Problem Solving: Five Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles in Your Daily Work
Troubleshooting
Management
Psychology
Problem-solving is as much a part of everyday work life as turning on the computer or chatting at the coffee machine. Sometimes there's a conflict between two colleagues, sometimes suppliers cause problems, other times changing circumstances cause unforeseen complications. Whatever the conflict, creative problem-solving skills are a key competency at work.
In this article, we present five strategies for quickly resolving problems mom database and difficulties, and introduce a four-step problem-solving system.
Recommended reading
Sales Strategy: The Ultimate Guide (with Examples)
What does problem solving mean at work? A basic 4-step procedure
Methods for identifying, analyzing, and ultimately solving problems are called problem-solving strategies . They help you quickly find the best solution to all types of issues, whether professional, personal, or technical. Each of these problem-solving techniques is characterized by its individual approach, but they all follow four basic steps.
Recommended reading
What is a business bottleneck? The definitive guide to always detecting and solving them.
1. The description of the problem
You can only find a solution to your problem if you know it exactly. Use the "W" questions (Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why) to begin your search for solutions and analyze the situation :
Who?
That?
When?
Where?
As?
Because?
Then, formulate the problem in the simplest way possible.
If the problem is very complex, break it down into several smaller subproblems to address individually.
2. Brainstorming
The next step is to create a list of possible solutions by brainstorming .
Brainstorming creates a list of possible solutions . This brainstorming session allows you to record all possible courses of action and then decide which one is the most promising or most effective.
In this phase of problem-solving, you should involve your team when necessary. Stakeholder involvement is particularly important—that is, the employees who are primarily and directly affected by the problem to be solved.
Recommended reading
Understanding High-Performance Work Systems (and How to Build One)
3. Decision making
From your list of possible solutions, create a shorter list of the most effective concrete solutions . These solutions should:
Don't cause any more trouble
Align with your company's objectives
Be affordable and realistic
4. Put the solution into practice
Next, implement the solution strategy you've chosen for the problem. You may need to break the solution into several steps . If you involve other team members, you should organize regular feedback sessions to proceed as efficiently as possible. Before starting implementation, establish key metrics you can use to measure the solution's success.
If the chosen solution doesn't work , take a step back and review your list of more effective potential solutions. Review it again with your new level of knowledge and determine the next steps to take with your solution approach .
Recommended reading
7 Steps to Becoming the Sales Manager Everyone Wants to Work For
5 Effective Problem-Solving Strategies
The solution process you choose will depend on the nature of the problem. If it's happened before, you can draw on your extensive experience. If there are many possible solutions, trial and error may be the smartest strategy. However, this approach is often ineffective.
That's why we're showing you five problem-solving strategies here that can lead you to your goal in a structured way.
1. The Five Whys Method
This method helps you move forward with problem-solving systematically, that is, by repeatedly asking yourself the question "Why?" until you find the real cause of your problem.
Problems are often caused by something deeper. The Five Whys method helps you identify the real cause and solve complex problems.
Proceed as follows:
Note the superficial problem
Ask yourself why the problem occurred and write the answer below the problem.
If the answer is not the cause of the problem, repeat the second step until you have found the true cause (this usually happens no later than the fifth “Why?” question).
Once you have found the correct answer, you can solve the problem by working backward from the cause.
2. The problem tree method
The problem tree visually represents the causes and effects of a problem . The causes are the roots of the tree, the actual problem is the trunk, and its consequences are the branches. Once you've created the problem tree, you can convert it into a solution tree .
Follow these steps to visualize your problem:
In the first step, identify the problem and write it in negative in the center of a sheet of paper.
Next, identify its cause and write it as the root cause under the problem. Use arrows to show the connections.
Write the consequences of the problem above the causes. Connect these branches to the tree trunk. When the tree is complete, mark the most important causes and consequences that are easiest to solve.
Next, create a solution tree . Turn all the negative points into positive points to find possible solutions.
Check your solution tree. Are the possible solutions clear and realistic? Are there gaps between causes and consequences?
Recommended reading
This will allow you to compare your approaches and identify which one is the best .
Recommended reading
A Beginner's Guide to Common Marketing Acronyms
4.
In this method, the means necessary to achieve a certain result ( end ) are analyzed .
Start by defining the current state and the desired state
Next, define the possible solutions to get from the initial position to the final position.
Then, make a list of possible obstacles and think of mom database ways to overcome them.
5. Consult the experts
Some problems simply cannot be solved without specialized knowledge. Even attempting to do so costs a lot of time and money, and often nerves as well. In these cases, the most effective option is to turn to external experts with strong problem-solving skills .
Recommended reading
7 Steps to Creating a Knowledge Base Customers Want to Use
Conclusion: Problem- solving skills are one of the most important skills in professional life.
In the day-to-day life of a business, things don't always run as smoothly as clockwork. That's why it's important to develop problem- solving skills . Proper employee training is a worthwhile investment.
Because it gives them the tools to find good solutions to all kinds of problems quickly, efficiently, and economically in their daily work.
- Board index
- All times are UTC
- Delete cookies
- Contact us