Leadership - Problem solving - basics
Problem solving - basics
Practical
Problem solving is not just a theoretical exercise it should lead to a decision then an action step.
Problem solving techniques are discussed in more detail as part of ‘The Complete Project management package’.
Sometimes making a decision purely based upon data will not give the desired result what is needed is another attribute that of ‘insight’ [see Insight].
Simple process
When you solve a problem there are a few common steps to go through.
Defining the problem
Get to the bottom of the problem. Is it a cause or a symptom?
There are one or two areas to watch out for.
Sometimes a solution may exist without the existence of a problem!
For example, there may be a brilliant marketing solution that seems to be very popular on the internet. In its early days this may have been the use of ‘pop-ups’ to entice additional interest. Early on, this may have been useful. This may have been a useful technique where certain businesses were normally poor at marketing their products and sustaining interest. If you were not one of these there was little point in using the technique.
It has now become a symptom of the pushy seller and turns customers away.
On other occasions you may be tempted to analyse information as a matter of routine.
From this you may be tempted to recommend some actions resulting from the analysis.
But what was the problem? Agreed, you may be able to see an adverse trend or summary data that isn’t as you would like but you need to define a problem as a result of this.
It is easy to see symptoms and miss or ignore the underlying causes. Make sure you are looking at the cause.
Put forward a possible solution
Make sure it rigorous and not the first that comes to mind. Get the opinion of others.
It is unlikely that you will miraculously derive a single perfect solution.
A good technique to use is the Brain Storm to derive multiple potential solutions.
This is discussed in more detail in ‘The Complete Project management package’.
Once you have solution choices you can then try to focus on the best.
There is an 80/20 rule put forward by Pareto that suggests a way to narrow your options.
For example, 80% of the problem may be solved by dealing with only 20% of the causes.
That is, these are the major causes that will give you the maximum return for your efforts.
A good leader will focus on these and try to delegate the rest.
When assessing the importance of different solutions you could ask yourself simple questions.
Is it feasible?
What will be the impact on the organisation?
What are the potential costs?
etc.
Issue trees are common when trying to get to grips with a problem by breaking it down into component parts one level down.
You can then take this level down one step further and again until you feel you have got to the possible roots of the problem.
Then you will have a list of options.
Decide on what data to collect
Challenge the need for the data, the type and the amount. Make sure it is not too much nor too little.
Collect the required data
Collect the key information. Don’t go overboard. Once you have enough data that should suffice.
Pure data alone may not get to the root of the problem.
Often it pays to get opinion from people who use a given product to see how it really performs.
All the technical data in the world supporting a particular feature will be useless if the customer says it is no good.
A good leader will use his or her insight, based upon experience, to resolve a problem that may be go in the face of apparent facts.
Bearing in mind that there are many products with a myriad of features people can easily get confused.
Customers under these circumstances might easily purchase from those supplying the best customer service that explains the products best.
Beware of ‘behaviour’ and ‘attitude’.
The dictionary says.
| Behaviour: | Manner of behaving or conducting oneself. |
| Attitude: | Mental view or disposition, especially as it indicates opinion or allegiance. |
Attitudes tend to go with a trend of feeling. No one wants to feel foolish. A person is unlikely to say that they always purchase the most expensive products.
They will justify this by extolling the apparent extra virtues of the product. What people actually do in term of behaviours is often more revealing.
If you approach your problem solving by collecting data in a methodical way the chances are that your competition may be doing the same when it comes to strategic analysis. You may miss an opportunity.
Review the data
Does the data fit the potential solution? Be rigorous and don’t try to make the data fit the model.
When you use data make sure it is completely accurate. Check with experts from relevant departments, finance or marketing etc.
Put forward action recommendations
If the solution appears to be feasible don’t just announce it. Remember, your aim is to influence people. Do this by selling the idea to individuals. Gain additional insight from these people. Understand the possible objections Be ready with answers to these objections.
When you have done this you can then go public.
If you still find issues that you were unaware of you haven’t done the ground work as well as you thought.
One technique to use here is always to ask the question ‘what problem does this solution solve’?
The answer may be very revealing.
Defining the problem and selling it before announcing the solution are extremely important aspects of the process.