Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls
Upper and Lower Six Teacher: Mrs. McCallum-Rodney
Problem Solving
OBJECTIVES
Students should be able to:
- explain the concept of problem solving
- describe the stages in the problem-solving process
People make decisions everyday – for examples
– Should I watch TV or go out to cinema, what career, what course?
What happens when bad decisions are made in business?
- Wrong decisions cost money; time and resources are wasted, important to know how to make a decision.
The process of ‘Problem Solving’ is only a guide. It is useful to have a structure to follow to make sure that nothing is overlooked. Nothing here is likely to be brand new to anyone, but it is pure acknowledgement and reminding of the process that can help the problems to be solved.
STAGES IN THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS
1. Problem Definition
2. Problem Analysis
3. Generating possible solutions
4. Analysing the solution
5. Selecting and justifying solutions
6. Implementation and Review
1. Problem Definition
If you don’t know what the problem is you cannot solve it (understand what is involved in a problem).
The normal process for solving a problem will initially involve defining the problem you want to solve. You need to decide what you want achieve and write it down. Often people keep the problem in their head as a vague idea and can so often get lost in what they are trying to solve that no solution seems to fit. Merely writing down the problem forces you to think about what you are actually trying to solve and how much you want to achieve. The first part of the process not only involves writing down the problem to solve, but also checking that you are answering the right problem. It is a check-step to ensure that you do not answer a side issue or only solve the part of the problem that is most easy to solve. People often use the most immediate solution to the first problem definition that they find without spending time checking the problem is the right one to answer.
To understand the problem, you might need to ask yourself the following questions:
- Can you state the problem in your own words?
- What are you trying to find or do?
- What are the unknowns?
- What information do you obtain from the problem?
- What information, if any, is missing or not needed?
2. Problem Analysis
This step involves determining what the inputs are, what processing is involved and what the outputs are. The next step in this process is used to check where we are and what the current situation is. Also determine how the data and information or results will be stored temporarily or for future use.
Understanding where the problem is coming from, how it fits in with current developments and what the current environment is, is crucial when working out whether a solution will actually work or not. Similarly you must have a set of criteria by which to evaluate any new solutions or you will not know whether the idea is workable or not. This section of the problem solving process ensures that time is spent in stepping back and assessing the current situation and what actually needs to be changed.
After this investigation, it is often good to go back one step to reconfirm that your problem definition is still valid. Frequently after the investigation people discover that the problem they really want to answer is very different from their original interpretation of it.
3. Generating Possible Solution
In this stage you concentrate on generating many solutions and not evaluate them at all. Very often an idea, which would have been discarded immediately, when evaluated properly, can be developed into a superb solution. At this stage, you should not pre-judge any potential solutions but should treat each idea as a new idea in its own right and worthy of consideration.
4. Analysing the solution
This section of the problem solving process is where you investigate the various factors about each of the potential solutions. You should note the good and bad points and other things which are relevant to each solution. Even at this stage you are not evaluating the solution because if you do so, you could decide to not write out the valid good points about it because overall you think it will not work. However, you might discover that by writing down its advantages that it has a totally unique advantage.
5. Selecting and Justifying Solutions
Evaluate or test the solution means to check the result to see if it is correct and to see if it satisfies the needs of the person with a problem
This is the section where you look at the various influencing factors or each possible solution and decide which solutions to keep and which to disregard. You look at the solution as a whole and use your judgement as to whether to use the solution or not. Sometimes pure facts and figures dictate which ideas will work and which will nor.
6. Implementing and Review
This involves three separate stages:
- planning and preparing to implement the solution
- taking the appropriate action and monitoring its effects
- reviewing the ultimate success of the action
Implementing your solution is the culmination of all your efforts and requires very careful planning. The plan describes the sequence of actions required to achieve the objective, the timescale and the resources required at each stage. Ways of minimising the risks involved and preventing mistakes have to be devised and built into the plan. Details of what must be done if things go wrong are also included.
Once the plan has been put into effect, the situation has to be monitored to ensure that things are running smoothly. Any problems or potential problems have to be dealt with quickly. When the action is completed it's necessary to measure its success, both to estimate its usefulness for solving future problems of this type and to ensure that the problem has been solved. If not, further action may be required.
