problem solving

Problem solving pops up at work in so many ways. It appears in our personal lives too. Something is going wrong – what’s the solution? It might feel like we are talking about math homework when we use the words “Problem Solving,” and the approach to solving complex math problems and non numeric workplace problems involving people or projects is pretty similar.

Problem solving is an extensive subject that encompasses a lot of other topics. Decision making, industry or technical knowledge, planning, patience, and time management are just a few knowledge areas that supplement the skill of problem solving. When we talk about problem solving broadly, there are a few general principles that can be applied, regardless of the subject matter.

When you are faced with problem solving, do any of these things come to mind?

• overwhelming – the problem is too big, you can’t identify the source of the problem, or you don’t know where the problem starts or ends
• overthinking – you’re focused on unimportant details, you’re fixated on one part of the problem and missing the big picture, you’re ruminating and not making progress
• overengineering – the solution exceeds the problem, you introduced more problems with the solution, the solution isn’t achievable 

Based on the number of memes about overthinking alone, I feel like these are pretty common scenarios both in and outside of work.

If any of this sounds familiar, here are three simple steps to effective problem solving that you can start using today:

1. Bound the problem – Determine where the problem starts and ends. 

What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Define it. Gather relevant information by asking questions. You might start to feel like a detective asking questions to get to the root of the problem. That’s basically what you have to do here. Are you a visual learner? Draw it out. Find the best way for you to understand the components of the problem. 

I was forwarded a partial email thread with a message from an angry executive, and I was asked to help solve the problem. I didn’t know what the exec was mad about, I didn’t have the original email chain or know what other conversations took place, and I couldn’t gather what went wrong from the email thread. I started to ask around to gather more information to find out where this problem started and ended. 

2. Break it down – Solve for the smallest component of the problem

Like software development, you should aim to find the minimum viable solution to the problem. Based on the information you gathered to define the problem, you might have to break the problem into smaller pieces and solve each one individually. This will help to make sure you aren’t overwhelmed with the size of the problem. When you’re working on solving these smaller problems, you won’t be overengineering a solution because you’ll be introducing the smallest possible solution for each small problem. You’ll also be able to analyze the priority of smaller problems once you break them down.

What started as an angry email from an executive (Problem #1)  turned out to be multiple smaller problems that needed solving. Problem #2 was a communication to that exec with incorrect information, problem #3 was an unresolved helpdesk ticket asking for access, problem #4 was a business process that this exec needed completed ASAP. I started with problem #4 because it was most urgent, and worked through solutions to each individual problem, keeping the exec updated along the way.

3. Keep an open mind

This is an important part of problem solving. You might have a toolbox of tried and true solutions based on previous experience that you want to apply to every problem, but you might also work with someone who has a toolbox of different solutions – and it’s through this collaboration that we can come up with the most creative and effective solutions and ideas. Keep your mind open to accepting new approaches to problem solving, you will grow for it, and your team will be even better for it.