As business leaders we are bombarded with challenges that need to be addressed, situations that need to be improved, and problems that need to be solved.
Of course, each challenge, situation or problem is different. Nevertheless, there are some fundamentals of problem solving.
1. Define the Real Problem
This is the biggie. Ensure that you are solving the right problem. And ensure that you are solving the root cause of the problem and are not just treating the symptoms. There are numerous methods to determine root causes – cause mapping, fishbone diagrams, etc. For me, the easiest is to use the Five Whys. Ask a question and to each answer ask Why? again. Doing this for five times should get you to the root cause of the problem, which may be very different from what appeared to initially be the problem.
To read the full, original article click on this link: 8 (Almost) Fundamentals of Problem Solving | David Shedd's Blog
Author: David Shedd
