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BMAD-METHOD/docs/explanation/features/brainstorming-techniques.md
forcetrainer e535f94325 docs: comprehensive style guide update with reference and glossary standards
Style Guide Additions:
- Add Reference Structure section with 6 document types (Index, Catalog,
  Deep-Dive, Configuration, Glossary, Comprehensive)
- Add Glossary Structure section with table-based format leveraging
  Starlight's right-nav for navigation
- Include checklists for both new document types

Reference Docs Updated:
- agents/index.md: Catalog format, universal commands tip admonition
- configuration/core-tasks.md: Configuration format with admonitions
- configuration/global-config.md: Table-based config reference
- workflows/index.md: Minimal index format
- workflows/core-workflows.md: Catalog format
- workflows/document-project.md: Deep-dive with Quick Facts admonition
- workflows/bmgd-workflows.md: Comprehensive format, removed ~30 hr rules

Glossary Rewritten:
- Converted from 373 lines with ### headers to 123 lines with tables
- Right nav now shows 9 categories instead of 50+ terms
- Added italic context markers (*BMGD.*, *Brownfield.*, etc.)
- Alphabetized terms within categories
- Removed redundant inline TOC

All Docs:
- Remove horizontal rules (---) per style guide
- Remove "Related" sections (sidebar handles navigation)
- Standardize admonition usage
- Archive deleted workflow customization docs

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-01-12 00:23:05 -05:00

4.1 KiB

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Brainstorming

Facilitate structured creative sessions using 60+ proven ideation techniques.

The Brainstorming workflow is an interactive facilitation system that helps you unlock your own creativity. The AI acts as coach, guide, and creative partner — using proven techniques to draw out ideas and insights that are already within you.

:::note[Important] Every idea comes from you. The workflow creates the conditions for your best thinking to emerge through guided exploration, but you are the source. :::

When to Use It

  • Breaking through creative blocks on a specific challenge
  • Generating innovative ideas for products, features, or solutions
  • Exploring a problem from completely new angles
  • Systematically developing ideas from raw concepts to actionable plans
  • Team ideation (with collaborative techniques) or personal creative exploration

How It Works

1. Session Setup

Define your topic, goals, and any constraints.

2. Choose Your Approach

Approach Description
User-Selected Browse the full technique library and pick what appeals to you
AI-Recommended Get customized technique suggestions based on your goals
Random Selection Discover unexpected methods through serendipitous technique combinations
Progressive Flow Journey systematically from expansive exploration to focused action planning

3. Interactive Facilitation

Work through techniques with true collaborative coaching. The AI asks probing questions, builds on your ideas, and helps you think deeper—but your ideas are the source.

4. Idea Organization

All your generated ideas are organized into themes and prioritized.

5. Action Planning

Top ideas get concrete next steps, resource requirements, and success metrics.

What You Get

A comprehensive session document that captures the entire journey:

  • Topic, goals, and session parameters
  • Each technique used and how it was applied
  • Your contributions and the ideas you generated
  • Thematic organization connecting related insights
  • Prioritized ideas with action plans
  • Session highlights and key breakthroughs

This document becomes a permanent record of your creative process — valuable for future reference, sharing with stakeholders, or continuing the session later.

Technique Categories

Category Focus
Collaborative Team dynamics and inclusive participation
Creative Breakthrough thinking and paradigm shifts
Deep Root cause analysis and strategic insight
Structured Organized frameworks and systematic exploration
Theatrical Playful, radical perspectives
Wild Boundary-pushing, extreme thinking
Biomimetic Nature-inspired solutions
Quantum Quantum principles for innovation
Cultural Traditional knowledge and cross-cultural approaches
Introspective Delight Inner wisdom and authentic exploration

Key Features

  • Interactive coaching — Pulls ideas out of you, doesn't generate them for you
  • On-demand loading — Techniques loaded from a comprehensive library as needed
  • Session preservation — Every step, insight, and action plan is documented
  • Continuation support — Pause sessions and return later, or extend with additional techniques

Workflow Integration

Brainstorming is a core workflow designed to be invoked and configured by other modules. When called from another workflow, it accepts contextual parameters:

Parameter Description
Topic focus What the brainstorming should help discover or solve
Guardrails Constraints, boundaries, or must-avoid areas
Output goals What the final output needs to accomplish for the calling workflow
Context files Project-specific guidance to inform technique selection

Example

When creating a new module in the BMad Builder workflow, Brainstorming can be invoked with guardrails around the module's purpose and a goal to discover key features, user needs, or architectural considerations. The session becomes focused on producing exactly what the module creation workflow needs.