What are problem solving skills and how can you improve them.

I was recently asked by a reported some questions on problem solving. The questions were specifically about how a job candidate can highlight their problem solving skills in the hiring process and in interviews, but I also think these skills are helpful in general. 

Problem-solving skills--what they are?

Problem solving skills are basically the methodology you use to approach solving problems. It’s good to have a framework through which you work out problems. This gives you structure and helps ensure that you don’t – miss something – in solving the problem. Think of this as the scaffolding for your thinking. Not the thinking itself.

How to improve them?

Through practice. It’s like anything. The more you practice working within a problem-solving framework, the easier and more automatic it becomes. The first step is to have a problem solving framework though.

How to show them off in a job search?

Mostly, I would want to know that you do indeed have a framework for problem solving. If I ask a question about a problem you solved, I not only want to know that you have experience solving problems, I want you to take me through the steps you took to solve the problem so I can better understand your problem solving framework.

Why are problem solving skills important?

If someone doesn’t have a framework through which they solve problems, then when problems arise, they tend to use a crap shoot approach and hope for the best. Most just require on the job problem solving. Some jobs require this more than others.  If you don’t have an effective framework you work problems through, you may end up not solving the problem at all or worse, making your existing problem worse.  A good problem solving framework and the skills required to work through that framework greatly increases your chances for successful solving the problem.  The last thing an employer needs is employees who make the problem worse through good intentions. Good intentions aren’t enough. All business are in the business of solving problems. If you don’t solve people’s problems, you won’t be in business long.

The different steps/stages to solving a problem?

I break the problem solving process down into 3 main components, all of which require different skills.

1.    Make sure you are solving the real problem. It is astonishing how many people get this wrong. Lots of people work on what I call proxy problems. Problems they think are causing their problem but really aren’t. The result is lots of wasted time, energy and money being spent not solving your real problem.  An example of this is if you are a farmer and you think you need it to rain to water your crops. Your real problem is that your crops need water. The proxy problem is needing it to rain.

a.    Skills required: self-examination, critical thinking, creativity

2.    Make sure you really know what is really causing your real problem.  Once you identify your real problem, then you need to understand what is really causing your real problem.  Right now we have a labor shortage. Until we know what is really causing our labor shortage, we won’t be able to fix the problem. Just as there are proxy problems, there are also proxy solutions. Is the problem that people make too much on unemployment? Or is the problem just that there aren’t enough people in the workforce to meet demand? Or is it something else entirely? Until we know what exactly is causing our real problem, we won’t be able to solve it.  Think of this stage as diagnosis.

a.    Skills required: scientific literacy, critical thinking

3.    Find a solution that will really work to really solve the real cause of your real problem.  Once you know what is causing your problem, you now need to know what will really work to really fix it. Not all proposed solutions work. Some cause additional harm. Taking the time to find a solution that will not only work, but will work effectively is key. Bonus if you include other ethical considerations into your solution so that you not only fix your real problem, you do it in a way that adds extra benefit to your organization and the society in which it operates.

a.    Skills required: scientific literacy, critical thinking, ethical compass.

Ethical Problem Solving

Ethics are rarely talked about as a problem solving skill, but when you think about it – what is considered a “good” solution is an ethical question. Good is an ethical term. How do you determine what a good solution includes?  That requires having a moral conversation.

How job candidates can improve their problem-solving skills--and leverage them during their job?

Job candidates can improve their problem solving skills by being more deliberate about how they solve problems.  Think about what would make an ideal solution to the problem and then figure out if it’s possible. Integrate your ethics into your problem solving skills and immediately, you will see an improvement in your decision making and problem solving skills.

 

If you want to learn more, you can take my course on Reality Based Problem Solving - https://humanistlearning.com/realitybaseddecisionmaking/

This is available for individuals and groups. 

Management failures in government - immigration courts

We have a problem with our immigration courts. This problem isn't a result of our current ideological divide - though that doesn't help us solve it. Rather, this is a problem of coordination or lack thereof. 

Coordination is a required management function so that you don’t fix one problem and create 100 more through lack of understanding that comes with lack of coordination. It is the job of management to make sure that fixes - don't cause cascading problems. Ignoring those cascading problems is a failure of management.

