What are some tips for developing problem solving skills?

I used to struggle with missing important family events while blaming my demanding job. However, when I applied the '5 Whys' technique, I dug deeper. The first 'why' challenged my initial assumption, leading me to realise that my time management needed improvement. As I continued asking 'why,' I discovered my reluctance to delegate and my fear of inefficiency. This process helped me redefine the problem from 'my busy job' to 'my approach to time management and delegation.' It emphasised the importance of accurately defining the problem, which was instrumental in finding effective solutions and achieving a better work-life balance.

The #1 set back in problem solving is not having a clear understanding of the problem itself. Take time to define the problem, by writing down the problem, and then continuing to define "why" it's a problem. Many times the actual problem is living beneath the surface.

Imagine standing at the threshold of a problem like you’re embarking on a personal quest. Clearly defining the issue is akin to sketching the contours of a landscape you're about to explore. Identifying the problem, understanding why it holds significance, help envision the destination you aspire to reach. If you think of this process as crafting a unique narrative for your journey a well-defined problem can become your personal guide, helping you focus, steer away from confusion, and enabling you to set achievable goals. As you go forth, arm yourself with personalized tools like the 5 Whys, your tailored Problem Statement, or the SMART criteria, ensuring that your problem-solving journey reflects the nuances of your own narrative.

Frame the problem as a story. Who are the characters (stakeholders)? What is the conflict (the problem)? How does it affect the characters? This narrative approach can provide a fuller understanding of the problem. Adopt a curious mindset. Ask fundamental questions like “What exactly is the problem?”, “Why is this a problem?”, and “For whom is it a problem?” Keep probing deeper with more “Why” questions.

In my experience one of the technique that I usally use to define a problem is with 5W′s+1H. I mean Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How? Begining with this questions helped me to make a beggeing diagnóstic.

In my experience, when we faced the problem of declining team morale, we discovered that having open discussions with the team was the most helpful approach. At first, we thought heavy workloads and tight deadlines were the main issues. But as we talked more, we realised that there were deeper problems. We found that communication issues, not getting recognition, and unresolved conflicts among team members were causing the morale drop. These were issues that talking openly helped us uncover, and they weren't as well-addressed by traditional problem-solving tools. Sometimes, a simple and natural conversation within the team can be the most powerful tool to explore and understand the root causes of a problem.

In my experience, the best way is to start with the end result or the problem itself and work backwards. This process can help uncover the sequence of events or decisions that led to the issue. Look for similar problems in different industries or contexts. Sometimes, solutions from one area can be creatively adapted to solve problems in another.

The solution to your problem is one of two things: - Internal solution - External solution Explore the different contributors to discover what is having the biggest impact.

It may seem a strange thing to say, but don't sleep on the problem-solving power of sleep! The idea that we should ‘sleep on it’ to solve a problem has been around for generations – my grandma has been telling me this for years - but there is a scientific basis for this age-old advice. In a 2021 study, volunteers were challenged with a problem-solving task, followed by an incubation period filled with either sleep or wakefulness, before retesting. 62% of the group who slept solved the problem, while only 24% of the awake group could.

In my experience, the Six Thinking Hats technique is like a Swiss Army knife for problem-solving. It covers all the bases, making sure we don't miss a thing. It gives structure to our discussions, values different viewpoints, and balances emotions, facts, optimism, critical thinking, creativity, and planning. It's a creativity booster, encourages open communication, and adapts to changing situations. It's not just a tool; it's a mindset that empowers well-rounded problem-solving, no matter the situation. I love it, plus you can wear a coloured hat if you really want to!

Regularly set up brainstorming sessions where team members tackle hypothetical problems. This encourages creative thinking and helps develop quick problem-solving skills. Also, try to rotate employees through different roles or departments. This exposes them to a variety of challenges and perspectives, broadening their problem-solving skills. And it's great to host workshops or training sessions focusing on different problem-solving techniques like the fishbone diagram, the 5 whys, or the six thinking hats.

Have team members advocate for different solutions to the same problem. This not only hones persuasive skills but also deepens understanding of the merits and demerits of each solution. And it's great to review past failures, both personal and from well-known cases. Understanding why a solution didn’t work is as important as understanding why it did.

When the number of solution ideas is very high, a tool that I have found very useful at a professional level is the C-box clustering by Marc Tassoul from TU Delft, recommended when we have around 40-60 ideas. How is it applied? ??Create two perpendicular axes, usually one represents novelty and the other feasibility. One end of each axis means very novel/immediate feasibility while the other end represents ideas that are familiar and not feasible. You already have 4 distinct areas ??. Now place the ideas in each of these areas, so that the closer they are to one end the closer they are to that criterion. Voila ??, you now have a first overview to see which ideas to proceed with.

Once a solution is chosen, it's time to implement it. Make sure everyone on your team is 1) Aligned to the plan 2) Understands how success is measured 3) Has insight in how to track

Carve out moments, perhaps weekly, to reflect on your problem-solving patterns. Pinpoint which choices felt overwhelming and which ones could be optimized or even bypassed. Regularly tweaking your decision-making strategies ensures a more streamlined approach over time. Continuous refinement is the way forward.

The list here are methods. But problem solving is beyond this. It is your inherent ability to see through the root cause and then determine possible ways to resolve it. You already have all those inside you. Remember your daily life scenarios - when you were running late to drop your kid and you chose a shortcut to reach school on time, When you had no time between meetings and you decided to pick a grab-and-go. Where did this come from? Did you follow the step by step listed here? No. You went with intuition. So use the same for professional problems too. You will soon be an expert problem solver. Good luck!

Ultimately, a decision has to be made with any problem-solving. Overthinking about a problem causes delay; Make a thoughtful decision and move on to the next.

Take care with the words you use as they can help or hinder you finding a solution I had one client who was getting no where when they were ‘searching for solutions’ & yet as soon as we tweaked their language to ‘findings answers’ they came in thick & fast. I’d suggest in that situation changing the noun, verb or adding an adjective could make a HUGE difference. eg instead of ‘searching for solutions’ someone may find ‘looking for effective alternatives’ a means of finding what they’re looking for. Similarly, many people wouldn’t describe their challenge as a problem and so don’t even use problem solving tools and instead would want challenge, niggle or conundrum solving tools ?? Words really do have power so is them wisely.