What Makes A Good Problem Solver?

Problem-solving is a skill in which all of us use in our everyday lives, sometimes without even realizing for example working out the quickest alternative route to work to avoid traffic jams. 

The type of problems people face from day to day of course varies from person to person job to job. There are large problems, small problems, easy to solve problems, and more complex problems there’s quite a broad spectrum, and it’s important to remember that what might be a difficult problem for one person may be easy and not a problem at all to others.

Regardless of the problem, from a managerial perspective, it is their duty and a fundamental part of their role to find solutions to problems at hand therefore problem-solving skills are the key to success. 

Being a confident problem-solver comes from the ability to have good processes in place should particular problems arise. With a process, you become effective at problem-solving. without one, you may find that your solutions are ineffective and get stuck at a crossroads and mental block of not knowing what to do in a given situation. 

There are four steps that one can follow in order to become an effective problem solver. 

1. Look at exactly what the problem is – Deal with the problem head-on and do not waste time tackling the symptoms of why the problem occurred. This can be done later after an effective resolution. 

2. Coming up with alternatives to the problem at hand. Hopefully, you already have a solution in place from when the same or similar problem occurred previously. If not then you must come up with a solution for future processes. 

3.  Evaluate and select the relevant alternatives to the problem. Look at the range of options at your disposal and select the one that you see would best as a solution to that problem. 

4. Implement those alternatives. Once you have selected your desired solution to your problem has this implemented in a timely manner so that you ensure the maximum effectiveness of the solution. 

How Do We Understand the Complexity of the Problem?

When we are faced with a simple problem the solution is almost always instantly obvious and we act quickly. 

Problems tend to be complex when there are webs of interrelated issues that define the overall problem. 

The good news is that there are a number of tools in which you can use to make sense of this tangled web of interrelated issues! Many of these help you create a clear visual representation of the situation so that you can better understand what’s going on. Affinity Diagrams are great for organizing many different pieces of information into common themes, and for discovering relationships between these.

Another popular tool is the Cause-and-Effect Diagram. To generate viable solutions, you must have a solid understanding of what’s causing the problem. Using our example of substandard work, Cause-and-Effect diagrams would highlight that a lack of training could contribute to the problem, and they could also highlight possible causes such as work overload and problems with technology.

When your problem occurs within a business process, creating a Flow Chart, Swim Lane Diagram or a Systems Diagram will help you see how various activities and inputs fit together.  This will often help you identify a missing element or bottleneck that’s causing your problem.

Quite often, what may seem to be a single problem turns out to be a whole series of problems. Going back to our example, substandard work could be caused by insufficient skills, but excessive workloads could also be contributing, as could excessively short lead times and poor motivation.