Before learning how to solve problems and make decisions, it is important to know the definitions of these terms.

In this session, you will explore what problem-solving and decision-making means. You will also learn the eight essentials to defining a problem and apply these concepts to a simple case study.

Defining Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

What, specifically, is a problem? A problem can be a mystery, a puzzle, an unsettled matter, a situation requiring a solution, or an issue involving uncertainty that needs to be dealt with. Most people are dealing with problems every day.

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that if he had an hour to save the world, he would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution. While people have argued with Einstein’s numbers, the point is that a problem needs to be properly defined before you can come up with a solution that is worth implementing and deals with the problem adequately.

Problems can be classified in three ways:

• Problems that have already happened
• Problems that lie ahead
• Problems you want to prevent from happening

There are three ways to approach problems:

• You can stall or delay until a decision is no longer necessary, or until the problem has become even greater.
• You can make a snap decision, off the top of your head, with little to no thinking or logic.
• You can use a professional approach and solve problems based on sound decision-making practices.

Problem Identification

The first and most important undertaking of problem-solving efforts needs to be defining the problem. You cannot work on something if you do not know what it is. It is important to resist the tendency to start working on a problem as soon as you know one exists, and instead develop an understanding of whether the problem is being addressed or merely a symptom of it.

Rather than attack symptoms, the root of the problem should be tackled. This way, higher quality solutions can be created that in turn will eliminate or reduce the symptoms. As well, this will resolve the problem much more easily than when the surface only is attacked. Most importantly, you will also know that you are taking on a worthwhile problem.

Eight Essentials to Defining a Problem

Although we make decisions all the time, some decisions come easier than others. The first step is to define the problem clearly. We have eight suggestions to help you do this as easily, efficiently, and effectively as possible.

Rephrase the Problem

Sometimes what we want to see is not what other people see. When the boss sees production drop and he tells his team to work harder, he is not likely to see much of a result. He is telling people what to do for his benefit, and that does very little to engage people. Instead, he could rephrase the problem and ask people what they feel connects them to their work. He can take an interest and ask what they can do to make their jobs easier or make work processes more efficient. In this way he engages people, finds out what could be dropping their production, and can come up with solutions instead of just telling people to be “more productive.”

If you have a hard time with wordsmithing, grab a dictionary and thesaurus (or look at online versions) and play with your problem statement by changing it several times. Start with one word or short phrases. If you do not enjoy word games very much or feel yourself struggling, ask for help from a colleague or friend.

Here is an example. If the problem seems like “Our sales are decreasing,” start replacing words to become clearer about what is going on:

• “Our market share is decreasing.”
• “Our new sales are the same as last year.”
• “Repeat sales have decreased 16 per cent over last year.”
• “Our outgoing sales call volume has increased 18 per cent.”
• “Our incoming complaint calls have increased 22 per cent.”

By doing this type of rewording, you can narrow things down and determine that the real problem is not that your sales team is neglecting their work or needs more training. The problem appears to be that repeat sales are down and correlating with that is an increase in complaints. Finding out why will be your next step.

Expose and Challenge Assumptions

We assume a lot. It is human nature. Unfortunately, assumptions can really interfere with generating an accurate problem statement.

If you pull up to gas pumps, you might assume that you can buy regular, mid-grade, or premium gas. And yet, when you pull up to a rural station and there is only one option (regular) for your car, which usually uses premium-grade, you have to decide whether you have enough fuel left to make it to the next gas station.

When defining your problem, write a list and include as many assumptions you can think of, especially the obvious ones. This helps to clarify the problem. Then, test each assumption and find out if some of them are actually wrong, or if you imposed them on yourself.

One common assumption is to say, “We have never done it that way, so we will not be allowed to do it in the future.”

Use Facts

Sometimes we see a problem and just want to jump in and fix it. However, we are also generally responsible for things such as time and money, so it is important that we look at the details and determine what the problem really is. If a problem is too vague, it might not even be serious enough to warrant solving. Find the data you need to define the problem. If you can draw a picture or a graph, do so. Ask questions and gather information that honestly describes the problem so that you can get specific about it.

“You are always late” is a very vague statement of a problem. “You have been late three days in a row” is specific. With straightforward problems like this one, you will find that defining the problem and bringing it to the other person’s attention will often resolve it. There are very few people who will continue to challenge the supervisor once they demonstrate an awareness of the late behavior being repeated.

Grow Your Thinking

Problems are often related to other problems. They can be a small element of a larger issue, so this element of problem definition includes considering the problem as part of something larger. To do this, you make the problem more general.

Ask questions such as:

• “What is this connected to?”
• “What is this an example of?”
• “Where have we seen this before?”

Leveraging the wordplay we used earlier, replace specific words with more general ones. “Budget” becomes “finances,” “office desk” becomes “furniture,” “mouse” becomes “pest.”

Shrink Your Environment Temporarily

Since each problem is likely made up of smaller problems, one way to figure out the issue is to split it into smaller pieces. This allows you to consider specific details. This will help you gain an understanding of the bigger problem, as well as the effect that the smaller problems have on one another.

Shrinking your environment is very effective when you have a problem that is overwhelming. It allows you to focus on something tangible. You can again use word play to great benefit here, using words that are more accurate in their definition. “Vehicle” becomes “taxi” or “car.” “Budget” becomes “our department’s budget” and then “our department’s travel budget.”

Practice Multiple Perspectives

Although the problem may be very clear from where you are looking right now, that may not be the case from everyone else’s perspective. If sales are decreasing, we may think it is because the sales team is not being effective, but maybe the competition has dropped their price and added a feature to their product that makes them more appealing.

Rewrite the problem from several different perspectives. How does your customer look at this problem? What about your sales team? Your courier? Add perspectives for people in different roles. How would your spouse see this? A former teacher? A local business association? The people at the café down the street?

Turn it Upside Down

One powerful perspective in defining a problem is to look at it from the reverse direction. If you want more of something, figure out what you get less of as a result. Investigate what happens to decrease sales, or to sell fewer products, or to lose more games. If you feel that sending an employee to a conference is too expensive, consider what happens when you do send them.

Change your perspective and consider things from angles you had not yet considered, and consider the consequences. What about setting up a bare bones product that does not have all the same elements as the fancy ones people are buying from your competition?

Frame the Problem Purposely and Positively

This is something borrowed from goal setting. Our brains will focus on things that are positive and exciting. Even more effective is to reframe what you think as the problem into a positive and engaging question, because our subconscious loves to ponder questions and will start working on them immediately, even if we do not think we are thinking about it.  For example, instead of thinking, “We need our employees to quit smoking because smokers are driving up costs of our benefit plan,” try, “How can we encourage our employees to live long healthy lives and live to be happy people?”

Summary

When you can describe the problem clearly, the solution often presents itself. However, failure to identify the problem properly can send you off fixing things that may not ever resolve the actual problem. Do not create a situation where you are looking at the same problem three months from now; use these eight essential elements in your favor.