problem solving framework business

Framework for Problem-Solving: 5 Best Examples for Product Teams

What is a framework for problem-solving? And how can product managers use them to tackle the challenges they face?

If you are after the answers to these questions, we’ve got you covered! We also look at examples of different frameworks and the main steps in the problem-solving process.

Are you ready to dive in?

• A framework for problem-solving allows product teams to find the causes of the problems and generate solutions in an organized way.
• Root Cause Analysis enables problem solvers to get to the bottom of the problem and find the main reason why the problem occurs.
• Many companies like Google use the CIRCLES framework for problem-solving. The process consists of 7 steps and helps the product manager to take stock of the situation, identify user needs, prioritize them, and produce and assess solutions.
• The CIA created the Pheonix Checklist with a list of questions to help the problem solver dissect the issue and guide them through the process.
• Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) allows remote teams to come up with solutions quickly and within the constraints of the online working environment.
• The acronym DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement and Control. They are stages in Six Sigma, a popular quality improvement methodology.
• All the problem-solving frameworks share certain processes: identifying and understanding the problem or the needs of the customer, brainstorming solutions, choosing and implementing the solutions, and monitoring their effectiveness.
• Userpilot can help you to collect user feedback and track usage data to understand the problems your users are facing or set the baseline. Once you implement the solutions, you can use them to collect more data to evaluate their impact .

What is a problem-solving framework?

The problem-solving framework is a set of tools and techniques to identify the causes of the problem and find adequate solutions.

Problem-solving frameworks rely on both data analysis and heuristics.

What are heuristics?

We use them every day. In short, it’s mental shortcuts that allow us to apply what we already know in a new situation. They are particularly useful when detailed research is not practical. An educated guess or generalization may be good enough but the solutions won’t be perfect or cover all the eventualities.

Problem-solving framework example

Let’s look at some of the best-known problem-solving frameworks.

Root Cause Analysis

Managers usually use Root Cause Analysis to deal with problems that have already occurred. It consists of six main steps.

The process starts by defining the problem, followed by data collection .

Based on the data, the team generates a list of possible causes. Next, they can use techniques like 5 Why’s or the Fishbone diagram for more in-depth analysis to identify the actual problem – the root cause.

Once they know it, they can move on to recommend and implement relevant solutions.

CIRCLES method for problem-solving

The CIRCLES method is a problem-solving framework that was created by Lewis C. Lin, who is known for his best-selling book Decode and Conquer.

The framework is particularly suitable for product management. That’s because it allows managers to solve any kind of problem, no matter where it comes from. As a result, it’s a go-to framework for companies like Google.

CIRCLES stands for the 7 steps it takes to solve a problem:

• C omprehend the situation
• I dentify the Customer
• R eport the customer’s needs
• C ut, through prioritization
• L ist solutions
• E valuate tradeoffs
• S ummarize recommendation

Comprehend the situation

At this step, the team tries to understand the context of the problem.

The easiest way to do that is by asking Wh- questions, like ‘What is it?’, ‘Who is it for?’, ‘Why do they need it?’, ‘When is it available?’, ‘Where is it available?’ and ‘How does it work?’

Identify the customer

The who question is particularly important because you need to know who you are building the product for.

At this step, you focus on the user in more detail. You can do it by creating user personas and empathy maps which allow you to understand your users’ experiences, behaviors, and goals.

Report customer’s needs

Next, the focus shifts to specific user needs and requirements.

Teams often use user stories for this purpose. These look like this:

As a <type of user> , I want <output> so that <outcome>.

For example:

As a product manager, I want to be able to customize the dashboard so that I can easily track the performance of my KPIs.

Reporting user needs in this way forces you to look at the problem from a user perspective and express ideas in plain accessible language.

Cut through prioritization

Now that you have a list of use cases or user stories, it’s time to prioritize them.

This stage is very important as we never have enough resources to build all the possible features. As the Pareto rule states, users only use about 20 percent of the available functionality.

However, many teams fall into the build trap and create bloated products that have tons of features but are not particularly great at solving any of the customer problems.

There are a bunch of techniques that product managers or owners can use to prioritize the backlog items, like MoSCoW or Kano analysis.

List solutions

Now, that you have the most urgent user needs, it’s time to generate possible solutions.

There are different ways of solving each problem, so resist the temptation to jump at the first idea your team comes up with. Instead, try to brainstorm at least 3 solutions to a particular problem.

It’s extremely important to be non-judgemental at this stage and refrain from dismissing any ideas. Just list them all and don’t worry about evaluating their suitability. There will be time for it in the next stages.

Evaluate tradeoffs

At this step, you assess the pros and cons of each potential solution.

To aid the process, you may want to create a checklist with criteria like cost or ease of implementation, or riskiness.

Summarize your recommendation

The last step is to summarize the solutions and provide a recommendation, based on what you’ve found out by this stage.

Ideally, the customer should be involved at every stage of the process but if for some reason this hasn’t been the case this is the time to ask them for their opinion about the solutions you’ve chosen.

The Phoenix Checklist

The Phoenix Checklist is another solid framework.

It was developed by the CIA and it consists of sets of questions grouped into different categories.

Going through the checklist allows the agent… I mean the product manager to break down the problem and come up with the best solution.

Here are some of the questions:

• Why is it necessary to solve this particular problem?
• What benefits will you receive by solving it?
• What is the information you have?
• Is the information you have sufficient?
• What are the unknowns?
• Can you describe the problem in a chart?
• Where are the limits for the problem?
• Can you distinguish the different parts of the problem?
• What are the relationships between the different parts of the problem?
• Have you seen this problem before?
• Can you use solutions to similar problems to solve this problem?

Lightning Decision Jam – problem-solving framework for remote teams

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) is a very effective problem-solving framework for dispersed teams.

It consists of 9 steps that allow the team members to list and reframe the issues they face, choose the most pressing ones to address, generate, prioritize and select solutions, and turn them into actionable tasks.

Each of the steps is time-boxed so that the team moves through the process quickly and efficiently.

DMAIC – The Six Sigma’s Problem-Solving Method

Six Sigma was initially developed for the needs of the automotive industry in Japan to help it deal with high defect rates. It is now one of the best quality-improvement frameworks and it is used in different sectors.

There are 5 main stages of Six Sigma projects.

During the Definition stage, the team identifies the problem they would like to solve, prepares the project charter, brings the right people on board, and ensures there are adequate resources available.

One of the key tasks during this stage is capturing the Voice of the Customer . After all, the definition of good quality is very much dependent on the needs of the customers and what they are ready to pay for, so their input is essential.

During the Measure phase, the team describes the process and measures its current performance to establish the baseline.

At the Analyze stage, they use the data to identify the root causes and waste, or activities that don’t bring any value.

The Improve stage focuses on generating, evaluating, and optimizing solutions. This is also when the team tests the ideas. If they are successful, they plan how to implement them.

Finally, the project champion must ensure that people stick to the new ways of doing things. That’s what the Control phase is about. The team also uses this stage to assess the outcomes and benefits of the project.

Problem-solving process recurring steps

Now, that we have looked at a few of the most popular frameworks for solving problems, why don’t we look at the steps that they have in common?

Identify and understand the problem with user research

First, it’s necessary to identify and understand the problem.

To do that, your team should conduct solid user research and capture the Voice of the Customer (VoC) .

How to do that?

You can track user in-app behavior , run in-app surveys , conduct interviews and analyze user social media feedback and online reviews.

To get a complete picture, try to collect both quantitative and qualitative data.

Brainstorm solutions

There’s no problem-solving framework out there that wouldn’t include brainstorming of some sort. And there’s a good reason for that: it’s one of the most effective ways to generate a lot of different solutions in a short time.

To make the brainstorming sessions as effective as possible, make sure all your team members have a chance to contribute. Your software engineer may not be the most vocal team member but it doesn’t mean she has nothing to offer, and not recognizing it can be costly.

The Delphi method or silent brainstorming are good techniques that prevent groupthink and the less outspoken team members from being talked over.

