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Problem-Solving Skills – Start Here!

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Problems are only opportunities in work clothes. – Henry Kaiser American

indstrialist"

Problem solving is a key skill# and it$s one that can make a hge di%%erence to yor

career&

At 'ork# problems are at the center o% 'hat many people do every day&

(o$re either solving a problem %or a client internal or external"# spporting those

'ho are solving problems# or discovering ne' problems to solve&

)he problems yo %ace can be large or small# simple or complex# and easy or

di%%iclt to solve&

*egardless o% the natre o% the problems# a %ndamental part o% every manager$s

role is %inding 'ays to solve them& So# being a con%ident problem solver is really

important to yor sccess&

+ch o% that con%idence comes %rom having a good process to se 'hen

approaching a problem& ,ith one# yo can solve problems ickly and e%%ectively&

,ithot one# yor soltions may be ine%%ective# or yo$ll get stck and do nothing#

'ith sometimes pain%l conseences&

)here are %or basic steps in problem solving.

& 0e%ining the problem&

1& 2enerating alternatives&

3& 4valating and selecting alternatives&

5& 6mplementing soltions&

Steps 1 to 5 o% this process are covered in depth in other areas o% +ind )ools& 7or

these# see or sections on 8reativity %or step 1 generating alternatives"9 0ecision

+aking %or step 3 evalating and selecting alternatives"9 and Pro:ect

+anagement %or step 5 implementing soltions"&

)he articles in this ;Problem Solving; section o% +ind )ools there%ore %ocs on

helping yo make a sccess o% the %irst o% these steps – de%ining the problem& A very

signi%icant part o% this involves making sense o% the complex sitation in 'hich the

problem occrs# so that yo can pinpoint exactly 'hat the problem is& +any o% the

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tools in this section help yo do :st that& ,e look at these# and then revie' some

se%l# 'ell-established problem-solving %rame'orks&

0e%ining the Problem

)he key to a good problem de%inition is ensring that yo deal 'ith the real problem

– not its symptoms& 7or example# i% per%ormance in yor department is

sbstandard# yo might think the problem is 'ith the individals sbmitting 'ork&Ho'ever# i% yo look a bit deeper# the real problem might be a lack o% training# or

an nreasonable 'orkload&

)ools like < ,hys # Appreciation and *oot 8ase Analysis help yo ask the right

estions# and 'ork throgh the layers o% a problem to ncover 'hat$s really going

on&

At this stage# it$s also important to ensre that yo look at the isse %rom a variety o%

perspectives& 6% yo commit yorsel% too early# yo can end p 'ith a problem

statement that$s really a soltion instead& 7or example# consider this problem

statement. ;,e have to %ind a 'ay o% disciplining o% people 'ho do sbstandard

'ork&; )his doesn$t allo' yo the opportnity o% discovering the real reasons %ornder-per%ormance& )he 8A),=4 checklist provides a po'er%l reminder to look

at many elements that may contribte to the problem# and to expand yor thinking

arond it&

>nderstanding 8omplexity

,hen yor problem is simple# the soltion is sally obvios# and yo don$t need to

%ollo' the %or steps 'e otlined earlier& So it %ollo's that 'hen yo$re taking this

more %ormal approach# yor problem is likely to be complex and di%%iclt to

nderstand# becase there$s a 'eb o% interrelated isses&

)he good ne's is that there are nmeros tools yo can se to make sense o% this

tangled mess! +any o% these help yo create a clear visal representation o% the

sitation# so that yo can better nderstand 'hat$s going on&

A%%inity 0iagrams are great %or organi?ing many di%%erent pieces o% in%ormation

into common themes# and %or discovering relationships bet'een these&

Another poplar tool is the 8ase-and-4%%ect 0iagram & )o generate viable

soltions# yo mst have a solid nderstanding o% 'hat$s casing the problem& >sing

or example o% sbstandard 'ork# 8ase-and-4%%ect diagrams 'old highlight that

a lack o% training cold contribte to the problem# and they cold also highlight

possible cases sch as 'ork overload and problems 'ith technology&

,hen yor problem occrs 'ithin a bsiness process# creating a 7lo' 8hart # S'im

@ane 0iagram or a Systems 0iagram 'ill help yo see ho' varios activities and

inpts %it together& )his 'ill o%ten help yo identi%y a missing elementor bottleneck that$s casing yor problem&

ite o%ten# 'hat may seem to be a single problem trns ot to be a 'hole series o%

problems& 2oing back to or example# sbstandard 'ork cold be cased by

ins%%icient skills# bt excessive 'orkloads cold also be contribting# as cold

excessively short lead times and poor motivation& )he 0rill 0o'n technie 'ill

help yo split yor problem into smaller parts# each o% 'hich can then be solved

appropriately&

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Problem-Solving Processes

)he %or-step approach to problem solving that 'e mentioned at the beginning o%

this article 'ill serve yo 'ell in many sitations& Ho'ever# %or a more

comprehensive process# yo can se Simplex# Appreciative 6niry or So%t Systems

+ethodology SS+"& )hese provide detailed steps that yo can se to solve a

problem e%%ectively&Simplex involves an eight-stage process. problem %inding# %act %inding# de%ining the

problem# idea %inding# selecting and evalating# planning# selling the idea# and

acting& )hese steps bild pon the basic process described earlier# and they create a

cycle o% problem %inding and solving that 'ill continally improve yor

organi?ation&

Appreciative 6niry takes a niely positive approach by helping yo solve

problems by examining 'hat$s 'orking 'ell in the areas srronding them&

So%t Systems +ethodology is designed to help yo nderstand complex problems so

that yo can start the process o% problem solving& 6t ses %or stages to help yo

ncover more details abot 'hat$s creating the problem# and then de%ine actions

that 'ill improve the sitation&>sing these tools – and others on or Problem Solving men – 'ill help yo improve

yor approach to solving the problems that yor team and yor organi?ation %ace&

(o$ll be more sccess%l at solving problems and# becase o% this# more sccess%l

at 'hat yo do& ,hat$s more# yo$ll begin to bild a reptation as someone 'ho can

handle togh sitations# in a 'ise and positive 'ay&

4n:oy these articles# and 'elcome to en:oyable problem solving!

8lick Bext Article belo' to start navigating throgh these tools&

)his site teaches yo the skills yo need %or a happy and sccess%l career9 and this

is :st one o% many tools and resorces that yo$ll %ind here at +ind )ools&8lick here %or more# sbscribe to or %ree ne'sletter# or become a member %or :st

C&

Add this article to +y @earning Plan

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Ho' 2ood is (or Problem SolvingD

>se a systematic approach&

© iStockphoto/*E7ried

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F Statements to Ans'erBot

at All*arely

Some

times=%ten

Gery

=%ten

3 )o avoid asking the 'rong

estion# 6 take care tode%ine each problem

care%lly be%ore trying to

solve it&

5 6 strive to look at problems

%rom di%%erent perspectives

and generate mltiple

soltions&

< 6 try to address the political

isses and other

conseences o% the change6m proposing so that others

'ill nderstand and

spport my soltion&

F 6 evalate potential

soltions care%lly and

thoroghly against a

prede%ined standard&

I 6 systematically search %or

isses that may become

problems in the %tre&J ,hen 6 decide on a soltion#

6 make it happen – no

matter 'hat opposition 6

may %ace&

6 %ind that small problems

o%ten become mch bigger

in scope# and ths very

di%%iclt to solve&

L 6 ask mysel% lots o% di%%erent

estions abot the natreo% the problem&

A%ter my soltion is

implemented# 6 relax and

%ocs again on my reglar

dties&


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F Statements to Ans'erBot

at All*arely

Some

times=%ten

Gery

=%ten

1 6 %ocs on keeping crrent

operations rnningsmoothly and hope that

problems dont appear&

3 6 evalate potential

soltions as 6 think o% them&

5 ,hen 6 need to %ind a

soltion to a problem# 6

sally have all o% the

in%ormation 6 need to solve

it&

< ,hen evalating soltions#

6 take time to think abot

ho' 6 shold choose

bet'een options&

F +aking a decision is the end

o% my problem-solving

process&

)otal M L

Score 6nterpretation

Score 8omment

F-3F

(o probably tend to vie' problems as negatives# instead o%

seeing them as opportnities to make exciting and necessary

change& (or approach to problem solving is more intitive

than systematic# and this may have led to some poor

experiences in the past& ,ith more practice# and by%ollo'ing a more strctred approach# yo$ll be able to

develop this important skill and start solving problems more

e%%ectively right a'ay& *ead belo' to start&"

