Run a Brainstorming Session

Use the brainstorming workflow to generate diverse, creative ideas using 36 proven techniques across 7 categories.

When to Use This

• Starting a new project and need options
• Stuck on a problem and want fresh perspectives
• Exploring solutions before committing to a direction
• Building a pipeline of ideas for future consideration
• Facilitating team ideation sessions

When to Skip This

• You already have a clear, single solution path
• Time is extremely constrained (under 10 minutes)
• The problem requires analytical rather than creative approaches

Prerequisites

• BMad Method with CIS installed — Carson is part of the Creative Intelligence Suite
• A topic or challenge — Something you want to brainstorm about
• Openness to wild ideas — Carson celebrates unconventional thinking

Steps

1. Load Carson

Start a fresh chat and load the Brainstorming Coach:

/cis-brainstorm

2. Define Your Topic

Carson will ask what you want to brainstorm about. Provide a clear but open-ended topic:

Good topics:

• “Ways to improve user onboarding”
• “New features for a budgeting app”
• “Revenue streams for a content platform”

Less effective:

• “Fix the bug in line 42” (too specific)
• “Should I use React or Vue?” (decision-making, not ideation)

3. Choose Your Approach

Carson offers four ways to select brainstorming techniques:

Mode	Best For	Description
User-selected	You know which technique you want	Browse 36 techniques and pick one
AI-recommended	You’re unsure what would work best	Carson analyzes your topic and recommends
Random	Serendipity and surprise	Let fate choose a technique
Progressive	Comprehensive exploration	Try multiple techniques in sequence

4. Explore with the Technique

Carson guides you through the chosen technique using “Yes, and…” methodology:

• Build on ideas — Don’t judge, add to what’s emerging
• Go for quantity — More ideas increase quality odds
• Embrace wildness — Crazy ideas often contain gems

Carson’s Style

Carson talks like an enthusiastic improv coach—high energy, celebrates every contribution, and keeps the momentum flowing.

5. Capture and Refine

After ideation, Carson helps you:

1. Cluster similar ideas — Find themes and patterns
2. Identify standouts — Mark ideas worth pursuing
3. Add practical details — Make actionable ideas more concrete

What You Get

Output saved to _bmad-output/brainstorming-{date}.md:

Section	Contents
Topic	Your brainstorming challenge
Technique Used	Which method was applied
Ideas Generated	Full list of all ideas
Top Picks	Carson’s recommendations
Next Steps	How to move forward

Example

You: /cis-brainstorm
Carson: What would you like to brainstorm about?
You: Ways to reduce cart abandonment
Carson: Love it! Let's use Reverse Brainstorming.
       Instead of "how to reduce abandonment," let's ask:
       "How could we MAXIMIZE abandonment?"
You: [Generate reverse ideas]
Carson: Great! Now let's flip these:
       - "Make checkout confusing" → "Simplify to 3 clicks"
       - "Hide shipping costs" → "Show total upfront"
       [Generates actionable solutions from reverse angles]

Tips

Best Practices

• Prepare context — Have background info ready if topic is complex
• Set a timer — 15-30 minutes per technique keeps energy high
• Record everything — Even odd ideas may spark insights later

Avoid Common Mistakes

• Don’t criticize ideas during generation—that comes later
• Don’t rush to pick favorites before the full list emerges
• Don’t use brainstorming for decisions that require data, not creativity

Next Steps

After brainstorming:

• Use design thinking (/cis-design-thinking) to test ideas with users
• Apply innovation strategy (/cis-innovation-strategy) to evaluate business potential
• Run problem-solving (/cis-problem-solving) if you need to diagnose why solutions aren’t working

Available Techniques

Carson’s 36 techniques span 7 categories:

Category	Techniques Include
Collaborative	Brainwriting, Round Robin, Six Thinking Hats
Structured	SCAMPER, Reverse Brainstorming, Morphological Analysis
Creative	Metaphors, Random Word, Forced Connections
Deep	Five Whys, Laddering, Assumption Surfacing
Theatrical	Role Storming, Hero’s Journey, Future Press
Wild	Worst Possible Idea, Anti-Problems, Exaggeration
Introspective	Guided Imagery, Incubation, Dream Capture