This episode is part of our interview series, “A Chat with Cross Functional Experts". Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team for new product development. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they're involved and work with product design engineering teammates. 

Emily Haidemenos joins us to talk about brainstorming for product development. She hosted a workshop at a conference about this topic titled, "Brainstorming: The Solution to Structured Problem Solving”. We welcome her to the show to share some of her insights and stories of success.  

Emily has a Master's Degree in Design and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  After initially working as a Design Engineer Emily left and moved into a  New Product Development Quality Engineering  position.  In this  role, she worked with multiple cross-functional engineering teams to ensure the effectiveness of quality systems while earning her Six Sigma Black Belt certification.  Now as a Chief Engineer for next generation high voltage automotive products, she aims to grow and develop a team of technically competent individuals who realize their maximum potential. 

We talk about:

• Common pitfalls of brainstorming from a perspective of taking defensive action against those pitfalls.  
• We go over the basic steps of brainstorming, but then circle back to the planning phase. There’s a lot we can do in the planning phases, and Emily shares specifics about planning for brainstorming so we can get the most out of it, including setting up those defenses. 
• Best practices for leading a brainstorming session.
• Successes she’s had with it, and what her team thinks about it. 

Visit the podcast blog for links to Emily's recommendations. 

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