3I-


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Score 8omment

is important& Ho'ever# yo don$t al'ays %ollo' that process&

Ey 'orking on yor consistency and committing to the

process# yo$ll see signi%icant improvements& *ead belo' to

start&"


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Step . 7ind the Problem

estions I# 1"

Some problems are very obvios# ho'ever others are not so easily identi%ied& As part

o% an e%%ective problem-solving process# yo need to look actively %or problems –even 'hen things seem to be rnning %ine& Proactive problem solving helps yo

avoid emergencies and allo's yo to be calm and in control 'hen isses arise&

)hese technies can help yo do this.

• P4S) Analysis helps yo pick p changes to yor environment that yo

shold be paying attention to& +ake sre too that yo$re 'atching changes in

cstomer needs and market dynamics# and that yo$re monitoring trends that are

relevant to yor indstry&

• *isk Analysis helps yo identi%y signi%icant bsiness risks&

• 7ailre +odes and 4%%ects Analysis helps yo identi%y possible points o%

%ailre in yor bsiness process# so that yo can %ix these be%ore problems arise&• A%ter Action *evie's help yo scan recent per%ormance to identi%y things

that can be done better in the %tre&

• ,here yo have several problems to solve# or articles

on Prioriti?ation and Pareto Analysis help yo think abot 'hich ones yo shold

%ocs on %irst&

Step 1. 7ind the 7acts

estions L# 5"

A%ter identi%ying a potential problem# yo need in%ormation& ,hat %actors

contribte to the problemD ,ho is involved 'ith itD ,hat soltions have been triedbe%oreD ,hat do others think abot the problemD

6% yo move %or'ard to %ind a soltion too ickly# yo risk relying on imper%ect

in%ormation that$s based on assmptions and limited perspectives# so make sre that

yo research the problem thoroghly&

Step 3. 0e%ine the Problem

estions 3# "

Bo' that yo nderstand the problem# de%ine it clearly and completely& ,riting a

clear problem de%inition %orces yo to establish speci%ic bondaries %or the problem&)his keeps the scope %rom gro'ing too large# and it helps yo stay %ocsed on the

main isses&

A great tool to se at this stage is 8A),=4 & ,ith this process# yo analy?e

potential problems by looking at them %rom six perspectives# those o% its 8stomers9

Actors people 'ithin the organi?ation"9 the )rans%ormation# or bsiness process9

the ,orld-vie'# or top-do'n vie' o% 'hat$s going on9 the ='ner9 and the 'ider

organi?ational 4nvironment& Ey looking at a sitation %rom these perspectives# yo

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can open yor mind and come to a mch sharper and more comprehensive

de%inition o% the problem&

8ase and 4%%ect Analysis is another good tool to se here# as it helps yo think

abot the many di%%erent %actors that can contribte to a problem& )his helps yo

separate the symptoms o% a problem %rom its %ndamental cases&

Step 5. 7ind 6deasestions 5# 3"

,ith a clear problem de%inition# start generating ideas %or a soltion& )he key here

is to be %lexible in the 'ay yo approach a problem& (o 'ant to be able to see it

%rom as many perspectives as possible& @ooking %or patterns or common elements in

di%%erent parts o% the problem can sometimes help& (o can also se metaphors and

analogies to help analy?e the problem# discover similarities to other isses# and

think o% soltions based on those similarities&

)raditional brainstorming and reverse brainstorming are very se%l here& Ey

taking the time to generate a range o% creative soltions to the problem# yo$llsigni%icantly increase the likelihood that yo$ll %ind the best possible soltion# not

:st a semi-adeate one& ,here appropriate# involve people 'ith di%%erent

vie'points to expand the volme o% ideas generated&

)ip.

0on$t evalate yor ideas ntil step


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)he type o% planning that yo need to do depends on the si?e o% the implementation

pro:ect that yo need to set p& 7or small pro:ects# all yo$ll o%ten need are Action

Plans that otline 'ho 'ill do 'hat# 'hen# and ho'& @arger pro:ects need more

sophisticated approaches – yo$ll %ind ot more abot these in the +ind

)ools Pro:ect +anagement section& And %or pro:ects that a%%ect many other people#

yo$ll need to think abot 8hange +anagement as 'ell&Here# it can be se%l to condct an 6mpact Analysis to help yo identi%y potential

resistance as 'ell as alert yo to problems yo may not have anticipated& 7orce

7ield Analysis 'ill also help yo ncover the varios pressres %or and against

yor proposed soltion& =nce yo$ve done the detailed planning# it can also be se%l

at this stage to make a %inal 2o/Bo-2o 0ecision # making sre that it$s actally

'orth going ahead 'ith the selected option&

Step I. Sell the 6dea

estions


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2iven the npredictable natre o% problems# it$s very reassring to kno' that# by

%ollo'ing a strctred plan# yo$ve done everything yo can to resolve the problem

to the best o% yor ability&


is :st one o% many tools and resorces that yo$ll %ind here at +ind )ools&

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8onstrctive 8ontroversy

6mproving Soltions by Arging 7or and Against (or =ptions

Seek ot di%%erent perspectives&

© iStockphoto/4miSta

"What do you think about this as a way ahead?""Can I get your feedback on this?"

"Do you think this will work?"

6n general# 'e like to conslt others 'hen there$s a problem to solve or a decision to

make& ,e do this becase 'e kno' that# as individals# 'e have limited

perspectives9 and 'hat may at %irst appear to be the best soltion %rom one vantage

point may no longer seem so a%ter 'e$ve seen a %ller pictre&

6nvolving other people – 'ho inevitably have di%%erent perspectives and vie's –

helps s ensre that 'e$ve considered soltions %rom all possible sides& 6t %orces s to

consider the options# and make sre that 'e make decisions %or the best reasons&

So# 'hat$s the best 'ay to dra' on other people$s experience so that the soltion 'e%inally choose is indeed the bestD

8onstrctive 8ontroversy is a po'er%l technie %or doing this& 6ts ob:ective is

to test a proposed soltion by sb:ecting it to the ;clash o% ideas;# sho'ing it to be

'rong# proving it# or improving it& As sch# by sing 8onstrctive 8ontroversy#

yor con%idence in the soltion chosen improves as yo reach a better

nderstanding o% all the %actors involved&

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,hat is 8onstrctive 8ontroversyD

)his problem-solving approach 'as introdced by 0avid ohnson and *oger

ohnson in I& 6t has been researched and validated# and it$s recogni?ed as a

leading model %or developing robst and creative soltions to problems& )he

technie dra's on %ive key assmptions.

