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Problem Solving -- How to Do It
Problem solving is a part of
life, especially in our businesses. How you go about it is often the
most important determinant of the outcome you get. Here’s a step-by-step
management process for problem solving that you can use the next time
something goes wrong and you have to fix it.
1. Be Sure You Know What the Problem Is
Write down all the details you can about the problem. What it is. What
caused it. What it’s doing or has done to your business. Define it as
clearly as possible and state everything you know about it.
2. Assign a Priority to It
Some problems are urgent and others have a more flexible timeline. Write
down everything you can about the time factors relating to the problem.
Determine whether the problem needs to be solved today, this week, or
this month. Also define what will happen if you don’t solve the problem.
3. Check the Measurements
Quantify any aspects of the problem that can be represented numerically.
If it has a financial impact on your business make an estimate of how
much it will cost. Also estimate what those numbers will be if the
problem is solved.
If not solving the problem for a period of time will make the
measurements worse, project these over the anticipated time before you
will have solved the problem.
4. Share the Problem
When you have completed the first three steps you have a clear picture
of the problem and are ready to enlist the help of others. Business
problems are best treated as a team issue, so assemble a team to help
you find the solution.
Choose people that can bring their own problem-solving skills to the
project. Make them the owners of the problem and challenge them to solve
it. (Even if the problem-causer is among this group avoid recriminations
and just focus on the solution.)
Review the first three steps to make sure you haven’t missed something
or made a miscalculation. Everyone must agree on the dimensions of the
problem before proceeding.
5. Agree on What Will Identify a Solution
How will you know that the problem has been solved? Everyone working on
finding a solution has to have a clear goal in mind that represents that
solution. Define this as carefully as you’ve defined the problem itself.
6. Manage the Solution Process
You’re now there to manage the team in their efforts to find a solution
to the problem. Become the focal point for information gathering and
communication and manage all aspects of the project including scheduling
and meeting deadlines.
7. Don’t Just Fix the Symptoms
Many business problems manifest themselves with symptoms that can be
wrongly perceived as the problems themselves. As project manager it’s
your responsibility to ensure that the real problem is pursued to the
point of solution and not just the symptoms; fixing the symptoms often
helps to mask the real problem.
8. Honesty is the Best Policy
You may find that the resources at your immediate command are inadequate
to solve the problem. If this is the case, be wise enough to admit it
and call in help from outside the organization.
Refocus the team’s efforts on finding a source of the solution somewhere
else. Keep the team together so they can evaluate the proposed solutions
received from elsewhere.
9. Choose the Best Solution
Assuming that your team has agreed on a solution for the problem you
need to make sure it’s not only going to work but is also the best
solution. Check and double-check before you implement any solution to be
certain it will be the most effective answer to the problem.
10. Thank and Disband the Team
Make a final report to the team that has solved the problem and tell
them how you appreciate their contributions. You can now officially
disband the team and remove this particular problem-solving task from
their list of responsibilities.
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