Problem Solving &

Decision Making

Achieving Desired Results

Edge Training Systems Inc.

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Course Outline
 Definition Of Terminology
 Six Stage Problem Solving Process
 Techniques Of Problem Solving
 Gap Analysis, Brainstorming
 Tools Used In Evaluating Ideas
 Knowledge Ranking Ideas, Pro-Con, Check
Sheets, Impact / Implementation Analysis,
Low Hanging Fruit Matrix

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Course Objectives
After This Session, You Will Be Able To…
Understand how to define problems and
the objectives for solving them
Learn how to creatively solve problems
through the use of various techniques
Demonstrate how to choose the best idea
that will yield measurable results
Take away a number of ideas that will
become actionable items

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 Farmer’s Land Bequest
Subdivide a farmer’s property upon
his death into four pieces of equal
size and shape for distribution to his
four offspring. All land given to each
offspring must be adjoining itself,
and it can not be distributed
piecemeal.
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Definition Of Terms
 Problem
 A question or situation that presents doubt, perplexity
or difficulty - something that needs to be corrected
 Symptom
 A phenomenon or circumstance considered as an
indication or characteristic of a condition or event
 Cause
 Something that produces an effect, result, or
consequence
 Solution
 The method or process of solving a problem

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Problem Solving Video
As You Watch The Video,
Please Take Note Of The Six
Steps In The Problem Solving
Process

Record Your Ideas On Page #5

Of Your Workbook
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Problem Solving Process
1. Define The Problem
 Identify Root Cause, What Needs To Be Fixed?
1. Analyze The Problem
 Define Current State & Future Desired State
1. Develop Solutions
 Brainstorm Ideas
1. Evaluate Solutions
 Systematically Identify Drivers & Barriers
1. Choose & Implement The Best Solution
 Create Action Plans, Timelines, Measurable Results
1. Follow Up & Evaluate Progress
 Evaluate & Adjust Solutions
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Problem Solving Process
1. Define The Problem
 Get the facts, who, what, when, where,
why, and how
 Make sure that what looks like a problem
is not just a symptom
 Drill down to the cause of the problem by
asking “why” a number of times
 Look for something that changed at the
same time the problem arose

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Root Cause - Ask Why?
“My car doesn’t start.”
 Is that the problem? No, that is a symptom.
“Why didn’t the car start?” The battery is dead.
 Is that a problem or a symptom? Probably a symptom.
“Why did the battery go dead?”
 This forces you to think of all the things that would kill a
battery, like a bad alternator, a loose belt, lack of fluid in
the battery, bad connection, left the lights on, etc, etc.
 You check out all of these possibilities and you fix the true
problem. If you had a bad alternator and had only
replaced the battery, did you solve the problem?

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Other Tips / Summary
Asking “why” numerous times is the
backbone of problem solving
This helps you in determining root cause, to
treat the true problems, not symptoms
Break complex problems into smaller parts
and solve the small parts
When having difficulty, step away, let it sink
in and go back to it when you are fresh
Involve other people with different points of
view

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Problem Solving Process
2. Analyze The Problem
 Conduct a gap analysis
 What are we trying to accomplish
 Define the current & the desired state
 This shows you where you are and
where you want to be
 Prioritize if more than one objective is
identified to solve the problem

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Gap Analysis Activity
Complete A Gap Analysis
“Increase In Profitability”
Current State Desired State
Where You Are Where You Want To
Be
Inefficiencies in productivity Efficient productivity
Wasted resources, supplies Tighten belts on expenses
Too much overtime Additional staffing

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 Drivers & Barriers
Think Of The Forces That Will Support Or Block
The Implementation Of Your Plan.
List These “Drivers” & “Barriers” Below

Drivers Barriers
Forces That Will Support Your Forces That Will Block Your Plan
Plan
Increase In Productivity Vendors Reducing Costs
Accounting Support Higher Repairs & Maintenance
More Efficient Equipment New Training On Equipment