& ,e adopt an initial perspective to'ards a problem based on or personalexperiences and perceptions&

1& )he process o% persading others to agree 'ith s strengthens or belie% that

'e are right&

3& ,hen con%ronted 'ith competing vie'points# 'e begin to dobt or

rationale&

5& )his dobt cases s to seek more in%ormation and bild a better

perspective# becase 'e 'ant to be con%ident 'ith or choice&

sing 8onstrctive 8ontroversy tends to prodce better soltions# compared 'ith

solving problems sing consenss# debate# or individal e%%ort& )his happens

becase the 8onstrctive 8ontroversy process %orces yo to %ace yor assmptions

and avoid dra'ing conclsions too ickly& At the same time# it pshes yo to seclear reasoning to de%end or arge against a position# and it helps to protect yo

%rom logical %allacies and blind spots # becase yo$re %orced to explain and de%end

yor rationale&

8reating 8onstrctive 8ontroversy

8onstrctive 8ontroversy is not abot simply arging and creating con%lict %or its

o'n sake – it %ollo's a %ormal procedre to manage controversy in a positive 'ay.

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Step . Erainstorm Possible Soltions to the Problem

8lick here %or tips on ho' to do this most e%%ectively&

Step 1. 7orm Advocacy )eams

4ach team is given an alternative# researches it# and presents a best-case scenario

spporting 'hy that alternative shold be chosen&

Step 3. 4ngage in 8onstrctive 8ontroversy>se the %ollo'ing steps.

• 4ach team presents its case to the 'ider grop& )he ob:ective is to help the

grop nderstand the particlar choice# and convince people o% its validity&

• )he other teams then have the opportnity to arge against the position& )his

is an open discssion – the presenting team listens to the conter-argments# tries to

disprove them# and de%ends its original position as best it can&

)he emphasis is on logic and critical thinking& *emind the teams that the overall

ob:ective is to gain a better nderstanding o% all options in order to make the best

decision possible& 4ncorage them to ask %or solid data# and psh the team to de%end

its conclsions&

Here# Starbrsting is a se%l technie %or thinking abot ho' yo shold

challenge a proposal# and the < ,hys technie is a great tool to se %or exploring

someone$s position&

• )he next team presents its case# and discssion %ollo's& )his contines ntil

all teams have presented their positions&

• )eams then reverse their positions and arge %or one o% the options they

originally tried to arge against& Eecase people$s perspectives are changed so

dramatically# this is 'here yo gain mch o% the ne' nderstanding&

Bote. (o can repeat this step so that everyone has an opportnity to arge %or each

alternative& 6% time is limited# ho'ever# yo may 'ant to narro' the choices do'n tot'o possible options be%ore yo start this step# so that there are only t'o advocacy

teams&

Step 5. 0ecide

Bo'$s the time to drop the advocacy roles# and bring the grop together to make a

%inal decision& )ake the time to explore 'hat people have learned %rom the

8onstrctive 8ontroversy process# and then bring together ideas to create a %inal

proposal&

)ip.

+ake sre that yo evalate this proposal to ensre that the otcome is better than

the stats o& A%ter all# yo don$t 'ant to spend a lot o% money and hard 'ork# :st

to make the sitation 'orse& =r article on 2o/Bo-2o 0ecisions 'ill help yo dothis&

(o may choose to inclde a post-decision evalation session as 'ell& )his helps yo

%ind 'ays o% improving the next 8onstrctive 8ontroversy session that yo decide to

rn&

)he ;*les; o% 8onstrctive 8ontroversy

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Ee%ore trying to se 8onstrctive 8ontroversy# it$s important to lay do'n grond

rles %or it& A%ter all# yo need people to 'ork together positively and co-operatively#

'ith a vie' to arriving at a best possible soltion& Ey contrast# i% people compete

'ith one another# then they 'ill probably 'ant to ;'in; at all costs# and yo$re

more likely to create problems bet'een advocacy teams than improve their

collective nderstanding&As sch# ensre that participants do the %ollo'ing.

• 0emonstrate mtal respect at all times&

• 8ritici?e ideas# not people&

• *emember that they# as people# are not being critici?ed# :st the ideas they$re

ptting %or'ards at the time&

• 7ocs on good decision-making# not 'inning&

• @isten actively# and ask %or clari%ication 'hen necessary&

• 8ommit to nderstanding all sides o% an isse&

• Are 'illing to change positions 'hen the evidence sggests it$s necessary&

• >se rational argments# inclding indctive and dedctive logic# and dra'conclsions based on evidence and 'ell-strctred reasoning&

Key Points

8onstrctive 8ontroversy is an e%%ective tool %or developing 'ell-ronded soltions

to problems# especially 'hen yo se it in the right setting and ensre that

participants have the skills to manage this type o% strctred con%lict&

)he key is to adopt di%%erent perspectives to gain a better nderstanding o% the

problem as a 'hole – meaning that the soltion arrived at is likely to be improved

signi%icantly& 8onstrctive 8ontroversy is a time-consming# highly strctred

process& Ho'ever# 'hen sed to tackle signi%icant problems# the bene%its o% sing

sch a thorogh technie can be enormos&

Apply )his to (or @i%e

(o can practice 8onstrctive 8ontroversy on a smaller scale 'hen time and

circmstances don$t allo' %or a %lly strctred event& 0o this 'hen the impact o%

the soltion is %ar-reaching enogh to :sti%y more investigation# or 'hen yo have

to make a decision on yor o'n and yo 'ant to check its validity be%ore

implementing it&

Ask one or more colleages to help yo by proposing an alternative# 'hether or not

they may trly believe it$s a better option& Proceed 'ith a small-scale 8onstrctive

8ontroversy process# 'here yo present and de%end yor choice# and they do the

same %or their choices&

Alternatively# ask a colleage to play ;devil$s advocate; – to arge against yor

choice as yo present it&

Ey sing elements o% 8onstrctive 8ontroversy# yo ackno'ledge that adopting a

'ider perspective can improve yor overall creative problem solving& )his

reali?ation alone 'ill help yo solve problems more e%%ectively&


15/103


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6ndctive *easoning

0ra'ing 2ood# 2enerali?ed 8onclsions

© iStockphoto/mareklias?

6ndctive reasoning involves making se%l generali?ations abot the environment

as a 'hole# based on a necessarily limited nmber o% observations&

As sch# it is an important tool that people se to bild the models o% reality they

need to %nction e%%ectively&

,hile conclsions can be 'rong i% observations are %alty or are dra'n %rom annrepresentative sample# i% properly sed# indctive reasoning can be incredibly

po'er%l& 6ndeed# it lies at the root o% the scienti%ic method that has done so mch to

advance hmanity in the last


16/103

At the other extreme %rom this intitive indctive reasoning# 'e have the %ormal

scienti%ic method 'e$re taght at school.

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dca.dpuf

@ogical 7allacies

,hat )hey Are# and Ho' to Avoid )hem

+ake sre yo don$t try to compare apples and oranges!

© iStockphoto/pixeldigets

"I read an article yesterday about a study by a famous academic designed to test the

effect of pleasant imagery on employee motiation. !mployees were shown images of

baby animals and beautiful nature scenes during their first fie minutes at work.

ma#ingly$ the company where the study was conducted had a %&' (ump in profits

that )uarter and oer the year they posted their highest earnings yet. *o showing

employees pleasant images is a great way to increase their motiation and improe

productiity."

,hat do yo think abot the argment yo :st readD 0o yo believe the

conclsionD

6n %act# the argment presented above contains a nmber o% logical %allacies

according to the +erriam-,ebster 0ictionary# a %allacy is ;an o%ten plasible

argment sing %alse or illogical reasoning;&" 0on$t 'orry i% yo believed the

conclsion. )he passage contains some very common and e%%ective tactics %or

circmventing reason and logic& (o$ll learn 'hat these are a little later!

