Creative problem solving (CPS) is a skill that helps you generate innovative and effective solutions to complex challenges. However, CPS is not a solo activity. You often need to involve and engage various stakeholders, such as customers, users, partners, or colleagues, in the process. How can you balance speed and stakeholder engagement in CPS? Here are some tips to help you.
Before you start brainstorming or prototyping, you need to have a clear and shared understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. This will help you avoid wasting time and resources on irrelevant or misaligned ideas. To define the problem clearly, you can use tools such as problem statements, customer empathy maps, or stakeholder analysis. These tools will help you identify the needs, goals, and pain points of your target audience and other key stakeholders. You can also involve them in the problem definition stage by asking for their feedback, insights, or perspectives.
I will balance speed and stakeholder engagement in Creative Problem Solving by setting clear timelines, involving stakeholders early, and using collaborative tools for efficient communication.
In Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), balancing speed and involving everyone important (stakeholders) can be tricky but doable. It's about finding a middle ground where you move fast enough but still make time to listen to and consider everyone's ideas and concerns. You can achieve this by setting clear deadlines for decisions and feedback, using efficient ways to communicate like short meetings or online tools, and making sure everyone knows their role in the process. This way, you can keep the problem-solving quick while making sure everyone involved feels heard and valued. This balance helps make better decisions and keeps everyone on board and working together smoothly.
Some great ways to get started with balancing speed and engagement: a) Define clear objectives and priorities: a well-defined problem is half solved. Get everyone on the same page quickly to ensure you're off on the right foot b) Tailor Communication Strategy- different stakeholders need different levels of information and share different interests, concerns, and expectations. Modeling your communications around their needs helps to ensure their continued commitment c) Consider Agile Methodology- break down the project into smaller, more manageable tasks or iterations that can be completed quickly. Ensure early quick wins to keep stakeholders excited about what is coming next
CPS involves a variety of methods and tools, such as divergent and convergent thinking, ideation techniques, design thinking, or experimentation. Depending on the nature and scope of your problem, you may need to use different methods and tools at different stages of the process. To balance speed and stakeholder engagement in CPS, you need to choose the right methods and tools that suit your context and goals. For example, you may want to use a fast and simple ideation technique, such as brainstorming, to generate a lot of ideas quickly, and then use a more structured and rigorous technique, such as SCAMPER, to refine and improve your ideas. You may also want to use tools that enable collaboration and communication, such as online platforms, whiteboards, or sticky notes, to involve and engage your stakeholders in the process.
Another way to balance speed and stakeholder engagement in CPS is to set clear roles and expectations for yourself and your stakeholders. This will help you avoid confusion, conflict, or delays in the process. You can use tools such as RACI matrix, stakeholder map, or project charter to define the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder, such as who is responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed. You can also communicate the expectations and objectives of each stage of the process, such as what is the desired outcome, what are the criteria for evaluation, or what are the deadlines and milestones.
Finally, to balance speed and stakeholder engagement in CPS, you need to seek feedback and iterate your solutions. Feedback is essential to validate your assumptions, test your ideas, and improve your outcomes. You can seek feedback from your stakeholders by using tools such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or user testing. You can also involve them in the iteration process by asking for their suggestions, opinions, or preferences. However, you need to be selective and critical about the feedback you receive, as not all feedback may be relevant, useful, or constructive. You also need to be flexible and open-minded about changing or discarding your solutions based on the feedback.