de Bono's 5 Step Thinking Process
Edward de Bono described the general thinking process as having five (5) distinctive steps:
1. TO - What are we moving TOwards? What problem are we solving?
2. LO - LOok at what we know about the problem;
it's constraints, requirements, etc.
3. PO - What POssible alternative solutions are there?
4. SO - SOrt the solutions and choose the "best"
5. GO - GO ahead and do it.
This thinking process seems perfectly obvious, like most good ideas, when written down in this form and we all recognise the steps. This is a generic process and does not prescribe tools for each step; rather it recognises that many are available already. A flaw with some schools of thought is to place too much emphasis on one area of the process, usually PO or ideation.
At Pandora Consulting we place equal emphasis on each stage of the process. What good is the ability to generate endless new ideas if you can't select one or apply it?
The Six Hats
Edward de Bono is, perhaps, better known for his six Thinking Hats. Each of these hats can be 'mapped' on to a part of the thinking process, as was his original intention.
Like his thinking process de Bono's six hats are a generic philosophy. There are several tools that can be used for each hat.
Follow this link for a more in depth discussion of the six hats and their associated techniques.