Eeing able to discern a valid argment %rom a %alse one is an important skill& )here

are lots o% people ot there hoping to get yo to believe 'hat they are saying# despitehaving no proo% %or their message& And there are also many people 'hose

motivation is less sspect# bt 'ho nevertheless present illogical reasoning# becase

they %ail to nderstand the implications o% the %acts at hand&

4ither 'ay# i% yo are a'are o% 'hat to look %or to determine i% an argment is

sond or not# yo can avoid %alling victim to invalid argments&

)he Easis o% an Argment

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)o nderstand ho' to spot logical %allacies# yo shold have a basic nderstanding

o% the mechanics o% an argment& An argment in logic is a set o% statements 'here

one statement is in%erred %rom the other or others& )here are t'o types o%

statements.


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7ailre +ode and 4%%ects Analysis 7+4A"

Spotting Problems Ee%ore a Soltion is 6mplemented

© iStockphoto

,hen things go badly 'rong# it$s easy to say 'ith hindsight# ;,e shold have

kno'n that 'old happen;&

And 'ith a little %oresight# perhaps# problems could have been avoided i% only

someone had asked ;,hat 8old 2o ,rongD;

Ey looking at all the things that cold possibly go 'rong at design stage# yo cancheaply solve problems that 'old other'ise take vast e%%ort and expense to correct#

i% le%t ntil the soltion has been deployed in the %ield& 7ailre +odes and 4%%ects

Analysis 7+4A" helps yo do this&

+ore than this# 7+4A provides a se%l approach %or revie'ing existing processes

or systems# so that problems 'ith these can be identi%ied and eliminated&

>nderstanding 7+4A

7+4A 'as originally kno'n as 7ailre +ode# 4%%ects# and 8riticality Analysis

7+48A"# and 'as %irst pblished in 5 by the >&S& 0epartment o% 0e%ense&

7+4A gre' ot o% systems engineering# and is a 'idely-sed tool %or ality

control& 6t bilds on tools like *isk Analysis and 8ase and 4%%ect Analysis to tryto predict %ailres be%ore they happen& =riginally sed in prodct development# it is

also e%%ective in improving the design o% bsiness processes and systems&

,hen sing 7+4A# yo start by looking in detail at the proposed soltion see the

tip box belo'" and then yo identi%y systematically all o% the points 'here it cold

%ail& =nce these potential %ailres have been identi%ied# yo rate the potential

conseences o% each according to.


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Heristic +ethods

>sing *les o% )hmb

7ine – in the right circmstances&

© iStockphoto

+ost o% s se ;rles o% thmb; in all sorts o%

areas o% or daily lives&

;,hen the needle on the %el level indicator gets

to the red# 6 kno' it$ll last at least another 1L

miles;# %or example# or ;So%t'are 'ith a serinter%ace that$s anything other than grey or ble

hardly ever gets throgh the ser acceptance

testing&;

)hese rogh rles# based on experience# are invalable becase they help s to make

decisions 'ithot %rther detailed %act-%inding. 0rivers kno' they don$t need to

divert immediately to %ind a %el station# and the so%t'are designer can save him or

hersel% re'ork later by making the inter%ace ble or grey in the %irst place&

Et no one expects these rles to be LLQ accrate. 6% the car ran ot o% %el in J

miles# the driver 'oldn$t be particlarly srprised# and i% testing sho'ed that sers

actally liked an application that had a taste%l green inter%ace# the developer mightraise an eyebro'# bt that 'old be all&

)his is becase rles o% thmb are only sed in sitations 'here the risks associated

'ith sing a ;good enogh; approximation are acceptable& Bo one 'old se a rle

o% thmb sch as this %el sage one %or a 7 racing car. )hey$d do a detailed

analysis o% the exact amont reired to cover the race distance&

)he %ormal term %or these rles o% thmb is ;heristics;& Heristics are a topic o%

interest in varios %ields %rom compter science to psychology and philosophy# bt

the principle is the same in all o% these&

,hen to >se the )oolEecase a heristic is a model 'hich o%%ers only a limited representation o% reality# it

shold only be sed 'hen&&&


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+eans-4nd Analysis

6denti%ying the Steps Beeded to Solve a Problem

Ereak yor problem do'n into smaller actions&

© iStockphoto/*inelle

+eans-4nd Analysis is a simple tool that helps yo identi%y the practical steps

needed to solve a problem or reach a desired state&

6n this article 'e$ll explore +eans-4nd Analysis# and 'e$ll look at ho' yo can

apply it&

Abot the )ool

+eans-4nd Analysis is essentially an early %orm o% 2ap Analysis & 6t 'as created by

researchers Allen Be'ell and Herbert Simon in the late


20/103

Ereak yor problem do'n into smaller actions&

© iStockphoto/*inelle

+eans-4nd Analysis is a simple tool that helps yo identi%y the practical steps

needed to solve a problem or reach a desired state&

6n this article 'e$ll explore +eans-4nd Analysis# and 'e$ll look at ho' yo can

apply it&

Abot the )ool

+eans-4nd Analysis is essentially an early %orm o% 2ap Analysis & 6t 'as created by

researchers Allen Be'ell and Herbert Simon in the late


21/103

7or steps to nderstanding yor problem&

© iStockphoto/blnd

,hen 'e try to solve bsiness problems# 'e can o%ten pressri?e orselves to %ind

soltions ickly&

)he problem 'ith this is that 'e can end p only partially solving the problem# or

'e can solve the 'rong problem altogether# 'ith all o% the delay# expense# and lost

bsiness opportnity that goes 'ith this&

)he Problem-0e%inition Process helps yo avoid this& 6n this article# 'e$ll look at

this process and 'e$ll see ho' to apply it&

=vervie'

0'ayne Spradline pblished the Problem-0e%inition Process in September

1L1$s Harvard Esiness *evie'&

Spradline is the President and 84= o% 6nnocentive# an organi?ation that connects

organi?ations 'ith %reelance problem solvers& He developed the process over L

years# 'hile 'orking 'ith a commnity o% more than 1


22/103

8reate a model be%ore yo bild the %inal soltion&

© iStockphoto/sprn

Something needs to change. Something$s 'rong# and needs to be %ixed# and yo$ve

'orked hard to create a credible vision o% 'here yo 'ant it to be in %tre& Et areyo LLQ sre that yo$re rightD And are yo absoltely certain that yor soltion

'ill 'ork per%ectly# in every 'ayD

,here the conseences o% getting things 'rong are signi%icant# it o%ten makes sense

to rn a 'ell-cra%ted pilot pro:ect& )hat 'ay i% the pilot doesn$t deliver the reslts

yo expected# yo get the chance to %ix and improve things be%ore yo %lly commit

yor reptation and resorces&

So ho' do yo make sre that yo get this right# not :st this time bt every timeD

)he soltion is to have a process that yo %ollo' 'hen yo need to make a change or

solve a problem9 A process that 'ill ensre yo plan# test and incorporate %eedback

be%ore yo commit to implementation&A poplar tool %or doing :st this is the Plan-0o-8heck-Act 8ycle& )his is o%ten

re%erred to as the 0eming 8ycle or the 0eming ,heel a%ter its proponent# ,

4d'ards 0eming& 6t is also sometimes called the She'hart 8ycle&

0eming is best kno'n as a pioneer o% the ality management approach and %or

introdcing statistical process control technies %or man%actring to the

apanese# 'ho sed them 'ith great sccess& He believed that a key sorce o%

prodction ality lay in having clearly de%ined# repeatable processes& And so the

P08A 8ycle as an approach to change and problem solving is very mch at the

heart o% 0eming$s ality-driven philosophy&

)he %or phases in the Plan-0o-8heck-Act 8ycle involve.

