SCAMPER Method

SCAMPER is a creativity technique that generates ideas for improving products or services with seven specific requests to vary an initial configuration.

Subject

Delivering business and customer value/Product development

Definition

The method is used to generate ideas, e.g., as part of brainstorming. It is based on the assumption that all new discoveries are modifications of something that already exists. SCAMPER is an acronym and stands for: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse.

Benefit

Optimization and new development of products, services and processes, generation of ideas and possible solutions, problem solving method, development of new strategies. The method helps to find new solutions through new and closer examination of existing facts and the conscious change of previous arrangements or patterns. SCAMPER can uncover hurdles and limits in the company and thus identify new opportunities. It is simple and needs no preparation in advance.

Procedure

A facilitator leads the participants through the seven categories and encourages them to abandon established thought patterns and look at existing issues from a different perspective. Formulate clearly what you want to achieve with the SCAMPER session and make the question visible to everyone, e.g., on a flipchart or whiteboard. Good starting points are existing products or processes that either need to be improved or that cause problems. The facilitator considers all seven areas together with the group. For an orderly process, it is beneficial to go through the questions one after the other in the first step. Ask the prepared questions (see below) and visualize the answers on cards or directly on a flipchart or whiteboard. You can structure the collected ideas in the form of a mind map or with lists. Think of different ways to replace one component by something else. These can be other elements, but also new materials, properties, etc. Look at each component of the product or each step of the process and consider whether alternatives can replace them. Once you have a sufficient number of ideas, structure the answers. Summarize similar ideas, e.g., all ideas relating to a specific function of the product. The participants then evaluate their ideas according to their feasibility, costs, time horizon (or criteria that suit them) and prioritize them, if necessary. These steps can be carried out immediately or in a separate step, depending on the group size and scope of the ideas.

Source: https://www.projektmagazin.de/methoden/scamper

Participants

The entire team, stakeholders

Tools

Whiteboard/flipchart, sticky notes

See also

https://www.projektmagazin.de/methoden/scamper