One of my favorite task of all time is  brainstorming new ideas, coming up with new solutions that are out of the box. I understand to this can be daunting process with that can lead to a few dead ends and possible frustration.

I have devised a plan that addresses the common pitfalls in the brainstorming process.

1. Set a timeline as to how long are you planning to spend brainstorming.  For you this may mean 10 minutes or it can be only one team meeting dedicated to this activity. There is no need to prolonged the brainstorming process to months or even years because well its just unproductive.

2. Ask powerful questions such as:

• What is the problem that we want to fix?
• Who is the target audience? Potential Niche?
• What is your budget? How much money are you willing to spend?
• Who is in the table brainstorming with you? What are their expertise?
• When do you want the implementation to take place?
• What are you going to need to put this practice in place?

3. Take clear notes or appoint someone in the group to be a note taker. This is huge because you can always look back at those note when you get stuck and you may find another potential solution/idea.

4. Create a game plan on what needs to get done, what can be delegated and what not. Most importantly setup the follow up meetings.