• Plan. 6denti%ying and analy?ing the problem&

• 0o. 0eveloping and testing a potential soltion&

• 8heck. +easring ho' e%%ective the test soltion 'as# and analy?ing 'hether

it cold be improved in any 'ay&

• Act. 6mplementing the improved soltion %lly&

)hese are sho'n in 7igre belo'&


23/103

)here can be any nmber o% iterations o% the ;0o; and ;8heck; phases# as the

soltion is re%ined# retested# re-re%ined and retested again&Ho' to >se the )ool

)he P08A 8ycle encorages yo to be methodical in yor approach to problem

solving and implementing soltions& 7ollo' the steps belo' every time to ensre yo

get the highest ality soltion possible&

Step . Plan

7irst# identi%y exactly 'hat yor problem is& (o may %ind it se%l to se tools

like 0rill 0o'n # 8ase and 4%%ect 0iagrams # and the < ,hys to help yo really

get to the root o% it& =nce yo$ve done this# it may be appropriate %or yo to

map the process that is at the root o% the problem&

Bext# dra' together any other in%ormation yo need that 'ill help yo startsketching ot soltions&

Step 1. 0o

)his phase involves several activities.

• 2enerate possible soltions&

• Select the best o% these soltions# perhaps sing technies like 6mpact

Analysis to scrtini?e them&

• 6mplement a pilot pro:ect on a small scale basis# 'ith a small grop# or in a

limited geographical area# or sing some other trial design appropriate to the natre

o% yor problem# prodct or initiative&

=r section on Practical 8reativity incldes several tools that can help yo generateideas and soltions& =r section on 0ecision +aking incldes a nmber o% tools that

'ill help yo to choose in a scienti%ic and dispassionate 'ay bet'een the varios

potential soltions yo generate&

Bote.

)he phrase ;Plan 0o 8heck Act; or P08A is easy to remember# bt it$s important

yo are ite clear exactly 'hat ;0o; means& ;;0o; means ;)ry; or ;)est;& 6t

does not mean ;6mplement %lly&; 7ll implementation happens in the ;Act; phase&

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Step 3. 8heck

6n this phase# yo measre ho' e%%ective the pilot soltion has been# and gather

together any learnings %rom it that cold make it even better&

0epending on the sccess o% the pilot# the nmber o% areas %or improvement yo

have identi%ied# and the scope o% the 'hole initiative# yo may decide to repeat the

;0o; and ;8heck; phases# incorporating yor additional improvements&

=nce yo are %inally satis%ied that the costs 'old ot'eigh the bene%its o% repeating

the 0o-8heck sb-cycle any more# yo can move on to the %inal phase&

Step 5. Act

Bo' yo implement yor soltion %lly& Ho'ever# yor se o% the P08A 8ycle

doesn$t necessarily stop there& 6% yo are sing the P08A or 0eming ,heel as part

o% a continos improvement initiative# yo need to loop back to the Plan Phase

Step "# and seek ot %rther areas %or improvement&

,hen to >se the 0eming 8ycle

)he 0eming 8ycle provides a se%l# controlled problem solving process& 6t isparticlarly e%%ective %or.

• Helping implement Kai?en or 8ontinos 6mprovement approaches# 'hen

the cycle is repeated again and again as ne' areas %or improvement are soght and

solved&

• 6denti%ying ne' soltions and improvement to processes that are repeated

%reently& 6n this sitation# yo 'ill bene%it %rom extra improvements bilt in to the

process many times over once it is implemented&

• 4xploring a range o% possible ne' soltions to problems# and trying them ot

and improving them in a controlled 'ay be%ore selecting one %or %ll

implementation&

• Avoiding the large scale 'astage o% resorces that comes 'ith %ll scale

implementation o% a mediocre or poor soltion&

8learly# se o% a 0eming 8ycle approach is slo'er and more measred than a

straight%or'ard ;gng ho; implementation& 6n tre emergency sitations# this

means that it may not be appropriate ho'ever# it$s easy %or people to think that

sitations are more o% an emergency than# in reality# they really are&&&"

Bote.

P08A is closely related to the Spiral 0evelopment Approach 'hich is poplar in

certain areas o% so%t'are development# especially 'here the overall system develops

incrementally& Spiral 0evelopment repeats loops o% the P08A cycle# as developers

identi%y %nctionality needed# develop it# test it# implement it# and then go back toidenti%y another sb-system o% %nctionality&

Key Points

)he Plan-0o-8heck-Act P08A" 8ycle provides a simple bt e%%ective approach %or

problem solving and managing change# ensring that ideas are appropriately tested

be%ore committing to %ll implementation& 6t can be sed in all sorts o% environments

%rom ne' prodct development throgh to marketing# or even politics&

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25/103

6t begins 'ith a Planning phase in 'hich the problem is clearly identi%ied and

nderstood& Potential soltions are then generated and tested on a small scale in the

;0o; phase# and the otcome o% this testing is evalated dring the 8heck phase&

;0o; and ;8heck; phases can be iterated as many times as is necessary be%ore the

%ll# polished soltion is implemented in the ;Act; phase&

)his site teaches yo the skills yo need %or a happy and sccess%l career9 and thisis :st one o% many tools and resorces that yo$ll %ind here at +ind )ools&

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26/103

)he varios parts o% this system interact 'ith one another# o%ten in a nonlinear 'ay#

to prodce a reslt&

According to general systems theory# organi?ations consist o% complex# dynamic#

goal-oriented processes – and all o% these 'ork together# in a coordinated 'ay# to

prodce a particlar reslt& 7or example# i% a company$s strategy is to maximi?e

pro%its by bringing ne' prodcts to market ickly# then the systems 'ithin thecompany mst all 'ork together to achieve this goal&

,hen something goes 'rong 'ithin the system# or any o% its sbsystems# yo mst

analy?e the individal parts to discover a soltion& 6n hard sciences# yo can do this

in a very controlled# analytical 'ay& Ho'ever# 'hen yo add hman or ;so%t;

elements – like social interaction# corporate politics# and individal perspectives –

it$s a mch more di%%iclt process&

)hat$s 'hy Peter 8heckland# a management scientist and systems pro%essor# applied

the science o% systems to the process o% solving messy and con%sing management

problems& )he reslt 'as So%t Systems +ethodology – a 'ay to explore complex

sitations 'ith di%%erent stakeholders9 nmeros goals9 di%%erent vie'points andassmptions9 and complicated interactions and relationships&

SS+ helps yo compare&&&

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J0 Problem-Solving Process

Solving +a:or Problems in a 0isciplined ,ay

Also kno'n as 2lobal J0 Problem-Solving"

4ight disciplines o% problem solving&

© iStockphoto/3dsgr

,hen yor company rns into a ma:or problem# yo need to address it ickly&

Ho'ever# yo also need to deal 'ith it thoroghly and ensre that it doesn$t recr –

and this can take a lot o% e%%ort and elapsed time&

)he J0 Problem-Solving Process helps yo do both o% these seemingly-contradictory

things# in a pro%essional and controlled 'ay&

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6n this article# 'e$ll look at the J0 Problem-Solving Process# and 'e$ll discss ho'

yo can se it to help yor team solve ma:or problems&

=rigins o% the )ool

)he 7ord +otor 8ompany developed the J0 J 0isciplines" Problem-Solving

Process# and pblished it in their JI manal# ;)eam =riented Problem Solving

)=PS"&; 6n the mid-Ls# 7ord added an additional discipline# 0L. Plan& )heprocess is no' 7ord$s global standard# and is called 2lobal J0&

7ord created the J0 Process to help teams deal 'ith ality control and sa%ety

isses9 develop cstomi?ed# permanent soltions to problems9 and prevent problems

%rom recrring& Althogh the J0 Process 'as initially applied in the man%actring#

engineering# and aerospace indstries# it$s se%l and relevant in any indstry&

)he eight disciplines are sho'n in %igre # belo'.

