How can you learn from your past problem-solving experiences?

?? Learning from past experiences regarding problem solving in domains like retail & data analysis. 1. Reflect on the Problem Context: Understand the circumstances, goals, and challenges. Recognize patterns and similarities in different situations. 2. Evaluate Your Approach: Assess strategies employed. Identify what worked well and what could be improved. 3. Document Your Process: Create a record of your problem-solving journey. Serve as a reference for future challenges. 4.Experiment with Variations: Try different approaches to similar problems. Be open to new methods for improvement. 5.Cross-Disciplinary Insights: Connect different problem-solving experiences. Spark innovative solutions. 6.Quantify outcomes of problem-solving efforts.

While reviewing past solutions, bucketing is very helpful in process standardization. Try and bucket the items in: 1. Core Problems. 2. Problems that exist because of core problems. 3. Analysis of problems across who is affected, what is causing it, how it is translating into suboptimal outcome/ failures and other pain-points. 4. Then you can list out the possible action points that you considered, their brief evaluation and how you arrived at final solution. 5. Then analyze the execution, performance tracking and final outcome observed. Hope this helps.

We encounter challenges every day, and our responses can vary. The secret to becoming a better problem-solver lies in gleaning wisdom from our past experiences. 1. Reflect on the Past Think about how you approached it, not just the outcome. 2. Recognize Patterns Identify these tendencies to understand your strengths and weaknesses. 3. Celebrate Success, Learn from Failure When you succeed, acknowledge why. Learn from it. When you fail, don't despair. Analyze what went wrong, and grow from the experience. 4. Seek Feedback Others can offer fresh insights. Accept constructive feedback to improve. 5. Apply What You've Learned Use your newfound knowledge in future challenges.

?? Innovation and creativity thrive on effective problem-solving. But the real magic lies in learning from our past experiences! ?? Let me share a personal story that forever changed how I approach problem-solving. A few years back, I faced a daunting challenge at work - a project teetering on the brink of disaster. Sleepless nights and stress became my constant companions. ?? Then, one day, I stumbled upon an old notebook. Its pages were filled with my past problem-solving journeys - successes, failures, and everything in between. As I flipped through, a realization dawned upon me. ??? Our past holds the keys to our future success. ??? It struck me that our personal stories are a treasure trove of insights, waiting to be unearthed.

Reviewing solutions is pivotal for growth in problem-solving. It's about dissecting your approach, understanding deviations, and embracing feedback. Constructive criticism is a treasure for improvement, enhancing adaptability and confidence in handling complex challenges. It's not just about the past; it's an investment in future problem-solving prowess.

That solution you came about previously that looks so familiar to this present situation you are trying to solve... how did you get to solve it? What was your approach to solving it? Who did you involve and why? This is where you need to start dissecting the solving-problem - the path you took to achieve some form of success. At this point, you truly are just answering the question "why?" Why did I choose to do it this way? Why did I consider this option? Why...

Methods vary from problem to problem and from solution to solution. Legal problems require different methods than software problems. And there are not always only 1 method. You need to keep several methods at hand, and use any combination of them as and when required to take care of various elements of the problem.

?? Self-Analysis: The Catalyst for Problem-Solving Mastery ?? ?? Define with Precision: Delve deep to dissect the problem's core, asking probing questions to unveil its essence. ?? Mine for Insights: Leverage data as your guiding light, meticulously extracting hidden gems from market trends and user feedback. ?? Unleash Creativity: Nurture diverse thinking and brainstorming techniques, embracing every idea, no matter how unconventional, to spark innovative solutions. ??? Execute with Precision: Execute with unwavering dedication and meticulous planning, relentlessly monitoring progress to ensure flawless implementation.

Method analysis is the core of self-improvement in problem-solving. It's about deconstructing your approach: from problem definition to data analysis, solution generation, and implementation. By dissecting each step, you uncover the logic and reasoning behind your process. This introspection is where you identify and sharpen the skills and tools that make you an expert problem solver.

Comparing results with peers is an invaluable step in refining problem-solving skills. It helps you identify what set your solution apart, whether it had advantages or disadvantages, and how it aligned with the problem's context, your goals, and values. This process not only provides fresh perspectives but also draws from the collective wisdom of others, enriching your problem-solving toolkit.

Each problem comes with its own peculiarities. While this is clearly a similar problem you have encountered and solved in the past, be mindful that circumstances around the resurfaced problem might be different. Therefore, it is wise to look at multiple data sources to solving it this time around. E.g. being asked to work on a budget/ strategy/ policy document for a new quarter. This is something you already created multiple times in the past, however economies may have changed, your target audience may have evolved, and/or a new regulation might have been introduced that would require you to make some adjustments to your previous submissions. Hence why comparing or looking at other sources for insight is extremely important for relevance.

Get that stamp of approval...gain the necessary credibility by sharing what you have come up with with others who have knowledge/ expertise handling a similar problem. Share ideas, learn new methods, maybe even collaborate on the topic and form a more powerful output.

This is not very practical in the entire process, even within your organization. It is general behaviour that people tend not to discuss about a problem or a solution once the problem is solved. At least not until the problem reappears. So you have to be careful, active and diligent in asking for feedback, which is other than "good work", "good job", "you did well" and such.

Seeking feedback is a hallmark of a growth-oriented problem solver. Engaging with knowledgeable individuals in the domain opens doors to invaluable insights. Their evaluations, suggestions, and challenges not only refine your solutions but also broaden your problem-solving horizons. It's a proactive approach to continuously enhance your skills and performance, making you an expert in your problem-solving field.

Again, an very bureaucratic and impractical aspect while problem solving. The corporates which are far from bureaucratic mindset tend to focus more on solving the problem, than to document everything, even after the problem is solved. They move from one problem to another, with minimal documentation just to have a reference, and not as a tracker.

Documenting your learnings is the compass that guides your journey as a problem solver. It's about self-awareness and continuous improvement. By recording insights about the problem, your performance, and your personal growth, you create a roadmap for development. Acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses allows you to focus on areas that need improvement, setting you on a trajectory towards becoming an expert problem solver.

“If not now, when? And if not you, then who?” While following these guidelines of problem solving, one should be very flexible while finding the right solutions. Learning outcomes can sometimes misleading, so rethink add new perspectives while staying focused on the existing problems. Start by asking a question that why we are solving this and why and when it becomes a problem at first place.

In my experience most of the time we wont remember what the problem and the result were but the solution and what you did to get the desired solution. The key learning that you could take from your problem solving is by writing it down the What and How. When you grow to be a leader it will always help you to quickly advise your team on what needs to be done and also give a feedback to your team for their solution which they bring to the table.

A key tip to developing your “problem solving” skills is to think positively and look for opportunity. Mindset is everything. A great way to think about how to apply this tip is to re-read this great article and substitute the word “problem” for the word “opportunity”! Seriously, today’s problem in search of a solution could be tomorrow’s next global business! And this is where your #analyticskills can give you a tremendous advantage. Most people hate “problems”… they hide, procrastinate, avoid… But this leaves a huge void for you! Practice looking for challenges you and others dont want to face. Look for a big enough challenge where your analytic skills can find the solution.