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Problem Solving Strategies

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Presentation on theme: "Problem Solving Strategies"— Presentation transcript:

An introduction to Problem Solving Math 110 Iris Yang.

M ATHEMATICAL P ROBLEM S OLVING What is it? Why encourage it? How is teaching like a problem-solving endeavor?

Kevin Cummins The maths toolbox is a set of strategies that students can put into place to solve mathematical problems. The purpose.

Polya’s Four Step Problem Solving Process

Welcome to MATH 302A Please find the index card with your name on it and sit there. On the other side of the index card, write: Name as you wish to be.

MAKING PROBLEM SOLVING LESS PROBLEMATIC

Exploration 1.1 With 24 people in class, including yourself, if each person shakes hands with every person, how many handshakes will there be?

Problem Solving The process of applying previously acquired knowledge to new and unfamiliar situations.

Correlating Go Math & Standards for Mathematical Practices

SASE Contextualised group work – teaching a broader mathematics curriculum to first year science students: Case study – Problem solving Jo-ann Larkins.

Problem Solving Tool: KFC.

Test Preparation Strategies

Survey of Mathematical Ideas Math 100 Chapter 1 John Rosson Tuesday January 23, 2007.

M ATH C OMMITTEE Mathematical Shifts Mathematical Practices.

PROBLEM SOLVING in Math What you need to know. OVERVIEW: Define “Problem” Where do I start… How can I solve problems… Trying strategies –Patterns –Tables.

Problem solving Math 123. Why problem solving? Essential for mathematics According to NCTM, one of the processes through which mathematics should be.

Buckland CE Primary School

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10 Problem-Solving Strategies - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

10 Problem-Solving Strategies

10 problem-solving strategies a strategy is a method or way of doing something. sometimes more than one strategy can be used to solve a problem. – powerpoint ppt presentation.

A strategy is a method or way of doing something. Sometimes more than one strategy can be used to solve a problem. Knowing how to choose the best strategy for solving a problem will make you successful in math.
Draw a picture or diagram
Organize your self Make a chart or list, graph, sort data
Work Backwards
Use Manipulatives
Highlight Information
Compute Write a number sentence
Use Ratio or Proportions
Use a Formula or Rule
Guess and Check
Make the problem simpler
Make Estimates
Look for a Pattern
What are you being asked to do?
Read the question!
What information do you know?
Make a plan for solving the problem.
Solve the problem.
CHECK your answer.

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Planning & Problem Solving

Nov 29, 2014

370 likes | 864 Views

Planning & Problem Solving. Grade 3. Problem Solving: Skill Using the Four Step Process. What Is a Problem-Solving Strategy?. A problem-solving strategy is a plan for solving a problem. Different strategies work better for different types of problems.

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Planning & Problem Solving Grade 3

Problem Solving: SkillUsing the Four Step Process Confidential

What Is a Problem-Solving Strategy? • A problem-solving strategy is a plan for solving a problem. • Different strategies work better for different types of problems. • Sometimes you can use more than one strategy to solve a problem. • As you practice solving problems, you will discover which strategies you prefer and which work best in various situations. Confidential

Step 1: Read Logical Reasoning • You can use logical reasoning to solve problems. • Example: Coach Paul wants 11 liters of water in a cooler. He has a 5-liter bottle and an 8-liter bottle. How can he use them to measure exactly 11 liters? • What do you know? • Coach Paul wants 11liters of water in a cooler. • Coach Paul has bottles that hold 5liters and 8liters. • What do you need to find? • You need to find how to use the bottles to measure exactly 11 liters. Confidential

Step 2: Plan Logical Reasoning • Choose a strategy • Use Logical Reasoning to solve the problem • You can use the difference of the amount of water in the bottles to measure exactly 11 liters. Confidential

Step 3: Solve Logical Reasoning • Carry out your plan • Follow the steps Water cooler 8-L bottle 5-L bottle Add 8 + 3 = 11. There are 11 liters in the water cooler. Confidential

Step 4: Look Back Logical Reasoning • Is the solution reasonable? • Reread the problem. • How can you check your answers? • Possible answer: use water containers to check your answer. Confidential

Try This! • Jack has a 6-oz cup and an 8-oz cup. How can he use the cup to measure 10 ounces of water? Confidential

Step 1: Read Drawing a Picture/Diagram • You can solve problems by drawing diagrams. • Example: There are 22 students in Mrs. Diane’s class. Ten students have sisters. Five students have brothers. Seven students have sisters and brothers. How many students have sisters? • What do you know? • There are 22 students. • 10 students have sisters. 5 students have brothers, and 7 students have both. • What do you need to find? • How many students have sisters? Confidential

Step 2: Plan Drawing a Picture/Diagram • Choose a strategy • You can make a diagram to solve the problem Mrs. Diane’s class Both 7 This is a Venn Diagram Confidential

Step 3: Solve Drawing a Picture/Diagram • Carry out your plan • You know that there are 10 students who have sisters. • You know that there are 7 students who have sisters and brothers. • Write an addition sentence that shows the number of students who only have sisters and the number of students who have sisters and brothers. • 10 + 7 = 17 • There are 17 students who have sisters. Confidential

Step 4: Look Back Drawing a Picture/Diagram • Is the solution reasonable? • Reread the problem. • Does your answer make sense? Yes • Did you answer the question? Yes • What other strategies could you use to solve the problem? Confidential

Try This! • There are 8 students in a math group using pattern blocks. Three students have squares. Two have triangles. Three have both squares and triangles. How many have triangles? Confidential

Step 1: Read Making a graph • You can solve problems by making graphs. • Example: Which collection is largest? Smallest? Use data from the table to solve. • What do you know? • You know how many items are in each collection. • What do you need to find? • You need to find which collection has the greatest and fewest number of items. Confidential

Step 2: Plan Making a graph • Choose a strategy • A graph can help you compare data quickly. • Make a pictograph to solve the problem. Confidential

Step 3: Solve Making a graph • Carry out your plan • Make a pictograph. Compare the number of symbols for each item. Game cards has the most symbols. Toy Robots has the fewest symbols. So, Game Cards is the largest and Toy Robots the smallest collection. Each represents 50 items. Each represents 25 items. Confidential

Step 4: Look Back Making a graph • Is the solution reasonable? • Reread the problem. • Does your answer match the data given in the problem? Confidential

Try This! • Morris School has 48 stamp collectors, 54 toy collectors, and 66 coin collectors. Which type of collecting is most popular? Least popular? Make a graph to solve this. Confidential

Step 1: Read Act It Out • You can act out the problem to solve it. • Example: Marvin has 10 pictures of Moon. He gives the same number of pictures to 2 friends. How many pictures does each friend get? • What do you know? • Marvin has 10 pictures. • He gives pictures to 2 friends. • What do you need to find? • How many pictures does each friend get? Confidential

Step 2: Plan Act It Out • Choose a strategy • You can act out the problem. • Use counters to show the number of pictures. • How many counters will you need? 10 • Use plates to show the number of friends. • How many plates will you need? 2 Confidential

Step 3: Solve Act It Out • Carry out your plan • Draw a counter to show each picture of Moon. • Draw two plates to show the two friends. • Place an equal number of counters on each plate. There are 5 counters on each plate. Each friend gets 5 pictures. Confidential

Step 4: Look Back Act It Out • Is the solution reasonable? • Reread the problem. • Does your answer make sense? Yes • What other strategies could you use to solve the problem? • Use a division sentence; 10 ÷ 2 = 5 Confidential