7igre . )he J0 Problem-Solving Process

)he J0 Process 'orks best in teams tasked 'ith solving a complex problem 'ith

identi%iable symptoms& Ho'ever# yo can also se this process on an individal level#

as 'ell&Applying the )ool

)o se the J0 Process# address each o% the disciplines listed belo'# in order& )ake

care not to skip steps# even 'hen time is limited9 the process is only e%%ective 'hen

yo %ollo' every step&


28/103

0iscipline L. Plan

Ee%ore yo begin to assemble a team to address the problem# yo need to plan yor

approach& )his means thinking abot 'ho 'ill be on the team# 'hat yor time

%rame is# and 'hat resorces yo$ll need to address the problem at hand&

0iscipline . Eild the )eam

(o shold aim to pt together a team that has the skills needed to solve theproblem# and that has time and energy to commit to the problem-solving process&

Keep in mind that a diverse team is more likely to %ind a creative soltion than a

team o% people 'ith the same otlook althogh i% otlooks are too diverse# people

can spend so mch time disagreeing that nothing gets done&"

8reate a team charter that otlines the team$s goal and identi%ies each person$s

role& )hen# do 'hat yo can to bild trst and get everyone involved in the process

that$s abot to happen&

6% yor team is made p o% pro%essionals 'ho haven$t 'orked together be%ore#

consider beginning 'ith team-bilding activities to ensre that everyone is

com%ortable 'orking 'ith one another&0iscipline 1. 0escribe the Problem

=nce yor team has settled in# describe the problem in detail& Speci%y the 'ho# 'hat#

'hen# 'here# 'hy# ho'# and ho' many9 and se technies like 8A),=4 and

the Problem-0e%inition Process to ensre that yo$re %ocsing on the right

problem&

Start by doing a *isk Analysis – i% the problem is casing serios risks# %or

example# to people$s health or li%e# then yo need to take appropriate action& )his

may inclde stopping people sing a prodct or process ntil the problem is

resolved&"

6% the problem is 'ith a process# se a 7lo' 8hart # S'im @ane 0iagram #

or Storyboard to map each step ot9 these tools 'ill help yor team membersnderstand ho' the process 'orks# and# later on# think abot ho' they can best %ix

it&

0iscovering the root case o% the problem comes later in the process# so don$t spend

time on this here& *ight no'# yor goal is to look at 'hat$s going 'rong# and to

make sre that yor team nderstands the %ll extent o% the problem&

0iscipline 3. 6mplement a )emporary 7ix

=nce yor team nderstands the problem# come p 'ith a temporary %ix& )his is

particlarly important i% the problem is a%%ecting cstomers# redcing prodct

ality# or slo'ing do'n 'ork processes&

Harness the kno'ledge o% everyone on the team& )o ensre that each person$s ideasare heard# consider sing brainstorming technies sch as *ond *obin

Erainstorming or 8ra'%ord$s Slip ,riting +ethod # alongside more traditional

team problem-solving discssions&

=nce the grop has identi%ied possible temporary %ixes# address isses sch as cost#

implementation time# and relevancy& )he short-term soltion shold be ick# easy

to implement# and 'orth the e%%ort&

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0iscipline 5. 6denti%y and 4liminate the *oot 8ase

=nce yor temporary %ix is in place# it$s time to discover the root case o% the

problem&

8ondct a 8ase and 4%%ect Analysis to identi%y the likely cases o% the problem&

)his tool is se%l becase it helps yo ncover many possible cases# and it can

highlight other problems that yo might not have been a'are o%& Bext# apply *oot8ase Analysis to %ind the root cases o% the problems yo$ve identi%ied&

=nce yo identi%y the sorce o% the problem# develop several permanent soltions to

it&

6% yor team members are having troble coming p 'ith viable permanent

soltions# se the Stra' +an 8oncept to generate prototype soltions that yo can

then discss# tear apart# and rebild into stronger soltions&

0iscipline


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Ee%ore the team disbands# condct a Post-6mplementation *evie' to analy?e

'hether yor soltion is 'orking as yo thoght# and to improve the 'ay that yo

solve problems in the %tre&

Key Points

6n the late JLs# 7ord +otor 8ompany developed the J0 J 0isciplines" Problem-

Solving Process to help man%actring and engineering teams diagnose# treat# andeliminate ality problems& Ho'ever# teams in any indstry can se this problem-

solving process&

)he eight disciplines are.

& Plan&

1& Eild the )eam&

3& 0escribe the Problem&

5& 6mplement a )emporary 7ix&


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=ne approach here is to %ocs on the things that aren$t 'orking# and think abot

ho' yo can %ix them& )his is the conventional approach to problem-solving& 6n

many cases it$s the right one to se& Ho'ever in others# all it does is bring yo p to

the same bland level as everyone else&

Another approach is to shi%t to a positive perspective# look at the things that are

'orking# and bild on them& 6n some sitations this can be very po'er%l becase#by %ocsing on positives# yo can bild the nie strengths 'hich bring real

sccess&

)his is the premise behind ;Appreciative 6niry;# a method o% problem solving

that 'as pioneered by 0avid 8ooperrider o% 8ase ,estern *eserve >niversity in the

mid JLs&

)o nderstand the basis o% Appreciative 6niry it is se%l to look at the meaning

o% the t'o 'ords in context&

• ppreciation means to recogni?e and vale the contribtions or attribtes o%

things and people arond s&• In)uiry means to explore and discover# in the spirit o% seeking to better

nderstand# and being open to ne' possibilities&

,hen combined# this means that by appreciating 'hat is good and valable in the

present sitation# 'e can discover and learn abot 'ays to e%%ect positive change %or

the %tre&

>sing Appreciative 6niry. )he


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Step 1& ;0iscovery; Phase

Here yo need to look %or the best o% 'hat has happened in the past# and 'hat is

crrently 'orking 'ell& 6nvolve as many people as sensibly possible# and design

yor estions to get people talking and telling stories abot 'hat they %ind is most

valable or appreciated"# and 'hat 'orks particlarly 'ell&

>sing the example %rom the %irst stage# a good 'ay to do this 'old be to get ne'recrits to intervie' one another# %ocsing on getting to the core o% 'hat they liked

abot the :ob be%ore they :oined# and 'hat they$ve en:oyed abot the organi?ation

since :oining& 6n this sitation# the %ollo'ing might be good discovery estions.

• ,hen yo think back to 'hen yo decided to :oin the company# 'hat 'as the

thing that most attracted yoD

• )ell me a story abot a time 'hen yo 'ere very enthsiastic abot yor

'ork&

• ,hat do yo think is most important %or sccess at the companyD

• )ell me abot the time yo %elt prodest abot the company&

Another approach to solving this problem cold be to look at the di%%erentapproaches yo se to recrit people# and identi%y the ones that bring the greatest

volme o% good recrits&

,hen yo$ve gathered enogh ra' in%ormation# yo need to analy?e the data and

identi%y the %actors that most contribted to the team or organi?ation$s past

sccesses& ,hat is most valedD ,hat did people %ind most motivating or %nD

,hat instills the greatest prideD And so on&

Step 3& ;0ream; Phase

6n this phase# yo and yor team dream o% ;'hat might be;& )hink abot ho' yo

can take the positives yo identi%ied in the 0iscovery phase# and rein%orce them to

bild real strengths&

)he 'ay %or'ard may be obvios %rom the reslts o% the 0iscovery Phase& 6% it$s not#

a se%l approach is to bring a diverse grop o% stakeholders together and

brainstorm creative and innovative ideas o% 'hat the organi?ation and team cold

accomplish&

6n or example# yo might choose to enhance and bild the good points that

everyone likes abot the organi?ation# and se this as a strong message to attract

potential candidates dring the recritment process& (o may also stop doing the

things that aren$t 'orking# and se the money saved to rein%orce the things that are&

