Osborn's Checklist

The second method we applied during our Magnolia 5.0 kick-off session is a pearl of a creativity technic. The method is simple but will produce useful outcome in many scenarios.

Following the checklist as found at :
- http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/ctm/idm/tools/concept/osborn.html

Other uses	New ways to use as is? Other uses if modified?
Adapt	What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does past offer parallel? What could I copy? Whom could I emulate?
Modify	New twist? Change meaning, colour, motion, odour, taste, form, shape? Other changes?
Magnify	What to add? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Larger? Longer? Thicker? Heavier? Extra value? Plus ingredient? Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate?
Minify	What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Narrower? Lighter? Omit? Streamline? Split up? Understate? Less frequent?
Substitute	Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other material? Other process? Other power? Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? Other time?
Rearrange	Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change place? Change schedule? Earlier? Later?
Reverse	Transpose positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward, upside down, inside out? Reverse roles? Change shoes? Turn tables? Turn other cheek?
Combine	How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble? Combine units?

I admit that this technic fits best situations in which you have to overwork an already existing something - like in our case a CMS ;-) It is less useful if you start from scratch. But this is why I find this method so great. Then isn't it more often the case that you rather overwork something than that you start from scratch? And unfortunately one uses creative technics mostly when starting a project but less once you are in the process of maintaining it! But this is the correct moment to use a technic like this, because you will systematically over-think the current solution and will improve it.

I also like the method, because it can be used with any team and it is easy to convince others to use this method: common lets verify it against this checklist!

To often we just focus about features to add but forget that we could change things or even remove components to make it better.

Other uses? Modify? Magnify? Minify? Rearrange? Reverse? Combine?

So easy is that!