What is a brainstorm outcomes deck?
A brainstorm outcomes deck reports what a brainstorm produced to the people who weren't in the room: the problem, a slide for each promoted idea, what's still open, what was ruled out and why, and how the session ran.
Also called: Brainstorming session summary, Ideation workshop report.
Why it matters
Brainstorms usually fail afterwards: ideas on scattered sticky notes, decided by a show of hands in the room, then forgotten.
The outcomes deck keeps every idea in one format, with its grade and the reason it was promoted, kept open or ruled out, so the session's work survives the session.
Capture in the room, judge after it
From Chapter 5 of Innovation Mode: a session produces ideas in one consistent format, and they are judged afterwards against the same criteria, never by a vote in the room, where seniority, presentation skill and groupthink decide.
- Frame the problem first. The session opens on one framed problem, so every idea answers the same question.
- Capture every idea the same way. The problem it solves, who it serves, how it works and what is unknown, for every idea, from every voice.
- Judge after the session. Each idea is assessed against the same criteria. In Ainna, the Judge grades it and gives its reasoning. In Ainna's document: a slide for each promoted idea, with its grade.
- Keep the reasons. What was ruled out, and why, so nobody argues the same idea twice. In Ainna's document: the ideas ruled out, with reasons.
The method as a template: Brainstorming Workshop Templates, on theinnovationmode.com.
What's inside
- The question
- The stakes, in numbers
- What solved looks like
- The ideas promoted
- The ideas still open
- The ideas ruled out, with reasons
- How the session ran
Where it fits
It is distilled from the brainstorm board: every idea, where it stands, the Judge's grade, and the reason behind each decision.
It comes after Problem Framing Document and Problem Framing Deck, and leads to Idea One-Pager.
Questions
Should we vote on ideas during the session?
No. In-room voting rewards the best presenter and the most senior voice. Capture every idea the same way and assess them afterwards against the same criteria.
What should a brainstorm summary include?
The question the session answered, the ideas promoted with their grades, the ideas still open, the ones ruled out with the reason, and how the session ran.
Who is a brainstorm outcomes deck for?
The sponsors and teams who weren't in the room and now have to act on what it decided.
Do the work in Ainna.
Ainna is where you frame a problem, explore ideas and test them against the evidence. When the work is done, this is how it is packaged: a brainstorm outcomes deck, written from your own analysis, about your own idea.
Which documents you can create depends on your plan.
Read next
- Guide: How Does AI Transform Brainstorming and Ideation?
- Where VentureForce began: number 0032 on Problem Radar
- All twelve: the document examples, together