- Problem Solving Techniques And Strategies Using
- Problem Solving Techniques And Strategies Anchor Chart
- Problem Scenarios For Teens
- Problem Solving Techniques And Strategies Examples
Granted, each situation is different and may require a completely different strategy, but you’ve built up a toolkit of problem-solving techniques. You might as well use them. 12) Advanced Problem-Solving Strategies: Go to Extremes When teasing out root causes and the logistical implications of potential solutions, examine both ends of the spectrum. For example, if you’re considering the effects of humidity on a manufacturing plant, look at what happens under very wet and very dry conditions. If you’re looking forward to solving problems in hand without much difficulty, you can consider improving your problem-solving skills. As you gain experience with problem-solving, you might develop your own set of techniques as well as strategies. However, for now, let’s explore the components of a dedicated problem-solving endeavor.
- Problem-solving is not an innate ability, but an acquired skill. Ken Watanbe, former McKinsey consultant and author of “Problem Solving 101,” teaches that practicing good problem-solving skills develops a mindset that drives people to bring out the best in themselves and to shape the world in a positive way. Learning and using the proper.
- Problem-Solving Strategies There are a number of different ways that people go about solving a problem. Some of these strategies might be used on their own, but people may also employ a range of approaches to figuring out and fixing a problem.
“I didn’t do it, he did.”
“I told her what to do, but she didn’t.”
We all have faced such scenes where some clashes between two employees happen at work. Rather than adopting a blame game, we have 3 most effective problem solving strategies that you can adopt for your workplace, to get things done.
These problem solving strategies are logical, and will help you in improving the productivity
Let’s start.
IDEAL Problem Solving Strategy
First on the list we have is a strategy that was introduced by Bransford and Stein in 1984. It’s called the “IDEAL” approach of problem solving. Let’s break it down.
I – Identify the problem
D – Define the cause
E – Explore possible strategies
A – Act
L – Look and Learn
Let’s learn about each letters in IDEAL problem solving strategy.
First isIdentifying the problem. Rather than going with the blame game, try to find what exactly is the problem? The real problem may not be the one that you’re facing right now. For example: Sales team failed to meet targets this year. Rather than blaming entirely on the sales, try to find what caused them to fail this month. May be there was not enough support from development team to improve the product or support team wasn’t helping. There’s always a cause that leads to a problem, that’s the first step.
Second isDefining the cause. After finding out all the possible reasons, define the problem in one line. What exactly is the problem? Not the situation that you’re facing because that can be one of the results of the main cause. Define the cause, in one simple line. Defining the cause can save you from many upcoming problems. For example, if a company failed to perform to complete a task on time, and the cause is “Weak communication between teams”, there more than one problems that can be solved by solving the cause.
To solve “weak communication between teams”, you can implement various tools for communication. By solving the cause, work productivity can also be improved. The time taken for tasks will reduce, and average time to complete a project will reduce. Hence, solving a case will solve multiple problems.
Third is Exploring possible strategies. Now that you know the cause that formed the problem, again you have to brainstorm. Think about all the possible solutions and strategies that can be easily implemented at your workplace. You should definitely take suggestions from your teammates, as they have suffered the problem.
The fourth step is to Act. Choose from the list of possible solutions and start acting on it. Here’s the fun about not wasting your time and killing productivity. When you try a new solution quickly, you will see the changes very quickly as well. Now, if you think a particular solution is not solving the problem, you can quickly shift to the next solution. That way, you’ll find the needed workflow in a short span.
The last one is to Look back and Learn because there’s always some learning. There’s a great quote from Robert H. Schuller, “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” Stopping the problem was not in your hand at some point, but you can stop the upcoming bizarre events by learning a lesson.
IDEAL is one of the finest problem solving strategies because it is a general theory. Not just for your workplace, you can implement this problem solving strategy for personal benefits too.
Engage Members with Team Building Activities
Now I understand, some team building activities are boring, and they give ughhh.. moments. But they work like ninjas. Even though, the corporate games leave behind an awkward air, they do bring coworkers closer somehow. Here’s how.
