CHEAT SHEET — CREATIVITY & PROBLEM-SOLVING (keep at hand)
Golden rule: OPEN first (generate without judging), CLOSE next (sort, decide) — never both at once.

=== 0. MINDSET ===
- Creativity is a skill, not a gift: it is learned and maintained.
- Divergence (quantity, no judgment) THEN convergence (critical sorting).
- Lift blockers: self-censorship, fear of judgment → psychological safety, right to fail.
- Idea notebook always at hand: an unrecorded idea is lost.

=== 1. FRAME THE PROBLEM (before any solution) ===
- 5W1H: Who? What? Where? When? How? Why? (+ How much?) — describe with facts.
- Cause vs symptom: treat the cause, not the manifestation (or it returns).
- 5 whys: dig to the actionable root cause.
- Ishikawa (5M): Manpower, Machine, Method, Material, Milieu — multiple causes.
- Reframe as "How might we…?" (neither too broad nor too narrow).

=== 2. GENERATE IDEAS (widely, without judging) ===
- Brainstorming (Osborn's 4 rules): quantity, no judgment, wild ideas welcome, build on ("yes, and…").
- Brainwriting (6-3-5): everyone writes equally → against the dominance effect.
- SCAMPER: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Rearrange.
- Associations / analogies / random word: unblock breakthrough ideas.

=== 3. STRUCTURED METHODS ===
- Design Thinking: Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test (iterate).
- 6 hats (De Bono): facts, emotions, risks, benefits, creativity, organization.
- Lateral thinking: question the obvious, change angle.
- Empathy map / persona: start from real needs (not assumptions).

=== 4. CONVERGE & DECIDE ===
- Affinity grouping + dot voting.
- Impact / feasibility matrix: quick wins first, big projects to plan, drop the rest.
- Low-fi prototype (fast, simple, disposable) → test early with real users.
- Decide and own it → concrete action plan (who does what, when) + owner + follow-up.

=== 5. AS A TEAM & OVER TIME ===
- Run a workshop: prepare, frame, facilitate (neutral on substance), conclude on decisions.
- Collective intelligence: diversity + safety; avoid groupthink (devil's advocate).
- Culture of innovation: right to fail, encourage ideas, lead by example.
- Generative AI: amplifies ideation (AI proposes, humans dispose) — always verify.
- Maintain: curiosity, notebook, breaks, regular practice.

REMINDERS
- A well-posed problem is half-solved.
- An unexecuted idea stays sterile: go through to decision and action.