We have a 3 step approach to address challenges in an imaginative and innovative way.  This helps our clients re-define the problems they face, and helps us come up with breakthrough ideas. 
Picture
Picture
Objective Finding - Identify Goal or Challenge

This could be a wish or a goal. It might be the initial dissatisfaction or a desire that opens the door to using the CPS process.
Fact Finding - Gather Data

Assess and review all the data that pertains to the situation at hand. Who’s involved, what’s involved, when, where, and why it’s important. Make a list of the facts and information, as well as the more visceral hunches, feelings, perceptions, assumptions and gossip around the situation. In this step, all the data is taken into consideration to review the objective and begin to innovate.
Problem Finding - Clarify the Problem

In this step, explore the facts and data to find all the problems and challenges inherent in the situation, and all the opportunities they represent. This is about making sure you’re focusing on the right problem. It is possible to come up with the right answer to the wrong problem. Re-define what you want or what’s stopping you.

Generate Ideas
Idea Finding - Generate Ideas

Generating ideas is much more than brainstorming. During this step, be vigilant about deferring judgment and coming up with wild, outrageous, out-of-the-box ideas. This is where you explore ideas that are possible solutions and have the most fun. It’s also where you need to stretch to make connections, take risks, and try new combinations to find potentially innovative solutions.

Prepare for action
Solution Finding – Select and Strengthen Solutions

First, try to strengthen and improve the best ideas generated. Next, generate the criteria that needs to be considered to evaluate the ideas for success. Apply that criteria to the top ideas and decide which are most likely to solve the redefined problem. The best idea needs to meet criteria that makes it actionable before it becomes the solution. A creative idea is not really useful if it won’t be implemented.
Acceptance Finding – Plan for Action

In this step, look at who’s responsible, what has to be done by when, and what resources are available in order to realize this idea as a full-fledged, activated solution.