Problem Solving

Quickly and effectively solve problems and come up with great solutions

When it comes to solving problems, there are a number of issues which make it difficult for people to overcome the obstacles and move on past the issue. The main characteristics of a difficult problem are:

• Lack of clarity about the issue - how to understand the problem, how to start dealing with it, or where to go next
• Not knowing what the goals or outcomes really are - whether they are unclear, are being challenged, or whether something has changed meaning the goal may need to change too
• The issue is complex - many different factors or parts to the issue make it difficult to understand, or there are many interrelated parts, or several possibly conflicting outcomes desired
• There are time constraints on achieving the goal - it either must be completed by a specific date or before another task, or can't start until something else has happened, or there is some sort of time window when it must be performed.

When these issues are encountered, in many cases our first reaction is to try to put the issue in the "too hard basket" and hope that the problem will go away somehow.

The key thing to do is to as soon as possible, start the momentum going again by first recognizing the real issues and identifying the sticking points. In many cases you may feel a sense of overwhelm at the apparent size or complexity of the problem.

You can use NovaMind to clarify the issues, come up with possible solutions, and track the implementation of the solutions. To do this, you can use a number of different approaches, fitting within the basic four step problem solving model:

1. Get the facts
2. Weigh and decide
3. Take action
4. Check results

Get the Facts

When you are getting the facts about a problem, it is important to focus on gaining a good understanding of the situation as it is, and not as you would like it to be. You need to clarify what the issue really is by creating a Mind Map with the main parts of the issue clearly defined, and the complexities surrounding the problem put into a hierarchical Mind Map format, which often already reduces the complexity and brings clarity to the issue.

In getting the facts, things like the environment of the problem, the people involved and their opinions and attitudes need to be considered too. If someone has a feeling about something, it's still a fact that they have the feeling and the facts all need to go on the Mind Map.

Weigh and Decide

Again, the environment you are operating in needs to be considered, and brainstorming can be used to come up with potential solutions. Other techniques like lateral thinking, analogy, assumption reversal, solution hypothesis, incubation etc can also be used to come up with potential solutions.

These solutions are assessed based on their efficacy, impact, and relative merit, and a decision is made. Each potential solution, partial solution, workaround, or change in goals is assessed against the desired outcomes and the constraints of the problem.

Take Action

In taking action, it is important to have responsibilities and expected outcomes clearly defined, and that anyone it is going to impact is informed ahead of time so there are no unexpected surprises. Everyone involved and impacted must know why action is being taken. It is important to set the process in motion as soon as a decision is reached so that there is momentum. Along with clearly specified actions, there need to be clearly defined measurements that tell you whether you are heading in the right direction, and a way of knowing whether you have achieved your intended outcome.

Check Results

In many situations the only way you really know whether you have achieved the desired outcome is to have means of measurement in place which will tell you definitively of the outcome. In checking whether the objective was achieved, it is also important to keep an eye out for side effects like the impact on people, or changes in attitudes of people.

There may also be a requirement for follow on actions to make sure the solution sticks, or to deal with something else that has come to light as a result of the actions that were taken. This is especially true when there are changes that directly affect people.

All of these steps can be put into a Mind Map, so that everyone involved is able to understand the nature of the issue, and what is being done about it.