Introduction

• General
  • Introduction
  • Definition

Topics

• Resources
• General

• Techniques
  • The bigger view
  • Change your character
  • Challenge current thinking
  • Confine the problem
  • Change the scene
  • Combining known ideas
  • Reverse thinking
  • Circumvent the issue
  • Lateral thinking
  • Logical approach
  • Aim for less
  • Multiple tools

• General principles
• Personnel and the meeting
• Prepare properly
• The meeting process
• The brainstorm process
• Simple example
• Managing the meeting process
• Assessing ideas
• Implementing ideas

Reverse thinking

Come up with the ideal solution

Instead of beginning with a problem and looking for a solution why not start with the solution?
This is not as daft as it might seem. If you have an issue, consider what you think is an ideal solution without worrying if it is possible to achieve at this stage.
A more common term for this approach is reverse engineering and is more common than you think.

When you were young did you ever take apart an item to find out how it worked?
You methodically take the item apart and consider how each piece contributes to the working of the whole.
During this process you may even think how to improve the item.

This technique is no different.
In organic chemistry it is common to begin with a particular molecular structure to synthesise.
The chemist then considers how to break down the structure into smaller units and how to put these back together.
In this way the chemist can derive a synthesis of the desired molecule.

How might you reach your goal?

In a slightly different way we start with the problem and then imagine an ideal solution.
We then look at this more broadly to see what might be the step before.
Then we try to see what might be the step before this etc.
Hopefully, we can build up a series of steps that lead to the desired solution taking into account the initial problem.

Clearly, this method could lead to completely outlandish ideas that have little in common with the original problem.
It really works best when you have a reasonable idea of what you wish the solution to look like.
If not, another technique may be more useful.

This backwards process will involve new ideas or recognising intermediate areas that you currently do but want to modify.
Ideally, if this method works well then as you move backwards through discovering the steps for your ideal solution you will arrive at the problem you began with.

Of course, why bother going through this stepwise process if you think you can achieve your goal (that is, eliminating the original issue) directly?
This could save time if you think your goal is feasible by other means unrelated to your initial problem.
In fact, by implementing your goal you should eliminate the original problem.

In summary, this technique of reverse engineering can be used in any case where you see an endpoint that you wish to achieve.
How do you get there? Just break it down into manageable steps and put it back together.