How to Solve Problems

Learn to Identify, Investigate, Clarify and Solve Problems

Solutions don't always mitigate every issue; but they do mitigate the most important issues.

The action that should be taken is the one that eliminates the worst aspects of a problem; and there are well established ways of doing that. Sometime the only way to move past a problem is to take the time and allocate the effort to work though a process. This course helps to to understand and apply such a process.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. WHAT IS PROBLEM SOLVING?
   • Introduction
   • Consider Timing and Resources
   • Why are Problem Solving Skills Important?
   • Problem Solving Skills at Work, In Education and Elsewhere
   • Problem Solving Skills
   • Problems or Opportunities?
   • Other Problem-Solving Methods
   • Programmed or Non-programmed Decisions
   • Creative Problem Solving (CPS)
   • Finding Solutions – the Seven Step Plan
   • Problem Solving and Employability
   • The Art of Delegation
2. DEFINING THE PROBLEM
   • What Do We Want to Accomplish?
   • Problems or Opportunities
   • Aim: Describe how to define problems.
   • Are We Defining the Right Problem?
   • Root Cause Analysis
   • Data Collection – having suitable information for problem solving
   • Discovering the Causes of a Problem
3. CLARIFYING THE PROBLEM
   • Clarifying The Problem
   • Developing a clear problem statement
4. RESOURCES AND TIME TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
   • What Are Resources?
   • Rationality
   • Bounded Rationality
   • Time
   • Prioritising Problems – not being able to solve everything
5. INFORMATION, RELEVANT FACTS, BIAS AND PREJUDICE IN PROBLEM SOLVING
   • Where Can Information Be Located?
   • Risk
   • The Impact of Bias in Problem Solving
   • Imagine this situation.
6. ETHICS AND PRIORITIES
   • Foundational Principles
   • Aim: Apply ethical considerations to problem solving.
   • Ethical Factors
   • Analyse The End Result
   • Analyse The Actions
   • Decide
   • Applying Ethics to Problem Solving
   • Case Study
7. IDENTIFYING BEST SOLUTIONS AND PUTTING THEM INTO PRACTICE
   • Deciding On the Best Solution
   • Factors Affecting What Is the Best Solution
   • The Action Plan
   • Creating an Effective Action Plan
   • Don’t Reinvent the Past – Become Educated for the Future
   • Lesson 7 additional reading
   • The Dangers of Sticking to the Obvious or Reinventing the Past
   • Learn to think and problem solve: Rote learning can be problematic
   • Recognise Neurodiversity
   • Up to Date
   • Niche and Widespread Requirements
   • Lifelong Learning
   • How to solve problems faster
8. EVALUATING YOUR SOLUTION
   • How Will the Solution Be Evaluated?
   • Time Frames
   • Staff or Responsible Person
   • Conclusion

Who is this Course for?

• Anyone who wants to improve their ability to solve problems
• Managers, supervisors
• Business owners
• Investors
• Consultants, Advisors, Teachers, Counsellors, Coaches - anyone who needs to help others to make better decisions