PROBLEM SOLVING

Group 4 - Team 3

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

WHAT are problems?

Problems can be defined broadly as

situations in which we experience

uncertainty or difficulty in achieving
what we want to achieve
Problems arise when an obstacle

prevents us reaching an objective

objective + obstacle =
PROBLEM

TYPE OF problems?

Problems can be divided broadly into

two groups:
Closed problem: Those where the current

situation is not what was expected

Open-ended problem: Those where we

want to change our current situation in

some way but there is an obstacle
preventing us doing so

problem solving process

Stage one:

Understand the
Issues

Define the
starting issue(s)

Define the
Problem

Objectives:

To analyze the facts

To define the problem

Analyze the
Situation

problem solving process

Stage two

Find Solutions

Make
Decisions

Generate
Ideas

Evaluate Ideas

Objectives:

To generate ideas
To evaluate ideas
To decide on the best possible solution

problem solving process

Stage three

Plan your Action

Analyze the
Impact
Plan your
Action

Objectives:

Plan the Follow Through

To determine the impact on people and

systems
To build on action plan
To decide on follow-through

problem solving method

Recognize and understand the problem

Understand the problem by defining the input/outputs
Sketch the problem.
Gather Information:
Collect the relevant data and remove the unwanted data

which leads confusions to the problem.

State all the assumptions and ensure during selection of
the effective solution the assumptions are addressed.

Generate solution methods:

There are many approaches to solve the problem
examples are mind mapping, fishbone diagram, SWOT
analysis and others
Try to scale down the problem and break into the parts .

problem solving method

Redefine and Implement
Evaluate the selected solution
method selected in the above
step
Identify the best solution
based on the situation and
environment and other factors.
Verify and Test
Compare the solution with the

problem statement
Test the solution and dont stop
until you get the correct answer

the skills of problem solving

Problem solving requires two

distinct types of mental skill:

Analytical: includes skills such

as ordering, comparing,
contrasting, evaluating and
selecting
Creative: a divergent process,
using the imagination to create
a large range of ideas for
solutions

effective problem solving

Effective problem solving requires a

controlled mixture of analytical and creative

thinking
The degree of specialisation of each
hemisphere varies from person to person, but
it has given rise to the terms right-brain
thinking and left-brain thinking
Left-brain thinking is more logical and analytical,

and is predominantly verbal

Right-brain thinking is more holistic and is
concerned with feelings and impressionistic

problem presentation
Problem presentation is the important skill which is

required other to get convince to accept the

projected solution

Prepare the presentation with below list of headings

Problem statement
Diagram (Flow Charts)
Assumptions
Problem solving method
Solution steps
Identify results and verify accuracy

THANK YOU
The measure of success is not
whether you have a tough
problem to deal with but whether
it is the same problem you had
last year