How can you solve complex problems more easily?

As they says, A Well Defined Problem is Half Solved, it is most important to define the Problem and its scope. 5W1H alongwith Is/Is_Not gives the proper definition of any "Problem' and differentiate it from a "Non Problem". A wrong defined problem will bring out poor outcome of the overall process. Also, i would like to add, before detailed problem definition,it is important to understand the problem symptom and establish an Emergency Response Action (ERA).

My approach for problem solving would be that is the problem worth solving? what is the time and cost associated with it? after taking up the challenge to solve the problem is it worth for me to move forward towards achieving the goal? has anything changed? would I still be able to achieve the goal that was defined in the beginning. So, I won't waste time and budget over solving something that I am not certain about.

A clearly defined problem with an understanding of it’s impact is a fundamental first step. Without knowing the problem’s impact, it’s difficult to gauge how much value will be derived by solving the problem. Some problems are more nuisances and are not worth the time and effort.

Questions and answers. I have found that questions and their answers are the problem solvers. Many times, the answers lead to more questions and when you run out of questions, you most likely have either solved, or gotten close to solving your problem. HV3

Very much agree with the above. Additionally, I would encourage you to celebrate and highlight smaller accomplishments and milestones. This reassures the team and maintains moral, focus, and motivation.

Leverage Prompts: You need prompts to change your thinking. Some experts call these lenses. Different ways to view and combine the information in your head. A big breakthrough for me was finding the Creative Whack Pack by Roger Von Oech. This simple deck of cards gives me quick access to more than fifty different prompts I can use to change my thinking and break out of being stuck. Whatever you use, you need ways to diversify your thinking and get yourself unstuck. Sitting quietly in a room and looping through the same few ideas with no variation will only frustrate you. Details here: https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/p/how-to-think-big

This could be the most difficult part of the whole project, it may change the way things were being done, bringing different team members to get specific type of help, it may also impact customers. Hence, pay attention to implementation tasks and plan, risk register and impact on stakeholders, mitigation plan and all thinkable elements. Remember to be flexible to delete or add tasks or modify them as things move forward. Communicating frequently via any channel instead of lengthy meetings is critical to bring more support for the change and ease of implementation. Celebrate milestones and appreciate the efforts in timely fashion.

One of the great ways to learn is to always document the experience. The experience documented tells a story and shows the metrics for undertaking future Projects and problems a team could face. Used Cases or documented experiences provides a picture of what problems were faced in the past, what were the approaches to solve it, was it solved or unsolved? what was the benefit or loss? the capacity of the problem etc.

In my experience, having a diverse team is the key to each step. People with different backgrounds and experience will view both problems and solutions through a different lense, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the big picture and risks involved.

3-step recipe to "Think Big": (1) Gather Information — you must know enough about your topic. (2) Invest Time — you cannot invent without effort. (3) Leverage Prompts — you can use tools to prompt your thinking. Step by step guide: https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/p/how-to-think-big