So ... what lessons can we learn from this?  First - the article that made me upset. It's titled: Fake court dates are being issued in immigration court. Here’s why

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article234396892.html?fbclid=IwAR0SIrFlqWEMdUkRLaSLEsRqagFyfquvcabSybVn_p_kthRErF2C7J1WURc

Now - before you get your partisan hackles in a tither from the headline without reading the text - let me say - BOTH sides really are to blame for this and unless we understand what is causing the problem - we can't fix it!  Consider this a lesson in humanistic problem solving.  Research root causes before jumping to conclusions.

The gist of the problem:

The notice saying you've been denied residence - used to not include court dates. But the agency that issues the notices, was ordered by the US Supreme court to include dates in the notices. 

The problem is - the agencies that send the notices, don't have the ability to set up court dates.

In order to comply with the court order, the issuing agency puts in fake dates so that the notice - includes a date and thus - complies with the court order. Problem solved? Right? Obviously - no.

The dates on the notices - are not transmitted to the courts, meaning - the courts have no idea that a notice to appear has been sent to someone denied residence and they don't know that the person denied residence has been ordered to appear on a certain date.  And, even if they were aware of this, the dates on the notice to appear sent by the agency that denied residence, are often for dates that don't exist - like Nov 31st.

Putting fake dates on a notice to appear for denied residence - may make sense to the issuing agency that has to issue these notices and still comply with the law that there be a date, but this "fix" causes all sorts of problems elsewhere in the bureaucracy.

Here is what happens to people who receive these notices to appear. Even if you receive a fake date, you still have to physically appear in court, because ... it's a notice to appear. And if you don't appear - you are breaking the law.  You have to appear on that date - whether the date exists or not.

The result in the actual courts is - lots of people show up at the courts that don't need to be there. This mass of extra people clogs the lines to get in and processed. This causes problems for the clerks doing the processing - because they are processing people who aren't in their system trying to figure out why they have a notice to appear that isn't really real.  This is time wasted by the clerks sorting out people that shouldn't even be at the court house.  It causes financial hardship to the people who appeared when they weren't supposed to because- they have to take time off work, travel etc to be at these courts that are often located in remote areas.  And ... it causes real problems for the people who are supposed to be there (who have real dates) who now can't get into the court room they were ordered to appear at - because because there isn't room in the actual room because the room is clogged with people who aren't supposed to be there but who were ordered to appear.  The people who can't get in who are really supposed to be there - do get deported for not appearing - even though they were at the court house - but couldn't get into the room because of the extra people there - who received court dates that were fake.

The incompetence of all of this is staggering but unsurprising. There are several breakdowns in the process. And blame is spread around. There is a lack of coordination in the decision making process. There was orders to process more people, but not enough resources allocated to - actually process them.   The people who decided how to comply with the court order to include dates - clear did not talk to anyone who would be impacted by their solution to know that their solution - was just going to cause even more problems and hardship - for everyone. 

What ideally should happen is that - the denied residence notices - should be held and not sent out - until a court date is set.  But to do that - requires different agencies working together to make that happen.

The people sending out the notices - are being judged by what they are getting done. Management by numbers, is not a good way to manage or make decisions, because - it blinds us to the real life impact of our decisions.

Lesson? Don't make decisions in a vacuum. Bring in a diverse team that represents all aspects of the process - and come up with a process that a) complies with the law and b) will work for everyone!

And no - this isn't too much to ask of Government. I work with government employees all the time. They are well meaning, intelligent people. This is no different from any other organization. Smart organizations make team decisions. Our government can and should too.  All organizations should coordinate their work. No more siloing. 

Correcting Cognitive Bias to make life more fair

We all have a sense of fairness. And when we aren't treated fairly - we get cranky.   Whether people acknowledgement or not - we all have biases. And these biases impact our decision making.

One of the impact of this is that women and minorities - just aren't hired for jobs - they probably should be. And I talk to people who say - well - maybe they just aren't as talented - as the men.  But ... there is plenty of research on eliminating gender and minority markers - has a positive impact on "diversity" hiring.  The process - becomes more fair.

Here is a video about it.  Correcting for cognitive biases - taking affirmative action to correct for bias - yields better results. Not just for diversity - but for the quality of people hired. Because - let's face it - if the best person is a woman of color - and they are being discounted because of their gender and skin tone - then you aren't hiring the objectively best person for the job.

A big part of effective decision making and critical thinking skills - is learning to overcome your biases - so that you can make good decisions - based on what is objectively good - and not what you biasedly think is good.

