
Don’t plan any long sessions. Keep it to maximum 2 hrs and have breaks in between. Have a cup of tea or eat a piece of cake. These simple things can directs us to a great solution at the end.

7. Summarize
At the end of the session always summarize what you discussed. This is where all your diagrams and note are coming in handy. In the very first session we might not have a solution and its fine. Plan then next session this time itself. Inform the attendees so that they also can do their homework.

Try doing these few techniques when you are planning for your next session and see what has improved 😊