Unravel the complexities of problem identification and structuring. Discover how to discern the root cause of issues, and learn to construct effective solutions. This exploration will empower you to transform challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.
Stage One: Identifying the Problem
Problems will have an impact for some time before they are recognised or brought to the attention of someone who can do anything about them.
- During this first stage of problem solving, it is important to get an initial working definition of the problem. A good working definition makes it possible to describe the problem to others who may become involved in the problem solving process.
Flow Charts
Simple diagrams are easier to understand and aid in’seeing’ the problem more readily
- Flow charts allow for the inclusion of branches, folds, loops, decision points and many other relationships between the elements
- In practice, flow charts can be quite complicated
- Use simple diagrams
Tree Diagrams
These are ways to represent situations where there are a number of choices or different possible events to be considered
Stage Two: Structuring the Problem
Gain a deeper understanding of the problem
- Facts need to be checked
- Look at the relationships between the key elements
- Is the stated goal the real goal?
- Are the barriers actual barriers and what other barriers are there?
Listing
Can help to represent priorities, order and sequences in the problem
- Goals can be listed in order of importance
- Separate lists could be made of related goals or barriers
- A visual representation and a working definition together makes it far easier to describe a problem to others
Chain Diagrams
These are simple ways of representing problems using a combination of diagrams and words
- All the elements of the problem are set out in words, and the corresponding symbols represent the relationship between them
- The simplest type, where all the elements are presented in an ordered list, each element being connected only with the elements immediately before and after it
