For as long as the world exists, problems will continue to spring up. This is an ever present truth. However, how quickly and thoroughly the problems are solved matters a lot. In addition, by solving problems, you don't go empty handed; you will surely be rewarded. It might not be immediate, may not come the way you thought or the measure you would have wanted, nonetheless, you are guaranteed of a reward. More importantly is that by solving problems, you contribute to making the world a better place.
At every point in time, you are confronted with problems or as some would term it 'challenges' of varying magnitudes. This is why you need to learn the art and science of problem solving. The aim here to guide you through some practical approach to solving problems so that you can get ahead in life.
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1. Understand the right problem
It was Albert Einstein who said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions. Though it sounds very simple and philosophical, the truth is that many problems remain unsolved because there has not been a focused effort to really understand the problem itself. I still remember solving maths problems when I was young and every time I couldn’t solve a problem I would ask my Dad for help. He would never provide me a solution straight away, but instead ask me to go and read the question again at least three times. I used to feel frustrated, but invariably, half of the time, reading the question properly would lead me to the conclusion that I had actually been trying to solve the wrong problem. The minute you identify the correct intent of the problem, the right solution will follow. So ask yourself the fundamental questions about the problem and spend some time understanding the real problem with your team in order to solve it.
2. Get out of the "I know everything" mentality
Try and understand the fundamentals of the process pertaining to the problem area. Confirm how it works or exists in its very basic and current form. Get out of the mind-set that you know everything, because if you did, you would know the problem area, cause and its solution as well. Understand the nuances of the techniques which exist in the process. Ask all the basic questions to really understand the problem and note significant points of the process which would then bring immense clarity to the part of the problem you are attempting to solve.
3. Visualise the problem
Try and document a picture of the process depending on the problem. This may or may not be relevant, but we all know pictorial representations often help. Draw a simple diagram without worrying about technical conventions, specific constraints etc. A simple picture diagram can help visualise the most complex of problems in any area. Use any simple tool like PowerPoint, white boards, sheets, and papers and never shy away from starting to draw these on the fly if understanding a problem is becoming a challenge. Problem definition should go beyond 'abstractsim'; make it concrete. You could use pen or paper, interactive white board, or better still Micrsoft PowerPoint. You don't have to show all the technical details. A pictorial illustration helps to define the prob.in more simper terms.There abound numerous situations in which drawing pictures and visuals in real-time has helped the definition of problem and thereby led to the solution quite easily and more quickly. Like Steve Jobs once said, “If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution.
4. Focus on the root cause, not the symptoms
It’s very easy to get caught up in the symptoms of the problem and most problems are incorrectly attempted by suppressing these symptoms. Abstain from thinking like “The bucket gets filled with water and starts to overflow, so let me get a bigger bucket”, “High CPU usage brings the system down, let’s put more CPUs”, etc. I am not saying you should not suppress the symptoms to give you some respite until the root cause is identified, but abstain from a “fixing the symptom” mind-set. This mentality will keep you away from solving the real problem. Once you know the root cause, not only can the problem be solved, it can be prevented in future too.
5. Be simple but creative in your solution
Building a simple solution does not mean trivialising the problem which you are looking to solve. The majority of the time, complex solutions are devised for a problem if the above points i.e. understanding the right problem, understanding the fundamentals of the problem, articulating the problem and focusing on the root cause, are not considered.
Give your brain a break, try to baseline your thoughts and stop when you have understood the problem and fundamentals behind it. It is always best to de-clutter your brain and then subsequently attack and approach the problem efficiently. Take a break, then recap and work on a simple solution to the right problem you are looking to solve.
Be creative in your problem solving. This has got nothing to do with how much creative ability you have, it’s basically about thinking of solutions from a different perspective rather than a perspective with which the problem you are looking to solve was built or on how the problem came into existence.
Apply the steps in your quest to solving problems, you will be amazed at the results you will start achieving. you know better approach at solvin problems? Kindly share in the comment. You are solving a proble by doing so.
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