There's only three things:

• ASK: If a task is not clear, or more information is needed, please ask as soon as possible. Asking is always ok. Doing the wrong thing (or doing nothing) because you didn't ask is not ok.
• DEBRIEF: It's not done until you reported it done. This is often just a one-sentence email to me or to the client, sometimes a "100%" mark in the task list, or a ticket closed. It is done, completed or fixed only when whoever needed it done knows about it.
• WARN: If a deadline you know is important will likely be missed, warn me soon, as the situation is evolving, and then we can usually figure something out. If I have to learn at the moment of the deadline that it was missed, that's not ok. (In multi-boss situations that occur frequently in matrix organisations, or if you're a freelancer, also warn me if your workload is above what you can actually do, instead of not doing certain tasks.)

When engaging in a new project we want to get the ball rolling quickly, layout expectations early and agree time-scales and budgets. Removing ifs, buts and maybes from the process greatly increases the chances of the creative partnership surpassing the client's expectations and the development of a lasting relationship.

Overview

• What your organisation does?
• What your niche market is?
• How you fit in your industry sector?
• General project information?
• Aims & Objectives?
• Desired Deliverables?

Market

Detail on desired target market, including demographic information where possible.

• Choose a typical audience member or group and profile including; occupation, age range, gender, what their day looks like etc.
• How will they use your product?
• What do the audiences believe or think?

Messages, Features, Benefits and Values.

• List top desired (these may include must have/mission critical) features and/or facts about the product and its value to target audiences.
• Who is the competition?
• How should this product stack up against the opposition?
• What is the primary message?

Budget and Schedule

• Has the budget been approved?
• Is establishing the budget part of the brief?
• What is the product release date?
• Are there specific milestones that need to be achieved?
• What is the due date for the finished project?

Process

• Who is the primary contact for the project.
• What content will you be providing? logos, style guides, measurements.
• What are the internal review and approval processes.
• Who will sign off on the final design.
• How many revisions are expected? (unlimited is not an option)
• What format will the final design need to fill.

Each of the new teams takes time to familiarise themselves with their final concept and the brief to which it must fulfil. A detailed work plan is developed, breaking down every element that can be identified and timescales for delivery. These project lists and their assignment need to be agreed by the team before being put into action.

Facilitators need to oversee this process to ensure that the aims are realistic and can be achieved within the scope of the programme.

This point marks a sudden change of gears, where phase one and two come to a sudden and marked end. With the leadership of the Facilitators the group evaluates the most popular concepts against the brief's criteria until a top concept is found.

In a situation where there are many teams working in rotation on a number of briefs, all participants should be allowed take part in the evaluation stage of the programme. Existing teams are broken up and members reassigned based on suitability, passion (to the brief) and performance. This is done to bring fresh energy to the next phase of the process and should be communicated delicately and positively.

It is common for teams to drift wildly around the brief and quite often return a truly off topic result. With this in mind having the lead facilitator present the teams concepts back to them before work begins can help refocus the concepts to the brief.

The refinement process draws to a close with each team member giving thumbs up to the concepts they like, narrowing the field for the evaluation process. This can be done with the simple process of placing a post-it note with their initials on each concept they feel strongly about. There is no upper limit to this process, but through the process of refinement and reduction the number of concepts should be reduced to a manageable level.

Take risks, be persistent, be curious. Fail early and fail often.

Using the inspirations that were collected in phase one, the team offer up ideas that address the needs of the brief. Team members can offer up fresh concepts or build on the work of others.

Go for quantity, explore each idea entirely. Be spontaneous divergent thinking should be free-flowing, look for connections. Think with your hands, make things. These could be:

• Simple notes
• Free writings
• Code Snippets
• Models
• Doodles
• Storyboards
• Sounds/Pieces of Music
• Act it out

This is a heads up exercise were we keep looking at the work of those around us and the inspiration gathered earlier in order to spawn more ideas. Encourage the things we like, use language that explores/broadens rather then directs/narrows.

How much is enough? A team of 4-5 should be able to easily produce 100+ concepts in less then an hour. Teams may loose energy very early less then 10 concepts in the process. Feeling that the "right answer" has been found already and that time is being wasted that could be used on production. This is quite natural amongst groups new to this type of process, or jaded by prior experience. At this point the facilitator needs to come forward and step the group up and down the brief asking exploring questions. Open up the team to new process of exploration. Encourage, don't dismiss or correct unless all other options have been explored.