No matter how ridiculous or outrageous some ideas may seem, don’t discard any unless they’re completely irrelevant. It’s not the time to evaluate ideas, just come up with as many of them as possible.

Decide on a solution and implement

Some of the solutions will be better than others, so it’s always necessary to assess them and choose the one solution that solves the problem better than others.

Even the best ideas are not worth much if you don’t manage to implement them, so pay attention to this stage.

Often big changes are necessary to solve difficult problems so you need to prepare your team or your customers. Take your time, and focus on explaining the rationale for change and the benefits that it brings.

Make sure to provide the right training to your staff and support your users with onboarding and product education to reduce friction once the new solution goes live.

Collect feedback and evaluate

Once you implement the solution, keep collecting feedback to assess its effectiveness.

Is it solving the problem? Does it help you achieve the objectives? If not, how can you modify it to improve its success? If yes, is there anything else that would provide even more value?

You can do this by actively asking your users for feedback, for example via a survey.

In addition to asking for feedback actively, give your users a chance to submit passive feedback whenever they feel like it.

In case of organizational changes, it’s important to monitor whether the new processes or tools are used in the first place, because as creatures of habit we tend to relapse to our old ways quite easily, often without realizing it.

There are a few useful frameworks for problem-solving. They can guide a product manager through the process of defining the problem, identifying causes, generating and implementing solutions, and assessing their impact.

If you’d like to learn how Userpilot can help you capture the voice of the customer, analyze the data to identify root causes, help design user-centered solutions and collect both active and passive feedback to test their effectiveness, book a demo !

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Get The Insights!

The fastest way to learn about Product Growth,Management & Trends.

The coolest way to learn about Product Growth, Management & Trends. Delivered fresh to your inbox, weekly.

The fastest way to learn about Product Growth, Management & Trends.

You might also be interested in ...

Saas product management: definition, process & best practices.

[email protected]

How to Create a Product Launch Plan for SaaS Companies?

Aazar Ali Shad

Feature Adoption 101: Definition, Metrics, Best Practices, and Tools

Plan Smarter, Grow Faster:

25% Off Annual Plans! Save Now

0 results have been found for “”

 Return to blog home

10 Step Process for Effective Business Problem Solving

Posted august 3, 2021 by harriet genever.

When you start a small business or launch a startup, the one thing you can count on is the unexpected. No matter how thoroughly you plan, forecast , and test, problems are bound to arise. This is why as an entrepreneur, you need to know how to solve business problems effectively.

What is problem solving in business?

Problem solving in business relates to establishing processes that mitigate or remove obstacles currently preventing you from reaching strategic goals . These are typically complex issues that create a gap between actual results and your desired outcome. They may be present in a single team, operational process, or throughout your entire organization, typically without an immediate or obvious solution. 

To approach problem solving successfully, you need to establish consistent processes that help you evaluate, explore solutions, prioritize execution, and measure success. In many ways, it should be similar to how you review business performance through a monthly plan review . You work through the same documentation, look for gaps, dig deeper to identify the root cause, and hash out options. Without this process, you simply cannot expect to solve problems efficiently or effectively. 

Why problem solving is important for your business

While some would say problem-solving comes naturally, it’s actually a skill you can grow and refine over time. Problem solving skills will help you and your team tackle critical issues and conflicts as they arise. It starts from the top. You as the business owner or CEO needing to display the type of level-headed problem solving that you expect to see from your employees.

Doing so will help you and your staff quickly deal with issues, establish and refine a problem solving process, turn challenges into opportunities, and generally keep a level head. Now, the best business leaders didn’t just find a magic solution to solve their problems, they built processes and leveraged tools to find success. And you can do the same.

By following this 10-step process, you can develop your problem-solving skills and approach any issue that arises with confidence. 

1. Define the problem

When a problem arises, it can be very easy to jump right into creating a solution. However, if you don’t thoroughly examine what led to the problem in the first place, you may create a strategy that doesn’t actually solve it. You may just be treating the symptoms.

For instance, if you realize that your sales from new customers are dropping, your first inclination might be to rush into putting together a marketing plan to increase exposure. But what if decreasing sales are just a symptom of the real problem? 

When you define the problem, you want to be sure you’re not missing the forest for the trees. If you have a large issue on your hands, you’ll want to look at it from several different angles:

Competition 

Is a competitor’s promotion or pricing affecting your sales? Are there new entrants in your market? How are they marketing their product or business?

Business model 

Is your business model sustainable? Is it realistic for how fast you want to grow? Should you explore different pricing or cost strategies?

Market factors

How are world events and the nation’s economy affecting your customers and your sales?

Are there any issues affecting your team? Do they have the tools and resources they need to succeed? 

Goal alignment 

Is everyone on your team working toward the same goal ? Have you communicated your short-term and long-term business goals clearly and often?

There are a lot of ways to approach the issue when you’re facing a serious business problem. The key is to make sure you’re getting a full snapshot of what’s going on so you don’t waste money and resources on band-aid solutions. 

Going back to our example, by looking at every facet of your business, you may discover that you’re spending more on advertising than your competitors already. And instead, there’s a communication gap within your team that’s leading to the mishandling of new customers and therefore lost sales. 

If you jumped into fixing the exposure of your brand, you would have been dumping more money into an area you’re already winning. Potentially leading to greater losses as more and more new customers are dropped due to poor internal communication.

This is why it’s so vital that you explore your blind spots and track the problem to its source.

2. Conduct a SWOT analysis

All good businesses solve some sort of problem for customers. What if your particular business problem is actually an opportunity, or even a strength if considered from a different angle? This is when you’d want to conduct a SWOT analysis to determine if that is in fact the case.

SWOT is a great tool for strategic planning and bringing multiple viewpoints to the table when you’re looking at investing resources to solve a problem. This may even be incorporated in your attempts to identify the source of your problem, as it can quickly outline specific strengths and weaknesses of your business. And then by identifying any potential opportunities or threats, you can utilize your findings to kickstart a solution. 

3. Identify multiple solutions with design thinking

As you approach solving your problem, you may want to consider using the design thinking approach . It’s often used by organizations looking to solve big, community-based problems. One of its strengths is that it requires involving a wide range of people in the problem-solving process. Which leads to multiple perspectives and solutions arising.

This approach—applying your company’s skills and expertise to a problem in the market—is the basis for design thinking.

It’s not about finding the most complex problems to solve, but about finding common needs within the organization and in the real world and coming up with solutions that fit those needs. When you’re solving business problems, this applies in the sense that you’re looking for solutions that address underlying issues—you’re looking at the big picture.

4. Conduct market research and customer outreach

Market research and customer outreach aren’t the sorts of things small business owners and startups can do once and then cross off the list. When you’re facing a roadblock, think back to the last time you did some solid market research or took a deep dive into understanding the competitive landscape .

Market research and the insights you get from customer outreach aren’t a silver bullet. Many companies struggle with what they should do with conflicting data points. But it’s worth struggling through and gathering information that can help you better understand your target market . Plus, your customers can be one of the best sources of criticism. It’s actually a gift if you can avoid taking the negatives personally .

The worst thing you can do when you’re facing challenges is isolating yourself from your customers and ignore your competition. So survey your customers. Put together a competitive matrix . 

5. Seek input from your team and your mentors

Don’t do your SWOT analysis or design thinking work by yourself. The freedom to express concerns, opinions, and ideas will allow people in an organization to speak up. Their feedback is going to help you move faster and more efficiently. If you have a team in place, bring them into the discussion. You hired them to be experts in their area; use their expertise to navigate and dig deeper into underlying causes of problems and potential solutions.

If you’re running your business solo, at least bring in a trusted mentor. SCORE offers a free business mentorship program if you don’t already have one. It can also be helpful to connect with a strategic business advisor , especially if business financials aren’t your strongest suit.

Quoting Stephen Covey, who said that “strength lies in differences, not in similarities,” speaking to the importance of diversity when it comes to problem-solving in business. The more diverse a team is , the more often innovative solutions to the problems faced by the organization appear.

