Creative Problem Solving Suite

Choose this exercise

Purpose: To take a single problem statement from raw idea generation through expansion, selection, and initial feasibility testing in a structured sequence.

Use it when: Use when a team is stuck on obvious solutions and needs a disciplined, end-to-end pathway from divergent thinking to actionable concept refinement.

Skip it when: Skip when the immediate task is pure analytical root-cause diagnosis, or when a final decision is already mandated and cannot be changed.

Group arrangement: Small groups of 3 to 5 participants working in parallel, with periodic whole-room consolidation.

Timing: UWT suggested 60-minute session to cover the core four-stage sequence (Generation, Expansion, Selection, Feasibility) extracted from the WorkshopBank guide.

Materials and tools

• Flip chart pads (one per small group)
• Marker pens (black, blue, red)
• Sticky notes (pads of 3x3 inch, 2 colors per table)
• Printed PPCO feasibility worksheets (one per small group)
• Timer

Before participants arrive

1. Write the central challenge question clearly at the top of the main room board and on each subgroup flip chart.
2. Set up small group tables with markers, sticky notes, and printed PPCO worksheets.
3. Prepare a wall grid or template board marked with the COCD quadrants (feasible Blue, innovative Yellow, breakthrough Red).

Say this to open

Today we are running a structured four-stage creative sequence: generate, expand, select, and test. We will start with quantity, deliberately postpone critique, flip our core assumptions, and finish by testing one concrete concept. Our central question is on the board. Let us build our initial idea list using the alphabet.

How to run it

1. Formulate and launch ABC avalanche 10 minutes

   In groups of 3 to 5, write the alphabet A through Z in two columns on your flip chart. Work together to write at least one solution idea starting with each letter of the alphabet. For example, if the challenge is improving onboarding, W could be 'Welcome video from team' and X could be 'Xylophone fanfare on day one'. Push for speed and quantity. Do not debate feasibility yet. Stop when your group reaches 26 ideas or when the timer ends.

2. Expand with breaking assumptions 15 minutes

   Within each table, list 3 to 5 fundamental assumptions about this challenge (such as 'onboarding must happen during business hours' or 'training must be delivered by HR'). Next, write the exact opposite of each assumption. Brainstorm at least 2 new, unexpected ideas derived directly from those reversed statements. Add these expanded ideas to your master list on sticky notes.

3. Select using the COCD framework 15 minutes

   Each group reviews their complete pool of ideas. Classify promising sticky notes into three categories: Blue (feasible, quick to implement), Yellow (innovative, requires some work), and Red (breakthrough, high risk or game-changing). Post your top selections onto the room COCD board. Each group then selects exactly one standout idea (Blue, Yellow, or Red) to advance into feasibility testing.

4. Test feasibility with PPCO 15 minutes

   Each group takes their single chosen idea and completes the PPCO worksheet: list 3 Pluses (direct advantages), 2 Potentials (future opportunities it creates), 2 Concerns (real risks or barriers phrased as 'How might we...?'), and 2 Overcomes (concrete ways to resolve those concerns). This keeps critique constructive and practical.

5. Consolidate and debrief 5 minutes

   Bring the whole room together. Have 2 or 3 groups state their chosen idea along with its primary plus and key overcome. Close with the debrief question.

Debrief questions

• Which stage pushed your thinking furthest beyond the obvious: the alphabet constraint or reversing assumptions?
• How did framing risks as solvable 'overcomes' change the tone of evaluating feasibility?

Finished output: A collective wall of categorized ideas (Blue, Yellow, Red) and completed PPCO feasibility worksheets for the top selected concepts.

Remote

Use an online whiteboard with dedicated breakout frames per group. Provide pre-built ABC templates (letters A to Z), an assumption-flipping frame, a COCD 3-column matrix, and digital PPCO cards. Keep video breakout rooms to 3 to 5 people and pull everyone back to the main board for selection and debrief.

Hybrid

Assign in-person and remote participants to separate groups if possible, or give each hybrid pod an assigned digital scribe so all ABC lists, sticky notes, and PPCO entries exist simultaneously on a shared digital board viewable on both local screens and personal devices.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may contribute spoken ideas, write sticky notes silently, or serve as the designated scribe for the group flip chart.
• Anyone may pass on speaking during the consolidation step without explanation; their group's worksheet remains on display.

If the session gets stuck

Groups get stuck trying to find words for difficult letters like Q, X, or Z during ABC Avalanche.

Remind the room that phonetic spellings, silly words, or descriptive phrases starting with that letter are fine. The goal is momentum, not grammatical purity.

Participants jump straight into criticizing ideas during the assumption or generation stage.

Intervene gently and remind the room of the ground rule: critique is strictly reserved for the PPCO stage, and right now all wild ideas serve as stepping stones.

Terms used here

• COCD Box: A selection matrix categorizing ideas by maturity: Blue (feasible/realistic), Yellow (original/innovative), and Red (breakthrough/future).
• PPCO: A four-step evaluation method focusing on Pluses, Potentials, Concerns, and Overcomes.