This impacts - every decision you make!  So please - learn critical thinking skills and please learn about how to uncover and control your hidden biases.

Here is a free online course on cognitive bias - https://humanistlearning.com/controlling-our-unconscious-bias/
And one on reality based decision making - https://humanistlearning.com/realitybaseddecisionmaking/

Critical Thinking and Humanism in Business

If you have a job, your job is to solve a problem. Solving problems effectively requires critical thinking skills.

All business are in the business of solving customers problems. People are hired to work for the company to help the company better solve these problems and to solve the problems that prevent the staff from solving the customer’s problems.

Eventually companies get big enough where they need to hire HR professionals to solve the problems that come with having people on payroll. Like how to pay people efficiently and make sure they get the benefits the company provides and to correct paychecks that have errors. HR also has to ensure that all paperwork is in compliance and that people are legally allowed to work for the company to preemptively ensure that legal problems aren’t created through ignorance of the law. Eventually companies get big enough that they also need to hire HR professionals dedicated to dealing with the problems of employee relations, which is a fancy way of saying, interpersonal problems that can cause legal liability for the company if not dealt with properly.

Since every aspect of a business is related to solving a problem, learning how to solve problems is an essential skill for any job. This is why critical thinking is so important.

A humanistic approach to business is a way of understanding the interrelated nature of the problems we are solving and the people for who and with whom we are working. We are never simply solving one problem. All the problems of the company are related. We don’t want to fix one problem and create another problem if we can avoid it.

Humanistic business management is a holistic way of viewing the business of business. Critical thinking is central to this approach because it is impossible to weigh all the various elements at play unless you know how to think clearly.

Critical thinking is useful precisely because it requires the challenging of assumptions. The question why – why are we doing things this way? What exactly are we trying to accomplish? What else and who else is impacted by this decision? By asking these questions we can see the big picture and how our piece of the puzzle relates to everything else that is going on within the company.

It is mind expanding. Like viewing the complexity of the cosmos within the inter-dependent web of employees that is your company.  I find this connected and yet holistic viewpoint inspiring and motivating.  And while it make seem like a lot to take in, by taking the time to think about how things work together, you actually are able to gain a clarity that helps focus on the problems that really matter.

Critical Thinking and Humanism in Business. It’s a powerful combination.

The benefits of critical thinking.

5 Reasons to make the effort to think critically.

1) Better decisions. Basing your decisions on facts yields better outcomes. To make sure what you think you know is actually so requires a little critical thinking.

2) Better strategies. In order to have an effective strategy you have to know what all your options are and you have to weigh the pros and cons of all of them to choose the one that will give you the best chance of success. Again, this requires thinking

3) You won’t waste your time on proxy problems. A lot of people fail because they try to solve the problem they think needs to be solved when what they are really working on is a proxy problem that is standing in for their real problem. And because they never bother to question the assumptions they made about which problem needs to be solved, they never realize that they are working on the wrong problem. Critical thinking, questioning why you are solving this particular problem will help you avoid wasting time and energy on proxy problems.

4) Better relationships. We all make assumptions. But if you never bother to find out if your assumptions are true, you may be making a mistake. This is especially true when your assumptions are about other people. Taking the time to recognize that other people don’t think like you and aren’t necessarily motivated the same way you are allows you to figure out what really is motivating them. Again, the challenging of your assumptions IS the art of critical thinking.

5) You won’t get taken in by charlatans. Charlatans and scam artists make their money from people who don’t bother to check their claims to make sure what they are saying is true. Don’t be duped. Learn how to question and challenge claims being made.

Problem Solving 101

There’s a system for proper problem solving. Want to know what it is?

According to the University of Pittsburgh, who has since taken down their link, a group had posted a list of seven steps on how to properly solve a problem. These steps are as follows:

1.    Define and Identify the Problem
2.    Analyze the Problem
3.    Identifying Possible Solutions
4.    Selecting the Best Solutions
5.    Evaluating Solutions
6.    Develop an Action Plan
7.    Implement the Solution

Or in laymens terms.
1. Figure out what your real problem is so you don’t waste your time on proxy problems
2. Figure out what is really causing your problem.
3. Figure out what might work to fix the problem.
4. Select your top 3 potential solutions for further research
5. Figure out which of your potential solutions will actually work the best given science and reality and stuff like that.
6. Create a strategy to implement your best possible solution, taking into account potential problems you may have in implementing it – in case, it turns out that you messed up the previous steps and your solution doesn’t actually work.
7. And finally, fix the problem.