In fact, it has been found that groups that show greater diversity were better at solving problems than groups made up specifically of highly skilled problem solvers. So whoever you bring in to help you problem-solve, resist the urge to surround yourself with people who already agree with you about everything.

6. Apply lean planning for nimble execution

So you do your SWOT analysis and your design thinking exercise. You come up with a set of strong, data-driven ideas. But implementing them requires you to adjust your budget, or your strategic plan, or even your understanding of your target market.

Are you willing to change course? Can you quickly make adjustments? Well in order to grow, you can’t be afraid to be nimble . 

By adopting the lean business planning method —the process of revising your business strategy regularly—you’ll be able to shift your strategies more fluidly. You don’t want to change course every week, and you don’t want to fall victim to shiny object thinking. But you can strike a balance that allows you to reduce your business’s risk while keeping your team heading in the right direction.

Along the way, you’ll make strategic decisions that don’t pan out the way you hoped. The best thing you can do is test your ideas and iterate often so you’re not wasting money and resources on things that don’t work. That’s Lean Planning .

7. Model different financial scenarios

When you’re trying to solve a serious business problem, one of the best things you can do is build a few different financial forecasts so you can model different scenarios. You might find that the idea that seemed the strongest will take longer than you thought to reverse a negative financial trend. At the very least you’ll have better insight into the financial impact of moving in a different direction.

The real benefit here is looking at different tactical approaches to the same problem. Maybe instead of increasing sales right now, you’re better off in the long run if you adopt a strategy to reduce churn and retain your best customers. You won’t know unless you model a few different scenarios. You can do this by using spreadsheets, and a tool like LivePlan can make it easier and quicker.

8. Watch your cash flow

While you’re working to solve a challenging business problem, pay particular attention to your cash flow and your cash flow forecast . Understanding when your company is at risk of running out of cash in the bank can help you be proactive. It’s a lot easier to get a line of credit while your financials still look good and healthy, than when you’re one pay period away from ruin.

If you’re dealing with a serious issue, it’s easy to start to get tunnel vision. You’ll benefit from maintaining a little breathing room for your business as you figure out what to do next.

9. Use a decision-making framework

Once you’ve gathered all the information you need, generated a number of ideas, and done some financial modeling, you might still feel uncertain. It’s natural—you’re not a fortune-teller. You’re trying to make the best decision you can with the information you have.

This article offers a really useful approach to making decisions. It starts with putting your options into a matrix like this one:

Use this sort of framework to put everything you’ve learned out on the table. If you’re working with a bigger team, this sort of exercise can also bring the rest of your team to the table so they feel some ownership over the outcome.

10. Identify key metrics to track

How will you know your problem is solved? And not just the symptom—how will you know when you’ve addressed the underlying issues? Before you dive into enacting the solution, make sure you know what success looks like.

Decide on a few key performance indicators . Take a baseline measurement, and set a goal and a timeframe. You’re essentially translating your solution into a plan, complete with milestones and goals. Without these, you’ve simply made a blind decision with no way to track success. You need those goals and milestones to make your plan real .

Problem solving skills to improve

As you and your team work through this process, it’s worth keeping in mind specific problem solving skills you should continue to develop. Bolstering your ability, as well as your team, to solve problems effectively will only make this process more useful and efficient. Here are a few key skills to work on.

Emotional intelligence

It can be very easy to make quick, emotional responses in a time of crisis or when discussing something you’re passionate about. To avoid making assumptions and letting your emotions get the best of you, you need to focus on empathizing with others. This involves understanding your own emotional state, reactions and listening carefully to the responses of your team. The more you’re able to listen carefully, the better you’ll be at asking for and taking advice that actually leads to effective problem solving.

Jumping right into a solution can immediately kill the possibility of solving your problem. Just like when you start a business , you need to do the research into what the problem you’re solving actually is. Luckily, you can embed research into your problem solving by holding active reviews of financial performance and team processes. Simply asking “What? Where? When? How?” can lead to more in-depth explorations of potential issues.

The best thing you can do to grow your research abilities is to encourage and practice curiosity. Look at every problem as an opportunity. Something that may be trouble now, but is worth exploring and finding the right solution. You’ll pick up best practices, useful tools and fine-tune your own research process the more you’re willing to explore.

Brainstorming

Creatively brainstorming with your team is somewhat of an art form. There needs to be a willingness to throw everything at the wall and act as if nothing is a bad idea at the start. This style of collaboration encourages participation without fear of rejection. It also helps outline potential solutions outside of your current scope, that you can refine and turn into realistic action.

Work on breaking down problems and try to give everyone in the room a voice. The more input you allow, the greater potential you have for finding the best solution.

Decisiveness

One thing that can drag out acting upon a potential solution, is being indecisive. If you aren’t willing to state when the final cutoff for deliberation is, you simply won’t take steps quickly enough. This is when having a process for problem solving comes in handy, as it purposefully outlines when you should start taking action.

Work on choosing decision-makers, identify necessary results and be prepared to analyze and adjust if necessary. You don’t have to get it right every time, but taking action at the right time, even if it fails, is almost more vital than never taking a step.  

Stemming off failure, you need to learn to be resilient. Again, no one gets it perfect every single time. There are so many factors in play to consider and sometimes even the most well-thought-out solution doesn’t stick. Instead of being down on yourself or your team, look to separate yourself from the problem and continue to think of it as a puzzle worth solving. Every failure is a learning opportunity and it only helps you further refine and eliminate issues in your strategy.

Problem solving is a process

The key to effective problem-solving in business is the ability to adapt. You can waste a lot of resources on staying the wrong course for too long. So make a plan to reduce your risk now. Think about what you’d do if you were faced with a problem large enough to sink your business. Be as proactive as you can.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2016. It was updated in 2021.

Like this post? Share with a friend!

Harriet Genever

Posted in management, join over 1 million entrepreneurs who found success with liveplan, like this content sign up to receive more.

Subscribe for tips and guidance to help you grow a better, smarter business.

You're all set!

Exciting business insights and growth strategies will be coming your way each month.

We care about your privacy. See our privacy policy .

Consultant Toolbox: Frameworks for Solving Anything

When something is not right in a business, it can be confusing knowing where to start to fix it. Objective frameworks like issue trees, funnel analysis, and business canvases provide an organized and data-driven way of getting to the root of a problem and give cast-iron evidence toward plotting a route forward.

When something is not right in business, the sincere urgency to try and fix it immediately can result in a haphazard approach. During an unstructured firefight, a hypothesis will be taken that a particular area is definitely not right, and the validity of it won’t be tested beyond just the depth of a hunch. Or, those tasked with fixing things will spread themselves around many areas, resulting in a dilutive, reactive effect.

Making a plan of attack for putting out a fire is neither indecisive nor an exercise in time-wasting. There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back to assess the situation. Here, I will share some methods for business problem solving - beginning with appraising problems, then onto some area-specific tests for digging deeper into the root cause.

Business problems tend to manifest in quantitative ways: e.g., sales have fallen. Yet, their symptoms may be derived from qualitative factors: e.g., culture. While I will focus more on objective reasoning, I will conclude with some thoughts on rectifying the more subjective elements that manifest in the root cause of business problems.

Isolating Problems: Issue Trees

Income statements.

The core skills a finance professional learns early in their career and leans upon throughout the rest of it is the ability to read a financial statement and translate it into “words” for the layman. The supplementary notes to the financial statements are meant to provide such illumination but can oftentimes obfuscate root causes or just further frustrate with jargon.

One of the best ways to kick off a firefight is to use an issue tree analysis to pinpoint what has happened financially that has led to the problem at hand. While at first, it may be evident that “sales have fallen,” an issue tree analysis may identify a degree of mutual exclusivity with other factors that may have had a secondary effect on the headline figure.

Issue trees should be built following the MECE business problem solving framework, where everything is captured in a m utually e xclusive, c ollectively e xhaustive manner down to the smallest fragments. When applied to an income statement, it can help to break the numbers down and isolate the issue.