Try This! • Each of 4 children is wearing 4 bangle bracelets. How many bracelets are there in all? Confidential

Step 1: Read Making a table • You can solve problems by making tables. • Example: Which day the most sign-ups? Use data from the table to solve. • What do you know? • There are 3 days for after school tutoring. • There is a list of names for each day. • What do you need to find? • You need to find out which day had the most sign-ups • To do this you need to know how many sign-ups there were each day. Confidential

Step 2: Plan Making a table • Choose a strategy • A table can help you organize what you know. Make a table to solve the problem. Confidential

Step 3: Solve Making a table • Carry out your plan • Make a table. • Tally the names for each day. Write the number of tallies for each day. Compare the tallies for each day. Complete the table. There are 11 sign-ups for Monday, 10 for Tuesday, and 7 for Wednesday. Monday had the most sign-ups. Confidential

Step 4: Look Back Making a table • Is the solution reasonable? • Reread the problem. • Does your answer match the data given in the problem? Yes • What other strategies could you use to solve the problem? • Write a number sentence. Or make a bar graph. Confidential

Try This! • Which game got the most votes? My Favorite Game Computer: John, Chuck, Leon, Kim, Rebecca, Sara, Tom, Bill Board: Alan, Steve, Pete, David, Jared Card: Arlyn, Frank, Ashley, Kathy Confidential

Step 1: Read Find a Pattern • You can solve problems by making tables. • Example: The 24 dancers in a show dance in one long chorus line. Every third dancer wears a red costume. All of the others wear blue. Mary is the 14th dancer. What color costume does she wear? • What do you know? • There are 24 dancers in a chorus line. • Every third dancer wears a red costume. • All of the other dancers wear blue costumes. • Mary is the 14th dancer in the line. • What do you need to find? • You need to find out what color costume the 14th dancer wears. Confidential

Step 2: Plan Find a Pattern • Choose a strategy • Finding a pattern will help you solve the problem. • Find the pattern for the first three dancers in the line. • Continue the pattern to find the color costume that the 14th dancer wears. Confidential

Step 3: Solve Find a Pattern • Carry out your plan • There are 24 dancers in a line. Every third dancer wears a red costume. All the other dancers wear blue. • Use a number chart to help you find the pattern. • Color every third number red. • Color each of the other numbers blue. Is the number 14 colored in red or blue? Blue The 14th dancer is wearing a blue costume. Confidential

Step 4: Look Back Find a Pattern • Is the solution reasonable? • Reread the problem. • Does your answer make sense? Yes • Did you answer the question? Yes • Did you find a pattern and continue it? Yes • What other strategies could you use to solve the problem? Confidential

Try This! • Jennifer is playing the drums. In one performance she hits the drums on each of the first 3 beats, then rests for 2 beats. If this pattern continues, will she hit the drums on the 15th beat? Confidential

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5 steps of problem solving .

Description

There are many approaches to problem solving. Although the Six Sigma DMAIC and 8D problem solving methodologies are highly rigorous and require quite a fair bit of tools for data and statistical analysis, these techniques are more suitable for engineers and other professional/technical staff.

However, for shopfloor supervisors, technicians and operators as well as office/administrative support staff, a lighter and simpler problem solving approach is more suitable. The Five Steps of Problem Solving process was developed specifically for this purpose.

Based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach, the Five Steps of Problem Solving consist of:

1. Define the Problem 2. Analyze Root Cause 3. Develop Countermeasures 4. Implement Solutions 5. Evaluate & Follow Up.

The 12 tools covered in this presentation are the more commonly used ones in problem solving, process improvement and kaizen activities. They include Brainstorming, Stratification, Bar Chart, Line Graph, Pie Chart, Radar Chart, Check Sheet, Pareto Chart, 5 Whys, Cause & Effect Diagram, Histogram and Scatter Diagram.

Learning Objectives

1. Acquire knowledge of key concepts and principles in PDCA problem solving. 2. Understand team dynamics and define roles within the problem-solving team. 3. Familiarize with the five-step problem-solving process and tools.

4. Discover key strategies for successful problem-solving.

1. Key Concepts & Principles

2. Problem Solving Teams & Roles

3. Five Steps of Problem Solving

4. Problem Solving Tools

5. Practical Tips for Success

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Overview of the Problem-Solving Mental Process

Identify the Problem
Define the Problem
Form a Strategy
Organize Information
Allocate Resources
Monitor Progress
Evaluate the Results

Frequently Asked Questions

Problem-solving is a mental process that involves discovering, analyzing, and solving problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue.

The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation. In some cases, people are better off learning everything they can about the issue and then using factual knowledge to come up with a solution. In other instances, creativity and insight are the best options.

It is not necessary to follow problem-solving steps sequentially, It is common to skip steps or even go back through steps multiple times until the desired solution is reached.

In order to correctly solve a problem, it is often important to follow a series of steps. Researchers sometimes refer to this as the problem-solving cycle. While this cycle is portrayed sequentially, people rarely follow a rigid series of steps to find a solution.

The following steps include developing strategies and organizing knowledge.

1. Identifying the Problem

While it may seem like an obvious step, identifying the problem is not always as simple as it sounds. In some cases, people might mistakenly identify the wrong source of a problem, which will make attempts to solve it inefficient or even useless.

Some strategies that you might use to figure out the source of a problem include :

Asking questions about the problem
Breaking the problem down into smaller pieces
Looking at the problem from different perspectives
Conducting research to figure out what relationships exist between different variables

2. Defining the Problem

After the problem has been identified, it is important to fully define the problem so that it can be solved. You can define a problem by operationally defining each aspect of the problem and setting goals for what aspects of the problem you will address

At this point, you should focus on figuring out which aspects of the problems are facts and which are opinions. State the problem clearly and identify the scope of the solution.

3. Forming a Strategy

After the problem has been identified, it is time to start brainstorming potential solutions. This step usually involves generating as many ideas as possible without judging their quality. Once several possibilities have been generated, they can be evaluated and narrowed down.

The next step is to develop a strategy to solve the problem. The approach used will vary depending upon the situation and the individual's unique preferences. Common problem-solving strategies include heuristics and algorithms.

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that are often based on solutions that have worked in the past. They can work well if the problem is similar to something you have encountered before and are often the best choice if you need a fast solution.
Algorithms are step-by-step strategies that are guaranteed to produce a correct result. While this approach is great for accuracy, it can also consume time and resources.

Heuristics are often best used when time is of the essence, while algorithms are a better choice when a decision needs to be as accurate as possible.

4. Organizing Information

Before coming up with a solution, you need to first organize the available information. What do you know about the problem? What do you not know? The more information that is available the better prepared you will be to come up with an accurate solution.

When approaching a problem, it is important to make sure that you have all the data you need. Making a decision without adequate information can lead to biased or inaccurate results.

5. Allocating Resources

Of course, we don't always have unlimited money, time, and other resources to solve a problem. Before you begin to solve a problem, you need to determine how high priority it is.

If it is an important problem, it is probably worth allocating more resources to solving it. If, however, it is a fairly unimportant problem, then you do not want to spend too much of your available resources on coming up with a solution.

At this stage, it is important to consider all of the factors that might affect the problem at hand. This includes looking at the available resources, deadlines that need to be met, and any possible risks involved in each solution. After careful evaluation, a decision can be made about which solution to pursue.