You will notice that this process requires A LOT OF THINKING!  In fact, 6 of the 7 steps are thinking steps. Is all that thinking worth it? YES!  Why? Because all that thinking usually results in the problem actually being solved.

Compare this with how most people problem solve. They guess about what is causing their problem, and then try to fix it by trial and error and fail and then blame others for their problems or conclude the problem is unsolvable and they carry on living with the problem, never considering that their deficient problem solving process might have been holding them back.

Want to know why Humanists spend so much time on learning critical thinking skills?  Read the above. You can’t solve problems well, unless you know how to think critically.

Problem Solving 101

There’s a system for proper problem solving. Want to know what it is?

According to the University of Pittsburgh, who has since taken down their link, a group had posted a list of seven steps on how to properly solve a problem. These steps are as follows:

1.    Define and Identify the Problem
2.    Analyze the Problem
3.    Identifying Possible Solutions
4.    Selecting the Best Solutions
5.    Evaluating Solutions
6.    Develop an Action Plan
7.    Implement the Solution

Or in laymens terms.

1. Figure out what your real problem is so you don’t waste your time on proxy problems
2. Figure out what is really causing your problem.
3. Figure out what might work to fix the problem.
4. Select your top 3 potential solutions for further research
5. Figure out which of your potential solutions will actually work the best given science and reality and stuff like that. 
6. Create a strategy to implement your best possible solution, taking into account potential problems you may have in implementing it – in case, it turns out that you messed up the previous steps and your solution doesn't actually work.
7. And finally, fix the problem. 

You will notice that this process requires A LOT OF THINKING!  In fact, 6 of the 7 steps are thinking steps. Is all that thinking worth it? YES!  Why? Because all that thinking usually results in the problem actually being solved.

Compare this with how most people problem solve. They guess about what is causing their problem, and then try to fix it by trial and error and fail and then blame others for their problems or conclude the problem is unsolvable and they carry on living with the problem, never considering that their deficient problem solving process might have been holding them back.

Want to know why Humanists spend so much time on learning critical thinking skills?  Read the above. You can’t solve problems well, unless you know how to think critically.

The Power of Critical Thinking

How asking yourself 6 questions can drastically improve for problem solving.

I’m sure you remember the 6  question words in English.  Who, When, Where What, Why and How.  Asking yourself these questions when you are problem solving will improve your problem solving abilities and yield better solutions because if you practice this, you are essentially practicing critical thinking.

When I have a problem to solve, the first question I ask myself is why.  Why do I want to solve this problem? I keep asking this question until I get to the root of my problem. I do this because I want to make absolutely sure I am focused on my real problem and not some related but non-essential problem.  For instance, if I want to try to make it rain, I would ask myself why. Because I want water on my field. Why? Because if the field doesn’t get water, my crops will die and I will die of starvation. Great – now I know my real problem is that I need to get water on my field. Making it rain is a possible solution, but not the only one.  This also helps me be properly motivated to solve my problem, because, I now know why it matters that I solve it.

The next questions are What.   What causes my problem? What might work to solve my problem? These are brain storming questions, but also skeptical questions. I want to make sure my problem solving is based in reality as that will give me the greatest opportunity for success.  By figuring out what might be causing my problem, I can also figure out what might work to solve it.

Now I need to ask myself How. How do I know that. This is a skeptical question to make sure I double check whether what I think I know about what is causing my problem and what might solve it is even true.   I can also ask How, to think about problems with implementing any potential solution.

The When and Where questions are very useful. Sometimes the solution to my problem is to wait. Not now, but then. Where is also useful because what I might want to do can’t be done where I am, but if I move? Maybe.  These are critical questions to developing a winning strategy.

Finally, the question of Who.  Who is going to implement my solution?  If it isn’t me, I am relying on someone else. That can often work and it is always very helpful. But ultimately, you need to be responsible for solving your own problems.

Proxy Problems

How much time do you spend on proxy problems?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about proxy problems. These are the problems we spend our time solving that don’t really fix anything, because they aren’t really our real problem. They are our proxy problems that we try to solve because we think they will solve our real problem.

For instance, if you have a field that needs water, the easiest way to get water on it is for it to rain. If it doesn’t rain you have a problem because you need to now find a new way to get water on your field. A lot of people respond to this sort of problem by trying to fix the old way of solving their problem. If it isn’t raining, what can they do to make it rain. Trying to make it rain is a proxy problem precisely because the real problem is that you need water on your field.

