Having strong problem solving skills can make a huge
difference in your life. Problems are at the center of what many people do
every day. Whether you're solving a problem for an individual, supporting those
who are solving problems, or discovering new problems to solve, the problems
you face can be large or small, simple or complex, and easy or difficult.
Being a confident problem solver is important to your
success in life. Much of that confidence comes from having a good process to
use when approaching a problem. With one, you can solve problems quickly and
effectively. Without one, your solutions may be ineffective, or you'll get
stuck and do nothing with painful consequences. There are four basic steps in
solving a problem:
·
Defining the problem.
·
Generating alternatives.
·
Evaluating and selecting
alternatives.
·
Implementing solutions.
There are situations and behaviors
in your world, which you would classify as problems that exist and are
unsolved. Below are a few tips that may be of help in improving your problem
solving skills:
Be simple, but creative in your solution-Building
a simple solution does not mean trivializing the problem which you are looking
to solve. The majority of the time, complex solutions are devised for a problem
if the above points (understanding the right problem, understanding the
fundamentals of the problem, articulating the problem and focusing on the root
cause, are not considered). Give your brain a break, try to baseline your
thoughts and stop when you have understood the problem and fundamentals behind
it. It is always best to de-clutter your brain and then subsequently attack and
approach the problem efficiently.
Take a break, then recap and work on a simple solution to
the right problem you are looking to solve. Be creative in your problem
solving. This has got nothing to do with how much creative ability you have,
it’s basically about thinking of solutions from a different perspective rather
than a perspective with which the problem you are looking to solve was built or
on how the problem came into existence.
Focus on the root cause not the symptoms-It’s
very easy to get caught up in the symptoms of the problem and most problems are
incorrectly attempted by suppressing these symptoms. I am not saying you should
not suppress the symptoms to give you some respite until the root cause is
identified, but abstain from a “fixing the symptom” mind-set. This mentality
will keep you away from solving the real problem. Once you know the root cause,
not only can the problem be solved, it can be prevented in future too.
Get out of the “I know everything” mentality-Try
and understand the fundamentals of the process pertaining to the problem area.
Confirm how it works or exists in its very basic and current form. Get out of
the mind-set that you know everything because if you did you would know the
problem area, cause, and its solution as well. Understand the nuances of the
techniques which exist in the process. Ask all the basic questions to really
understand the problem and note significant points of the process which would
then bring immense clarity to the part of the problem you are attempting to
solve.
Understand the right problem-Many
problems remain unsolved because there has not been a focused effort to
understand the problem itself. I still remember solving math problems when I
was young and every time I couldn’t solve a problem I would ask my Dad for
help. He would never provide me a solution straight away, but instead ask me to
go and read the question again at least three times.
I used to feel frustrated, but invariably, half of the time,
reading the question properly would lead me to the conclusion that I had actually
been trying to solve the wrong
problem. The minute you identify the correct intent of the problem, the right
solution will follow. So ask yourself the fundamental questions about the
problem and spend some time understanding the real problem in order to solve
it.
Visualize the problem-Try and
document a picture of the process depending on the problem. This may or may not
be relevant, but we all know pictorial representations often help. Draw a
simple diagram without worrying about technical conventions or specific
constraints. A simple picture diagram can help visualize the most complex of
problems in any area. Use any simple tool like PowerPoint, white boards,
sheets, and papers and never shy away from starting to draw these on the spot
if understanding a problem is becoming a challenge.
“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend
55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” (Albert Einstein)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“5 ways to improve your
problem solving skills” by Mohit Talwar
·
“What Is Problem Solving?” by the Mind Tools Content
Team
This topic was suggested
by Jan Bahr.
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