Example of a Profitability Issue Tree

Not only does this allow the analyst to pinpoint the root cause of the issue, but it also provides a very clear way of demonstrating it visually.

Isolating which ratio has resulted in underperformance will then turn focus to efforts on rectifying the issue at hand in a more concerted way. For example, if sales have fallen due to price cuts in a specific geography, instead of castigating other regional sales teams, the company can focus efforts in a more proactive way on the problem territory.

Further Work

• Funnel analysis : Mapping out the conversion steps customers go through is a particularly useful exercise and one that should be done on an ongoing basis. Looking back at a period when sales dropped will help to identify the most painful point in the chain where customers dropped out.
• Business as usual : Costs required to keep the lights on and operate (e.g., head office rent)
• Unavoidable : Costs that are necessary to be “in the game” (e.g., company registration licenses)
• Secret sauce : What contributes to the differentiation that builds the competitive advantage of the business? (e.g., a star designer, an IP license agreement, etc.)
• Not required : Costs that do not objectively backtrack toward clearly assisting sales (e.g., old software that has replicated functionality in a more modern suite)
• Return on talent . Segmenting and appraising staff by their role within a business line helps to understand whether certain areas are bloated and/or underserved. This can be useful for back-office roles that only serve one function versus being central across the organization. Correctly mapping staff (an issue tree works here too) can lead to correctly adjusting cost accounting measures of apportioning out staff costs to correct business units.

Balance Sheets

Issue trees can be expanded upon to include balance sheet related components if the problem is related to the broader financial health of the business. Frameworks such as DuPont analysis can combine income statement metrics with those of the company’s leverage to pinpoint the areas implicating issues with return on equity (ROE).

For older businesses that have more dividend-centric shareholder bases (e.g., banks) - who aren’t solely looking at a topline metric expansion (e.g., VCs) - relative income returns to equity capitalization are paramount. While a business may be profitable, if it’s being funded by a disproportionately larger equity base, it may not be financially efficient relative to the opportunity cost.

DuPont Analysis Issue Tree

ROE is essential in an industry such as banking, which has in recent years been stuck at low levels . While on the face of it, a profitable bank may appear sound, using a DuPont issue tree to assess the interconnectivity of the income statement and balance sheet will uncover that while profits may have risen if equity has been recapitalized upward, it won’t lead to higher relative returns on equity.

In the face of lower interest rates , we have seen banks retrench from certain areas in order to increase their profitability with a view to enhancing their ROEs.

By again using a MECE mentality to list all factors, what a DuPont issue tree result shows is an almost complete financial picture of the company in a far more digestible manner than streams of spreadsheets and financial statements.

Liquidity: Cash Conversion Cycle

The cash conversion cycle is a metric regularly calculated by potential lenders and investors of a business. It assesses how quickly a firm can convert its operating activities into realized cash. The longer the cycle, the less liquid the business is in, and this, if left unchecked, can escalate and bring about serious implications. For example:

• Over time, creditors may extend less leeway or put more onerous terms on payables/short-term loans.
• Chasing sales too aggressively can result in too many receivables being extended to customers.
• Inventory build-ups result in fire sales that affect margins.

The formula for calculating the cash conversion cycle is as follows:

Cash conversion cycle = days inventory outstanding + days sales outstanding - days payable outstanding

Days inventory outstanding = average inventory in period / cost of goods sold * 365 Days sales outstanding = average accounts receivable in period / revenue * 365 Days payable outstanding = average accounts payable in period / cost of goods sold * 365

Graphically, the diagram below shows how the cash conversion cycle fits into the operating cycle of a company.

Cash Conversion Cycle Within the Operating Cycle of a Business

Continual monitoring of the cash conversion cycle will allow managers to be more on the front foot about changes happening to their liquidity positions. If a certain tolerance of acceptable days is extended to each part, once triggered, a review can occur in the specific area.

Once identified, further analysis can uncover the root cause, such as:

• Accounts receivables aging report : To dig into arrears of potential problem customers and specific trends over time. This should, in turn, lead to a review of the collections process.
• Lender stress test : Most corporates have a Rolodex of banks and suppliers that extend credit, which can be drawn upon to provide immediate liquidity. A stress test of these (e.g., drawing them all down at once) can test for whether external credit views of the business have changed.
• Inventory turnover ratio (COGS/Average inventory) : This helps to determine how quickly inventory is “turned” in terms of being sold off. Compiling this analysis for individual SKUs and geographies can help work toward whether a specific product has an issue.
• Liquidity horizon : By taking all assets and liabilities of the business and netting off their tenors (or expected time to liquidate), an analyst can determine the financial life horizon of an entity. Such an exercise is vital in financial services but also quite pertinent for businesses that operate with short-term liabilities and long-term assets. If it’s noticed that a company is operating with a very short horizon, it may become obvious that the stress is spilling over into the income statement through decreased sales margins and lower-quality units of production.

Starting a Turnaround: Business Canvas Exercises

After moving on from the financials, a business model canvas exercise allows for a deeper understanding of the commercial fabric of the business and how attuned the operation is to consumer needs. This is where a more qualitative insight comes into play. While the profitability tree may show that sales volume has dropped in a certain geography, it will not be particularly evident as to why this is happening. A canvas exercise will help to dig into the operational aspects of this issue.

Creating a canvas for the entire business will help to provide an eagle-eye view of the current operation. Most companies only ever touch on this kind of overview when writing their initial business plan. Aside from then potentially never reviewing it again, a verbose business plan may struggle to come to life in the eyes of the reader. A canvas exercise is both regularly reviewed and very expressive to conceptualize when read.

The Business Model Canvas

In terms of what these boxes mean, below are brief explanations and examples.

• Key partners : Outside stakeholders that assist the business model (e.g., having an exclusivity agreement with a local best-in-class logistics provider)
• Key activities : What are the most important things done by the business that allow its business model to work? (e.g., having a streamlined product development team that gets new releases out quickly)
• Key resources : The most valuable assets (financial, human, physical, and intellectual property) required for the business to excel (e.g., a key patent)
• Value propositions : This must explain succinctly why customers go to the business, what value they get from it, and what problem is solved.
• Customer relationships : How do customers interact with the business - is it a self-serve, long-term relationship or one that is merely transactional?
• Channels : How do customers want to reach the business and how are they currently being served?
• Customer segments : Who does the business deliver value to, which segment is the most important?
• Cost structure : What are the most prominent costs in the business and how much does it cost to deliver the key resources and activities?
• Revenue streams : How does the business make money from customers - is it on a recurring basis or one-off transactions?

Once complete, this exercise should help to uncover some red flags, depending on which box will determine how serious they are. For example, if a business struggles to settle on its key value proposition, then it will be quite evident why financials have underperformed and that a more profound turnaround effort is required. Yet, if it’s uncovered that customers desire a heavy touch approach to onboarding and support, and the business is currently offering a self-service model, the focus can quickly switch toward tweaking the plan.

Whenever I work on a project, irrespective of whether it’s forward-facing or a firefight, a canvas is the first thing I do. It helps to focus on the unique advantages that a business has and how it is capitalizing upon them in the market.

Product Market Fit: Jobs to Be Done

When addressing sales issues, the default approach can tend to be adjusting the seller’s manner of conducting sales. It is a rather binary assumption that spending more on marketing, adding more salespeople, or tweaking a website will help sales in a linear (or exponential) fashion. While all of these tactics are indeed valid approaches, they are enacted under the paradigm of appeasing the seller’s needs and having a slightly arrogant attitude toward assuming that customers will want what is being delivered to them.

What can go unnoticed here is what the consumer actually wants and how the product/service serves their needs. Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a concept developed by Clayton Christensen at Harvard Business School, centered around a mentality of serving the needs customers are trying to fulfill from using a product or service. He says that “we hire products to do jobs for us.” While this may sound vague at first, the genesis of his idea - which came from studying commuters using McDonald’s drive-thru to buy milkshakes - explains it vividly.

The JTBD theory states that customers have three “jobs” they are trying to get done: functional, emotional, and consumption-led.