The problem with proxy problems is that they take away time, energy and resources that could have been spent on actually solving your problems and focus those resources on solving the proxy problem and that normally doesn’t turn out too well because, well, you can’t make it rain. You can, however, find other ways to get water on your field.

Effective problem solving is all about figuring out what your real problem is so that you don’t spend time trying to solve your proxy problems. Everyone falls prey to proxy problems so don’t think that just because you are smart and read my blog that you are immune. We all waste time on proxy problems.

This is why Humanists are so fond of Freethought. It isn’t that we use it to reject religion. It’s that we use it to challenge our own assumptions about what our real problems are so that we don’t waste time on proxy problems.

The biggest skill required for Freethought is humility. Humility to admit you were wrong so that when you do figure out you’ve been focused on a proxy problem, you stop working on it and focus on the real problem you are trying to fix instead. A good example of this is Martin Pribble recent rant – I Quit. http://martinspribble.com/2013/12/a-rant-i-quit/

Time to fess up, what proxy problem have you wasted an amazing amount of time on before realizing it was a proxy problem?

Thank God I’m a Humanist

Why working with a Humanist makes everything easier.

Right now much of my time is being consumed by anti-bullying work. When I wrote my book (http://thebullyvaccine.com) I didn’t quite realize just how desperate people are for good information. I mean, obviously I knew or I wouldn’t have written the book, but I kind of looked at it as a bit of a side project. Something I was morally obligated to do, but it wasn’t my passion.

My passion is teaching people about Humanism. But, as I have done the publicity work for the book I have realized that teaching people about how to handle bullies and other obnoxious people IS teaching them about Humanism. The two go hand in hand.

Anyway, as part of what I am doing to help end bullying, I have become involved in setting up a new non-profit, www.xbullied.com  When I was first in conversation with my cofounder Dr. Tejeda he sent me an email explaining his problem solving process. It made me laugh and got me excited because a) it’s the same process I use as a Humanist and b) the last element of his process was to pray, though he admitted he’s not a religious person and he doesn’t really think it does any good.  His mind maps were also quite impressive.

I told him I was totally on board and that his process was the same as mine because I am a Humanist.  His response? “Thank god you’re a Humanist. It makes everything easier.”

And it really does. Humanists are very practical, strategic and reality based. It’s very exciting to realize someone you are working with is like minded in this way. We don’t want to waste our time on solutions that aren’t proven to work. We want best practices and we are willing to do research to figure out what actually works and what doesn’t. We also can see the big picture and understand that really what has to happen is that we need to stop taking a piece meal approach and start integrating the best solutions so that nothing gets left out and falls through the cracks. Working with a fellow Humanist on problem solving is a joyful engaged and fun and productive process.

For me, I know that I can send this man my ideas and he will understand them in the same way I do and see the possibilities of how it will create strategic change if we can find a way to pull it off.  I also know that ego won’t get in the way of a solution. Our goal is the solution. There is a certain standard of ethical conduct we expect from ourselves and others as well.  We may argue and debate a lot and disagree vehemently, but we are committed to behaving ethically as individuals.  In other words, I know when I start working with a Humanist that I am going to be challenged, that I am going to have to deal with a strong personality, but that at the end of the day, they are going to be as committed to making practical strategic decisions as I am and that the outcome of our work is going to be of high quality.

But the absolute best thing about working with a fellow Humanist is that it means the decision making and problem solving process is going to be rational! And if you’ve ever had to work out problems and come to decisions with people who don’t take a rational approach to problem solving you know what a relief it is to know, disagreement will be rational and not insanely irrational. It is nice to know that discussions will be focused on what works and you won’t have to waste your time with any off topic suggestions or correcting obviously untrue statements of so called “facts.” 

Working with Humanists makes everything easier. It really does. What is your favorite thing about working with and interacting with your fellow Humanists?

How to create a strategy that actually works.

4 steps to creating a strategy that will turn your dream goal into a reality.

As a Humanist I take problem solving very seriously. I want to accomplish my goals and not just dream about them. I wrote a blog post a little bit back on how to gain clarity of purpose. Today I want to talk about how to create a strategy that will actually work.