6. Monitoring Progress

After selecting a problem-solving strategy, it is time to put the plan into action and see if it works. This step might involve trying out different solutions to see which one is the most effective.

It is also important to monitor the situation after implementing a solution to ensure that the problem has been solved and that no new problems have arisen as a result of the proposed solution.

Effective problem-solvers tend to monitor their progress as they work towards a solution. If they are not making good progress toward reaching their goal, they will reevaluate their approach or look for new strategies .

7. Evaluating the Results

After a solution has been reached, it is important to evaluate the results to determine if it is the best possible solution to the problem. This evaluation might be immediate, such as checking the results of a math problem to ensure the answer is correct, or it can be delayed, such as evaluating the success of a therapy program after several months of treatment.

Once a problem has been solved, it is important to take some time to reflect on the process that was used and evaluate the results. This will help you to improve your problem-solving skills and become more efficient at solving future problems.

A Word From Verywell

It is important to remember that there are many different problem-solving processes with different steps, and this is just one example. Problem-solving in real-world situations requires a great deal of resourcefulness, flexibility, resilience, and continuous interaction with the environment.

Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how you can stop dwelling in a negative mindset.

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You can become a better problem solving by:

Practicing brainstorming and coming up with multiple potential solutions to problems
Being open-minded and considering all possible options before making a decision
Breaking down problems into smaller, more manageable pieces
Asking for help when needed
Researching different problem-solving techniques and trying out new ones
Learning from mistakes and using them as opportunities to grow

It's important to communicate openly and honestly with your partner about what's going on. Try to see things from their perspective as well as your own. Work together to find a resolution that works for both of you. Be willing to compromise and accept that there may not be a perfect solution.

Take breaks if things are getting too heated, and come back to the problem when you feel calm and collected. Don't try to fix every problem on your own—consider asking a therapist or counselor for help and insight.

If you've tried everything and there doesn't seem to be a way to fix the problem, you may have to learn to accept it. This can be difficult, but try to focus on the positive aspects of your life and remember that every situation is temporary. Don't dwell on what's going wrong—instead, think about what's going right. Find support by talking to friends or family. Seek professional help if you're having trouble coping.

Davidson JE, Sternberg RJ, editors. The Psychology of Problem Solving . Cambridge University Press; 2003. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511615771

Sarathy V. Real world problem-solving . Front Hum Neurosci . 2018;12:261. Published 2018 Jun 26. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00261

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

How to improve your problem solving skills and build effective problem solving strategies

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Problem solving strategies

What skills do i need to be an effective problem solver, how can i improve my problem solving skills.

Problem solving strategies are methods of approaching and facilitating the process of problem-solving with a set of techniques , actions, and processes. Different strategies are more effective if you are trying to solve broad problems such as achieving higher growth versus more focused problems like, how do we improve our customer onboarding process?

Broadly, the problem solving steps outlined above should be included in any problem solving strategy though choosing where to focus your time and what approaches should be taken is where they begin to differ. You might find that some strategies ask for the problem identification to be done prior to the session or that everything happens in the course of a one day workshop.

The key similarity is that all good problem solving strategies are structured and designed. Four hours of open discussion is never going to be as productive as a four-hour workshop designed to lead a group through a problem solving process.

Good problem solving strategies are tailored to the team, organization and problem you will be attempting to solve. Here are some example problem solving strategies you can learn from or use to get started.

Use a workshop to lead a team through a group process

Often, the first step to solving problems or organizational challenges is bringing a group together effectively. Most teams have the tools, knowledge, and expertise necessary to solve their challenges – they just need some guidance in how to use leverage those skills and a structure and format that allows people to focus their energies.

Facilitated workshops are one of the most effective ways of solving problems of any scale. By designing and planning your workshop carefully, you can tailor the approach and scope to best fit the needs of your team and organization.

Problem solving workshop

Creating a bespoke, tailored process
Tackling problems of any size
Building in-house workshop ability and encouraging their use

Workshops are an effective strategy for solving problems. By using tried and test facilitation techniques and methods, you can design and deliver a workshop that is perfectly suited to the unique variables of your organization. You may only have the capacity for a half-day workshop and so need a problem solving process to match.

By using our session planner tool and importing methods from our library of 700+ facilitation techniques, you can create the right problem solving workshop for your team. It might be that you want to encourage creative thinking or look at things from a new angle to unblock your groups approach to problem solving. By tailoring your workshop design to the purpose, you can help ensure great results.

One of the main benefits of a workshop is the structured approach to problem solving. Not only does this mean that the workshop itself will be successful, but many of the methods and techniques will help your team improve their working processes outside of the workshop.

We believe that workshops are one of the best tools you can use to improve the way your team works together. Start with a problem solving workshop and then see what team building, culture or design workshops can do for your organization!

Run a design sprint

Great for:

aligning large, multi-discipline teams
quickly designing and testing solutions
tackling large, complex organizational challenges and breaking them down into smaller tasks

By using design thinking principles and methods, a design sprint is a great way of identifying, prioritizing and prototyping solutions to long term challenges that can help solve major organizational problems with quick action and measurable results.

Some familiarity with design thinking is useful, though not integral, and this strategy can really help a team align if there is some discussion around which problems should be approached first.

The stage-based structure of the design sprint is also very useful for teams new to design thinking. The inspiration phase, where you look to competitors that have solved your problem, and the rapid prototyping and testing phases are great for introducing new concepts that will benefit a team in all their future work.

It can be common for teams to look inward for solutions and so looking to the market for solutions you can iterate on can be very productive. Instilling an agile prototyping and testing mindset can also be great when helping teams move forwards – generating and testing solutions quickly can help save time in the long run and is also pretty exciting!

Break problems down into smaller issues

Organizational challenges and problems are often complicated and large scale in nature. Sometimes, trying to resolve such an issue in one swoop is simply unachievable or overwhelming. Try breaking down such problems into smaller issues that you can work on step by step. You may not be able to solve the problem of churning customers off the bat, but you can work with your team to identify smaller effort but high impact elements and work on those first.

This problem solving strategy can help a team generate momentum, prioritize and get some easy wins. It’s also a great strategy to employ with teams who are just beginning to learn how to approach the problem solving process. If you want some insight into a way to employ this strategy, we recommend looking at our design sprint template below!

Use guiding frameworks or try new methodologies

Some problems are best solved by introducing a major shift in perspective or by using new methodologies that encourage your team to think differently.

Props and tools such as Methodkit , which uses a card-based toolkit for facilitation, or Lego Serious Play can be great ways to engage your team and find an inclusive, democratic problem solving strategy. Remember that play and creativity are great tools for achieving change and whatever the challenge, engaging your participants can be very effective where other strategies may have failed.

LEGO Serious Play

Improving core problem solving skills
Thinking outside of the box
Encouraging creative solutions

LEGO Serious Play is a problem solving methodology designed to get participants thinking differently by using 3D models and kinesthetic learning styles. By physically building LEGO models based on questions and exercises, participants are encouraged to think outside of the box and create their own responses.

Collaborate LEGO Serious Play exercises are also used to encourage communication and build problem solving skills in a group. By using this problem solving process, you can often help different kinds of learners and personality types contribute and unblock organizational problems with creative thinking.

Problem solving strategies like LEGO Serious Play are super effective at helping a team solve more skills-based problems such as communication between teams or a lack of creative thinking. Some problems are not suited to LEGO Serious Play and require a different problem solving strategy.

