PROBLEM

SOLVING
TECHNIQUE

Aiman Zahid
 What Are Problem-Solving Skills?

Problem solving skills refers to our ability to solve problems in an

effective and timely manner without any impediments. It involves
being able to identify and define the problem, generating alternative
solutions, evaluating and selecting the best alternative, and
implementing the selected solution
Example: A teacher might need to figure out how to improve the
performance of her students on a writing proficiency test.
 Problem-Solving Steps and Skills

Here are five steps most commonly used in problem-solving, their

associated skills, and examples of where each step is utilized in different
career sectors.
1. Analyze Factors That Contribute to Unwanted Situations
2. Generating Interventions to Achieve an End Goal
3. Evaluating Best Solutions
4. Implementing a Plan
5. Assessing the Effectiveness of Your Interventions
Analyze Factors That Contribute to Unwanted Situations

In order to solve a problem, you must first figure out what caused it. This requires you to gather and
evaluate data, isolate possible contributing circumstances, and pinpoint what needs to be addressed
for a resolution
Required Skills:
– Active Listening
– Data Gathering
– Data Analysis
– Fact Finding
– Historical Analysis
– Causal Analysis
– Process Analysis
– Needs Identification
Generating Interventions to Achieve an End Goal

Once you’ve determined what is causing a problem, it’s time to brainstorm possible solutions.
Sometimes this involves teamwork, since two (or more) minds are often better than one. It’s rare that
a single strategy is the obvious route to solving a complex problem; devising a set of alternatives
helps you cover your bases and reduces your risk of exposure should the first strategy you
implement fail
Required Skills:
– Brainstorming
– Creative Thinking
– Prediction
– Forecasting
– Project Design
– Project Planning
 Evaluating Best Solutions

Depending upon the nature of the problem and your chain of command,
evaluating best solutions may be performed by assigned teams, team leads, or
forwarded upward to major corporate decision makers. Whoever makes the decision
must evaluate potential costs, required resources, and possible barriers to successful
solution implementation.
Required Skills:
– Analysis
– Discussion
– Corroboration
– Teamwork
– Test Development
– Mediation
– Prioritizing
 IMPLEMENTING A PLAN

Once a course of action has been decided upon, it must be implemented, along with benchmarks
which can quickly and accurately determine whether it’s working to solve a problem. Plan
implementation also involves alerting changes to personnel in standard operating procedures.
Required Skills:
– Project Management
– Project Implementation
– Collaboration
– Time Management
– Benchmark Development
Assessing the Effectiveness of Your Interventions

Once a solution is implemented, the best problem-solvers have systems in place to

ascertain if and how quickly it's working. This way, they know as soon as possible
whether the issue has been resolved or, alternatively, whether they’ll have to change
their response to the problem mid-stream.
Required Skills:
– Communication
– Data Analysis
– Surveys
– Customer Feedback
– Follow-through
–
 PRINCIPLES FOR TEACHING PROBLEM SOLVING

– Model a useful problem-solving method. Problem solving can be difficult and

sometimes tedious. Show students by your example how to be patient and
persistent and how to follow a structured method.
– Teach within a specific context. Teach problem-solving skills in the context in
which they will be used (e.g., mole fraction calculations in a chemistry course).
Use real-life problems in explanations, examples, and exams. Do not teach
problem solving as an independent, abstract skill.
– Help students understand the problem. In order to solve problems, students
need to define the end goal. This step is crucial to successful learning of problem-
solving skills. If you succeed at helping students answer the questions “what?”
and “why?”, finding the answer to “how?” will be easier.
– TAKE ENOUGH TIME. When planning a lecture/tutorial, budget enough time
for: understanding the problem and defining the goal, both individually and as a
class; dealing with questions from you and your students; making, finding, and
fixing mistakes; and solving entire problems in a single session.
– ASK QUESTIONS AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS. Ask students to predict
“what would happen if …” or explain why something happened. This will help
them to develop analytical and deductive thinking skills. Also, ask questions and
make suggestions about strategies to encourage students to reflect on the
problem-solving strategies that they use.
– LINK ERRORS TO MISCONCEPTIONS. Use errors as evidence of
misconceptions, not carelessness or random guessing. Make an effort to isolate
the misconception and correct it, then teach students to do this by themselves. We
can all learn from mistakes.