Problem Solving and Decision Making

Dean Beuglass

Objectives• Understand the relationship between

problem solving and project management• Learn five steps that help you to analyze a

problem • Learn a systematic problem-solving

process• Put into action the skills and ideas you

have learned during the course • Prepared. For Life.

Where do problems come from?

Independent of projects • First Aid emergencies• Leader recruiting• Unit elections

Within larger projects • Camping/Trekking/Summer Camp• Popcorn Sales• Eagle Project

Project Planning RecapSTEP 1

Project Overview

STEP 3 ActivityPlan &

Assignment

STEP 4Execute

The Plan

STEP 5Project

Closeout

STEP 2Activity

List

•Goals and Objectives•Tasks•Responsibilities• WORK!!!•Compare Goals to Outcome

The Five Steps of:

• Project Planning• Project Overview• Activity List• Activity Plan &

Assignments• Execute the Plan• Project Closeout

• Problem Solving• Describe the problem• Gather information• Determine the most

important factors that contribute to the problem

• Visualize what success looks like

• Create action steps that will lead to success

Advantages of Systematically Solving Problems

• Adherence to those five steps increases your odds of success because you have completed a full assessment of the problem

• Improved speed and efficiency with continued use

• Time savings – organized approach yields a quick and orderly solution

Systematic Problem Solving

• Describe the problem• Gather Information• Determine the most important factors that

contribute to the problem• Visualize what success looks like• Create action steps that will lead to success

EACH STEP DEMANDS DECISIONS

Decisions, Decisions…

Decision MakingBrainstorming

• Encourage all to participate – every idea is valuable• Think outside the box

• Beyond the obvious• Agree at the outset not to be critical of the ideas of others

• Piggyback Ideas – build on the ideas of others• Remember the past…

• Have you solved a similar problem (team or other group)• No need to reinvent the wheel

Decision MakingConsensus

• Discussion results in an agreement without a vote• Potential solutions are assessed and evaluated to make

sure that they align with the vision of success• Must agree to abide by the group decision

Multivoting• With many potential solutions this can help reduce the

list to a manageable size• Each member has equal votes• Cast votes – total scores, repeat as needed…

Decision MakingParking Lot

• Allows you to table a part of a discussion if not directly related to the immediate problem

• Acknowledge as a group that the item is not immediately relevant

• Allows all members to feel that their ideas are/will be heard

• Write a brief description of issue/thought – ensure that the item is captured in enough detail to return to the discussion

FOLLOW-UP!!

Barriers to effective Problem Solving

Indecision

Stalling

Overreacting

Vacillating

Half measures

Sample Problem SolvingPost Beading Menu Planning

• Describe the problem• Need a menu to satisfy the most discriminating staffers

• Gather information• Scope limited to menu planning-not shopping, cooking, serving…just

the menu• Only have 5 minutes during WB2011 to decide• Needs to be a group decision

• Determine the most important factors that contribute to the problem• Don’t have much time• Need to involve everyone

• Visualize what success looks like• Quickly come up with a great menu

• Create action steps that will lead to success• Divide work into patrols, brainstorm & multivote

Brainstorming & Multivoting Practice• Your patrol is asked to suggest a dish

Fox-Appetizer Buffalo-Main CourseBear-Soup Antelope-VegetableBobwhite-Salad Owl-DessertEagle-Main Course Beaver-Dessert

• Brainstorm as many ideas as possible in the next 2 minutes and record on sticky notes

• Take 1 minute to collapse duplicates • Then multivote with dots (dotmocracy) to determine your final

choice• Number of votes each person gets is approximately 1/3 of the

number of possible choices• You can only vote for a single item once• You may have to vote multiple times

– reduce # of votes each time• Report out

Review: Five Steps of Problem Solving

• Describe the ___________• Gather _______________• Determine the ______

____________ ___________that contribute to the problem

• Visualize what __________ looks like

• Create _______ _______ that will lead to success

problem

mostimportant factors

success

stepsaction

information

Review: Systematic Approaches

• Recognize the value in a systematic approach to problem solving• Follow each step• Make it second nature – realize time gains

• Utilize decision making protocols (like brainstorming & multivoting) to build consensus decisions

Final Rule of Thumb

M

A

R

F

aintain

lexibility

igid

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