Problem Solving

A problem is something which holds up the progress or movement in achieving an objective or goal. Problem Solving can be defined as the process of working through details of a problem to reach a solution. It refers to the mental process that people go through to discover, analyze and solve problems. This involves all of the steps in the problem process, including the discovery of the problem, the decision to tackle the issue, understanding the problem, researching the available options and taking actions to achieve your goals. Before problem-solving can occur, it is important to first understand the exact nature of the problem itself. If your understanding of the issue if faulty, your attempts to resolve it will also be incorrect or flawed.

Problem Solving Problem solving may include mathematical or systematic operations and can be a gauge of an individual's critical thinking skills. Problem Solving may be an art or science. It is combination of problem’s attribute and power of knowledge without learning, human reasoning and experience. Problem solving and critical thinking refers to the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve problems. This doesn’t mean you need to have an immediate answer, it means you have to be able to think on your feet, assess problems and find solutions.

Problem Solving Process Problem Solving Process included following steps: Define the problem (What is the problem?) Analyze the problem (Why is the problem occurring?)  Determine the root Cause(s) of the problem  Develop alternative solutions Select a Solution(What are we going to do?) Implement the Solution(Carry out the intervention.) Evaluate the outcome (Did our plan work?)

Problem Solving Process

Step 1: Define the problem The first step, identifying the problem, is a broad review of the current situation — a fitting together of information, like pieces of a puzzle. In this first stage, a group identifies and discusses the symptoms and scope of the problem. It is important to clearly define the problem & its scope to ensure the feasibility of the solution. If the problem statement is wrongly stated, it will lead to infeasible solution. Step 2: Analyze the Problem Determine the root cause(s) of the probem: Once you recognize the symptoms and have tentatively defined the problem, your group can begin to collect information about the nature of the problem.

Problem Solving Process At this step, you may use different analytical tools to help you organize this information and underlying causes of the problem. In this way, you determine the root causes of the problem. When you restate the problem, your definition will reflect the causes Develop alternative solutions: Once you have defined a problem, you may jump toward a particular solution. However, creative problem solving requires you to explore a full range of viable solutions before reaching a conclusion. To assemble a variety of solutions from which to choose a final solution, you must:  generate as many potential solutions as possible  relate each solution to the causes of the problem  merge similar or related solutions

Problem Solving Process Step 4: Select a Solution As a fourth step, evaluate each potential solution for its strengths and weaknesses. Selecting a solution entails searching for the most effective solution by applying two general criteria. An effective solution:  is technically feasible  is acceptable to those who will have to implement it Selecting a solution requires you to choose one that will be effective – one that has sufficient technical quality to resolve the problem, and is acceptable to those who will implement it. Step 5: Implement the Solution Choosing a solution does not immediately solve a problem. Putting a solution into action may prove as difficult as deciding on one. The implementation stage requires action planning

Problem Solving Process Come up with a workable plan for putting the chosen solution into place. Find out what potential roadblocks there are to the plan and ask yourself and others about ways to eliminate those roadblocks. Step 6: Evaluate the Outcome In simplest terms, evaluation is the monitoring that any project needs to ensure that milestones are met, costs are contained, and work is completed. Evaluate the differences between your expected outcomes and the way it actually turned out. Effective groups, however, plan additional feedback mechanisms to detect the need for midcourse corrections and to ensure that the problem is solved without creating new problems. Reflecting on its own processes and results keeps a group effective. It also brings the problem-solving process full circle, as reflecting on results helps a group identify its next step.

Problem Solving Process Problem solving is an ONGOING process, not a one-shot deal. Big life problems probably won’t get solved the first time you use these steps. But with repeated attempts, you can make changes each time that lead you closer to where you’d like to be. Problem Solving Techniques:  Heuristics  Trial & Error Method  Algorithms  Insight  Brain Storming

Heuristic Heuristic refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery that give a solution which is not guaranteed to be optimal. Heuristic is a mental rule-of-thumb strategy that may or may not work in certain situations. Unlike algorithms, heuristics do not always guarantee a correct solution. However, using this problem-solving strategy does allow people to simplify complex problems and reduce the total number of iterations. The most fundamental heuristic is trial and error, which can be used in everything from matching nuts and bolts to finding the values of variables in algebra problems.