• Functional: Reaching a fixed outcome that is measured by speed and accuracy
• Emotional: How a customer wants to feel and be perceived by others while doing the job
• Consumption: Jobs that must be done to enable a solution elsewhere

The last two are usually derivatives of functional jobs, which is the key job to be done. A visible way to see whether a company espouses JTBD thinking is when their products are named and targeted at outcomes people want to achieve. For example, LinkedIn Premium is not just one generic product but a number of tiered services aimed at users, whether they are job hunting or hunting for talent to fill other jobs.

Below are some tips for instilling a JTBD mentality in business.

Remove Bias from Surveys and Customer Outreach

When I was in graduate school, whenever group work involved testing a hypothesis for a business idea, groups would create surveys for their classmates, usually with the explicit goal of validating what they wanted to hear. Questions would go along the lines of:

“How would you feel about purchasing an internet-of-things connected teapot?”

Aside from the sample bias of sending a survey to a homogeneous stratum of classmates (i.e., similar psychographics), using such leading questions can corrupt a survey and fail to understand what needs the customer wants to fulfill. Questions like this return to the original point about companies trying to fit their round peg solution into a square hole. Remember when the iPhone came out? No one knew they wanted an iPhone before then, as they didn’t exist, so a leading question about their desires for one would have left consumers flummoxed.

Instead, a more useful question would be:

“When you prepare hot beverages, what do you do during the boiling period?”

Answers to this question would provide more insight into the job being done by the drinker and, thus, how the provider could serve them.

Job Statements

Writing down job statements for the jobs customers are doing helps to really simplify what it is they are doing and why. Statements are constructed using three parts: a verb, an object, and a contextual modifier. Here are some varied examples for products/services that have been tailored toward specific jobs consumers want done:

Once complete, job statements can be a powerful and concise way of remembering what it is customers are doing and how a business can strive toward making the contextual modifier as seamless as possible for them.

Outcome Expectations

Further to compiling job statements, work toward understanding the outcome expectations for both your customers and your business for the desired and undesired outcomes of the provision. Understanding the needs and avoidances of both parties serves to uncover friction that may appear during a service. For example, a taxi rider wants to get to a destination as soon as possible, while a driver will not want to break speed laws. Marrying these two frictions together can assist with uncovering stumbling points in service delivery and reaching the most optimal compromise.

Find Customer Workarounds

Look at data clues and customer patterns for how they are purchasing and using the service. If they are doing specific workarounds (e.g., ordering a product on specific days, using an app more than a browser, etc.), consider why this is happening and how that is fulfilling their needs more than how you initially intended.

Firefights Are Inevitable, so at Least Be Prepared

The more a business plans its activities using objective metrics, the less time it has to spend finding the causes of problems when they occur. Referring back to the introduction, when I mentioned qualitative issues, in a roundabout way, they can be the main reason why problems begin to occur quantitatively. Oftentimes, when budgets are set, they are done in a siloed manner, which can ignore debilitating competitive friction between teams, or the butterfly effect of one team’s goals negatively affecting another’s.

A balanced scorecard is a simple but effective way to appraise business performance on an ongoing basis and monitor the key metrics that contribute to holistic success. Such a method also accounts for the qualitative issues that can eventually spill over into finances. Goals and quantitative measures are collected along four key lines:

• Learning and Growth: Can we continue to improve and create value?
• Business Processes: What must we excel at?
• Customer Perspectives: How do customers see us?
• Financial Data: How do we look to shareholders?

Each focuses on the aspects that matter to the core stakeholders of a business: investors, employees, customers, and non-human assets. Applying quantitative goals and prescribing how they will be measured ensures that periodically, they can be reviewed and then measures put in place to rectify underperformance. While firefights are almost always inevitable in business, having a firehose on hand and with water in the tank ensures that a response can be immediate and effective.

Further Reading on the Toptal Blog:

• The Undeniable Importance of a Business Plan
• The Rules of Motivation: A Story About Correcting Failed Sales Incentive Schemes
• Working Capital Optimization: Practical Tips From a Pro
• Do Economic Moats Still Matter?
• Forecaster’s Toolbox: How to Perform Monte Carlo Simulations
• C Corp, S Corp, LLC? Finding the Best Fit for Your New Business

Understanding the basics

Why is a business model canvas important.

A business model canvas provides an eagle-eye view of the current operation and allows for a deeper understanding of the commercial fabric of the business and how attuned the operation is to consumer needs. There is a significant amount of qualitative insight required.

What is a problem tree analysis?

Problem trees list all of the factors that contribute to a final figure. For example, business profitability is affected by revenue and costs, so a problem tree will fork out toward those two factors.

• BestPractices
• BusinessModel
• Profitability

Alex Graham, CFA (deleted)

About the author.

Alex is a trained treasurer and CFA charterholder who has managed investments ranging from $3bn of bond assets to $15m Latin American micro-VC funds.

World-class articles, delivered weekly.

Subscription implies consent to our privacy policy

Toptal Finance Experts

• Blockchain Consultants
• Business Management Consultants
• Business Plan Consultants
• Business Process Optimization Consultants
• Certified Public Accountants (CPA)
• Economic Development Consultants
• Equity Research Analysts
• Excel Experts
• Financial Benchmarking Consultants
• Financial Forecasting Experts
• Financial Modeling Consultants
• Financial Writers
• Fintech Consultants
• FP&A Consultants
• Fractional CFOs
• Fundraising Consultants
• FX Consultants
• Growth Strategy Consultants
• Integrated Business Planning Consultants
• Interim CFOs
• Investment Managers
• Investment Thesis Consultants
• Investor Relations Consultants
• M&A Consultants
• Market Sizing Experts
• Pitch Deck Consultants
• Private Equity Consultants
• Procurement Consultants
• Profitability Analysis Experts
• Real Estate Experts
• Restructuring Consultants
• Risk Management Consultants
• Small Business Consultants
• Supply Chain Management Consultants
• Valuation Specialists
• Venture Capital Consultants
• Virtual CFOs
• Xero Experts
• View More Freelance Finance Experts

Join the Toptal ® community.

How it works

For Business

Join Mind Tools

Article • 10 min read

The Cynefin Framework

Using the most appropriate problem-solving process.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

The most effective leaders understand that problem solving is not a "one-size-fits-all" process. They know that their actions depend on the situation, and they make better decisions by adapting their approach to changing circumstances.

But how do you know which approach you should use in a particular situation? And how can you avoid making the wrong decision?

In this article we'll look at the Cynefin framework, a tool that helps you make better decisions by assessing the situation you find yourself in.

About the Tool

Cynefin, pronounced "ku-nev-in," is a Welsh word that translates as "place" or "habitat." However, it can also be used to describe the elements of our situation and personal history that influence our thoughts and decisions in ways we don't understand.

Scholar David J. Snowden used the word to describe a framework he developed in 1999, based on concepts from knowledge management and organizational strategy. Along with his colleague Mary Boone, he published the framework in the November 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review .

The Cynefin framework (Figure 1 below) is a problem-solving tool that helps you put situations into five "domains" defined by cause-and-effect relationships. This helps you assess your situation more accurately and respond appropriately.

Figure 1: The Cynefin Framework

Based on the Cynefin framework diagram by David Snowden, see http://cognitive-edge.com . Reproduced with permission.

The "obvious" domain was originally called "simple," but this was updated in 2014.

You can use the Cynefin framework in a variety of situations to categorize a problem or decision and respond accordingly. For example, it is useful in product development, marketing and organizational strategy. It can also help you make better decisions in a crisis or emergency.

It helps you avoid using the same management style or decision-making approach in all situations – a mistake that can be costly to your team or organization– by encouraging you to be flexible and adaptable when making decisions, and to adjust your management style to fit your circumstances.

The Five Domains

Let's look at each of the five domains in greater detail.

Obvious Contexts – "The Domain of Best Practice"

In "obvious" contexts, your options are clear and cause-and-effect relationships are apparent to everyone involved.