Recently I have gotten involved in anti-bullying work as a result of publishing my book – The Bully Vaccine. One of the things I’ve learned and that we all pretty much knew is that schools and teachers and administrators, however well-intentioned they may be, are not well equipped to help kids end bullying. There are some systemic reasons why this happens that I’m not going to get into here.

Suffice it to say that IF we want to help reduce or eliminate bullying, these systemic problems need to be resolved.   Wanting to change the way schools operate as it relates to bullying is a noble goal.  The real question is how we want them to change and what we can do to make sure those changes actually occur. Without a solid strategy we would be working aimlessly.

Deciding on a goal is easy. And most people are pretty good at that. The difference between people who are successful at actually creating the desired change and those who don’t is the ability to create a strategy.

Most people don’t. They just start doing whatever they think will work based on what they assume the problem to be and hope for the best, fail, get discouraged and decide that nothing can be done. Here are the steps to creating a strategy that will work instead.

1)      Laying the Ground Work

Someone who is strategic instead decided on a goal and then does a bit of research. How are things set up right now. Why are they set up that way? What are the goals that drove the system we have right now. Without knowing that – you won’t be able to develop a strategy that works.

2) Research

The next bit of research is to find out what actually works to solve the problem. What doesn’t work and what makes things worse is also important to know so that you can avoid those mistakes when you plan your strategy.   Most people don’t take this step either. They just assume they know and never bother to challenge whether what they think they know is even so. As a result, their strategies fail; they blame others and give up discouraged.

3)   Having a Plan

Once you know what you are dealing with and what you need to do to fix the problem, you can develop a plan, what exactly are the changes that need to be made? What do you want to keep of the old system and what needs to be changed to accommodate the best practices that are known to work.  It is only once you have a plan on what you would like to see happen that you can start to develop a strategy for how to accomplish it.

4) Strategy

Your strategy is the steps you need to take to implement the plan. Who do you need to talk to, who is in charge of the policies that need to be changed, what is the process for creating and implementing those changes. If your strategy has to do with education and disseminating new information, how are you going to disseminate it to the most possible people?

Having a goal is just the beginning. If you want to be successful, you need a solid strategy of how to get there.

7 steps to ethical and effective problem solving

It doesn’t matter how well intentioned you are. If you can’t solve your problems effectively, you may be doing more harm than good. Having a system to solve your problems will help ensure you problem solve effectively.

The University of Pittsburgh has a great website dedicated to effective problem solving.  They list 7 steps that are critical to proper problem solving.  Here is a link to their website: http://www.pitt.edu/~groups/probsolv.html

What I find interesting is that these are the same steps that are followed when using a critical thinking approach to problem solving. And these are the same steps I teach my clients.

Here are the 7 main steps and why they are important:

• Define and Identify the Problem  - If you don’t know what problem you are trying to solve or if you try to solve the wrong problem you won’t be successful. Find out what the facts are and not only develop a statement about what exactly the problem is you are trying to solve, but what your goal is in solving it.

• Analyze the Problem – Don’t assume you know what is causing the problem. Do your research and find out if your assumptions are valid or not. This is what freethought, skepticism and science is all about.

• Identifying Possible Solutions  - make a list of possible solutions. Don’t assume there are only a couple of solutions available. Brainstorm, make a list, think outside the box, but don’t limit your potential by liming your list of possible solutions. (the website lists several methods to develop the list – and it is worth reading through!)

• Evaluating Solutions – what are the pros and cons of each proposed solution, will this really solve our problem, or make it worse.

• Selecting the Best Solution – After evaluating your possible solutions and ranking them as you need to choose the one you think  has the best chance of success that will help you accomplish the goal you set in task 1.  If none of the solutions will work, you need to re-evaluate how you defined the problem and go back to step one taking into account what you have learned through this process. No, this isn’t a pain, it is what is sometimes required if you want to actually solve your problem.

• Develop an Action Plan – what tasks need to be done, who will do them, when do they need to be done, what could go wrong and how will you get around problems, who can help you, or can you do it yourself?

• Implement the Solution - Now that you have a plan – get to it and start implementing it. If you need to change it, do so, but if you don’t take action, the problem isn’t going to get solved.  There ain’t nothing to it but to do it.

  

Which part of the process do you have the most trouble with?  I know that I take extra time to make sure I define my problem properly. If I can get that step right, everything else seems to follow. Albert Einstein said that he spent 90% of his problem solving on that step as well. Do you agree? What do you think is the hardest or most important part of problem solving?