CREATIVE PROBLEM

SOLVING TECHNIQUES
 Creative problem solving is the mental process
of creating a solution to a problem.
It is a special form of problem solving in
which the solution is independently created
rather than learned with assistance.
Creative problem solving always involves
creativity.
 Creativity requires newness or novelty as a
characteristic of what is created, but creativity
does not necessarily imply that what is created
has value or is appreciated by other people.
To qualify as creative problem solving the
solution must either have value, clearly solve
the stated problem, or be appreciated by
someone for whom the situation improves.
 The situation prior to the solution does not need to be labeled as a
problem.
Alternate labels include a challenge, an opportunity, or a situation
in which there is room for improvement.
If a created solution becomes widely used, the solution becomes an
innovation and the word innovation also refers to the process of
creating that innovation.
A widespread and long-lived innovation typically becomes a new
tradition.
"All innovations [begin] as creative solutions, but not all creative
solutions become innovations.Some innovations also qualify as
inventions.
 Inventing is a special kind of creative problem
solving in which the created solution qualifies
as an invention because it is a useful new
object, substance, process, software, or other
kind of marketable entity.
Techniques
and
Tools
Creative-problem-solving techniques can be categorized as follows:

Creativity techniques designed to shift a person's

mental state into one that fosters creativity.
One such popular technique is to take a break and
relax or sleep after intensively trying to think of a
solution.
Creativity techniques designed to reframe the
problem.
For example, reconsidering one's goals by asking
"What am I really trying to accomplish?" can lead to
useful insights.
 Creativity techniques designed to increase the
quantity of fresh ideas.
This approach is based on the belief that a larger
number of ideas increase the chances that one of them
has value.
Some of these techniques involve randomly selecting
an idea (such as choosing a word from a list), thinking
about similarities with the undesired situation, and
hopefully inspiring a related idea that leads to a
solution.
 Creative-problem-solving techniques designed to
efficiently lead to a fresh perspective that causes a
solution to become obvious.
This category is useful for solving especially
challenging problems.
Some of these techniques involve identifying
independent dimensions that differentiate (or separate)
closely associated concepts.
Such techniques can overcome the mind's instinctive
tendency to use "oversimplified associative thinking"
in which two related concepts are so closely associated
that their differences, and independence from one
another, are overlooked.
 These are formalized and well-known methods
and processes combine various creativity and
creative-problem-solving techniques:
TRIZ
Mind mapping
Brainstorming
Lateral thinking
Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS)
 TRIZ
TRIZ which is also known as Theory of
Inventive Problem Solving (TIPS), was
developed by Genrich Altshuller and his
colleagues based on examining more than
200,000 patents.
This method is designed to foster the creation
and development of patentable inventions, but
is also useful for creating non-product
solutions.
 Mind mapping
Mind mapping is a creativity technique that
both reframes the situation and fosters
creativity.
 Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a group activity designed to
increase the quantity of fresh ideas.
Getting other people involved can help
increase knowledge and understanding of the
problem and help participants reframe the
problem.
 Lateral thinking
Edward de Bono has published numerous
books that promote an approach to creative
problem solving and creative thinking called
lateral thinking.
 Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS)

The Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS)

is a six-step method developed by Alex
Osborn and Sid Parnes that alternates
convergent and divergent thinking phases.
 A frequent approach to teaching creative
problem solving is to teach critical thinking in
addition to creative thinking, but the
effectiveness of this approach is not proven.
As an alternative to separating critical and
creative thinking, some creative-problem-
solving techniques focus on either reducing an
idea's disadvantages or extracting a flawed
idea's significant advantages and incorporating
those advantages into a different idea.
 Creative thinking is described as making and
communicating connections to: think of many possibilities;
think and experience in various ways and use different
points of view; think of new and unusual possibilities; and
guide in generating and selecting alternatives.
Critical thinking is described as analyzing and developing
possibilities to: compare and contrast many ideas; improve
and refine ideas; make effective decisions and judgments;
and provide a sound foundation for effective action. These
definitions are used in a six-stage, problem-solving process.
A brief description of each of the six stages follows:

