Brainstorming Technique in BABOK v3: 10.5 Explained for CBAP

The brainstorming technique is BABOK technique 10.5: a group session that produces a large number of ideas in a short time and then groups them into themes for further analysis. It has three elements (preparation, session and wrap-up) and one rule that the CBAP exam tests again and again: ideas are not judged while they are being generated. It appears in tasks across almost every knowledge area of the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) exam.

Last verified: October 2026 (exam facts from iiba.org).

What the brainstorming technique is

Brainstorming is a facilitated group technique for producing many new ideas on one topic, without criticism, and then evaluating them against agreed criteria. The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) gives its purpose in the BABOK Guide as fostering creative thinking about a problem, producing many ideas and finding common themes among them.

The BABOK Guide v3 describes it through three elements:

The separation of generation from evaluation is the heart of the technique. Alex Osborn, who popularised brainstorming in the 1940s and 1950s, built it on two rules: defer judgment and aim for quantity.

Why the brainstorming technique matters on the CBAP exam

Brainstorming matters because it is one of the few techniques that can appear in almost any question. Our map of all 50 BABOK techniques lists it among the seven that travel across nearly every knowledge area, from planning stakeholder engagement and identifying risks to defining the future state and design options.

According to IIBA, the CBAP exam has 120 scenario-based questions in 210 minutes. Brainstorming questions usually test:

• The no-criticism rule. If a scenario describes a participant dismissing ideas during the session, the correct action is to remind the group that evaluation comes later.
• The order of elements. Evaluation criteria are agreed in preparation, used in wrap-up, never invented on the spot.
• Fit. Brainstorming is for breadth of new ideas. If the scenario needs facts about the current state, a single expert's view, or a decision between known options, another technique fits better.

How a brainstorming session works, step by step

A good session is short, focused and followed by a clear decision.

1. Frame one question. "How might we cut onboarding time for new suppliers?" works; "improve procurement" does not.
2. Invite a mix of people. Include people close to the work and people from outside it. Keep the group small enough that everyone can contribute.
3. Agree evaluation criteria in advance. For example: cost, time to implement, impact on the customer.
4. Set the rules. No criticism, quantity over quality, wild ideas welcome, build on each other.
5. Run the session against a timer. Record every idea visibly. Give people a few minutes to write ideas alone first, so quieter participants are not drowned out.
6. Wrap up. Group similar ideas, remove duplicates, score them against the criteria and share the condensed list.

Step 5 contains the main design choice: whether people speak in turn or write first. The research below explains why writing first often works better.

Example: reducing call-centre repeat calls

An energy retailer finds that 30% of customers call twice about the same bill. The business analyst runs a 45-minute session with seven people: two call-centre agents, a billing specialist, a UX designer, a data analyst, a team leader and a customer-experience manager.

The question: "How might we make sure customers understand their bill the first time?" Criteria agreed beforehand: cost, time to deliver, expected reduction in repeat calls.

Five minutes of silent writing produce 41 ideas; a further 15 minutes of open sharing add 23 more. In wrap-up, the group merges them into eight themes and scores them:

The shortlist goes into the future state and later into requirements. The agents' idea of a text message for unusual bills was the one nobody in management had considered, which is exactly what the technique is for. The analyst then used root cause data to check that unclear bills, not tariff errors, drove most repeat calls, in line with our article on root cause analysis and the 5 Whys.

What practitioners and researchers say

Practitioners like the technique; researchers warn that its classic, speak-aloud form underperforms.

• In a 2022 BA Times guide, Noah Rue writes that "business analysts must learn to be intentional in their brainstorming", and recommends a clear goal, assigned roles, ground rules and methods such as brainwriting and round-robin.
• A Modern Analyst article by Morgan Masters recommends 5–8 diverse participants, one specific question and a few minutes of silent thinking at the start, and notes that people support solutions they helped create.
• Matt Strom's 2022 essay "Stop brainstorming" cites the 1987 review by Diehl and Stroebe, which traced lower group output to production blocking, evaluation apprehension and free riding.
• Research summarised under production blocking shows that while one person speaks, others stop generating ideas; nominal groups, where people write ideas independently, usually produce more.

