How do you monitor and adjust your solution?

Star with addressing the specifics of the of the question will help identify the changes needed to engage with any difficulty that may arise.

While I concur that creative problem-solving involves acknowledging the uncertainty of solutions and the importance of deductive reasoning, I'd argue for an iterative and inclusive approach. Innovative solutions often stem from diverse teams harnessing varied experiences and perspectives. Beyond brain maps, empathy maps or root cause analysis can add value, shedding light on the human dimension of problems, and ensuring devised solutions are truly effective and sustainable. This approach treats problem-solving as a dynamic, collaborative, and empathetic process.

Creative problem solving largely involves recognizing that solutions are never guaranteed. I believe it calls for assessing the opportunity cost of each situation, where the action you take relies heavily on deductive reasoning tailored to the specific problem at hand. For example, analyze the situation, clearly define your problem, and conceptualize a rational solution through deductions you have, or the inherit truths of the situation to better assist in broadening your perspective of the issue as a whole. I highly recommend utilizing a brain map as part of your planning process. Brain maps help connect ideas cohesively, enabling you to clear your mind and make well-founded judgments based on your experiences and accurate data.

I would establish essential success benchmarks, establish an initial reference point / baseline, refine the MVP (minimum viable product), and continue iterating until I achieve the intended outcome aligned with SMART goals.

When preparing for the measure phase, my first step is to create a list of inputs. This will help identify whether data is available, reliable and accurate - as data cleaning is usually the most critical part of this phase. When inputs are not available, the next step is to think about what other variables can be used for estimating. For example, during my time in manufacturing, measuring flow rates of emulsified fluids was very difficult. To understand flow rate, we used pipe distances, fluid density and pump speeds fed into a fluid dynamics model to estimate the meantime from point A to point B in the facility. During this phase of problem solving, it is important to consider alternate ways to measure data for analysis and reporting.

One thing I always find helpful is considering the 2 two extreme users/ use case, all the way from interviews, analysing data to insights. The advantage is that biases could be limited, and problem definition could be more inclusive, because the majority of the users/ use cases fall in the middle.

In my 30 years on Wall Street, I've turned unique experiences into a solutionary mindset. One instance was a high-stakes underwriting meeting. As the sole Black woman leader, I observed a young, bright Black male associate being unjustly sidelined due to unconscious bias. I intervened enabling him to share his analysis which revealed crucial risk insights critical to our decision-making. This demonstrates how disrupting bias and creating space for diverse perspectives leads to superior economic outcomes and cultivates social sustainability. This is one of many experiences that fortified my belief in a solutionary mindset which can shape equitable business practice, drive economic success, and foster a more inclusive and sustainable future.

According to me, this step is the most important in the entire chain, because once you analyse the outcomes and figure out what is causing the problem, you have to accept the fact that everything might not work out the way you imagined it, and you could be proven incorrect at times. Not keeping yourself open to new ideas and fresh perspectives can be damning to any project. Using debiasing tools can help you understand the mistakes, but choosing to correct them graciously requires conscious effort.

Learning from your prospective users is key to success. So define your solution sufficiently for them to understand the value it will bring and potentially the cost to them in time and money. Show them and collect this feedback, usually the solution grows to be of stronger value by focusing on what resonates with your future customers. Pivot your solution to adjust to the value they see in the solution sometimes not your original idea but what the market truly needs to solve a problem.

To effectively address these biases, it is important to consider the option of restarting the entire endeavor without hesitation. This approach offers the chance to break free from biases that might have accumulated. In cases where a complete restart might not be feasible, stepping away from the project temporarily can provide a valuable breather. This temporary distance can help us mitigate the influence of biases.

Repeating and refining processes is essential for continuous improvement. By learning from your mistakes, innovating, meeting the needs of your users, and building trust with your stakeholders, you can ensure that you are delivering the best possible solutions. I keep detailed logs of my time, tasks, and results so that I can identify areas for improvement and make changes in the next iterations.

It's useful to have a "fail fast, fail often" mentality in this cycle to avoid getting bogged down in data. Especially in the early stages of prototyping it's important to learn quickly. When designing the monitoring and evaluation phase, it's helpful to note which data are essential and which are desirable... can the desirable data be delayed to future iterations, when it will have more impact?

It's worth looking at the iterative cycles within Design Thinking processes. the timing of iteration/ refinement stages can help you know when to monitor and adjust