Card Decks and Method Kits

New facilitators or non-facilitators
Approaching difficult subjects with a simple, creative framework
Engaging those with varied learning styles

Card decks and method kids are great tools for those new to facilitation or for whom facilitation is not the primary role. Card decks such as the emotional culture deck can be used for complete workshops and in many cases, can be used right out of the box. Methodkit has a variety of kits designed for scenarios ranging from personal development through to personas and global challenges so you can find the right deck for your particular needs.

Having an easy to use framework that encourages creativity or a new approach can take some of the friction or planning difficulties out of the workshop process and energize a team in any setting. Simplicity is the key with these methods. By ensuring everyone on your team can get involved and engage with the process as quickly as possible can really contribute to the success of your problem solving strategy.

Source external advice

Looking to peers, experts and external facilitators can be a great way of approaching the problem solving process. Your team may not have the necessary expertise, insights of experience to tackle some issues, or you might simply benefit from a fresh perspective. Some problems may require bringing together an entire team, and coaching managers or team members individually might be the right approach. Remember that not all problems are best resolved in the same manner.

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, peer groups, coaches and mentors can also be invaluable at not only solving specific business problems, but in providing a support network for resolving future challenges. One great approach is to join a Mastermind Group and link up with like-minded individuals and all grow together. Remember that however you approach the sourcing of external advice, do so thoughtfully, respectfully and honestly. Reciprocate where you can and prepare to be surprised by just how kind and helpful your peers can be!

Mastermind Group

Solo entrepreneurs or small teams with low capacity
Peer learning and gaining outside expertise
Getting multiple external points of view quickly

Problem solving in large organizations with lots of skilled team members is one thing, but how about if you work for yourself or in a very small team without the capacity to get the most from a design sprint or LEGO Serious Play session?

A mastermind group – sometimes known as a peer advisory board – is where a group of people come together to support one another in their own goals, challenges, and businesses. Each participant comes to the group with their own purpose and the other members of the group will help them create solutions, brainstorm ideas, and support one another.

Mastermind groups are very effective in creating an energized, supportive atmosphere that can deliver meaningful results. Learning from peers from outside of your organization or industry can really help unlock new ways of thinking and drive growth. Access to the experience and skills of your peers can be invaluable in helping fill the gaps in your own ability, particularly in young companies.

A mastermind group is a great solution for solo entrepreneurs, small teams, or for organizations that feel that external expertise or fresh perspectives will be beneficial for them. It is worth noting that Mastermind groups are often only as good as the participants and what they can bring to the group. Participants need to be committed, engaged and understand how to work in this context.

Coaching and mentoring

Focused learning and development
Filling skills gaps
Working on a range of challenges over time

Receiving advice from a business coach or building a mentor/mentee relationship can be an effective way of resolving certain challenges. The one-to-one format of most coaching and mentor relationships can really help solve the challenges those individuals are having and benefit the organization as a result.

A great mentor can be invaluable when it comes to spotting potential problems before they arise and coming to understand a mentee very well has a host of other business benefits. You might run an internal mentorship program to help develop your team’s problem solving skills and strategies or as part of a large learning and development program. External coaches can also be an important part of your problem solving strategy, filling skills gaps for your management team or helping with specific business issues.

Now we’ve explored the problem solving process and the steps you will want to go through in order to have an effective session, let’s look at the skills you and your team need to be more effective problem solvers.

Problem solving skills are highly sought after, whatever industry or team you work in. Organizations are keen to employ people who are able to approach problems thoughtfully and find strong, realistic solutions. Whether you are a facilitator , a team leader or a developer, being an effective problem solver is a skill you’ll want to develop.

Problem solving skills form a whole suite of techniques and approaches that an individual uses to not only identify problems but to discuss them productively before then developing appropriate solutions.

Here are some of the most important problem solving skills everyone from executives to junior staff members should learn. We’ve also included an activity or exercise from the SessionLab library that can help you and your team develop that skill.

If you’re running a workshop or training session to try and improve problem solving skills in your team, try using these methods to supercharge your process!

Active listening

Active listening is one of the most important skills anyone who works with people can possess. In short, active listening is a technique used to not only better understand what is being said by an individual, but also to be more aware of the underlying message the speaker is trying to convey. When it comes to problem solving, active listening is integral for understanding the position of every participant and to clarify the challenges, ideas and solutions they bring to the table.

Some active listening skills include:

Paying complete attention to the speaker.
Removing distractions.
Avoid interruption.
Taking the time to fully understand before preparing a rebuttal.
Responding respectfully and appropriately.
Demonstrate attentiveness and positivity with an open posture, making eye contact with the speaker, smiling and nodding if appropriate. Show that you are listening and encourage them to continue.
Be aware of and respectful of feelings. Judge the situation and respond appropriately. You can disagree without being disrespectful.
Observe body language.
Paraphrase what was said in your own words, either mentally or verbally.
Remain neutral.
Reflect and take a moment before responding.
Ask deeper questions based on what is said and clarify points where necessary.

Active Listening #hyperisland #skills #active listening #remote-friendly This activity supports participants to reflect on a question and generate their own solutions using simple principles of active listening and peer coaching. It’s an excellent introduction to active listening but can also be used with groups that are already familiar with it. Participants work in groups of three and take turns being: “the subject”, the listener, and the observer.

Analytical skills

All problem solving models require strong analytical skills, particularly during the beginning of the process and when it comes to analyzing how solutions have performed.

Analytical skills are primarily focused on performing an effective analysis by collecting, studying and parsing data related to a problem or opportunity.

It often involves spotting patterns, being able to see things from different perspectives and using observable facts and data to make suggestions or produce insight.

Analytical skills are also important at every stage of the problem solving process and by having these skills, you can ensure that any ideas or solutions you create or backed up analytically and have been sufficiently thought out.

Nine Whys #innovation #issue analysis #liberating structures With breathtaking simplicity, you can rapidly clarify for individuals and a group what is essentially important in their work. You can quickly reveal when a compelling purpose is missing in a gathering and avoid moving forward without clarity. When a group discovers an unambiguous shared purpose, more freedom and more responsibility are unleashed. You have laid the foundation for spreading and scaling innovations with fidelity.

Collaboration

Trying to solve problems on your own is difficult. Being able to collaborate effectively, with a free exchange of ideas, to delegate and be a productive member of a team is hugely important to all problem solving strategies.

Remember that whatever your role, collaboration is integral, and in a problem solving process, you are all working together to find the best solution for everyone.

Marshmallow challenge with debriefing #teamwork #team #leadership #collaboration In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. Visit the Marshmallow Challenge website for more information. This version has an extra debriefing question added with sample questions focusing on roles within the team.

Communication

Being an effective communicator means being empathetic, clear and succinct, asking the right questions, and demonstrating active listening skills throughout any discussion or meeting.

In a problem solving setting, you need to communicate well in order to progress through each stage of the process effectively. As a team leader, it may also fall to you to facilitate communication between parties who may not see eye to eye. Effective communication also means helping others to express themselves and be heard in a group.

Bus Trip #feedback #communication #appreciation #closing #thiagi #team This is one of my favourite feedback games. I use Bus Trip at the end of a training session or a meeting, and I use it all the time. The game creates a massive amount of energy with lots of smiles, laughs, and sometimes even a teardrop or two.

Creative problem solving skills can be some of the best tools in your arsenal. Thinking creatively, being able to generate lots of ideas and come up with out of the box solutions is useful at every step of the process.

