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Dear Habib & Ramesh, Please find below an insight into the fundamentals of problem-solving; hope it's helpful.
What is the Problem?
1. What is the problem? Tell yourself exactly what the problem is. Be clear and specific.
What is My Plan?
• Think of at least 2 or 3 possible strategies that you might use to solve the problem. A strategy is a way or method or process for solving a problem. It's not the answer or solution itself but, rather, how you can find the solution or answer.
What Might Happen If?
Examine your list of possible strategies, and choose the one that seems best.
Try It Out!
Try your best strategy and see if it works to solve the problem. If it works, you're done!
How Did I Do?
• If your best strategy doesn't work, go back to your list of possible strategies in Step Two and choose another. Then, try this one. Or, stop thinking about the problem for a while, and come back to it later. Or, research the problem, and then start again with Step Two.
How is Problem-Solving Different from Critical Thinking?
Why aren't troubleshooters universal problem solvers? Here's an article on how to master the art of problem-solving by understanding it in depth: There are three myths about problem-solving that should be shot before we talk about how to become good at it.
Myth No. 1: Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking are the Same.
Fact: Problem-solving is a subset of its larger cousin, critical thinking. Problem-solving deals with the immediate issue, and critical thinking is required for long-term strategic issues.
Myth No. 2: Good Problem Solvers Intuitively Shoot from the Hip.
Fact: Intuition is an important part of the process, but research shows that the more systematic problem solver has a better return with accurate and successful solutions.
Five Steps to Sharpen Your Problem-Solving Skills by Scott Halford
Your ability to make money is directly proportionate to how well you solve problems for your customers. Problem-solving is one of the most highly valued characteristics you can have as an entrepreneur. Hone this skill, and you reap the benefits of saving time, making money, and finding the next big idea for your business.
Myth No. 3: If You Come Up with a Good Solution, You're a Good Problem Solver.
Fact: There are five steps to good problem-solving, and you need to follow through on each to be deemed a pro at it. Following these five steps will help you become a master problem solver.
1. Identify. Identifying the correct problem to work on is often where people trip up. It's not as simple as you might think—breeze over this step at your peril. Think about a business that has revenue issues. There could be a few hundred reasons for that issue. Asking the right questions and being a smart detective help you zero in on the problem with precision. The good problem solver asks a lot of questions about what the problem really is, instead of guessing and making snap decisions about it.
2. Ideate. Now that you have a short list of what the problem might be, brainstorm all the possible solutions. The best brainstorming happens when you have the opportunity to bounce ideas off others. Get the right people in the room and think of as many solutions as you can. This is not the time to evaluate. The physiological brain process of generating ideas is not the same as evaluating them, and they cannot be switched on at the same time. They are both critical processes, but don't turn off the ideation by turning on the evaluation.
3. Evaluate. This is when you evaluate the ideas you came up with during the ideation phase. Evaluate ideas first based on their impact on a goal, and secondly, on the complexity of the idea. Complexity is not about difficulty. Instead, it is determined by only two things: time and money. Can the idea bring about successful results in the time constraints you have, and does it fit any known budget constraints you have? Ask yourself how large an impact the idea has. If you're trying to cut $10,000 out of a budget and you come up with an idea that saves $100, the impact is relatively low. One with $1,000 becomes a higher-impact solution. You are looking for high-impact, low-complexity ideas.
4. Execute. This is another step average problem solvers often skip. It does no good to come up with a great idea and then bungle execution on it. We've all been in those meetings where ideas are brainstormed and funneled into a few doable deeds, only to walk out of the meeting and never know when or how the ideas will be executed. Fruitless. Come up with a plan to get your idea done. You don't have to be the executor of the full idea, but as a problem solver, you have some responsibility for implementing the solution.
5. Re-examine. The final step is to check in with the solution's progress and determine if it is still the right one. There will be times when the problem still exists because the solution wasn't right. Don't throw in the towel. Go back to step two and get going on the next solution to try.
