PROBLEM

 question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.`

Why is problem solving important? Good problem solving skills empower you not only in your personal
life but are critical in your professional life. In the current fast-changing global economy, employers often
identify everyday problem solving as crucial to the success of their organizations. For employees, problem
solving can be used to develop practical and creative solutions, and to show independence and initiative to
employers.

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 The ability to solve problems is a crucial skill in the modern workplace. It can make the difference
between success and failure, and it can help you navigate the complexities of a fast-paced environment.
But how exactly can you develop the skills needed to solve problems efficiently and effectively? Here
are five simple steps you can take to develop your problem-solving skills and tackle any challenge that
comes your way in the workplace.

--------- Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re faced with a workplace problem, and
you’re not sure where to start? Whether it’s a customer complaint, a team conflict, or a project delay,
it’s essential to address it promptly to maintain productivity and morale.
Step 1: Define the Problem consider the pros and cons of each solution
before selecting the most appropriate one.
 The first step in effective problem solving Keep in mind that the solution may not be
is to define the problem clearly. Take the perfect, but it should be the best one
time to analyze the issue and gather as available given the resources and
much information as possible. It’s crucial constraints. By considering different
to identify the cause of the problem and its options, you can increase the chances of
impact on your team or organization. Once finding an effective solution that addresses
you have a clear understanding of the the problem.
problem, you can begin to develop a plan of
action to address it. It’s important to involve Step 3: Evaluate the Solutions
all stakeholders in this process, including
those who are directly affected by the  When evaluating the solutions, it’s
problem, to ensure that you have a complete important to keep an open mind and
picture of the situation. Involving others in consider different perspectives. Seek
the process can also help you gain different feedback from other team members or
perspectives and insights, which can be colleagues who may have a different point
valuable in developing an effective solution. of view. It’s also important to consider the
long-term effects of each solution, rather
Example: Low Sales -, it’s essential to than just the immediate impact. During the
understand the root cause of the issue and evaluation process, it’s essential to prioritize
how it’s affecting the team’s productivity. solutions based on their impact on the
Are there external factors, such as personal problem and their feasibility. Consider the
issues or workload, resources, time, and effort required to
implement each solution. Some solutions
Step 2: Brainstorm Possible Solutions may be quick fixes that can be implemented
immediately, while others may require more
 After identifying the problem, the next planning and preparation. It’s important to
step is to brainstorm possible solutions. choose a solution that addresses the problem
It’s important to be creative and come up effectively while also being feasible to
with as many solutions as possible, even if implement within the given resources and
they seem unrealistic or impractical. timeframe.
Brainstorming can be done individually or in
a group setting, where team members can -------It’s also important to remember that
bounce ideas off each other. In a group not all solutions may work as expected. Be
setting, it’s important to create an open and prepared to modify or pivot to a different
safe environment where everyone feels solution if the initial solution does not yield
comfortable sharing their ideas. Remember the desired results. Additionally, ensure that
to focus on generating ideas, without the chosen solution aligns with the
evaluating or criticizing them during the company’s policies and values and does not
brainstorming session. violate any ethical standards.

Example: Low sales: You may seek Step 4: Implement the Solution
different opinions of the team to come up
with a good promotion in order to boost the  Implementing the chosen solution
sales. requires careful planning and execution.
The team needs to work together to
 Forecasting ensure that the solution is implemented
smoothly and efficiently. The plan should
 Once you have a list of possible solutions, include a timeline, specific tasks, and
evaluate each one based on their feasibility, deadlines. Assigning roles and
potential impact, and costs. It’s important to responsibilities to each team member is
 crucial to ensure that everyone understands  Remember, the first step is to define the
their role in the implementation process. problem – analyze it, gather information,
 Effective communication is also essential and understand the root cause. Next,
during the implementation phase. The team brainstorm possible solutions, even if they
should communicate regularly to discuss seem unrealistic or impractical. Get creative
progress, identify any obstacles, and adjust and come up with as many solutions as
the plan if necessary. possible! After that, evaluate the solutions
by identifying their pros and cons, and
Example, if the team decides to implement choose the one that’s most feasible and
a new customer service strategy, they should practical. Make sure to consider the potential
train the customer service team, provide risks and benefits of each solution. Then, it’s
them with the necessary tools, and time to implement the most practical
communicate the new strategy to customers. solution. Develop a plan, communicate it to
everyone involved, and assign roles and
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust responsibilities.Last but not least, monitor
the progress and adjust the solution if
 Monitoring and adjusting the solution is necessary. Keep track of the progress and be
crucial in ensuring that the problem is open to feedback. Remember, learning from
fully resolved. It’s essential to track the your mistakes is the key to success!
progress of the solution and evaluate its  So, the next time you face a workplace
effectiveness. It’s also important to track the problem, take a deep breath and follow these
progress of the implementation to ensure simple steps. With effective problem solving
that everything is on track. Regular check- skills, you can maintain productivity, boost
ins can help identify any problems early on morale, and achieve success!
and provide an opportunity to address them
before they become bigger issues.If the --------------------------------------------------------
solution is not working as planned, it’s ------------------------------------------------
important to adjust it accordingly. This step
requires flexibility and open communication
among team members.