The kinds of problems you will likely discuss in a problem solving workshop are often difficult to solve, and by approaching things in a fresh, creative manner, you can often create more innovative solutions.

Having practical creative skills is also a boon when it comes to problem solving. If you can help create quality design sketches and prototypes in record time, it can help bring a team to alignment more quickly or provide a base for further iteration.

The paper clip method #sharing #creativity #warm up #idea generation #brainstorming The power of brainstorming. A training for project leaders, creativity training, and to catalyse getting new solutions.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is one of the fundamental problem solving skills you’ll want to develop when working on developing solutions. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, rationalize and evaluate while being aware of personal bias, outlying factors and remaining open-minded.

Defining and analyzing problems without deploying critical thinking skills can mean you and your team go down the wrong path. Developing solutions to complex issues requires critical thinking too – ensuring your team considers all possibilities and rationally evaluating them.

Agreement-Certainty Matrix #issue analysis #liberating structures #problem solving You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic . A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate. It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably. A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail. Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward. A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Data analysis

Though it shares lots of space with general analytical skills, data analysis skills are something you want to cultivate in their own right in order to be an effective problem solver.

Being good at data analysis doesn’t just mean being able to find insights from data, but also selecting the appropriate data for a given issue, interpreting it effectively and knowing how to model and present that data. Depending on the problem at hand, it might also include a working knowledge of specific data analysis tools and procedures.

Having a solid grasp of data analysis techniques is useful if you’re leading a problem solving workshop but if you’re not an expert, don’t worry. Bring people into the group who has this skill set and help your team be more effective as a result.

Decision making

All problems need a solution and all solutions require that someone make the decision to implement them. Without strong decision making skills, teams can become bogged down in discussion and less effective as a result.

Making decisions is a key part of the problem solving process. It’s important to remember that decision making is not restricted to the leadership team. Every staff member makes decisions every day and developing these skills ensures that your team is able to solve problems at any scale. Remember that making decisions does not mean leaping to the first solution but weighing up the options and coming to an informed, well thought out solution to any given problem that works for the whole team.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) #action #decision making #problem solving #issue analysis #innovation #design #remote-friendly The problem with anything that requires creative thinking is that it’s easy to get lost—lose focus and fall into the trap of having useless, open-ended, unstructured discussions. Here’s the most effective solution I’ve found: Replace all open, unstructured discussion with a clear process. What to use this exercise for: Anything which requires a group of people to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges. It’s always good to frame an LDJ session with a broad topic, here are some examples: The conversion flow of our checkout Our internal design process How we organise events Keeping up with our competition Improving sales flow

Dependability

Most complex organizational problems require multiple people to be involved in delivering the solution. Ensuring that the team and organization can depend on you to take the necessary actions and communicate where necessary is key to ensuring problems are solved effectively.

Being dependable also means working to deadlines and to brief. It is often a matter of creating trust in a team so that everyone can depend on one another to complete the agreed actions in the agreed time frame so that the team can move forward together. Being undependable can create problems of friction and can limit the effectiveness of your solutions so be sure to bear this in mind throughout a project.

Team Purpose & Culture #team #hyperisland #culture #remote-friendly This is an essential process designed to help teams define their purpose (why they exist) and their culture (how they work together to achieve that purpose). Defining these two things will help any team to be more focused and aligned. With support of tangible examples from other companies, the team members work as individuals and a group to codify the way they work together. The goal is a visual manifestation of both the purpose and culture that can be put up in the team’s work space.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an important skill for any successful team member, whether communicating internally or with clients or users. In the problem solving process, emotional intelligence means being attuned to how people are feeling and thinking, communicating effectively and being self-aware of what you bring to a room.

There are often differences of opinion when working through problem solving processes, and it can be easy to let things become impassioned or combative. Developing your emotional intelligence means being empathetic to your colleagues and managing your own emotions throughout the problem and solution process. Be kind, be thoughtful and put your points across care and attention.

Being emotionally intelligent is a skill for life and by deploying it at work, you can not only work efficiently but empathetically. Check out the emotional culture workshop template for more!

Facilitation

As we’ve clarified in our facilitation skills post, facilitation is the art of leading people through processes towards agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity by all those involved. While facilitation is a set of interrelated skills in itself, the broad definition of facilitation can be invaluable when it comes to problem solving. Leading a team through a problem solving process is made more effective if you improve and utilize facilitation skills – whether you’re a manager, team leader or external stakeholder.

The Six Thinking Hats #creative thinking #meeting facilitation #problem solving #issue resolution #idea generation #conflict resolution The Six Thinking Hats are used by individuals and groups to separate out conflicting styles of thinking. They enable and encourage a group of people to think constructively together in exploring and implementing change, rather than using argument to fight over who is right and who is wrong.

Flexibility

Being flexible is a vital skill when it comes to problem solving. This does not mean immediately bowing to pressure or changing your opinion quickly: instead, being flexible is all about seeing things from new perspectives, receiving new information and factoring it into your thought process.

Flexibility is also important when it comes to rolling out solutions. It might be that other organizational projects have greater priority or require the same resources as your chosen solution. Being flexible means understanding needs and challenges across the team and being open to shifting or arranging your own schedule as necessary. Again, this does not mean immediately making way for other projects. It’s about articulating your own needs, understanding the needs of others and being able to come to a meaningful compromise.

The Creativity Dice #creativity #problem solving #thiagi #issue analysis Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Working in any group can lead to unconscious elements of groupthink or situations in which you may not wish to be entirely honest. Disagreeing with the opinions of the executive team or wishing to save the feelings of a coworker can be tricky to navigate, but being honest is absolutely vital when to comes to developing effective solutions and ensuring your voice is heard.

Remember that being honest does not mean being brutally candid. You can deliver your honest feedback and opinions thoughtfully and without creating friction by using other skills such as emotional intelligence.

Explore your Values #hyperisland #skills #values #remote-friendly Your Values is an exercise for participants to explore what their most important values are. It’s done in an intuitive and rapid way to encourage participants to follow their intuitive feeling rather than over-thinking and finding the “correct” values. It is a good exercise to use to initiate reflection and dialogue around personal values.

Initiative

The problem solving process is multi-faceted and requires different approaches at certain points of the process. Taking initiative to bring problems to the attention of the team, collect data or lead the solution creating process is always valuable. You might even roadtest your own small scale solutions or brainstorm before a session. Taking initiative is particularly effective if you have good deal of knowledge in that area or have ownership of a particular project and want to get things kickstarted.

That said, be sure to remember to honor the process and work in service of the team. If you are asked to own one part of the problem solving process and you don’t complete that task because your initiative leads you to work on something else, that’s not an effective method of solving business challenges.

15% Solutions #action #liberating structures #remote-friendly You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference. 15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change. With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Impartiality

A particularly useful problem solving skill for product owners or managers is the ability to remain impartial throughout much of the process. In practice, this means treating all points of view and ideas brought forward in a meeting equally and ensuring that your own areas of interest or ownership are not favored over others.

There may be a stage in the process where a decision maker has to weigh the cost and ROI of possible solutions against the company roadmap though even then, ensuring that the decision made is based on merit and not personal opinion.

Empathy map #frame insights #create #design #issue analysis An empathy map is a tool to help a design team to empathize with the people they are designing for. You can make an empathy map for a group of people or for a persona. To be used after doing personas when more insights are needed.

Being a good leader means getting a team aligned, energized and focused around a common goal. In the problem solving process, strong leadership helps ensure that the process is efficient, that any conflicts are resolved and that a team is managed in the direction of success.