Tim: “That rope game was stupid!”
Jim: “I know right!”
Tim: “Hey, I’m Tim BTW.”
Jim: “Hey, this is Jim.”
That’s how!
Team building activities have a lot of faces. They can be in form of games, discussions, competitions, or celebrations. For a company that holds many employees, team building activities are a great way of problem solving.
Teams that know each other very well, are supposed to work comparatively smooth. When members know each other very well, they understand workstyles. When they understand workstyles, they propose tasks according to each other’s workstyles. That’s a solid sign of communication.
Some employees like to express, while some employees are less vocal and choose to express in their tasks. And employees will learn these things via team building activities. Here are good team building games that I liked, and that might work a charm for you as well.
Group Discussion
Group discussion is one of the oldest parts of recruitment process. Ever imagined why? The aim of group discussion is to find the cause and land on a feasible solution. That’s what companies should be looking for in their future employees. Somehow, group discussions have become a source of figuring out communication skills and language command. But, it’s much more than that!Make teams within your organization and set up group discussions according to your time schedule. It works even on the general subjects. When members present their views, they are unconsciously opening up to the other team members. And that’s what we need.Create GD subjects where solutions can be drawn. Every member will present their view and take vote for the best possible solution. That’s how you’re developing a habit of finding solution for your team.
Bottom-line
Problems will come, and will always come. But these are the problem solving strategies that you can adopt for your workplace to create an attitude of problem solving.
Problem Solving Techniques And Strategies Using
Anyone who has taught maths for any length of time will know how difficult it can be to teach pupils to solve maths problems out of context. Present pupils with a familiar setting or a sum that they've tackled before then they're usually fine, but turn it into an unfamiliar problem then it's a different matter. However, in the same ways that we teach strategies for other areas of maths, we can also teach strategies to solve maths problems.
When solving maths problems, students should be encouraged to follow a general problem solving procedure. This is summed up as follows:
1. Read the problem carefully. The first and most important step is to read the problem carefully to understand what you're asked to find out and what information you have been given. Underlining the important information is also useful so you have all the important numbers/facts to hand.
2. Choose a strategy and make a plan.
3. Carry out the plan and solve the problem.
4. Check the working out and make sure that your solution is actually answering the question.
There are a number of strategies that can be used to solve maths problems, as follows:
Create a diagram
Problem Solving Techniques And Strategies Anchor Chart
Creating a diagram can help mathematicians to picture the problem and find the solution. To create a diagram, the problem must be read carefully and the information that has been given to them in the question drawn into the diagram. They can then work out the solution from the diagram that has been drawn.
Guess and check
The guess and check strategy can be helpful for many types of problems. When students use this strategy, they will make a reasonable guess, based on the information that they have been given and then check to see if their guess is correct The guesses should get closer and closer to the answer, until the correct answer is found.
Problem Scenarios For Teens
Use a table or make a list
Using a table is a good way to sort out and organise the information that has been given in the question. The information that has been set out in the table will hopefully lead students to the correct solution.
Making a list is a strategy that will help students sort out the information that has been given in the problem. Once the students can see all of the possibilities for the solution, they can then attempt to solve the problem more easily.
Logical reasoning
This strategy requires students to use the information they have been given in the question to eliminate possible solutions to finally discover the correct solution.
Find a pattern
When students use this strategy they look for a pattern from the information that has been given. Once the pattern has been identified, the students can predict what will happen next and then continue the pattern to find the correct solution.
Working backwards
Working backwards is an excellent strategy to use when the final outcome of the problem has already been given. Students just need to work out what the events were that occurred previously.
Solve an easier version
Sometimes the problem is too difficult to solve in one step. When this happens the students will be able to make the problem more simple by dividing it into smaller and easiest steps, such as rewording the problem using smaller numbers.
Problem Solving Techniques And Strategies Examples
These strategies are really useful in helping to solve maths problems. I have used them with the classes that I've worked with in KS2 to great effect. Giving children the experience of using these maths problem solving strategies will provide themv with a really useful toolkit for their maths arsenal as well as making them more confident when presented with a maths problem.