Working the Way You Do
The "thinking process" , which Edward de Bono formalised, is used every day for every decision we make. You may not be aware of using this thinking process, but we define the problem, seek alternative solutions, select a solution and implement our choice.
The thinking process is very natural when applied to small, simple problems, but seems to fail when it is applied to complex problems involving a large number of stakeholders. The difficulties arise because the different stakeholders have a different understanding not just of the problem, but the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. Combine this with each stakeholder's different value for each feature in the solution and this means they filter the solutions differently and have a different preference to the other stakeholders.
Tackling this complex clash of priorities and maintaining a structure that a project team can deliver against a budget and schedule takes more than can be found in standard project management methods. The Design Breakdown Structure (DBS) was developed to integrate methods for dealing with all these issues. The Design Breakdown Structure (DBS) uses the thinking process, dialog mapping and systems thinking to create a powerful single tool whose output is a standard Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
InnovationWorks is a software package that implements the leading edge innovation technique, the Design Breakdown Structure (DBS). The advantage of using a software package for the Design Breakdown Structure is that it allows each team member to think and 'create' at their own pace.