It’s common for managers or executives to assume this role in a problem solving workshop, though it’s important that the leader maintains impartiality and does not bulldoze the group in a particular direction. Remember that good leadership means working in service of the purpose and team and ensuring the workshop is a safe space for employees of any level to contribute. Take a look at our leadership games and activities post for more exercises and methods to help improve leadership in your organization.

Leadership Pizza #leadership #team #remote-friendly This leadership development activity offers a self-assessment framework for people to first identify what skills, attributes and attitudes they find important for effective leadership, and then assess their own development and initiate goal setting.

In the context of problem solving, mediation is important in keeping a team engaged, happy and free of conflict. When leading or facilitating a problem solving workshop, you are likely to run into differences of opinion. Depending on the nature of the problem, certain issues may be brought up that are emotive in nature.

Being an effective mediator means helping those people on either side of such a divide are heard, listen to one another and encouraged to find common ground and a resolution. Mediating skills are useful for leaders and managers in many situations and the problem solving process is no different.

Conflict Responses #hyperisland #team #issue resolution A workshop for a team to reflect on past conflicts, and use them to generate guidelines for effective conflict handling. The workshop uses the Thomas-Killman model of conflict responses to frame a reflective discussion. Use it to open up a discussion around conflict with a team.

Planning

Solving organizational problems is much more effective when following a process or problem solving model. Planning skills are vital in order to structure, deliver and follow-through on a problem solving workshop and ensure your solutions are intelligently deployed.

Planning skills include the ability to organize tasks and a team, plan and design the process and take into account any potential challenges. Taking the time to plan carefully can save time and frustration later in the process and is valuable for ensuring a team is positioned for success.

3 Action Steps #hyperisland #action #remote-friendly This is a small-scale strategic planning session that helps groups and individuals to take action toward a desired change. It is often used at the end of a workshop or programme. The group discusses and agrees on a vision, then creates some action steps that will lead them towards that vision. The scope of the challenge is also defined, through discussion of the helpful and harmful factors influencing the group.

Prioritization

As organisations grow, the scale and variation of problems they face multiplies. Your team or is likely to face numerous challenges in different areas and so having the skills to analyze and prioritize becomes very important, particularly for those in leadership roles.

A thorough problem solving process is likely to deliver multiple solutions and you may have several different problems you wish to solve simultaneously. Prioritization is the ability to measure the importance, value, and effectiveness of those possible solutions and choose which to enact and in what order. The process of prioritization is integral in ensuring the biggest challenges are addressed with the most impactful solutions.

Impact and Effort Matrix #gamestorming #decision making #action #remote-friendly In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

Project management

Some problem solving skills are utilized in a workshop or ideation phases, while others come in useful when it comes to decision making. Overseeing an entire problem solving process and ensuring its success requires strong project management skills.

While project management incorporates many of the other skills listed here, it is important to note the distinction of considering all of the factors of a project and managing them successfully. Being able to negotiate with stakeholders, manage tasks, time and people, consider costs and ROI, and tie everything together is massively helpful when going through the problem solving process.

Record keeping

Working out meaningful solutions to organizational challenges is only one part of the process. Thoughtfully documenting and keeping records of each problem solving step for future consultation is important in ensuring efficiency and meaningful change.

For example, some problems may be lower priority than others but can be revisited in the future. If the team has ideated on solutions and found some are not up to the task, record those so you can rule them out and avoiding repeating work. Keeping records of the process also helps you improve and refine your problem solving model next time around!

Personal Kanban #gamestorming #action #agile #project planning Personal Kanban is a tool for organizing your work to be more efficient and productive. It is based on agile methods and principles.

Research skills

Conducting research to support both the identification of problems and the development of appropriate solutions is important for an effective process. Knowing where to go to collect research, how to conduct research efficiently, and identifying pieces of research are relevant are all things a good researcher can do well.

In larger groups, not everyone has to demonstrate this ability in order for a problem solving workshop to be effective. That said, having people with research skills involved in the process, particularly if they have existing area knowledge, can help ensure the solutions that are developed with data that supports their intention. Remember that being able to deliver the results of research efficiently and in a way the team can easily understand is also important. The best data in the world is only as effective as how it is delivered and interpreted.

Customer experience map #ideation #concepts #research #design #issue analysis #remote-friendly Customer experience mapping is a method of documenting and visualizing the experience a customer has as they use the product or service. It also maps out their responses to their experiences. To be used when there is a solution (even in a conceptual stage) that can be analyzed.

Risk management

Managing risk is an often overlooked part of the problem solving process. Solutions are often developed with the intention of reducing exposure to risk or solving issues that create risk but sometimes, great solutions are more experimental in nature and as such, deploying them needs to be carefully considered.

Managing risk means acknowledging that there may be risks associated with more out of the box solutions or trying new things, but that this must be measured against the possible benefits and other organizational factors.

Be informed, get the right data and stakeholders in the room and you can appropriately factor risk into your decision making process.

Decisions, Decisions… #communication #decision making #thiagi #action #issue analysis When it comes to decision-making, why are some of us more prone to take risks while others are risk-averse? One explanation might be the way the decision and options were presented. This exercise, based on Kahneman and Tversky’s classic study , illustrates how the framing effect influences our judgement and our ability to make decisions . The participants are divided into two groups. Both groups are presented with the same problem and two alternative programs for solving them. The two programs both have the same consequences but are presented differently. The debriefing discussion examines how the framing of the program impacted the participant’s decision.

Team-building

No single person is as good at problem solving as a team. Building an effective team and helping them come together around a common purpose is one of the most important problem solving skills, doubly so for leaders. By bringing a team together and helping them work efficiently, you pave the way for team ownership of a problem and the development of effective solutions.

In a problem solving workshop, it can be tempting to jump right into the deep end, though taking the time to break the ice, energize the team and align them with a game or exercise will pay off over the course of the day.

Remember that you will likely go through the problem solving process multiple times over an organization’s lifespan and building a strong team culture will make future problem solving more effective. It’s also great to work with people you know, trust and have fun with. Working on team building in and out of the problem solving process is a hallmark of successful teams that can work together to solve business problems.

9 Dimensions Team Building Activity #ice breaker #teambuilding #team #remote-friendly 9 Dimensions is a powerful activity designed to build relationships and trust among team members. There are 2 variations of this icebreaker. The first version is for teams who want to get to know each other better. The second version is for teams who want to explore how they are working together as a team.

Time management

The problem solving process is designed to lead a team from identifying a problem through to delivering a solution and evaluating its effectiveness. Without effective time management skills or timeboxing of tasks, it can be easy for a team to get bogged down or be inefficient.

By using a problem solving model and carefully designing your workshop, you can allocate time efficiently and trust that the process will deliver the results you need in a good timeframe.

Time management also comes into play when it comes to rolling out solutions, particularly those that are experimental in nature. Having a clear timeframe for implementing and evaluating solutions is vital for ensuring their success and being able to pivot if necessary.

Improving your skills at problem solving is often a career-long pursuit though there are methods you can use to make the learning process more efficient and to supercharge your problem solving skillset.

Remember that the skills you need to be a great problem solver have a large overlap with those skills you need to be effective in any role. Investing time and effort to develop your active listening or critical thinking skills is valuable in any context. Here are 7 ways to improve your problem solving skills.