=nce yo have agreed pon yor dream or vision# yo can take it to the 0esign

phase&

Step 5& ;0esign; Phase

Eilding on the 0ream# this phase looks at the practicalities needed to spport the

vision& Here yo start to drill do'n the types o% systems# processes# and strategies

that 'ill enable the dream to be reali?ed&

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Step


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,ork throgh the cycle&

© iStockphoto/centyr

,hen yo$re solving bsiness problems# it$s all-too-easy easy to skip over important

steps in the problem-solving process# meaning that yo can miss good soltions# or#

'orse still# %ail to identi%y the problem correctly in the %irst place&

=ne 'ay to prevent this happening is by sing the Simplex Process& )his po'er%l

step-by-step tool helps yo identi%y and solve problems creatively and e%%ectively& 6t

gides yo throgh each stage o% the problem-solving process# %rom %inding the

problem to implementing a soltion& )his helps yo ensre that yor soltions are

creative# robst and 'ell considered&

6n this article# 'e$ll look at each step o% the Simplex Process& ,e$ll also revie' some

o% the tools and resorces that 'ill help at each stage&

Abot the )ool

)he Simplex Process 'as created by +in Easadr# and 'as poplari?ed in his book#

;)he Po'er o% 6nnovation&;

6t is sitable %or problems and pro:ects o% any scale& 6t ses the eight stages sho'n in

7igre # belo'.

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7igre . )he Simplex Process

*ather than seeing problem-solving as a single straight-line process# Simplex is

represented as a continos cycle&

)his means that problem-solving shold not stop once a soltion has been

implemented& *ather# completion and implementation o% one cycle o% improvement

shold lead straight into the next&

,e$ll no' look at each step in more detail&

& Problem 7inding

=%ten# %inding the right problem to solve is the most di%%iclt part o% the creative

process&

So# the %irst step in sing Simplex is to start doing this& ,hen problems exist# yo

have opportnities %or change and improvement& )his makes problem %inding a

valable skill!

Problems may be obvios& 6% they$re not# they can o%ten be identi%ied sing trigger

estions like the ones belo'.

• ,hat 'old or cstomers 'ant s to improveD ,hat are

they complaining abotD• ,hat cold they be doing better i% 'e cold help themD

• ,ho else cold 'e help by sing or core competences D

• ,hat small problems do 'e have 'hich cold gro' into bigger onesD And

'here cold %ailres arise in or bsiness processD

• ,hat slo's or 'ork or makes it more di%%icltD ,hat do 'e o%ten %ail to

achieveD ,here do 'e have bottlenecks D

• Ho' can 'e improve alityD

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• ,hat are or competitors doing that 'e cold doD

• ,hat is %rstrating and irritating to or teamD

)hese estions deal 'ith problems that exist no'& 6t$s also se%l to try to look into

the %tre& )hink abot ho' yo expect markets and cstomers to change over the

next %e' years9 the problems yo may experience as yor organi?ation expands9 and

social# political and legal changes that may a%%ect it& )ools sch as P4S)Analysis 'ill help yo to do this&" 6t$s also 'orth exploring possible problems %rom

the perspective o% the di%%erent ;actors; in the sitation – this is 'here technies

sch as 8A),=4 can be se%l&

At this stage yo may not have enogh in%ormation to de%ine yor problem

precisely& 0on$t 'orry abot this ntil yo reach step 3!

1& 7act 7inding

)he next stage is to research the problem as %lly as possible& )his is 'here yo.

• >nderstand %lly ho' di%%erent people perceive the sitation&

• Analy?e data to see i% the problem really exists&

•

4xplore the best ideas that yor competitors have had&• >nderstand cstomers$ needs in more detail&

• Kno' 'hat has already been tried&

• >nderstand %lly any processes# components# services# or technologies that

yo may 'ant to se&

• 4nsre that the bene%its o% solving the problem 'ill be 'orth the e%%ort that

yo$ll pt into solving it&

,ith e%%ective %act-%inding# yo can con%irm yor vie' o% the sitation# and ensre

that all %tre problem-solving is based on an accrate vie' o% reality&

3& Problem 0e%inition

Ey the time yo reach this stage# yo shold kno' roghly 'hat the problem is# and

yo shold have a good nderstanding o% the %acts relating to it&

7rom here yo need to identi%y the exact problem or problems that yo 'ant to

solve&

6t$s important to solve a problem at the right level& 6% yo ask estions that are too

broad# then yo$ll never have enogh resorces to ans'er them e%%ectively& 6% yo

ask estions that are too narro'# yo may end p %ixing the symptoms o% a

problem# rather than the problem itsel%&

+in Easadr# 'ho created the Simplex process# sggests saying ;,hyD; to broaden

a estion# and ;,hat$s stopping yoD; to narro' a estion&

7or example# i% yor problem is one o% trees dying# ask ;,hy do 6 'ant to keep

trees healthyD; )his might broaden the estion to ;Ho' can 6 maintain the ality

o% or environmentD;

A ;,hat$s stopping yoD; estion here cold give the ans'er ;6 don$t kno' ho'

to control the disease that is killing the tree&;

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Eig problems are normally made p o% many smaller ones& )his is the stage at 'hich

yo can se a technie like 0rill 0o'n to break the problem do'n to its

component parts& (o can also se the < ,hys )echnie # 8ase and 4%%ect

Analysis and *oot 8ase Analysis to help get to the root o% a problem&

)ip.

A common di%%iclty dring this stage is negative thinking – yo or yor team mightstart sing phrases sch as ;,e can$t&&&; or ;,e don$t#; or ;)his costs too mch&;

)o overcome this# address ob:ections 'ith the phrase ;Ho' might 'e&&&D; )his shi%ts

the %ocs to creating a soltion&

5& 6dea 7inding

)he next stage is to generate as many problem-solving ideas as possible&

,ays o% doing this range %rom asking other people %or their opinions#

throgh programmed creativity tools and lateral thinking technies#

to Erainstorming & (o shold also try to look at the problem %rom other

perspectives& A technie like )he *e%raming +atrix can help 'ith this&

0on$t evalate or critici?e ideas dring this stage& 6nstead# :st concentrateon generating ideas & *emember# impractical ideas can o%ten trigger good ones! (o

can also se the *andom 6npt technie to help yo think o% some ne' ideas&

se o% BPGs and 6**s # 'hich help yo ensre that yor pro:ect is 'orth

rnning %rom a %inancial perspective&

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F& Planning

=nce yo$ve selected an idea# and are con%ident that yor idea is 'orth'hile# then

it$s time to plan its implementation&

Action Plans help yo manage simple pro:ects – these lay ot the 'ho# 'hat# 'hen#

'here# 'hy and ho' o% delivering the 'ork&

7or larger pro:ects# it$s 'orth sing %ormal pro:ect management technies& Eysing these# yo$ll be able to deliver yor implementation pro:ect e%%iciently#

sccess%lly# and 'ithin a sensible time %rame&

,here yor implementation has an impact on several people or grops o% people#

it$s also 'orth thinking abot change management & Having an appreciation o% this

'ill help yo assre that people spport yor pro:ect# rather than opposing it or

cancelling it&

I& Sell 6dea

>p to this stage yo may have done all this 'ork on yor o'n or 'ith a small team&

Bo' yo$ll have to sell the idea to the people 'ho mst spport it& )hese may

inclde yor boss# investors# or other stakeholders involved 'ith the pro:ect&

6n selling the pro:ect yo$ll have to address not only its practicalities# bt also thingssch internal politics# hidden %ear o% change# and so on&

)ip.

(o can learn more abot ho' to get spport %or yor ideas 'ith or Eite-Si?ed

)raining Session# Sell (or 6dea&

J& Action

7inally# a%ter all the creativity and preparation comes action!