Trial & Error Trial and error is a fundamental method of solving problems. A trial-and-error approach to problem-solving involves trying a number of different solutions and ruling out those that do not work. It is an unsystematic method which does not employ insight, theory or organized methodology. This approach can be a good option if you have a very limited number of options available. If there are many different choices, you are better off narrowing down the possible options using another problem-solving technique before attempting trial-and-error.

Algorithms An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that will always produce a correct solution. A mathematical formula is a good example of a problem-solving algorithm. While an algorithm guarantees an accurate answer, it is not always the best approach to problem solving. This strategy is not practical for many situations because it can be so time-consuming. For example, if you were trying to figure out all of the possible number combinations to a lock using an algorithm, it would take a very long time!

Insight In some cases, the solution to a problem can appear as a sudden insight. According to researchers, insight can occur because you realize that the problem is actually similar to something that you have dealt with in the past, but in most cases the underlying mental processes that lead to insight happen outside of awareness.

Brainstorming Brainstorming is a process for developing creative solutions to problems. Brainstorming is a group or individual creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its member(s). Brainstorming works by focusing on a problem, and then deliberately coming up with as many solutions as possible and by pushing the ideas as far as possible. One of the reasons it is so effective is that the brainstormers not only come up with new ideas in a session, but also spark off from associations with other people's ideas by developing and refining them.

Brainstorming There are four basic rules in brainstorming intended to reduce social inhibitions among team members, stimulate idea generation, and increase overall creativity:  No criticism: Criticism of ideas are withheld during the brainstorming session as the purpose is on generating varied and unusual ideals and extending or adding to these ideas. This allows the members to feel comfortable with the idea of generating unusual ideas.  Welcome unusual ideas: Unusual ideas are welcomed as it is normally easier to "tame down" than to "tame up" as new ways of thinking and looking at the world may provide better solutions.  Quantity Wanted: The greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing a radical and effective solution.  Combine and improve ideas: Not only are a variety of ideals wanted, but also ways to combine ideas in order to make them better.

Brainstorming Gather the participants from as wide a range of disciplines with as broad a range of experience as possible. This brings many more creative ideas to the session. Write down a brief description of the problem - the leader should take control of the session, initially defining the problem to be solved with any criteria that must be met, and then keeping the session on course. Use the description to get everyone's mind clear of what the problem is and post it where it can be seen. This helps in keeping the group focused. Encourage an enthusiastic, uncritical attitude among brainstormers and encourage participation by all members of the team. Encourage them to have fun! Write down all the solutions that come to mind (even ribald ones). Do NOT interpret the idea, however you may rework the wording for clarity's sake.

Brainstorming Do NOT evaluate ideas until the session moves to the evaluation phase. Once the brainstorming session has been completed, the results of the session can be analyzed and the best solutions can be explored either using further brainstorming or more conventional solutions. Do NOT censor any solution, no matter how silly it sounds. The silly ones will often lead to creative ones - the idea is to open up as many possibilities as possible, and break down preconceptions about the limits of the problem. The leader should keep the brainstorming on subject, and should try to steer it towards the development of some practical solutions. Once all the solutions have been written down, evaluate the list to determine the best action to correct the problem.

Obstacles in Problem-Solving Of course, problem-solving is not a flawless process. There are a number of different obstacles that can interfere with our ability to solve a problem quickly and efficiently. Researchers have described a number of these mental obstacles, which include functional fixedness, irrelevant information and assumptions.  Functional Fixedness: This term refers to the tendency to view problems only in their customary manner. Functional fixedness prevents people from fully seeing all of the different options that might be available to find a solution.  Irrelevant or Misleading Information: When you are trying to solve a problem, it is important to distinguish between information that is relevant to the issue and irrelevant data that can lead to faulty solutions. When a problem is very complex, the easier it becomes to focus on misleading or irrelevant information.

Obstacles in Problem-Solving  Assumptions: When dealing with a problem, people often make assumptions about the constraints and obstacles that prevent certain solutions.  Mental Set: Another common problem-solving obstacle is known as a mental set, which is the tendency people have to only use solutions that have worked in the past rather than looking for alternative ideas. A mental set can often work as a heuristic, making it a useful problem-solving tool. However, mental sets can also lead to inflexibility, making it more difficult to find effective solutions.