The practical lesson for analysts is not to abandon brainstorming but to run it well: write first, share second, evaluate last.

Common misconceptions

Most exam traps come from mixing brainstorming with nearby techniques.

• "Brainstorming means discussing ideas freely." Discussion and evaluation belong to wrap-up. During the session, ideas are only recorded.
• "The facilitator should filter weak ideas." Every idea is recorded. Filtering happens against criteria agreed in preparation.
• "Bigger groups give more ideas." Large groups increase blocking and reduce participation. The BABOK Guide's usage considerations note that participation depends on willingness and on interpersonal politics.
• "Brainstorming and mind mapping are the same." Mind Mapping (10.29) is a way to structure and visualise ideas; it can be used during or after brainstorming, but it is a separate technique.
• "Brainstorming produces decisions." It produces a list of options. Decision Analysis (10.16) or Prioritization (10.33) is used to choose among them.

Practice Questions

These are original questions written for this article.

Question 1

During a brainstorming session, a senior manager responds to each new idea by explaining why it will not work. Several participants stop contributing. What should the business analyst do?

A. End the session and interview participants one by one B. Remind the group that ideas are evaluated only after the session, using the agreed criteria C. Ask the manager to rank the ideas so far D. Switch to a survey

Answer: B. The session element of brainstorming forbids criticism or evaluation while ideas are generated. Restoring that rule addresses the problem; ending the session or ranking ideas now would break the technique.

Question 2

When should the evaluation criteria for brainstormed ideas be established?

A. During the session, as ideas appear B. During preparation, before the session C. After the ideas have been ranked D. Criteria are not needed in brainstorming

Answer: B. The BABOK Guide places criteria in preparation, so the wrap-up can evaluate ideas consistently and without bias toward particular contributors.

Question 3

A team needs to understand exactly how the current returns process works, step by step. Which technique is least suitable as the primary approach?

A. Observation B. Process Modelling C. Brainstorming D. Document Analysis

Answer: C. Brainstorming generates new ideas; it does not establish facts about the current state. Observation, document analysis and process modelling describe what happens today.

Related techniques

Brainstorming sits in a family of creative and group techniques. Workshops (10.50) often host a brainstorming session; Mind Mapping (10.29) and Collaborative Games (10.10) structure ideas in different ways; Root Cause Analysis (10.40) checks that ideas address real causes. For the bigger picture of group elicitation, read our guide to Elicitation and Collaboration. When ideas need to be compared with what others already do, benchmarking and market analysis is the natural next step.

The CBAP simulator is not live yet. For scenario practice on another IIBA exam, try our CBDA practice exam.

FAQ

What are the three elements of brainstorming in BABOK?

Preparation, session and wrap-up. Preparation defines the question, participants, time limit and evaluation criteria; the session collects ideas without judgment; the wrap-up evaluates and condenses them.

What is the main rule of a brainstorming session?

No criticism or evaluation while ideas are being generated. Every idea is recorded, and judgment happens only in the wrap-up against criteria agreed beforehand.

How many people should take part in brainstorming?

Most guidance, including practitioner articles on Modern Analyst, suggests a small, diverse group of about 6–8 people. Larger groups increase waiting time and reduce participation.

Is brainstorming effective?

Research since the 1950s shows that groups speaking in turn often produce fewer ideas than the same people working alone. Writing ideas individually first, then sharing and evaluating them together, keeps the benefits of the group without most of the losses.

Which CBAP knowledge areas use brainstorming?

Almost all of them. It supports planning tasks such as stakeholder engagement, elicitation, strategy tasks such as defining the future state and assessing risks, and design options in Requirements Analysis and Design Definition.

Sources

• IIBA: Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)
• IIBA Knowledge Hub: BABOK Guide 10.5 Brainstorming
• BA Times: Doing Better Brainstorming, A Business Analyst's Guide
• Modern Analyst: Using the Brainstorming Technique in Business Analysis
• Matt Strom: Stop brainstorming
• Wikipedia: Production blocking