Regards,
From India, Bangalore
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What is the Problem?
1. What is the problem? Tell yourself exactly what the problem is. Be clear and specific.
What is My Plan?
• Think of at least 2 or 3 possible strategies that you might use to solve the problem. A strategy is a way or method or process for solving a problem. It's not the answer or solution itself but, rather, how you can find the solution or answer.
What Might Happen If?
Examine your list of possible strategies, and choose the one that seems best.
Try It Out!
Try your best strategy and see if it works to solve the problem. If it works, you're done!
How Did I Do?
• If your best strategy doesn't work, go back to your list of possible strategies in Step Two and choose another. Then, try this one. Or, stop thinking about the problem for a while, and come back to it later. Or, research the problem, and then start again with Step Two.
How is Problem-Solving Different from Critical Thinking?
Why aren't troubleshooters universal problem solvers? Here's an article on how to master the art of problem-solving by understanding it in depth: There are three myths about problem-solving that should be shot before we talk about how to become good at it.
Myth No. 1: Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking are the Same.
Fact: Problem-solving is a subset of its larger cousin, critical thinking. Problem-solving deals with the immediate issue, and critical thinking is required for long-term strategic issues.
Myth No. 2: Good Problem Solvers Intuitively Shoot from the Hip.
Fact: Intuition is an important part of the process, but research shows that the more systematic problem solver has a better return with accurate and successful solutions.
Five Steps to Sharpen Your Problem-Solving Skills by Scott Halford
Your ability to make money is directly proportionate to how well you solve problems for your customers. Problem-solving is one of the most highly valued characteristics you can have as an entrepreneur. Hone this skill, and you reap the benefits of saving time, making money, and finding the next big idea for your business.
Myth No. 3: If You Come Up with a Good Solution, You're a Good Problem Solver.
Fact: There are five steps to good problem-solving, and you need to follow through on each to be deemed a pro at it. Following these five steps will help you become a master problem solver.
1. Identify. Identifying the correct problem to work on is often where people trip up. It's not as simple as you might think—breeze over this step at your peril. Think about a business that has revenue issues. There could be a few hundred reasons for that issue. Asking the right questions and being a smart detective help you zero in on the problem with precision. The good problem solver asks a lot of questions about what the problem really is, instead of guessing and making snap decisions about it.
2. Ideate. Now that you have a short list of what the problem might be, brainstorm all the possible solutions. The best brainstorming happens when you have the opportunity to bounce ideas off others. Get the right people in the room and think of as many solutions as you can. This is not the time to evaluate. The physiological brain process of generating ideas is not the same as evaluating them, and they cannot be switched on at the same time. They are both critical processes, but don't turn off the ideation by turning on the evaluation.
3. Evaluate. This is when you evaluate the ideas you came up with during the ideation phase. Evaluate ideas first based on their impact on a goal, and secondly, on the complexity of the idea. Complexity is not about difficulty. Instead, it is determined by only two things: time and money. Can the idea bring about successful results in the time constraints you have, and does it fit any known budget constraints you have? Ask yourself how large an impact the idea has. If you're trying to cut $10,000 out of a budget and you come up with an idea that saves $100, the impact is relatively low. One with $1,000 becomes a higher-impact solution. You are looking for high-impact, low-complexity ideas.
4. Execute. This is another step average problem solvers often skip. It does no good to come up with a great idea and then bungle execution on it. We've all been in those meetings where ideas are brainstormed and funneled into a few doable deeds, only to walk out of the meeting and never know when or how the ideas will be executed. Fruitless. Come up with a plan to get your idea done. You don't have to be the executor of the full idea, but as a problem solver, you have some responsibility for implementing the solution.
5. Re-examine. The final step is to check in with the solution's progress and determine if it is still the right one. There will be times when the problem still exists because the solution wasn't right. Don't throw in the towel. Go back to step two and get going on the next solution to try.
Regards,
From India, Bangalore
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