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Problem Solving Process
3. Develop Solutions
 Brainstorm all possible solutions
 Requires group commitment
 Groups made up of people with
different points of view are more
productive
 Encourage participation and think
the impossible is possible

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Brainstorming Ideas
 Allow time to think about the topic
 Break the group up into smaller groups
 Realign groups to expose people to new ideas
 Encourage people to speak their mind freely
 Incorporate activities that encourage movement
 Introduce a new train of thought or activity
 Actively engage people through questioning
 Sidestep to another thought on the same topic
 Take a break, add energy, humor or stimulation
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Brainstorming Rules
 No judgment – Do not criticize anyone’s ideas
 Everyone must understand the objective
 Everyone must participate
 Quantity - Go for as many ideas as possible
 Wild ideas accepted - get playful, far-out
 Hitchhiking on other ideas is desired
 Switch your point of view. What if . . . ?
 Record all ideas

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Brainstorming Activity
Generate As Many Ideas As
Possible

How Do We Increase Profitability?

Record Your Ideas On Page #13

Be Prepared To Report Out To The
Group

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Idea Stimulators
 In a perfect world, what would this look like?
 What if . . . ?
 What if a famous or historical person were solving
this problem?
 Asking Why? Why? Why?
 How else could this be done?
 What does this look like to the customer ?
 . . . to another department ?

 . . . to a newcomer?. . to a child ?

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Questioning ? ? ?
 The key to generating a lot of ideas is to
ask a lot of questions
 Questions provoke a search for
knowledge and for understanding
 Ask who, what, where, when, why, and
how about all aspects of the problem to
be solved
 Questions lead to new thoughts, ideas
and possibilities
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Mind Mapping
 Helps you to see the big picture visually.
 Helps you to identify the relationships
between processes and ideas.
 Helps you to organize your ideas into
groups/topics.
 Can be used with the other problem
solving techniques.
 Notes, Presentations, Planning
 Pondering Alternatives
 Starting A Project, Search Mode

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 Mind Mapping Tips
Idea Idea
New Idea

Problem New
Problem

New Idea
Idea
New
Problem

Idea
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Mind Mapping
Supplies
Cut Expenses
Inventory

How Can We Increase Profitability?

New Accounts
Products
Cross Sell

Up Sell
Raise Prices

Cut Production Advertising

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Mind Mapping
Draw A Mind Map To Generate
Ideas To Solve A Problem.

How Can We Increase Profitability?

Use Page # 17 To Draw Your Mind Map

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Problem Solving Process
4.Evaluate Solutions
 Compare your ideas to your solution to
determine which idea will most
completely satisfy the objectives
 Be scientific by utilizing the methods of
developing criteria
 Make your solutions actionable
 Rate the potential of each item
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Evaluating Solutions
 Today’s Methods:
 Rank The Ideas Using Current Knowledge
 Identify Advantages And Disadvantages
 Impact/Implementation Difficulty Analysis
 Complete A “Low Hanging Fruit” Matrix
 Compare Our Findings Based On Results

The Obvious Choice Would Be The Idea

That Ranks The Highest Using All The
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Methods
Evaluating Solutions
How Do We Increase Profitability?

Refer To Your Ideas On Page #13

Rank Your Ideas From 1 – 5

(Using Your Current Knowledge Base)

Record Your Top 5 Ideas On Page #19

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Evaluating Solutions
How Do We Increase
Profitability?

Using Your Ideas On Page #19

Pick Your Top 3 Ideas

List The Advantages &

Disadvantages

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Problem Solving Process
5.Choose & Implement Best Idea
 Choose the best idea based on evaluation
 Design an implementation strategy
 Create action plans, time lines, etc
 Assign tasks, goals & objectives
 Determine measurable results
 Create a contingency plan

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Impact / Implementation
Idea # Task or Action Business Implementation
Impact Difficulty
1 Cut Expenses H L

L = Low, M = Medium, H = High

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Low Hanging Fruit Matrix
High
Level of Difficulty