• Values
• Beliefs
• Prejudice
• Culture
• Language
• Memory
• Meta Behaviours

Each of the above contributes to who we are as individuals and how we form opinions, but in order for use to be truly divergent in our thinking we need to see past our filters and seek new experiences, ideologies and concepts. By questioning and challenging ourselves we can take our work in unexpected/unintended directions. Begin by gathering:

• Interesting Stories
• Videos
• Photos
• Articles
• Sketches

These sources should not always be digital and the internet is only one source of great material. Books, journals and magazines have the advantage and disadvantage of being curated content which can save time and energy initially. They are also dated time capsules making it easier to spot trends both past and present.

These sources are triggers for thoughts, memories, conversations, from which a thousand ideas can grow. It is important that we check our filters when viewing sources and make sure that we are not unknowingly editing out source material without being daft and letting everything in regardless of relevance.

Get out and experience the real world, be empathetic, meet the people who may ultimately interact with the product of the brief. Explore the environment which will be effected by the product. Take pictures, videos and notes, try to understand the human needs of the design process be an anthropologist. Understand the who and where before addressing the what, why or when.

Is the brief something completely revolutionary or are their other product/services already available that are close to or already fulfil the requirement of the brief. If so what are they? What can we learn from them? How are they performing? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Should we stand on the shoulders of giants? What would a completely new offering look, sound, taste, smell or feel like?

Inspirations should be shared visibly and openly with the group. Avoid any urge to protect or hide good sources for personal gain, thinking they might come in handy later. Instead look around at the inspirations added by the team and bounce off them in order to build on their influence. Acknowledge and encourage the ideas you like, refrain from criticism or discouragement at any stage. Talk openly with each other throughout the process, rather then work silently in corners.

Creating Whitespace—Identifying Themes

The second step of the Inspire phase is to organize the insights developed by the team. Each Postit is moved individually and discussed by the team as it is placed beside notes to which it has something in common. As each note is organised whitespace is created and the clusters/themes become clearly defined. Each team is then asked to develop a narrative to describe and establish the relationships, if any there is between each clusters/theme.

More

• Good design is innovative
• Good design makes a product useful
• Good design is aesthetic
• Good design makes a product understandable
• Good design is unobtrusive
• Good design is honest
• Good design is long-lasting
• Good design is thorough down to the last detail
• Good design is environmentally friendly
• Good design is as little design as possible

Related: Dieter Rams (http://conann.com/notebook/2010/8/9/dieter-rams-ten-principles-for-good-design.html)

As each phase of the creative process comes to an end and the next one begins, participants will instantly revert to their prior learned behaviour and will need to be pulled back into team centred, divergent thinking. Allow mini cycles of divergent—convergent thinking in the initial stages as the participants get comfortable but steer them away from reliance over time.

Contrary to common educational practice, students learn from what they experience and not from what they are told. Facilitators/Managers of the process need to stay focused on the bigger picture and not allow themselves to get stuck in details that may seem important in the moment but run against the overall experience of the participant. Consistency across the whole delivery team is vital and gives the participants clear indications of what they boundaries are.

In instances where specific learning outcomes need to be met, care will need to be taken in the correct construction of the brief so they are achieved naturally. Telling participants what the learning outcomes are before or during the process will prevent them from embracing the creative process and developing truly innovative work.

Creativity and innovation is only successful if the environment supports it. Cultural and personal conditioning needs to be acknowledged early. If the company, institution, course or session doesn’t adapt to the needs of the processes of innovation and the creative individual neither will exist in any meaningful way. Facilitators/managers supply the environment and tools required, but need to trust those involved and the process to deliver unexpected results. Contributions by those overseeing the sessions only guide the process and avoid contribution or deliberate steering.

The physical environment in which the creative process takes place is very flexible and often takes many forms. What is vital is that the space provided is allowed be covered from head to toe in the inspirations, illustrations diagrams etc. gathered during the each of the creative process phases described below. Where clear walls are not available, painted 8x4 MDF boards should be made available. A team of four participants would be expected to fill between 4 & 6 of these boards in the development of their brief.

Supplies should be freely available and plentiful. Sharpies, Letraset TRIO or Pro markers, Postits of all shapes colours and sizes, plasticine, glue and coloured paper; including white.