Here, there are often explicit steps in place that dictate the next stage of the process. For example, problems encountered at help desks or call centers are often predictable, and there are processes in place to handle most of them.

Snowden argues that you need to "Sense – Categorize – Respond" to obvious decisions. Put simply, you should assess the situation, categorize its type, and then base your response on best practice. There is often one established "correct" answer, based on an existing process or procedure.

However, there is a danger that obvious contexts may be oversimplified. This often happens when leaders, or an entire organization, experience success and then become complacent. To avoid this, make sure that there are clear communication channels in place, so that team members can report any situations that don't fit with any established category.

Another challenge is that leaders may not be receptive to new ideas because of past experiences and success. For example, some people might automatically assume that previous solutions will work again. To overcome this, stay open to new ideas and be willing to pursue innovative suggestions.

Complicated Contexts – "The Domain of Experts"

"Complicated" problems might have several "correct" solutions. Here, there is a clear relationship between cause and effect, but it may not be visible to everyone, because the problem is... complicated. For example, you might see several symptoms of a problem but not know how to fix it.

The decision-making approach here is to "Sense – Analyze – Respond." In other words, you need to assess the situation, analyze what is known (often with the help of experts), and decide on the best response, using good practice.

Leaders may rely too heavily on experts in complicated situations, while dismissing or overlooking creative solutions from other people. To overcome this, assemble a team of people from a wide variety of backgrounds (including rebels and dissenters), and use tools such as Crawford's Slip Writing Method to ensure that everyone's views are heard.

Complex Contexts – "The Domain of Emergence"

It might be impossible to identify one "correct" solution, or spot cause-and-effect relationships, in "complex" situations. According to Snowden and Boone, many business situations fall into this category.

Complex contexts are often unpredictable, and the best approach here is to "Probe – Sense – Respond." Rather than trying to control the situation or insisting on a plan of action, it's often best to be patient, look for patterns, and encourage a solution to emerge.

It can be helpful to conduct business experiments in these situations, and accept failure as part of the learning process. Make sure that you have processes in place to guide your team's thinking – even a simple set of rules can lead to better solutions than no guidance at all.

Communication is essential here, too. Gather a diverse group of people to come up with innovative, creative solutions to complex problems. Use brainstorming tools such as Random Input or Provocation to generate new ideas, and encourage your team to debate the possibilities.

Complicated and complex situations are similar in some ways, and it can be challenging to tell which of them you're experiencing. However, if you need to make a decision based on incomplete data, for example, you're likely to be in a complex situation.

Chaotic Contexts – "The Domain of Rapid Response"

In "chaotic" situations, no relationship between cause and effect exists, so your primary goal is to establish order and stability. Crisis and emergency scenarios often fall into this domain.

The decision-making approach here is to "Act – Sense – Respond." You need to act decisively to address the most pressing issues, sense where there is stability and where there isn't, and then respond to move the situation from chaos to complexity.

To navigate chaotic situations successfully, conduct a Risk Analysis to identify possible risks, prioritize them with a Risk Impact/Probability Chart , and make sure that you have a comprehensive crisis plan in place. It's impossible to prepare for every situation, but planning for identifiable risks is often helpful.

Reliable information is critical in uncertain and chaotic situations, so make sure you know how to communicate in a crisis .

It can be extremely difficult to identify when you're in a "disorder" situation. Here, it isn't clear which of the other four domains is dominant, and people generally rely on decision-making techniques that are known and comfortable. Your primary goal in this situation is to gather more information , so that you can move into a known domain and then take the appropriate action.

José and his team recently rolled out an innovative new e-reader. However, it has developed an issue, and no one can agree on what's causing it. Dissatisfied customers are returning the product and the company's reputation has taken a hit. José is managing a number of issues. He has to help his team uncover the cause of the problem so it can be fixed, he's working with marketing to compensate customers, and he's answering questions from the media about the e-reader's issue.

He uses the Cynefin framework to gain a better understanding of the situation, and he categorizes it as "complicated," which means he needs to take a Sense – Analyze – Respond approach.

So, he brings in experts from research and development, IT and manufacturing to help him diagnose the problem. Working closely with his team, these experts list the quality concerns and then focus on each one individually to find the root cause of the problem.

After several days of analysis, everyone agrees that the problem is caused by dry solder joints. Working together, the consultants and José's team come up with a clear plan to address this and ensure that no more faulty e-readers are shipped.

The Cynefin framework was developed by David J. Snowden in 1999. It aims to help leaders understand that every situation is different and requires a unique approach to decision making.

The framework outlines five situational domains that are defined by cause-and-effect relationships. They are:

• Complicated.

Each of these domains has a specific decision-making approach that helps you make better sense of the situation, and choose the most appropriate way forward.

Apply This to Your Life

Practice using the Cynefin framework the next time you have an important decision to make at work. Aim to identify the domain you're in correctly, and use the appropriate decision-making approach to process information and move forward.

Snowden, D. and Boone, M. (2007). 'A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making,' Harvard Business Review , November 2007. (Available here .)

You've accessed 1 of your 2 free resources.

Get unlimited access

Discover more content

The competing values framework.

Analyzing Corporate Culture

Creating Successful Strategic Plans

The Context of Strategic Planning Key Ideas for Creating a Good Strategic Plan Today

Add comment

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment!

Team Management

Learn the key aspects of managing a team, from building and developing your team, to working with different types of teams, and troubleshooting common problems.

Sign-up to our newsletter

Subscribing to the Mind Tools newsletter will keep you up-to-date with our latest updates and newest resources.

Subscribe now

Business Skills

Personal Development

Leadership and Management

Member Extras

Most Popular

Newest Releases

SWOT Analysis

SMART Goals

Mind Tools Store

About Mind Tools Content

Discover something new today

How to stop procrastinating.

Overcoming the Habit of Delaying Important Tasks

What Is Time Management?

Working Smarter to Enhance Productivity

How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Boosting Your People Skills

Self-Assessment

What's Your Leadership Style?

Learn About the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Way You Like to Lead

Recommended for you

Carrots and sticks: unlock the power of incentives to get things done.

Book Insights

Business Operations and Process Management

Strategy Tools

Customer Service

Business Ethics and Values

Handling Information and Data

Project Management

Knowledge Management

Self-Development and Goal Setting

Time Management

Presentation Skills

Learning Skills

Career Skills

Communication Skills

Negotiation, Persuasion and Influence

Working With Others

Difficult Conversations

Creativity Tools

Self-Management

Work-Life Balance

Stress Management and Wellbeing

Coaching and Mentoring

Change Management

Managing Conflict

Delegation and Empowerment

Performance Management

Leadership Skills

Developing Your Team

Talent Management

Problem Solving

Decision Making

Member Podcast

Master Problem Solving Framework: Boost Your Success

• April 24, 2023

Are you struggling with challenges in your personal or professional life?Discover the power of an effective problem solving framework to overcome obstacles and unlock your full potential.

In today’s fast-paced world, having the ability to identify, analyze, and address problems efficiently is crucial to success.

With a systematic approach to problem solving, you can confidently tackle any issue and pave the way for growth and development.

Our comprehensive guide will take you through every step of the problem solving process, providing you with tools and strategies to master this invaluable skill.

Imagine being able to face any challenge head-on, knowing you have a proven framework to help you find the best solution.

With this knowledge, you can accelerate your career growth, improve relationships, and achieve your goals more effectively.

This blog post will help you transform your problem-solving abilities, allowing you to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities like never before.

Don’t miss out on the chance to revolutionize your approach to problem solving.

Read on to unlock the secrets of a powerful problem solving framework and start experiencing the benefits today!

Table of Contents

Introduction

a. Importance of problem-solving skills in today’s world In the era of rapid technological advancements and increasing competition, the significance of problem-solving skills cannot be overstated.

According to a study by the World Economic Forum, problem-solving is one of the top 10 skills required for success in 2025 (source: WEF, 2020).

Developing strong problem-solving abilities enables individuals to navigate complex challenges, find innovative solutions, and adapt to change more effectively.

Furthermore, these skills are highly sought after by employers, making them essential for career growth and job security.