Medium

Low 1

Low Medium High

Level of Business Impact

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Problem Solving Process
6.Follow Up & Evaluate
Progress
 Follow through with solutions
 Establish accountability
 Monitor and track progress
 Evaluate results and adjust solutions
 Fall back on your contingency plan if
needed
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Problem Solving Process
1. Define The Problem
 Identify Root Cause, What Needs To Be Fixed?
1. Analyze The Problem
 Define Current State & Future Desired State
1. Develop Solutions
 Brainstorm Ideas
1. Evaluate Solutions
 Systematically Identify Drivers & Barriers
1. Choose & Implement The Best Solution
 Create Action Plans, Timelines, Measurable Results
1. Follow Up & Evaluate Progress
 Evaluate & Adjust Solutions
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Decision Making Skills
Lost On The Moon
Your spaceship has just crash-landed on the dark side of
the moon. You were scheduled to rendezvous with a
mother ship 200 miles away on the lighted side of the
moon, but the rough landing has ruined your ship and
destroyed all the equipment on board except for 15 items.

Your crew’s survival depends on reaching the mother

ship, so you must choose the most critical items aboard
for the 200 mile trip to the rendezvous point.
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Lost On The Moon
1. Working independently, rank your choices and justify each
choice (2 Minutes)
2. Break into teams and complete the exercise as a team
3. Compare individual rankings to group rankings
4. Do not assume that someone must win and someone must
lose when discussion reaches a stalemate
5. Do not change your mind simply to avoid conflict
6. Avoid conflict-reducing techniques such as majority vote,
averages, coin-flips and bargaining
7. Differences of opinion are natural and to be expected
8. Compare your rankings with those of NASA

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Lost On The Moon
Box Of Matches
Food Concentrate
Fifty Feet Of Nylon Rope
Silk Parachute Rank The Fifteen Items In
Solar-Powered Heating Unit
Two .45 Caliber Pistols Terms Of Their Importance
One Case Of Dehydrated Milk For Survival.
Two 100-lb. Tanks Of Oxygen
Stellar Map (Moon’s Constellation)
Self-Inflating Life Raft “1” Being The Most
Magnetic Compass Important
Five Gallons Of Water
Signal Flares
First-Aid Kit Containing Injection Needles
Solar-Powered FM Transmitter/Receiver
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 Lost On The Moon
Two 100 Lb. Tanks Of Oxygen Need Oxygen To Live, Most Important 1
Five Gallon Can Of Water Need To Survive, Replenish Fluids 2
Stellar Map )Moon’s Constellation) Primary Navigation Aid 3
Food Concentrate Means Of Supplying Energy 4
Requirements
Solar Powered Transmitter/Receiver Rescue Effort, Communications 5
Fifty Feet Nylon Rope Tie Together, Repel Cliffs, Pull Things 6
First Aid Kit With Injection Needles Safety, Contents May Have A Use 7
Silk Parachute Protection And Use As A Signal 8
Self Inflating Life Raft Used For Shelter Or To Carry Things 9
Signal Flares Distress Signal For Rescue, Mark 10
Locations
Two .45 Caliber Pistols Emergency Self-Propulsion 11
One Case Dehydrated Milk Bulkier Duplicate Of Food Concentrate 12
Solar Powered Heating Unit Of No Use Unless On The Dark Side 13
Magnetic Compass No Use, Different Magnetic Fields 14
Box Of Matches Useless, No Oxygen On The Moon 15
37 NASA: Lost On The Moon Exercise
Did We Survive?
0-20 = Excellent: 
You Survived And Saved Your Team !
21-32 = Good: 
You Made It Just In The Nick Of Time !
33-45 = Fair: 
Whew, You Were So Close !
46-70 = Oops: 
Don’t Worry, We’ll Alert Your Family !
71-112 = Oh Well: 
See You In This Same Class Next Week ?
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Problem Solving Tips
Six Step Process
Brainstorming Tips
Brainstorming Rules
Idea Stimulators
Evaluation Methods

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40
 What Questions
Do You Have?

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