Problem solving methods are ways to solve problems.
These methods vary in complexity and rigor, just like tools range in complexity from hammers to the Space Shuttle. Just as a plumber, a carpenter, or a repair person carries around a toolkit filled with different kinds of tools, you can derive great benefit from having a problem solving toolkit, full of tools and methods to tackle different kinds of problems.
The scientific method described
Some problem solving methods are very similar to the scientific method, which is a generally accepted process used by scientists to learn more about the natural world.
What do science and experiments have to do with solving problems? More than you might think!
Let’s take a minute and look a brief look at the scientific method. No algebra, formulas, or slide rules are required (we promise).
The steps of the scientific method can be summarized like this:
Define the question.
Gather information and resources (observe).
Form hypothesis.
Perform experiment and collect data.
Analyze data.
Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis.
Publish results.
Retest (frequently done by other scientists).
As you can see, the scientific method is a logical series of steps that a scientist would follow to discover how something works.
A simple scientific method of problem solving
You could redefine the scientific method as a problem solving method by modifying it as follows:
- Define the problem
- Gather information and resources (research; generate ideas based your research)
- Devise a possible solution to your problem, assuming that you’ve defined it correctly and you’ve come up with some useful ideas
- Try the solution and observe the results
- Analyze the results: did the solution work? Did it fail? Did anything unexpected happen?
- If the solution didn’t achieve the desired result, go back to step 1 and try again. Otherwise, you’re done.
These steps are the key activities of many problem solving methods. You’ve probably used them many times before.
A problem solving toolkit has several tools
However, sometimes we want multiple options to do things.
Tools that feel perfectly natural to some people feel heavy, cumbersome, and confusing to others. At other times we need more power and more complexity.
Therefore, just as a carpenter or a mechanic has many different kinds of tools for many different kinds of jobs, thoughtwrestlers (that’s us!) can make great use of multiple problem solving techniques. After all, problems really are problems and when we know we’re facing a problem, we can equip ourselves with the right tools.
Problem solving is a key skill that any thoughtwrestler needs, so we’ve done some research into this area of interest. Here are some links to different problem solving resources that we’ve found on the Web. We’ve given you some description of each one.
Problem solving websites
Problem Solving – from the Free Management Library, this website has links to a lot of useful articles related to problem solving, including beginner, intermediate and advanced information. As you might expect with a website title like this, a number of the tools have a business focus.
Problem Solving Techniques – from Mindtools, this webpage has links to resources that are very much focused on solving business problems, including a number of strategic tools for business strategy, marketing, etc. One example is a description of using the 5 Whys technique, a simple but extremely powerful way to get to the root cause of a problem (I’ve used this on the job many times).
Problem Solving Techniques – by Robert Harris – this website describes a lot of common sense and structured thinking when it comes to analyzing problem situations. It includes a lot of important questions that you need to ask when you solve problems. For example, this webpage describes the concept of assumption articulation, or describing the things that you believe are true about the problem situation, in some detail.
Critical and Creative Thinking – from the University of Michigan, part of their Thoughts on Problem Solving website. We’ve focused on this particular web page because this subset of links leads to some useful critical and creative thinking resources. You should also check out Abundance Blog and their post with 20 Creative Thinking Techniques.
Problem Solving Techniques: Get Your Creative Thinking Juices Flowing By Using The SCAMPER Technique – from Robin Good, this is a more detailed look at the SCAMPER problem solving technique. SCAMPER provides you with a bunch of different techniques to change assumptions about your problems by adding, subtracting or changing parts of the problem.
Creative Problem Solving eBook – by William E. Mitchell and Thomas F. Kowalik. We’ve included this because it’s an eBook that you can download and print out. It has a number of exercises you can work on as you try to solve problems. You might not want to use it to invent a warp drive, but it can handle lots of mundane, real world problems.
Problem Solving Techniques: How To Solve Problems – from Management Skills Resources. Although this website has many of the same types of resources as some of the other websites, this one adds some ideas about change management. It describes ways to introduce solutions into groups and workplaces.
Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) – this is a fairly scholarly work that illustrates a problem solving technique, using an example of an automotive manufacturing problem. TRIZ was pioneered by Genrich S. Altshuller. See also this TRIZ Resource Center. Confused? This website which has a very easy-to-understand description of TRIZ.
Problems and problem solving – this comes from The Higher Education Academy, with a focus on engineering problems, but still applicable to many people. It’s a really good overview, but a little more advanced and technical than some of the other resources in this post.
Creativity Techniques – from Mycoted, a huge Wiki listing of creativity and problem solving techniques. Seriously, it’s huge. You could spend days chasing down all of these links. You can poke around in here if you’re really keen on learning more about problem solving techniques.
We’ve also created an article on how to solve problems using mind maps.
Now we’re looking for your input. Can you point us toward other great problem solving resources?
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You know, this is a very dangerous post. It’s easy to get lost in these links because there is so much of value in them.
I bet a person could come up with a fascinating study into “types” by seeing who explores what links.
Heh, nobody said thoughtwrestling was safe…
Certainly not always an armchair sport, in any case
Hey Mark,
I was leaving a comment on Problogger.net on a post about small victories and I came across your comment. I’m can’t lie, I’m a fan of what you have going here. I thought this was a great post breaking down the scientific method and using it to tackle anything that comes at you. I thought your linked resources were awesome too!! I just want to let you know that you have a new fan and keep up the good work. Now, back to me exploring about becoming a thoughtwrestler.
Thanks Nunzio. We all appreciate your support!
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Nice post and elegantly written.
The scientific method, as you undoubtedly are aware, is essentially the same as creative problem solving (CPS), a well established approach to creativity. Indeed, some would argue that CPS is the basis of all creativity.
With simple problems, your method will work well. But with more sophisticated issues, I would advise a slight variation at step 3:
3.1 Generate and write down as many possible solutions to your problem as you can. Do not censor your ideas at this stage. Indeed, do not even worry if they are doable. Just write all of them down. You can even invite others to do the same, then combine your lists. Target at least 50 potential solutions.
3.2 See if some ideas can be combined into bigger, more comprehensive potential solutions.
3.3 Using one or more criteria, evaluate the ideas and identify those that seem most likely to solve the problem.
3.4 Starting with the most promising solution, try it out and observe the results.
3.5 If this does not work and the observations do not provide sufficient inspiration for a fix and retry, try the second best solution. Continue until problem is solved (or just keep going — maybe another solution will bring more interesting results). However, do apply to each new attempt what you have learned from previous failed attempts.
Jeffrey
Jeffrey, thanks very much for adding to the information in this post! We appreciate it.
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