Productive Thinking Model
The Productive Thinking Model is a six-step creative problem-solving framework published by Tim Hurson in his book Think Better (2007). It moves from understanding the situation and defining success, through finding the right question, to generating, strengthening and resourcing a solution. Each step first opens up many possibilities and then selects critically, so that judging never happens while the group is still generating.
Facilitation script
- 1
What's going on? Collect facts, impacts, people involved and unknowns on sticky notes, then have the group describe the future it wants once the problem is solved.
15 min - 2
What's success? Fill in the five DRIVE headings as a group and keep the result visible for the rest of the session.
10 min - 3
What's the question? Everyone writes 'How might we...?' questions silently, the group clusters them and selects the one or two to work on.
15 min - 4
Generate answers. Run a brainstorm on the chosen question with judgement suspended, aiming for quantity.
20 min - 5
Forge the solution. Shortlist ideas, rate them against the DRIVE criteria, choose one and improve it by fixing its weakest points.
20 min - 6
Align resources. List actions, owners, resources and dates, and agree when the group will review progress.
10 min
Tips
Give step three more time than feels natural: groups usually arrive with a question already in mind, and the method earns its keep when a better one replaces it.
Announce clearly when the group switches from listing to choosing within each step, and stop evaluation that creeps into the listing phase.
Keep the DRIVE criteria on the wall, because step five only works if ideas are rated against what was written down and not against whoever argues loudest.
Common pitfalls
Skimming the first two steps to reach ideas faster, which leaves the group solving a loosely understood problem with no agreed test for a good answer
Keeping the original problem statement as the question in step three, so the session produces the same ideas the team already had
Evaluating ideas while they are still being listed, which shortens the list and removes the unusual options
Choosing the winning idea by vote alone and ignoring the success criteria, so the selected solution fails a restriction that was written down an hour earlier
Stopping after the solution is chosen and skipping the resources step, which leaves a good idea with no owner and no date
Variations
Individuals can work through the six steps alone on paper in under an hour. For a large or difficult problem, spread the steps over two sessions with a break after choosing the question, which gives people time to gather missing facts. Remote: one board frame per step, with silent writing before each discussion. Individual steps can be run with dedicated methods, for example How Might We for step three, Brainstorming or Brainwriting for step four and a Decision Matrix for step five.
Where it fits
When to use it
A team faces a problem with no obvious answer and has the authority to act on the result
People keep jumping to solutions before agreeing what the problem is or what a good outcome would be
You want one process that carries a group from a fuzzy situation to an action plan in a single session
A team needs a repeatable problem-solving routine it can reuse without an external facilitator
Earlier brainstorms produced ideas that could not be compared because nobody had defined success
When not to use it
The cause of a fault is unknown and has to be found first. Use The 5 Whys or another root-cause method before looking for solutions
The solution is already decided and only needs planning. Go straight to an action-planning format
You have 30 minutes or less. Run a single step, such as How Might We, instead of rushing all six
The problem needs user research or prototype testing over several days. A Design Sprint is built for that
The group cannot change anything about the situation. Defining success and solutions for someone else's decision produces frustration
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Productive Thinking Model?▾
The Productive Thinking Model is a six-step framework for creative problem solving described by Tim Hurson in his 2007 book Think Better. The steps are: What's going on, What's success, What's the question, Generate answers, Forge the solution, and Align resources. Each step separates open idea generation from critical selection.
What does DRIVE stand for in the Productive Thinking Model?▾
DRIVE is the prompt used in step two to define success criteria. It stands for Do (what the solution must achieve), Restrictions (what it must not do or exceed), Investment (the time, money and effort available), Values (what must be respected) and Essential outcomes. The criteria are used again in step five to rate ideas.
How long does the Productive Thinking Model take?▾
A team can work through all six steps on a contained problem in 60 to 120 minutes. Larger problems are better split over two sessions, with fact-finding between choosing the question and generating answers.
Can one person use the Productive Thinking Model alone?▾
Yes. The model works for individuals as well as teams, and working alone on paper takes less time. A group adds a wider range of questions and ideas, and makes it easier to get commitment to the action plan.
How does the Productive Thinking Model relate to brainstorming?▾
Brainstorming is one technique for producing ideas, and it sits inside step four of the model. The model adds what comes before and after: understanding the situation, defining success, choosing the question, then strengthening and resourcing the chosen idea.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Tim Hurson, Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking (McGraw-Hill, 2007).