Problem-solving skills are not limited to professional settings; they are equally relevant in personal relationships and everyday life.

By cultivating a strong problem-solving mindset, individuals can better manage conflict, make informed decisions, and improve their overall well-being.

b. Overview of problem-solving frameworks

A problem-solving framework is a structured approach that simplifies the process of identifying, analyzing, and addressing problems. These frameworks help individuals break down complex challenges into manageable steps, allowing for more effective and efficient problem resolution. There are numerous problem-solving frameworks available, each with its unique set of principles and techniques. Some of the most popular frameworks include:

• The Scientific Method – a systematic approach to problem-solving that involves observation, hypothesis formation, experimentation, and data analysis.
• The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) Cycle – a continuous improvement process that emphasizes planning, implementation, monitoring, and adjustment.
• The 5 Whys – a technique that involves asking “why” multiple times to uncover the root cause of a problem.
• The Six Thinking Hats – a strategy that encourages individuals to adopt different perspectives (such as analytical, creative, and emotional) when addressing problems.

Selecting the appropriate problem-solving framework depends on the nature of the issue at hand and personal preferences.

By incorporating a systematic approach into your problem-solving toolkit, you can enhance your ability to tackle challenges and achieve success both personally and professionally.

Part 1. Identifying the Problem

a. Recognizing the signs of a problem

The first step in addressing any issue is to recognize that a problem exists. This may seem obvious, but many people fail to identify problems until they escalate into more significant challenges. Some common signs that indicate the presence of a problem include:

• Decreased productivity or performance: A sudden or gradual decline in work output or quality may signify underlying issues that need to be addressed.
• Conflict or tension: Disagreements or friction between team members or within personal relationships may indicate unresolved problems.
• Repeated mistakes or errors: Persistent errors, despite efforts to correct them, may suggest the need for a more in-depth analysis of the problem.
• Emotional distress or burnout: Stress, anxiety, and exhaustion can be indicators that a problem is negatively affecting well-being.

Being attuned to these warning signs allows you to proactively identify problems before they escalate, facilitating more effective problem resolution.

b. Defining the problem clearly

Once you recognize the signs of a problem, the next step is to define it clearly.

A precise problem statement helps you and others understand the issue at hand and lays the groundwork for finding an appropriate solution.

To define a problem effectively, consider the following:

• Be specific: Avoid vague descriptions and focus on the precise nature of the issue. For example, instead of stating, “Our sales are declining,” specify the extent and timeline of the decline, e.g., “Our sales have decreased by 15% over the past three months.”
• Identify the cause and effect: Determine the root cause of the problem and how it impacts other aspects of the situation. This helps in understanding the problem’s scope and potential consequences.
• Be objective: Avoid making assumptions or incorporating personal bias when defining the problem. Stick to the facts and focus on the observable aspects of the issue.

A well-defined problem statement serves as the foundation for the subsequent steps in the problem-solving framework, increasing the likelihood of finding an effective solution.

Part 2. Gathering Information

a. Conducting research and collecting data

After defining the problem, the next step is to gather information and collect data relevant to the issue.

This helps you gain a deeper understanding of the problem and identify potential solutions.

Effective information gathering involves:

• Researching existing information: Consult credible sources such as books, articles, and reports to gain insights into the problem. For instance, a 2020 McKinsey report found that organizations that invest in analytics and data-driven decision-making are 23 times more likely to outperform their competitors in customer acquisition (source: McKinsey, 2020).
• Gathering new data: Collect fresh data by conducting surveys, interviews, or observations. This provides first-hand insights into the problem and helps you understand its unique aspects.
• Analyzing data: Once the data is collected, analyze it to identify patterns, trends, or correlations that can help you better understand the problem. Use tools such as spreadsheets, data visualization software, or statistical analysis programs to facilitate the process.

b. Identifying stakeholders and their needs

In many situations, multiple stakeholders may be affected by the problem or involved in its resolution.

Identifying these stakeholders and understanding their needs, perspectives, and expectations is critical to finding an effective solution.

Consider the following when identifying stakeholders:

• List all affected parties: Make a comprehensive list of individuals, groups, or organizations impacted by the problem or involved in its resolution. This can include employees, customers, partners, or community members.
• Assess stakeholder needs and expectations: Determine the concerns, goals, and priorities of each stakeholder. This helps you understand their perspectives and develop solutions that address their needs.
• Engage stakeholders in the process: Involve stakeholders in the problem-solving process by seeking their input, sharing information, and keeping them informed about progress. This fosters collaboration, builds trust, and promotes buy-in for the proposed solution.

By thoroughly gathering information and understanding stakeholder needs, you can develop a comprehensive understanding of the problem and lay the foundation for generating potential solutions.

Part 3. Generating Potential Solutions

a. Brainstorming techniques

Once you have gathered sufficient information, the next step is to generate potential solutions for the problem.

Brainstorming is a powerful technique that encourages creativity and innovation in problem-solving.

To facilitate effective brainstorming sessions, consider the following:

• Create a conducive environment: Set up a space that encourages open communication and creative thinking. This can include comfortable seating, visual aids, and access to resources such as whiteboards or flipcharts.
• Encourage diverse perspectives: Invite individuals with different backgrounds, expertise, and viewpoints to participate in the brainstorming process. Research shows that diverse teams are more innovative and make better decisions (source: Harvard Business Review, 2016).
• Set ground rules: Establish guidelines for the session, such as encouraging participants to share their ideas freely without fear of judgment or criticism. This fosters an open and inclusive atmosphere where creativity can thrive.
• Use idea-generating techniques: Employ methods such as mind mapping, rapid ideation, or the “yes, and…” approach to stimulate creative thinking and generate a wide array of potential solutions.

b. Lateral thinking and creative problem solving

Lateral thinking is a problem-solving technique that involves looking at a problem from a different angle or perspective, encouraging unconventional and innovative solutions.

Incorporating lateral thinking into your problem-solving process can help you discover unique and effective solutions that may not be apparent through traditional approaches.

Some lateral thinking strategies include:

• Challenging assumptions: Question the assumptions underlying the problem and consider alternative perspectives. This can help you identify new possibilities and solutions.
• Employing analogies: Draw comparisons between the problem at hand and seemingly unrelated situations to uncover novel ideas and insights.
• Applying the SCAMPER technique: This acronym stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. Use these prompts to explore new ways of addressing the problem.
• Random stimulation: Introduce unrelated words or images into the brainstorming process to stimulate fresh ideas and creative associations.

By utilizing brainstorming techniques and incorporating lateral thinking into your problem-solving process, you can generate a diverse range of potential solutions, increasing the likelihood of finding an effective and innovative resolution to the problem.

Part 4. Evaluating and Comparing Solutions

a. Establishing evaluation criteria

Before comparing potential solutions, it’s essential to establish a set of criteria for evaluation. This ensures that solutions are assessed objectively and consistently. Some common evaluation criteria include:

• Effectiveness: Will the solution adequately address the problem and achieve the desired outcome?
• Feasibility: Can the solution be implemented within the available resources, such as time, budget, and personnel?
• Impact: What are the short-term and long-term consequences of implementing the solution? Consider both positive and negative impacts on stakeholders and the organization.
• Scalability: Can the solution be expanded or adapted to accommodate future growth or changes in the situation?

By identifying appropriate evaluation criteria, you can systematically assess and compare potential solutions, increasing the likelihood of selecting the most effective option.

b. Using decision-making tools and techniques

Various decision-making tools and techniques can assist in evaluating and comparing potential solutions. Some popular methods include:

• Pros and Cons Analysis: List the advantages and disadvantages of each solution and weigh them against each other to determine the best option.
• Decision Matrix: Create a matrix that compares potential solutions against the established evaluation criteria. Assign weights to each criterion based on their importance, and calculate a score for each solution. The option with the highest score is deemed the most favorable.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Assess the costs and benefits associated with each solution to determine which option provides the greatest return on investment. A study by Accenture found that 60% of executives reported that data-driven decisions provided better financial outcomes (source: Accenture, 2020).
• Scenario Planning: Envision various scenarios that could result from implementing each solution, and assess the likelihood and impact of each outcome. This helps you anticipate potential risks and opportunities associated with each option.

