How to solve a problem?
Having the ability to solve problems effectively willMake a big difference in your career development
Facing problems is the center of many people's daily work. Whether you are solving problems for clients (internal or external), supporting problem-solving, or discovering new problems to solve, the problems you face can be big or small, simple or complex, easy or difficult.
One of the roles and tasks of every manager or individual is to find solutions to problems. So, confidently solving problems is important for your success. Most confidence comes from having a good and smooth process when solving problems. With this ability, you can quickly and effectively solve problems; Otherwise, your solution may be ineffective and you may come to a standstill, unable to do anything, and bring you some painful consequences.
There are four basic steps to solving a problem:
find a problem
Develop a feasible plan
Evaluate and select feasible solutions
Implement solution plan
Steps 2 to 4 mentioned above will be explained in detail in subsequent articles. The focus of this article is to help us take the first step towards success, which is to identify problems. One of the very important parts is to understand the complex background of the problem so that we can accurately identify where the problem lies. We can achieve this through many tools provided in the article.
Find a problem
The key to identifying problems is to ensure that we face the real problem directly, rather than its surface appearance. For example, if your department's performance submission does not meet the standards, you may think that the problem lies in an employee's failure to submit work in a timely manner. However, if you analyze further, the real problem may be a lack of training for employees or caused by unreasonable workload.
In the future, we will downgrade to 5-Why and RCA (Root Cause Analysis) tools to help us learn how to ask the right questions and analyze various aspects of a problem to discover the true cause of the problem.
At the stage of identifying problems, it is equally important to ensure that we approach the issue from different perspectives. If we make judgments or solutions too early, we may end up with a new problem rather than providing a real solution. For example, 'We must find a way to correct employee behavior that is not up to standard.' This will prevent us from finding the real reasons behind performance deviations. The CATWOE tool can remind us of multiple possible factors to identify the root cause of potential problems and expand our approach to discovering problems.
Understand the complexity of the background in which the problem occurs
When the problem we encounter is simple, the solution is usually obvious, so we don't need to follow the four steps we outlined earlier. When we adopt the 4-step analysis method, it means that our problem is complex and difficult to understand, as there are a series of interrelated issues interwoven layer by layer.
The good news is that there are many tools that can help us sort out the tangled problems! There are many tools among them that can help us establish a clearer perspective to better understand what is happening.
Affinity Diagram, also known as KJ method, was first developed by Jiro Kawagaida in Japan. It summarizes and organizes a large amount of collected language materials such as opinions or ideas about unknown things or unclear facts based on their mutual affinity (similarity), making the problem clear, achieving unified understanding and coordinated work, and facilitating problem solving.
Another popular tool is the Cause and Effect Diagram: The cause and effect diagram method, also known as the characteristic factor diagram, Ishikawa diagram, or shark fin diagram, is a tool proposed by Professor Shinobu Ishikawa at the University of Tokyo in Japan to represent the relationship between quality issues and causes through arrow lines. It is used to analyze the relationship between various factors that affect product quality. ---Refer to the legend (specific operation or process can be searched on Baidu)
When problems occur in business process stages, root cause analysis can be conducted by creating flowcharts such as Flow Chart, Swim Lane Diagram, or Systems Diagram system diagrams.
Usually, it may seem like a single problem, but upon closer examination, it can be found that a series of issues are intertwined. Returning to our example, non-standard work may be due to insufficient skills, but it can also be caused by excessive workload, such as short delivery times and poor motivation.
Problem solving process
The 4-step method can be used to solve most of the problems we encounter in our daily lives. However, in more complex situations, we may need to find a more comprehensive methodological tool to support our analysis of the problem, such as Simplex, Appreciative Inquiry, or Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) (a qualitative research technique that applies systems thinking to solve non systematic problems).
Simplex: A general method for solving linear programming problems. The simplex was first proposed by American mathematician G.B. Danzig in 1947. Its theoretical basis is that the feasible domain of a linear programming problem is a polyhedral convex set in an n-dimensional vector space Rn, and its optimal value must be reached at a vertex of the convex set if it exists. The feasible solution corresponding to the vertex is called the basic feasible solution. The basic idea of the simplex method is to first find a basic feasible solution, identify it, and see if it is the optimal solution; If not, convert to another improved basic feasible solution according to certain rules and then identify it; If it is still not, then convert again and repeat the process.
Appreciative Inquiry: A change management approach that primarily focuses on determining what works best, analyzing why it works best, and then using it more often. The basic idea of affirmative inquiry is that an organization will develop towards the direction that people in the organization focus on. If the focus is on problems, then identifying and addressing these issues is what organizations should do well. However, if the focus is on strengths, then identifying these strengths and advantages and enhancing them is something that organizations should do well. The process of affirmative inquiry requires asking questions in a specific way, encouraging active thinking and interaction among employees.
Soft Systems Methodology (SSM): A qualitative research technique that applies systems thinking to solve non systematic problems. It is mainly used to solve problems that involve a large number of social, political, and human factors. SSM applies systems thinking to real practical activities in human society, while also recognizing that human social organization is a complex system. Therefore, it can be said that SSM is a very effective approach to explore the complex human society and solve the various messy "non-technical" problems it faces.
Seven major techniques of quality control
Also known as the New and Old QC Seven Tools (Techniques), they were all summarized by Japan. After successfully promoting the old seven tools, the Japanese proposed the new seven tools in 1979. The old seven methods of QC focus on statistical analysis and improvement after problems occur, while the new seven methods of QC focus on the process of thinking and analysis, mainly emphasizing prevention before problems occur. The reason why it is called the "Seven Tools" is because ancient Japanese warriors often carried seven types of weapons when fighting, and the so-called "Seven Tools" refers to the use of seven types of weapons.
Relationship Diagram
Association diagram, also known as relational diagram, was proposed by Professor Zhenxiong Qianju of Yingqing University in Japan in the 1960s. It is a type of chart used to analyze complex relationships such as "cause and effect" and "purpose and means" between things. It can help people find solutions to problems from the logical relationships between things.
Affinity Diagram
The affinity diagram method, also known as the KJ method, was pioneered by Jiro Kawagaida in Japan. It summarizes and organizes a large amount of collected linguistic materials, such as opinions or ideas about unknown things or unclear facts, based on their mutual affinity (similarity), in order to clarify problems, achieve unified understanding and coordinate work, and facilitate problem solving.
System Diagram
A system diagram is a method of systematically unfolding the goals to be achieved and the measures or means to be taken, and drawing them into a diagram to clarify the focus of the problem and find the best means or measures.
Process Decision Process Diagram (PDPC)
Process Decision Program Chart, also known as PDPC (Process Decision Program Chart), is a method of analyzing the factors that can lead to various outcomes as the situation progresses, and determining an optimal process to achieve the desired result.
Matrix Diagram
The matrix diagram method is a method of identifying paired factors from events in multidimensional problems, arranging them into a matrix diagram, and then analyzing the problem and determining key points based on the matrix diagram. It is a good way to explore problems through comprehensive thinking of multiple factors.
Matrix Data Analysis Chart
The matrix data analysis method is used to analyze multiple changing and complex causal relationships. If the relationships between elements on a matrix graph can be quantified using data, the results can be more accurately organized and analyzed. This matrix graph method that can be represented by data is called matrix data analysis method. Among the seven new QC tools, data matrix analysis is the only method that utilizes data analysis problems, but its results still need to be represented graphically.
Arrow Diagram
Arrow diagram method is a method of representing the various steps and tasks required for project implementation in a network diagram according to their subordinate relationships.