)his is 'here all the care%l 'ork and planning pays o%%& Again# i% yo$re

implementing a large-scale change or pro:ect# yo might 'ant to brsh p on

yor change management skills to help ensre that the process is implemented

smoothly&=nce the action is %irmly nder 'ay# retrn to stage # Problem 7inding# to contine

improving yor idea& (o can also se the principles o% Kai?en to 'ork on

continos improvement&

Key Points

Simplex is a po'er%l approach to creative problem-solving& 6t is sitable %or

pro:ects and organi?ations o% almost any scale&

)he process %ollo's an eight-stage cycle& >pon completion o% the eight stages yo

start it again to %ind and solve another problem& )his helps to ensre continos

improvement&

Stages in the process are.

• Problem %inding&

• 7act %inding&

• Problem de%inition&

• 6dea %inding&

• Selection and evalation&

• Planning&

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• Selling o% the idea&

• Action&

Ey moving throgh these stages yo ensre that yo solve the most signi%icant

problems 'ith the best soltions available to yo& As sch# this process can help yo

to be intensely creative&

)his site teaches yo the skills yo need %or a happy and sccess%l career9 and thisis :st one o% many tools and resorces that yo$ll %ind here at +ind )ools&

8lick here %or more# sbscribe to or %ree ne'sletter# or become a member

- See more at:http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_10.htm#sthash.3sfosoMC.dpuf

)he Stra' +an 8oncept

Eild it >p# Knock it 0o'n# and 8reate a Solid 7inal Soltion

A stra' man is a rogh prototype&

© iStockphoto/Pesky+onke

6% yo bild something ot o% stra' 'hat do yo expect to happen to it in the long

rnD

(o expect it to collapse or be blo'n a'ay!

A stra' man proposal similarly lacks solid %ondation# and it too may be blo'n

a'ay nder scrtiny&

So is a stra' man proposal to be avoidedD

Bot necessarily& A ;stra' man; can be very se%l# as long as people kno' that

'hat stands be%ore them is indeed a stra' man& ,hen yo begin a pro:ect or start

looking into a problem# yo o%ten have incomplete in%ormation to 'ork 'ith& So yo

can spend time gathering %acts and data ntil yo are ready to bild a really strong

argment or plan# or# yo can get going straight a'ay and :mp in 'ith a not-so-

complete soltion# 'ith the intention o% %inding a mch better one# as yo learn

more and more&

)hat$s the premise behind bilding a stra' man – creating a %irst dra%t %or criticism

and testing# and then sing the %eedback yo receive to develop a %inal otcome that

is rock solid&

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Sppose yor revene is %alling and yo have to come p 'ith a better sales

strategy& >sing the stra' man idea yo might do the %ollo'ing.

• 8reate a dra%t proposal to expand to ne' markets&

• 6n yor proposal# otline the markets that might o%%er good prospects# based

on yor initial :dgment and experience&

• Present yor dra%t proposal to the team and tell them that it is a stra' man –

)his is critical becase everyone mst clearly nderstand that yor idea is the

starting point and 'as created %or the prpose o% being critied&"

• Analy?e the proposal# %ind the 'eak points# clari%y assmptions and decision-

making criteria# and 'ork on a re%ined proposal&

• 0ra%t a ne' proposal and repeat the process ntil a %inal decision is made&

)hese sbseent proposals can be given names too. sch as 'ood man# tin man and

iron man&

6n a cltre that vales being right# the notion o% constrcting a stra' man is

di%%iclt to embrace& ,hy spend time dra%ting something that# ltimately# isn$t going

to be sedD 6% yo can get past this perception yo 'ill be srprised at ho' se%l

the technie can be& =ne o% its main advantages is that it %orces yo to dosomething& )aking too long to deliberate the merits o% an idea or hypothesis can be

costly# as yo risk never making a decision at all& ,ith a stra' man# yo %orce an

early# i% incomplete# decision& )his ensres that a %inal decision 'ill be reached

becase doing nothing means accepting a poor plan by de%alt&

)ip.

Ee very care%l 'hen yo$re sing a Stra' +an approach that people nderstand

'hat yo$re doing. )he last thing yo 'ant is to develop a reptation %or ;coming

p 'ith hal%-baked ideas&; +ake sre that yor docment is clearly labeled as sch#

and that the people receive it nderstand 'hat it is&

7or this reason# yo may only 'ant to se this approach 'hen yo can control thepaper$s circlation and manage the 'ay it is received&

A stra' man is also se%l in ensring that everyone involved has a tangible concept

to 'ork %rom& =ther'ise# there is a risk that people are 'orking 'ith di%%erent

pieces o% the 'hole# di%%erent perceptions# and di%%erent# nstated assmptions# as

they contine to research and discss aspects o% the idea or soltion&

)he risk o% sing a stra' man proposal is that# by de%inition# yo are :mping to

conclsions& Providing yo are a'are o% this risk# yo$ll challenge# test# and retest

the real soltion and so se ;:mping to a conclsion; as a vehicle to %ind a better

conclsion&

A good technie %or checking yor soltion and assmptions is the @adder o%

6n%erence & >se it to make sre that yor %inal assmptions are valid# rather than

;stra' man; assmptions that 'on$t stand p to the reality o% yor 'orking

soltion&

6mpact Analysis is another great approach %or determining 'here the stra' man

%ails to deliver& Ey looking at the conseences o% the proposed action# yo are able

to see the 'eak points and create a better plan&

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Key Points

A stra' man is a prototype soltion to a problem# bilt on incomplete in%ormation

and on ideas that have not been %lly thoght throgh& 4ven in this rogh state#

thogh# it helps ensre everyone involved has a common nderstanding o% the initial

concept&

)he point o% bilding the stra' man is to knock it do'n and rebild somethingmch better& Ho' yo do that 'ill depend on circmstances# and on the resorces

available to yo& 6t is a good place to start# and it is o%ten the psh yo need to get

past decision-making paralysis# 'hich plages many pro:ects# problems and

decisions& Ey ptting together a stra' man# yo take action and gain momentm to

get moving to'ards a 'inning soltion&

)he next time yo are %aced 'ith solving a problem or making a decision# consider

bilding a stra' man %irst& 0on$t be a%raid to thro' yor ideas ot there& 0o be

prepared# ho'ever# to se 'ell developed problem solving and decision

making skills and technies to %ine-tne yor man made o% stra' into a strong and

resilient creatre# capable o% 'ithstanding the many pressre that real li%e 'illsb:ect him to&


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Hrson$s Prodctive )hinking +odel

Solving Problems 8reatively

Ee creative at every stage o% the problem-solving process&

© iStockphoto/)omm@

8reativity is incredibly important in problem-solving – i% yo$re not creative# yo$ll

strggle to nderstand the isses srronding a problem# and yo$re nlikely toidenti%y the best soltions&

4ven 'orse# yo may %ail to solve the problem altogether!

So# ho' can yo be more creative in yor problem-solving# and thereby come p

'ith the best ideas to move %or'ard 'ithD

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Hrson$s Prodctive )hinking +odel helps yo do this& )his %rame'ork encorages

yo to se creativity and critical thinking at each stage o% the problem-solving

process& )his means that yo get a better nderstanding o% the problems yo %ace#

and yo come p 'ith better ideas and soltions&

Abot the +odel

)he Prodctive )hinking +odel 'as developed by athor and creativity theorist#)im Hrson# and 'as pblished in his 1LLI book# ;)hink Eetter&;

)he model presents a strctred %rame'ork %or solving problems creatively& (o

can se it on yor o'n or in a grop&

)he model consists o% six steps# as %ollo's.

& Ask ;,hat is going onD;

1&

problem solving1 1

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