Five Important Problem-Solving Questions
Five Important Problem-Solving Questions
Success requires that we solve problems. There are five questions that may be profitably applied to any situation, the answers to which will provide valuable information and help solve any problem.
Here are the five questions:
1. What are the facts, and how do we know?
The first thing to do in any situation is to gather the facts and verify them.
When we say facts, we mean facts; not guesses, not rumours, not vague approximations, but the real facts.
We need the facts; because if we get the facts wrong, then everything that follows will also be wrong.
The best source of facts is direct sensory evidence: what you personally see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.
But usually, you do not have personal experience of the situation you're trying to deal with, so you must rely on reliable accounts from other people, and from official sources. So, now we know what the facts are, and we know that our knowledge is reliable.
2. How should we frame the problem?
To solve a problem it must be correctly defined. A problem may be defined as the difference between the current situation and the desired situation.
So, the definition of the problem is usually in the form of a question: What is our desired state?
We need to write down what the desired state is.
3. What is our plan?
The problem is how to get from what we've got to what we want.
We now sit down with a group of people, with paper and pens, and formulate detailed written plans as to how we believe we can close the gap between what we have and what we want.
4. Plans must be written, not spoken
Spoken plans are of no use because we will forget what we said, we will argue about what we said, and we will have miscommunications.
So, we must have detailed written plans!
- Writing our plans forces us to be more accurate in our wording.
- Written plans crystallise our thoughts so that they don't disappear.
- Written plans allow us to communicate them to anyone else who is not in on the original meeting.
- Written plans act as a blueprint for action.
Now we have detailed written plans, we move to the final question.
5. What are the first steps we must take?
A plan is only a theory.
We must now put the theory into action.
We must take action on the plans, keeping a careful eye on the results our current actions are taking.
Keep your eyes and ears open and return to step one.
We reiterate these five questions until the facts coincide with our desired state and the problem ceases to exist.
Blogs by Email
Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!
Further Reading in Decision Making and Problem Solving
-
The Walt Disney Model
Walt Disney was a great problem solver. He approached problems from a variety of perspectives. We would all benefit from being able to find practical solutions to problems. Check out his model and see how you can use his methods to your advantage.
Read Article > -
How to Make a Good Decision
You are faced with making decisions every day, and it is important to make the right one. We explore the different types of decisions you will face and some fantastic tools we have developed in order to help decision-making easier for you.
Read Article > -
10 Steps to Solving Problems at Work
Problem solving is an essential skill, not only at work, but in personal situations. Use these ten steps to improve your problem-solving skills. Learn how to identify the circumstances around the problem and the logical steps to take.
Read Article > -
Creative problem solving and decision making
Creative problem solving and decision making Have you got problems? Of course! We all have problems. And we all want to know how to solve them. How can you solve your problems? Here are some notes on problem solving. What is "a problem"? A problem is the difference between your...
Read Article > -
The Law of Diminishing Returns
More is not necessarily better. There is a point which is optimum. After this point comes diminishing returns, where additional amounts of time, money and effort are ineffective and may even be dangerous.
Read Article >
Looking for Leadership and Management Training?
If you're looking to develop your Decision Making and Problem Solving Skills, you may find this Leadership and Management Training Course beneficial:
Open Training Course Pricing and Availability
Next Open Course Starts in 13 days, Online - Teams, places available