Share best practices

Remember that your team is an excellent source of skills, wisdom, and techniques and that you should all take advantage of one another where possible. Best practices that one team has for solving problems, conducting research or making decisions should be shared across the organization. If you have in-house staff that have done active listening training or are data analysis pros, have them lead a training session.

Your team is one of your best resources. Create space and internal processes for the sharing of skills so that you can all grow together.

Ask for help and attend training

Once you’ve figured out you have a skills gap, the next step is to take action to fill that skills gap. That might be by asking your superior for training or coaching, or liaising with team members with that skill set. You might even attend specialized training for certain skills – active listening or critical thinking, for example, are business-critical skills that are regularly offered as part of a training scheme.

Whatever method you choose, remember that taking action of some description is necessary for growth. Whether that means practicing, getting help, attending training or doing some background reading, taking active steps to improve your skills is the way to go.

Learn a process

Problem solving can be complicated, particularly when attempting to solve large problems for the first time. Using a problem solving process helps give structure to your problem solving efforts and focus on creating outcomes, rather than worrying about the format.

Tools such as the seven-step problem solving process above are effective because not only do they feature steps that will help a team solve problems, they also develop skills along the way. Each step asks for people to engage with the process using different skills and in doing so, helps the team learn and grow together. Group processes of varying complexity and purpose can also be found in the SessionLab library of facilitation techniques . Using a tried and tested process and really help ease the learning curve for both those leading such a process, as well as those undergoing the purpose.

Effective teams make decisions about where they should and shouldn’t expend additional effort. By using a problem solving process, you can focus on the things that matter, rather than stumbling towards a solution haphazardly.

Create a feedback loop

Some skills gaps are more obvious than others. It’s possible that your perception of your active listening skills differs from those of your colleagues.

It’s valuable to create a system where team members can provide feedback in an ordered and friendly manner so they can all learn from one another. Only by identifying areas of improvement can you then work to improve them.

Remember that feedback systems require oversight and consideration so that they don’t turn into a place to complain about colleagues. Design the system intelligently so that you encourage the creation of learning opportunities, rather than encouraging people to list their pet peeves.

While practice might not make perfect, it does make the problem solving process easier. If you are having trouble with critical thinking, don’t shy away from doing it. Get involved where you can and stretch those muscles as regularly as possible.

Problem solving skills come more naturally to some than to others and that’s okay. Take opportunities to get involved and see where you can practice your skills in situations outside of a workshop context. Try collaborating in other circumstances at work or conduct data analysis on your own projects. You can often develop those skills you need for problem solving simply by doing them. Get involved!

Use expert exercises and methods

Learn from the best. Our library of 700+ facilitation techniques is full of activities and methods that help develop the skills you need to be an effective problem solver. Check out our templates to see how to approach problem solving and other organizational challenges in a structured and intelligent manner.

There is no single approach to improving problem solving skills, but by using the techniques employed by others you can learn from their example and develop processes that have seen proven results.

Try new ways of thinking and change your mindset

Using tried and tested exercises that you know well can help deliver results, but you do run the risk of missing out on the learning opportunities offered by new approaches. As with the problem solving process, changing your mindset can remove blockages and be used to develop your problem solving skills.

Most teams have members with mixed skill sets and specialties. Mix people from different teams and share skills and different points of view. Teach your customer support team how to use design thinking methods or help your developers with conflict resolution techniques. Try switching perspectives with facilitation techniques like Flip It! or by using new problem solving methodologies or models. Give design thinking, liberating structures or lego serious play a try if you want to try a new approach. You will find that framing problems in new ways and using existing skills in new contexts can be hugely useful for personal development and improving your skillset. It’s also a lot of fun to try new things. Give it a go!

Encountering business challenges and needing to find appropriate solutions is not unique to your organization. Lots of very smart people have developed methods, theories and approaches to help develop problem solving skills and create effective solutions. Learn from them!

Books like The Art of Thinking Clearly , Think Smarter, or Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow are great places to start, though it’s also worth looking at blogs related to organizations facing similar problems to yours, or browsing for success stories. Seeing how Dropbox massively increased growth and working backward can help you see the skills or approach you might be lacking to solve that same problem. Learning from others by reading their stories or approaches can be time-consuming but ultimately rewarding.

A tired, distracted mind is not in the best position to learn new skills. It can be tempted to burn the candle at both ends and develop problem solving skills outside of work. Absolutely use your time effectively and take opportunities for self-improvement, though remember that rest is hugely important and that without letting your brain rest, you cannot be at your most effective.

Creating distance between yourself and the problem you might be facing can also be useful. By letting an idea sit, you can find that a better one presents itself or you can develop it further. Take regular breaks when working and create a space for downtime. Remember that working smarter is preferable to working harder and that self-care is important for any effective learning or improvement process.

Want to design better group processes?

Over to you

Now we’ve explored some of the key problem solving skills and the problem solving steps necessary for an effective process, you’re ready to begin developing more effective solutions and leading problem solving workshops.

Need more inspiration? Check out our post on problem solving activities you can use when guiding a group towards a great solution in your next workshop or meeting. Have questions? Did you have a great problem solving technique you use with your team? Get in touch in the comments below. We’d love to chat!

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Problem Solving PowerPoint Templates

Make your presentations stand out with our Problem-Solving templates and PowerPoint and Google Slides slide designs. These templates are easy to edit and can help you create presentations about solving problems, finding solutions, and making decisions.

After downloading them, you can personalize these templates by changing the text boxes’ words. You can further change the color of the design to suit your organization’s color.

Our PowerPoint templates work with both Mac and Windows computers. They are also compatible with Keynote and Google Slides. Use any of these slide layouts to captivate your audience and end your presentation with applause.

Conflict Resolution Presentation Template

6-Circle Venn Diagram Template for PowerPoint

Creative Lab Report Presentation Template

Lab Report PowerPoint Template

Hackaton Planning Process PowerPoint Slide

Hackathon Planning Process PowerPoint Template

Research Paper Presentation Template

Editable Who What When Where Why PowerPoint Slide

Who What When Where Why Problem Statement PowerPoint Template

Ishikawa Diagram Template for Presentation

Ishikawa Diagram Template for PowerPoint

Problem Solving PowerPoint Template

Blank Fishbone Diagram Template for Presentation

Blank Fishbone Diagram PowerPoint Template

Creative Fishbone Template for PowerPoint

Creative Fishbone PowerPoint Template

Fishbone Diagram PowerPoint Template

Creative Figure Editable Template for OAR Model

OAR Model PowerPoint Template

Problem-solving is required in all the operational aspects of an organization, from planning, controlling, marketing, and manufacturing to managing financial aspects, products, and customers. Our Problem Solution Slide Templates catalog presents slides that will help you analyze data across organization operations and departments to identify problems and then solve these problems.

Our Problem and Solution Slides will enable you as an organization to plan its progress path by allocating the right people and resources to solve problems. You can describe a problem-solving process visually using a slide show.

Solving certain problems can be tough, but using our pre-designed Problem-Solving Templates, you can explain the reasoning behind the solution of a problem. Combining these slides with other problem-solving techniques and tools, like the root-cause analysis slides , the 5-Why slides, or the fishbone templates , individuals and business professionals can prepare compelling presentations explaining how to solve an easy or difficult problem.

What Is A Problem Statement Slide?

A problem statement slide is a visual component to analyze and present your organizational problem and a suitable solution. It is meant to outline the specific issue or challenge that a project, initiative, or proposal aims to address.

