During a PI team meeting, the leader asked members to provide ideas on how to reduce the coding backlog, and the ideas were recorded on the whiteboard as they came up. What PI tool is being used?

• A. Structured brainstorming
• B. Unstructured brainstorming
• C. Affinity diagram
• D. Flowchart

Answer: (B)

Unstructured brainstorming is being used here. It involves free‑flow idea generation with minimal rules, and ideas are captured as they come, often on a whiteboard or sticky notes, without an organized plan from the start. The scenario fits because the team recorded ideas on the whiteboard as they appeared, without a predefined structure or categorization during the session.

In contrast, structured brainstorming uses a defined method (like a scheduled process, turn-taking, or time-boxed rounds) to generate and capture ideas. An affinity diagram would come after brainstorming to group related ideas into themes, not during the initial idea capture. A flowchart maps steps in a process and isn’t about capturing a broad list of spontaneous ideas.