Feedback plays a vital role in this step. It’s Motivational story: Problem
important to gather feedback from team
members and stakeholders to ensure that the Solving
solution is meeting their needs. Feedback November 4, 2014 Yuva Engineers Uncategorized 0
can also help identify any potential issues
that may arise and allow the team to address
Five wise men got lost in the forest.
them promptly.
The first one said:
– I will go left – my intuition tells me that.
Learning from mistakes is also an important
The second one said:
aspect of effective problem solving. Every
– I will go right – there is a reason why right
problem presents an opportunity to learn and
grow. By reflecting on the process and the comes from the word rightness.
outcome, team members can identify areas The third one said:
for improvement and apply them in future – I will go back – we came from there, it
problem-solving situations. means I will go out from the forest.
The fourth one said:
– I will go straight – we should move
 Data analysis , Surveys , Customer
forward, the forest will end and something
feedback , Follow-through new will open.
The fifth said:
– You are all wrong. There is a better
Conclusion
solution. Wait for me. If you don’t understand the problem and
He found the tallest tree and climbed into try to solve it, you will be lost in the forest
it. While he was climbing everyone else as the 4 men in the above story. Lateral
scattered towards their own sides. From thinking, mind mapping and brainstorming
above he saw where they should go to are the very basis of any creative problem
leave the forest faster. Now he could even solving.
see in what order the other wise men will
reach the end of the forest. He climbed ------------------------------------------------------------------------
higher and saw the shortest way. He ----------------------------------------------------
understood the problem and found the best
solution! He knew that he did everything We all face problems daily. Some are simple, like
right. And the others were wrong. They deciding what to eat for dinner. Others are more
were stubborn and they didn’t listen to him. complex, like resolving a conflict with a loved one
He was the real Wise Man! or figuring out how to overcome barriers to your
goals. No matter what problem you’re facing, these
five problem-solving strategies can help you
How to solve a problem???
develop an effective solution.
• First, you have to understand the
problem.
• After understanding, then make a plan. Problem-solving strategies don’t guarantee a
• Carry out the plan. solution, but they do help guide you through the
• Look back on your work. How could it be process of finding a resolution.
better?
1. Trial and error
“Understand the problem” is often One of the most common problem-solving
neglected as being obvious and is not even strategies is trial and error. In other words, you try
mentioned in many mathematics classes. different solutions until you find one that works. This
Yet students are often stymied in their can be a good strategy to use if you have a limited
number of solutions available. But if there are
efforts to solve it, simply because they
many different choices available, narrowing
don’t understand it fully, or even in part. In down the possible options
order to remedy this oversight, Pólya(an
eminent mathematician) taught teachers
how to prompt each student with For example, say the problem is that your Wi-Fi
isn’t working. You might try different things until it
appropriate questions, depending on the
starts working again, like restarting your modem or
situation, such as:
your devices until you find or resolve the problem.
What are you asked to find or show? When one solution isn’t successful, you try another
Can you restate the problem in your own until you find what works.
words?
Can you think of a picture or a diagram that
might help you understand the problem? 2. Heuristics
Is there enough information to enable you
to find a solution? Sometimes, it’s more effective to solve a problem
Do you understand all the words used in based on a formula than to try different solutions
stating the problem? blindly.
Do you need to ask a question to get the
answer? Heuristics are problem-solving strategies or
frameworks people use to quickly find an
approximate solution. It may not be the optimal
solution, but it’s faster than finding the perfect
resolution, and it’s “good enough.”
Example: Algorithms or equations are By starting with the end goal in mind and working
examples of heuristics. backwards, you can gain clarity on what needs to be
done to achieve that goal. It allows you to identify key
milestones and steps needed to reach the end goal,
 An algorithm is a set of instructions for making the overall process more manageable.
solving a problem or accomplishing a
task. One common example of an
algorithm is a recipe, which consists of For example, if you know you need to be at a party by 8
specific instructions for preparing a dish p.m., you might work backward to problem-solve when
or meal. you must leave the house, when you need to start getting
 Equation can be used for budgeting ready, and so on.

However, sometimes many life problems 5. Means-end analysis

have no formulaic solution.
Means-end analysis is a problem-solving strategy
that, to put it simply, helps you get from “point A” to
3. Gut instincts (insight problem- “point B” by examining and coming up with
solving) solutions to obstacles.

While algorithm-based problem-solving is When using means-end analysis you define the
formulaic, insight problem-solving is the opposite. current state or situation (where you are now)
and the intended goal. Then, you come up with
solutions to get from where you are now to where
When we use insight as a problem-solving strategy we you need to be.
depend on our “gut instincts” or what we know and
feel about a situation to come up with a solution.
People might describe insight-based solutions to For example, a student might be faced with the
problems as an “aha moment.” problem of how to successfully get through finals
season. They haven’t started studying, but their
end goal is to pass all of their finals. Using means-
For example, you might face the problem of whether or end analysis, the student can examine the
not to stay in a relationship. The solution to this problem obstacles that stand between their current state
may come as a sudden insight that you need to leave. In and their end goal (passing their finals).
insight problem-solving, the cognitive processes that
help you solve a problem happen outside your conscious
awareness. They could see, for example, that one obstacle is
that they get distracted from studying by their
friends. They could devise a solution to this
4. Working backward obstacle by putting their phone on “do not disturb”
mode while studying.
Working backward is a problem-solving approach often
taught to help students solve problems in mathematics. _______________
However, it’s useful for real-world problems as well.
When Einstein said "You cannot solve a problem
Working backward is when you start with the solution with the same mindset that created it," he was
and “work backward” to the beginning. Sometimes an expressing the idea that in order to solve a
end result is very clear, but the beginning may be unclear problem, one must approach it from a different
due to events that happened in between. perspective or with a new way of thinking.