How Do You Write A Problem-Solution Presentation?

Writing a problem solution presentation involves effectively communicating the details of a problem, your proposed solution, and the rationale behind it to your audience. Remember that an effective problem-solution presentation informs, inspires, and motivates your audience to take action.

Can I Customize The Problem Statement Slides For My Specific Needs?

You can customize the problem statement slides to suit your unique requirements. You can modify the text, colors, and fonts and add visuals to align the presentation with your style and content.

What Are The 7 Steps Of A Problem-Solving Template?

A problem-solving template can change based on the situation and the specific problem you’re dealing with. Here’s a basic outline of seven steps that are usually included:

Define the Problem: Clearly explain the problem you want to solve. Know the background, scope, and goals of the problem.
Gather Information: Collect useful data and facts about the problem.
It might involve research, talking to people, surveys, and studying data. The idea is to get a good grasp of what’s going on.
Generate Potential Solutions: Come up with different ideas to solve the problem.
Evaluate Options: Evaluate the solutions you thought of. Look at things like if they did work, how much they cost, and what could go right or wrong. It helps you choose the most promising solutions.
Select a Solution: Decide on the best solution based on your evaluation.
Implement the Solution: Put your chosen solution into action. Make a detailed plan, get the things you need, and do things step by step.
Monitor and Review: Check how well the solution works. Get feedback, track progress, and see if it’s doing what you wanted. If needed, make changes based on the feedback you get.

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Adopting the right problem-solving approach

May 4, 2023 You’ve defined your problem, ensured stakeholders are aligned, and are ready to bring the right problem-solving approach and focus to the situation to find an optimal solution. But what is the right problem-solving approach? And what if there is no single ideal course of action? In our 2013 classic from the Quarterly , senior partner Olivier Leclerc highlights the value of taking a number of different approaches simultaneously to solve difficult problems. Read on to discover the five flexons, or problem-solving languages, that can be applied to the same problem to generate richer insights and more innovative solutions. Then check out more insights on problem-solving approaches, and dive into examples of pressing challenges organizations are contending with now.

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Strategy to beat the odds

How to master the seven-step problem-solving process

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TEST YOUR SKILLS

Take the McKinsey Problem Solving Test

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Problem-Solving Strategies: Definition and 5 Techniques to Try
Problem solving strategies workshop
7 Steps Of Problem Solving Process Powerpoint Slide Deck
4 Steps Problem Solving Template
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Problem Solving Techniques
5-4 Problem-Solving Strategy Use Logical Reasoning
Chapter 1 Models and Problem Solving Strategies
A Nice Algebra Equation
Problem Solving presentation 2019
EFFECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES IN LIFE

COMMENTS

Problem Solving Strategies
Download ppt "Problem Solving Strategies". Polya's Four-Step Model George Polya has had an important influence on problem solving in mathematics education. He noted that good problem solvers tend to forget the details and focus on the structure of the problem, while poor problem solvers do the opposite. Four-Step Process: 1.
5 Problem Solving Strategies to Become a Better Problem Solver
3. Eisenhower Matrix PowerPoint Template. The Eisenhower Matrix PowerPoint Template is a powerful tool for deciding how to work out your actions in the Problem Solving Process. Mainly when you need to deploy a solution you can apply the Eisenhower Matrix to decide the way you treat each action. Use This Template.
10 Problem-Solving Strategies
Title: 10 Problem-Solving Strategies 1 10 Problem-Solving Strategies. A strategy is a method or way of doing something. Sometimes more than one strategy can be used to solve a problem. Knowing how to choose the best strategy for solving a problem will make you successful in math. 2 Strategy 1. Draw a picture or diagram ; 3 Strategy 2
40 problem-solving techniques and processes
7. Solution evaluation. 1. Problem identification. The first stage of any problem solving process is to identify the problem (s) you need to solve. This often looks like using group discussions and activities to help a group surface and effectively articulate the challenges they're facing and wish to resolve.
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Strategies for Problem Solving. Strategies for Problem Solving. Math 7 and 8 Ms. Stewart. Problem Solving: A Four Step Process. Step 1: Read the Problem 3 Times On the first read, get a general sense of what the problem is about On the second, figure out what information is given and what you need to find. 654 views • 18 slides
PPT
Step 2: Plan Logical Reasoning • Choose a strategy • Use Logical Reasoning to solve the problem • You can use the difference of the amount of water in the bottles to measure exactly 11 liters. Confidential. Step 3: Solve Logical Reasoning • Carry out your plan • Follow the steps Water cooler 8-L bottle 5-L bottle Add 8 + 3 = 11.
Problem Solving Strategies PPT And Google Slides Themes
To help you improve your problem-solving skills, we've created a template that outlines key steps to follow when approaching a problem. Features of the template: 100% customizable slides and easy to download. Slides are available in different nodes & colors. The slide contains 16:9 and 4:3 formats. Easy to change the colors of the slide quickly.
PPT: Five Steps of Problem Solving Training Presentation
4. Discover key strategies for successful problem-solving. Contents 1. Key Concepts & Principles. 2. Problem Solving Teams & Roles. 3. Five Steps of Problem Solving. 4. Problem Solving Tools. 5. Practical Tips for Success Yo u may also be interested in the following training presentations (sold separately): A3 Problem Solving Process & Tools
The Problem-Solving Process
Problem-solving is a mental process that involves discovering, analyzing, and solving problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue. The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation. In some cases, people are better off learning everything ...
7 Step Problem Solving Process Diagram for PowerPoint
The stages include problem definition, disaggregation, prioritizing, work plan, analysis, synthesis, and communication. These stages are also known as the 7 steps to bullet-proof problem-solving model. This process flow encapsulates all essential steps required to address an issue up to its resolution. Finding and implementing a solution to any ...
Problem-Solving Strategies: Definition and 5 Techniques to Try
In insight problem-solving, the cognitive processes that help you solve a problem happen outside your conscious awareness. 4. Working backward. Working backward is a problem-solving approach often ...
How to improve your problem solving skills and strategies
Being an effective communicator means being empathetic, clear and succinct, asking the right questions, and demonstrating active listening skills throughout any discussion or meeting. In a problem solving setting, you need to communicate well in order to progress through each stage of the process effectively.
Problem Solving PowerPoint Templates
Problem Solving PowerPoint Templates. Make your presentations stand out with our Problem-Solving templates and PowerPoint and Google Slides slide designs. These templates are easy to edit and can help you create presentations about solving problems, finding solutions, and making decisions. After downloading them, you can personalize these ...
Free Problem Solving PowerPoint Templates & Google Slides
Present the problem-solving processes effectively with our premade problem solving PowerPoint templates and Google Slides Themes. Crafted to guide you from problem identification to resolution, these free templates breathe life into complex strategies. They feature creative, Fully editable infographics, like puzzles and light bulb designs.
Adopting the right problem-solving approach
In our 2013 classic from the Quarterly, senior partner Olivier Leclerc highlights the value of taking a number of different approaches simultaneously to solve difficult problems. Read on to discover the five flexons, or problem-solving languages, that can be applied to the same problem to generate richer insights and more innovative solutions.
Maths Problem Solving Strategies PowerPoint (teacher made)
You can use this lovely PowerPoint presentation to introduce or revise different strategies that can support solving mathematical calculations involving all four operations. Perfect for helping children to have a range of techniques to use independently in their work.To practise the techniques listed in this PowerPoint, you may be interested in our blether stations on solving maths problems ...