Mess Finding: Just what's the mess that needs cleaning up, the
situation that demands our attention? We have to identify and
acknowledge this first before we can proceed.
Data Finding: Once the general mess is defined, the next stage
involves "taking stock"--unearthing and collecting information,
knowledge, facts, feelings, opinions, and thoughts to sort out and
clarify your mess more specifically. What do you know about the
situation, and what do you still need to know?
Problem Finding: Now that your data is collected, you need to
formulate a "problem statement" that expresses the "heart" of the
situation. You must try to put aside the common assumption that
you "already know what the problem is" and try to state the
problem in such a manner as to invite novel perspectives on it.
 Idea Finding: This is the state in which you
brainstorm as many ideas or alternatives as
possible for dealing with your problem
statement. Don't evaluate your ideas at this
point, merely list them as an idea pool from
which you'll draw in putting together a variety
of solutions to your problem.
 Solution Finding: Now that you have a number
of ideas that can serve as possible solutions to
your problem, it's time to evaluate them
systematically. To do this you have to generate a
variety of criteria and select the most important
for your problem. Is it cost? expediency?
pleasure? time involvement? etc. In this way,
you'll be able to identify and evaluate the relative
strengths and weaknesses of possible solutions.
 Acceptance Finding: Having decided upon a
solution, it's time to formulate a plan of action
to implement your solution. Determine what
kind of help you'll need, what obstacles or
difficulties might get in the way, and what
specific short- and long-term steps you are
going to take to rid yourself of that original
mess!
 Creativity and Innovation consists of...

SEEING what everyone else has seen,

THINKING what no one else has thought, and
DOING what no one else has dared!"
 Innovative thinking is the key to becoming a
successful entrepreneur.
Whether you actually invent a new product or
process, or you use creativity to find a better
way to market existing products or services,
you will need to learn how to think like an
inventor.
 START WITH THE CUSTOMER OR END USER

The customer is always your first and most important creative

challenge.
Try to see the customers' problems and needs from his or her
point of view. Restate the problem and the customers' needs in
their terms until a consensus is reached. Ask not only what the
problems are, but what special methods are presently used to
solve them.
Work with the end user or customer. Use fictitious product
descriptions to stimulate ideas and discussion.
Remember that effective market research and sales strategy
requires just as much creativity, enthusiasm and perfection as
does product development.
 IMPORTANCE OF ASKING THE
RIGHT QUESTIONS
The problem as first stated is rarely the true
problem. Ask at least five times. Always restate
the problem as many ways as you can; change
the wording, take different viewpoints, try it in
graphical form. Describe the problem to
laymen and also to experts in different fields.
Don't try to learn all the details before deciding
on a first approach. Make the second assault on
a problem from a different direction.
 Transforming one problem into another or
studying the inverse problem often offers new
insights. If you don't understand a problem try
explaining it to others and listening to
yourself.
Test the extremes. If you can't make it better,
try making it worse and analyzing what
happens. Visualize a new way to solve your
problem.
 GETTING GOOD IDEAS FROM
EVERYONE AND EVERYWHERE
Asking once is rarely effective, you have to
ask many times in many ways. Look at all
possible sources of good ideas: your
customers, your competition, your peers, the
literature, patents, and your own subconscious.
Give others some examples, this serves both to
illustrate what you're talking about and
encourages them to suggest improvements to
your ideas.
SEARCH FOR MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS

"Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only

one we have." The first solution found is usually inadequate
or not the optimum. There is usually more than one
acceptable solution.
Suspend judgement and criticism when first collecting ideas.
Studying multiple problems jointly often generates unique
solutions.
Look for solutions using combinations of ideas from
different or evolving technologies. Even if you have one
optimum solution it may be necessary to get patent coverage
for all other effective solutions so as to protect your market.
 BRAINSTORMING

In the initial phase of a brainstorming session participants are

encouraged to suggest any idea that comes to their minds.
During this initial phase it is a firm rule that none of the
participants can criticize or react negatively to any of the ideas
that are proposed.
Although a given idea may not be new to some it will be new
to others and provoke new ideas from the group as a whole.
Following sessions are used to critique the ideas; selecting,
improving, modifying, and combining them to produce the
final working solution.
Encourage examination of the problem statement itself.
Encourage ideas on improving the brainstorming process itself.
 VALUE OF EXPERIMENTATION, PLAY,
EXAGGERATION; PERSISTENCE
Get your hands dirty. Spend some time trying things you
"know won't work" or "don't know how they will work".
If you don't fail frequently you aren't trying hard enough
and may be missing a lot of good opportunities. Try Tom
Peter's algorithm: "READY, FIRE, AIM." Persist, persist,
persist.
As Edison said "invention is 1% inspiration and 99%
perspiration [persistipation?]". Be very stubborn about
solving a problem, but be flexible about the definition of
the true problem and be very flexible and open minded
about the form of the solution.
 PATENT AND PROJECT NOTEBOOKS

Patent notebooks are used to provide legal protection for

inventions, but can have many other useful,
complementary functions: a recorder, a reminder, a source
of ideas, a means of ensuring project continuity, and a way
to communicate with yourself and within a project group.
Clarity and conformance to legal standards is critical.
Other things that should be recorded: sources, questions,
what doesn't work, things to try. A one page summary sheet
of the important procedures and checkpoints should be
included inside the front cover of every patent notebook
issued
 INNOVATIVE COST REDUCTION

Remember that the real objective is higher

profits. Raising the selling price by adding
value or retargeting the market can be an
alternative or supplement to cutting costs.