Problem-solving – 3 point beyond the textbook
What was the last problem you tackled? Was it connecting to a video call? Coordinating your kids’ schedule?
Problem-solving is something we all do every day, yet my experience showed me that some basic steps for good problem solving are often overlooked.
Make sure you do not use opinions or assumptions to define your problem
Find the cleanest definition of your problem, relying only on facts. A common mistake is to mix assumptions in the problem definition.
For example, person x baked a cake twice, and it turned out great, then person y baked the same cake, and it was a disaster. The likely approach would be- person B does not know how to make a cake- let’s drill into every step they took and find out what they did wrong.
However, this approach overlooks other parameters, such as- which ingredients were used? Was the oven the same? How was the quality of the cake defined?
Clearly define your goal
What is a “solved problem” - make sure you look beyond the technical challenge
At first glance, defining the problem seems easy- “X is not working; I need to make it work.” However, life is rarely this simple. Look at the two diagrams below- they both describe a simple problem-solving process. In the top diagram, the need to eat lunch was not a pre-requisite of solving the problem of “microwave not working.” The result might be time and cost spent that do not meet the priorities.
In real life, the questions could be- do I need to make this specific unit work urgently (could be required for a demo), or do I need to make sure the problem will not reoccur in the production line (a longer and more expensive process)?
You do not always need to find the root cause!
I am aware that every problem-solving training defines solution as finding the root cause, as a scientist, I always want to understand what was the root cause of the problem. However, in real life, finding the root cause might be expensive and not necessarily bring added value.
To be clear, “ just make it work” can be a dangerous approach as it might have quality implications down the road. Deciding to skip full root cause investigation should not be done lightly. However, in many cases, it can reduce critical delays and costs.
As an example, we can analyze a scenario many of you will relate to- We had internet problem at home, after working well for months the Wi-Fi connection became unstable, video calls would freeze or drop off altogether. As I had an important video call, I used an ethernet cable to connect to the modem. All problems were solved! Ok, not all the problems, only my problem. The decision at this point was — Is this a good enough solution?
In this case, the pros and cons are clear- fast, low-cost robust solution but only solves the problem for computers connected to the cable. On the other hand, finding the root cause will need much more investigation- do we have interference from our new neighbors? Is something wrong with the Wi-Fi modem? Maybe it was never really good, but this is the first time issues happened during an important call?
The point is, it does not matter; the only question that matters is – “Is my solution good enough or do I need to spend more time and money to find a better solution.”
For now, we purchased a second cable.
Do you have examples of creative problem-solving? Which common practices do you think are overrated?
🇺🇦 Adi Diner, thank you for sharing the insight! Being good at problem solving is an important skill, both in life and in business, but this skill is often overlooked. Moreover, it’s surprising how many people skip the step of defining the problem and jump straight to the solution! Also, very few companies make problem solving a part of the job interview process…
Thank you for reminding us Adi Diner that we are not always masters of things we do every day. Unfortunately, we are often numb to the idea that there may be a better way.
Absolutely loved it. I would add (from the recently problem-solving spell) two enhancement to the process: 1. Sharing - don't just say i have a problem, this or that failed. tell the story of the failure from design to execution. put yourself out there. two great things can happen - either someone sees something you missed, or by preparing storytelling like a journey to others to get your eureka moment. 2. I know that outside academia clear and thorough documentation is a must, i live in academia, where documentation is needed, but no one sets an SOP of how to. "The opposite of forgetting is writing-down", and nowadays there are so many cloud-based-seamless-syncable-auto-AI-ML driven options ... just choose one.
Adi, love how you have targetted a basic topic that everyone is bound to face. It is true that we usually tend to overlook the basic steps of problem-solving thus I hope the readers try to implement your guidelines the next time they face a complication. Particularly in my case, I start to panic instead of focusing on finding creative alternatives so I need to practice to stay calm.
Interesting article Adi - I'll add a different angle. Men and Women solve problems very differently. They use different approaches and technique and just that can get in the way of a robust solution. For example, many men use convergent thinking; many women divergent thinking. While one side is eliminating possible causes or solutions; the other is adding more to the pot. We should all try to become Gender Savvy so we can leverage these differences instead of tripping over them!