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Simple & Pragmatic Problem Solving
#58Chapter 5: Individual Creative Option Generation• Individual Creative Optionslogical Thinkingindividual and group Mode2-4 hours(Time-consuming)

The 7 x 7 Technique

From the book "Advanced Problem-Solving Toolbox: 115 Creative Plays" | Compiled & Edited by: Mojtaba Goudarzi, Open translation: Mehrshid Goudarzi
Executive Synopsis & Core Logic:

Carl Gregory's matrix method for refining, summarizing and prioritizing up to 49 key ideas in a 7-row by 7-column grid through 7 systematic screening steps.

Operational Parameters & Specifications

Category
Individual Creative Options
Dominant Thinking
logical
Participation
individual and group
Estimated TimeTime-consuming
2-4 hours
Workshop
Input Format
pile of micro-ideas, organizational feedback cards and proposed projects
Output Format
Idea generation
Key Application
Prioritization of the organization's strategic initiatives, software features roadmap, project portfolio management and organizational culture redesign.
Core Differentiator:

Systematic management of the explosion of ideas with a specific geometric limit (maximum of 7 axes and 7 top ideas in each axis) based on Millar's law of cognitive capacity.

Quick Field Example:

Employee motivation crisis management: Refine hundreds of suggestions in a 7x7 matrix including the columns of team building, appreciation, career promotion and rank them from left to right.

Operational Benefits & Implementation Risks

Advantages & Value Creation:

Super mathematical and visual structure, ensuring team agreement on screening, turning a jumble of ideas into precise actionable priorities.

Risks & Potential Trade-offs:

A time-consuming process that requires strong facilitation so that team members do not conflict in rankings.

Real-World Organizational & Industry Scenarios

Annual strategic planning: organizing dozens of operational goals of different units in the 7 priority pillars of the company.
Product portfolio management: Screening the features suggested by users and the technical team in the quarterly sprints roadmap.
Crisis management and human resources: developing a comprehensive personnel welfare and motivational program by filtering feasible proposals from impossible ones.

Strategic Rationale & Why to Apply

1George Millar's law of the magic number seven: the human brain is not able to compare and maintain more than 2±7 concepts at the same time.
2Eliminate junk without tension: A step-by-step process allows teams to discard weak ideas without discomfort.
3simultaneous determination of horizontal and vertical priority: ranking within columns (vertical) and importance ranking of columns themselves (horizontal).
4Organizational Commitment to Implementation: Matrix transparency ensures alignment and shared ownership by all members of the organization.

Conceptual Framework & Book Method Description

The 7 x 7 Technique, developed by Carl Gregory, is the most advanced matrix framework for organizing voluminous brainstorms.

When there are more than 100 ideas on the table, organizations experience decision paralysis. The 7x7 technique works through a regular 7-step protocol: 1) Merging similar ideas 2) Eliminating irrelevant and impossible options 3) Redefining and making ideas realistic 4) Postponing future costly ideas 5) Forming separate columns with umbrella headings (up to 7 columns) 6) Vertical ranking of ideas within each column (up to 7 ideas per column) 7) Horizontal ranking Columns from left to right based on strategic urgency. The final output is a 49-house matrix dashboard of the organization's most important actions.

Step-by-Step Real-World Implementation Scenario

Designing a comprehensive roadmap for elite motivation and retention with the 7x7 matrix technique
1
Step 1: Aggregate and Merge Overlapping ProposalsGroup the 120 raw ideas into initial clusters and merge similar options (eg, combining sports camps and paintball competitions).
2
Step 2: Eliminating the Impossible and Postponing the AmbitiousEliminating 25 ideas unrelated to personnel involvement; Postponing expensive ideas like "Establishing a dedicated company kindergarten" to later years.
3
Step 3: Refine and Adjust IdeasTransform the vague idea of ​​"weekly performance reviews" into "regular quarterly constructive feedback sessions with coaching."
4
Step 4: Forming the final conceptual pillarsCreating 4 structured pillars: 1) career advancement path 2) recognition and reward programs 3) team building activities 4) health and mental health.
5
Step 5: Vertical ranking and horizontal prioritization of columnsVertical ranking of ideas in each column from the most valuable to the least valuable; The arrangement of the columns from left to right: "Career promotion path" column in the first place and "Mental health" in the second place.
6
Step 6: Compilation of the final document of the 7x7 matrixto produce a matrix with 20 selected actions, the budget and exact timing of each implementation was determined and approved by the board of directors.

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Previous Play (#57)
Rolling in the Grass of Ideas
Next Play (#59)
Sleeping/Dreaming on It
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