Overview of the creative, collaborative approach to problem solving employed by Faster Glass Consulting.

1. Solutions Workshop Overview

2. What is a Solutions Workshop?
A Solutions Workshop is an accelerated, creative, collaborative problem solving session that
utilizes a specific process to harness the idea-power of everyone on a team in a focused and
energetic way. It combines:
• Exploration
• Idea generation
• Rapid prototyping (with feedback loops)
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3. What is exploration?
Exploration can take many different forms
and is used to help Solutions Workshop
participants gain new perspectives on the
challenge at hand. Exploration activities help
generate new ideas by forcing team
members to “see” their world a little (or a
lot) differently. Exercises range from pre-
read assignments to field trips to
ethnographic observations and can occur
before or during a Solutions Workshop.
“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution.
It is that they can’t see the problem.”
G. K. Chesterton
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4. What is exploration?
Exploration can take many different forms and is
used to help Solutions Workshop participants
gain new perspectives on the challenge at hand.
Exploration activities help generate new ideas by
forcing team members to “see” their world a
little (or a lot) differently. Exercises range from
pre-read assignments to field trips to
ethnographic observations and can occur before
or during a Solutions Workshop.
“The real act of discovery consists
not in finding new lands, but in
seeing with new eyes.”
Marcel Proust
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5. What is structured ideation?
Structured ideation consists of focused exercises designed
to spark lateral thinking, insightful questions, and “A-ha!”
ideas. By using proven creative thinking tools and
techniques, a Solutions Workshop is guaranteed NOT to
be just another brainstorming session.
The output of the structured ideation exercises serves as
an Idea Pool, from which high-potential concepts are
selected for further development via rapid prototyping.
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6. What is rapid prototyping?
Within the context of a Solutions Workshop, a prototype is
broadly defined as “anything that visually represents the
thinking around an idea so that others can understand and
react to it.”
Rapid prototyping is a valuable tool in the concept
development process in that it:
• Leads to clarity and shared understanding more quickly
than using words alone
• Serves as a means to obtain rich feedback from
stakeholders representing different perspectives
• Sparks discussion and debate that may not have
otherwise taken place
• Fosters exploration of more than one potential
solution, which reduces the risk of “marrying too early.”
• Accelerates learning through iterative testing and
feedback loops, which leads to success sooner
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7. How is a Solutions Workshop structured?
Exploration activities can take place
Exploration either before or during a Solutions Workshop.
Sharpening the Axe sets the stage for the
Sharpening the Axe participants to experience creative success.
Level setting lays out the known facts and
Level Setting constraints in order to ensure shared understanding.
Divergence
Development
Conversation
of Possibilities Structured Ideation
Idea Processing & Filtering
Convergence
Rapid Prototyping
(Build & Refine)
Conversation
of Reality Frenzy / Review Panel
(Gather Feedback)
Stakeholder
Review Panel
Listing of all ideas that were generated plus the 3-5
Output ideas that were developed further and are in various
stages of “baked-ness.” The post-Workshop next steps
are determined by the client at the end of the session.
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8. What makes a Solutions Workshop valuable?
The power of a Solutions Workshop lies in its ability to:
1 2 3
Focus participants with very Foster effective collaboration Encourage and build upon
diverse backgrounds on a by intentionally compressing “wild” ideas that might not
single, specific challenge time and space otherwise surface
4 5
Establish a shared Use rapid prototyping to fail
understanding of multiple early and often in order to
priorities and perspectives succeed sooner
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9. What are the benefits of a Solutions Workshop?
1. Ideas and potential solutions are generated,
tested, and refined in one session.
2. Focused, energized engagement
3. Cognitive diversity + creative collaboration
= “A-ha!” ideas
4. Accelerated buy-in and shared commitment
of stakeholders going forward
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10. What are the planning steps for a Solutions Workshop?
10 © 2011 Faster Glass Consulting LLC

11. Who do I contact for more information?
David Phillips
Office 704-969-3097
Mobile 704-904-0499
david.phillips@fasterglassconsulting.com
“David is a deep expert in the ideation “David is one of the best facilitators of “David is an expert facilitator, and
process. He is constantly scanning the collaborative innovation-related does an incredible job of inspiring
business landscape to integrate new workshops that I have had the creativity and promoting innovation
insights and concepts into his pleasure of working with both as a co- across all levels of an organization.
methodologies. He is also a producer as well as a participant. He One of David's distinguishing qualities
tremendous facilitator and actively has the skills to enable others to as a business leader is his ability to
engages other in process.” approach their business challenges engage the heads and hearts of a
Michael Arena from insightful new perspectives to diverse audience of stakeholders.”
Innovation Institute of the drive positive change and innovation.” Felix Mon
McColl Center for Visual Art Jeff Grant Bank of America
InVue Security Products
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