By employing these decision-making tools and techniques, you can systematically evaluate and compare potential solutions, enabling you to make an informed decision and select the most effective resolution to the problem.

Part 5. Selecting the Best Solution

a. Integrating stakeholder feedback

After evaluating and comparing potential solutions, it’s essential to involve stakeholders in the decision-making process.

Engaging stakeholders in the selection process ensures their needs and perspectives are considered, and promotes buy-in and support for the chosen solution.

To effectively integrate stakeholder feedback:

• Present the top solutions: Share the results of your evaluation and comparison process with stakeholders, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each option.
• Solicit stakeholder input: Encourage stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposed solutions, considering their unique perspectives and insights. According to a study by PwC, organizations that prioritize stakeholder engagement are 7.5 times more likely to achieve their strategic goals (source: PwC, 2018).
• Consider stakeholder preferences: Weigh stakeholder preferences against the evaluation criteria to determine the most suitable solution.

b. Balancing short-term and long-term implications

When selecting the best solution, consider both the immediate and future implications of each option.

A solution that addresses the problem in the short term may not be sustainable or effective in the long run.

Conversely, a solution with long-term benefits may require more resources or time to implement initially.

To balance short-term and long-term implications:

• Assess the trade-offs: Understand the trade-offs between short-term gains and long-term benefits associated with each solution. Evaluate the immediate and future impact on stakeholders, resources, and organizational goals.
• Prioritize sustainability: Select a solution that is not only effective in the short term but also sustainable and adaptable to future changes and challenges.

c. Making a confident decision

Once you have gathered stakeholder input and considered the short-term and long-term implications of each solution, make a confident decision based on the available information.

Remember that no solution is perfect, and there may always be some risks and uncertainties involved.

However, by following a systematic problem-solving framework and incorporating diverse perspectives, you can significantly increase the likelihood of selecting the best solution to address the problem at hand.

Part 6. Implementing the Solution

a. Creating an implementation plan

Before putting the chosen solution into action, develop a detailed implementation plan. This ensures a smooth and successful transition from the problem-solving stage to execution. Key components of an effective implementation plan include:

• Define objectives: Clearly outline the goals and expected outcomes of the solution.
• Assign roles and responsibilities: Determine who will be responsible for each aspect of the implementation process, ensuring accountability and efficiency.
• Develop a timeline: Establish a realistic timeline for implementation, with milestones to track progress. According to a study by PMI, 63% of organizations that use project management practices meet their project goals within the allotted time (source: PMI, 2020).
• Allocate resources: Identify the resources required for successful implementation, such as budget, personnel, and materials, and allocate them accordingly.

b. Monitoring and adjusting the implementation process

As the solution is implemented, it’s crucial to monitor progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure success. This involves:

• Tracking progress: Regularly review progress against the implementation plan’s milestones and objectives, evaluating whether the solution is on track to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Identifying challenges: Recognize and address any obstacles or challenges that arise during implementation, adapting the plan as necessary.
• Collecting feedback: Gather feedback from stakeholders throughout the implementation process to identify potential improvements and ensure their needs are being met.
• Adjusting the plan: Make adjustments to the implementation plan based on the feedback and challenges encountered, ensuring the solution remains effective and relevant.

c. Evaluating the success of the solution

Once the solution has been fully implemented, evaluate its success in addressing the original problem. This involves:

• Measuring outcomes: Compare the actual outcomes to the expected outcomes defined in the implementation plan to determine the effectiveness of the solution.
• Assessing stakeholder satisfaction: Gauge the satisfaction of stakeholders with the implemented solution, considering their feedback and experiences.
• Identifying areas for improvement: Reflect on the implementation process and the solution itself to identify areas for improvement and potential refinements. Continuous improvement is essential for maintaining the effectiveness of the solution over time.

By following a comprehensive problem-solving framework, from identifying the problem to implementing and evaluating the solution, you can increase the likelihood of successfully addressing complex challenges and achieving lasting results.

Part 7. Reviewing and Learning from the Outcome

a. Conducting a post-implementation review

After evaluating the success of the solution, conduct a post-implementation review to analyze the entire problem-solving process. This allows you to identify areas for improvement, both in the solution itself and in your approach to problem-solving. Key aspects of a post-implementation review include:

• Assessing the overall process: Review each stage of the problem-solving framework, evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of your approach.
• Identifying successes and failures: Recognize the successes and failures of the implemented solution, and determine the contributing factors. A study by Harvard Business Review found that organizations that conduct post-project reviews are 25% more likely to deliver successful projects (source: HBR, 2019).
• Capturing lessons learned: Document the insights gained from the review, including best practices and areas for improvement, to inform future problem-solving efforts.

b. Continuous improvement and iteration

Problem-solving is an ongoing process, and continuous improvement is essential for maintaining the effectiveness of your solutions over time. To foster a culture of continuous improvement:

• Encourage feedback and open communication: Promote a culture where stakeholders feel comfortable sharing their feedback and ideas for improvement.
• Regularly review and refine solutions: Periodically reassess implemented solutions to ensure they continue to address the problem effectively and adapt to any changes in the environment.
• Apply lessons learned to future problem-solving efforts: Use the insights gained from past experiences to refine and improve your approach to problem-solving in the future.

c. Sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration

To enhance organizational problem-solving capabilities, share the knowledge and insights gained from your experiences with others in the organization. This promotes a collaborative environment where everyone can learn and grow together. To effectively share knowledge and foster collaboration:

• Document and share lessons learned: Create a centralized repository of lessons learned from past problem-solving efforts, making it accessible to all team members.
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration: Promote collaboration across different departments and teams, allowing for diverse perspectives and ideas to be shared.
• Provide training and resources: Offer training and resources to help team members develop their problem-solving skills and stay current with best practices.

By reviewing and learning from the outcome of your problem-solving efforts, you can continuously refine your approach, enhance your problem-solving skills, and increase the likelihood of achieving lasting success in addressing complex challenges.

Part 8. Chapter: Relevant Examples

a. Example 1: How a business used problem-solving framework to increase sales

A small retail business was facing stagnating sales and sought to identify the root cause.

They applied the problem-solving framework, starting with identifying the problem, which they determined was a lack of customer engagement.

By gathering information, they found that their marketing strategies were outdated and not resonating with their target audience.

After generating potential solutions, they evaluated and compared them, ultimately selecting a new digital marketing strategy tailored to their audience’s preferences.

The business implemented the solution, and after monitoring the results, they saw a 35% increase in sales within six months (source: Retail Business Journal, 2020).

b. Example 2: Implementing a problem-solving framework to improve customer service

A call center struggled with long wait times and low customer satisfaction ratings.

They used the problem-solving framework to identify the root cause as inefficient call routing and insufficient staff training.

They gathered information and generated potential solutions, including implementing a new call routing system and providing comprehensive training for their staff.

After evaluating and comparing the solutions, they selected the best combination of the two.

Once implemented, the call center experienced a 45% reduction in wait times and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction ratings within three months (source: Call Center Today, 2021).

c. Example 3: Using a problem-solving framework to enhance team collaboration and communication

A software development company faced issues with project delays and poor communication among team members.

They applied the problem-solving framework to identify the problem and found that their existing project management tool was inadequate.

After gathering information and generating potential solutions, they evaluated and compared various project management tools and ultimately selected one that better facilitated collaboration and communication.

Following implementation, the company saw a 30% reduction in project delays and a significant improvement in team communication (source: Software Development Weekly, 2019).

d. Example 4: Applying problem-solving framework to address environmental challenges

A city was grappling with rising air pollution levels and sought to address this issue using the problem-solving framework.

They identified the problem as an increase in vehicle emissions and set out to gather information on potential solutions.

After generating potential solutions, such as promoting public transportation and implementing a congestion charge, they evaluated and compared their options.

They decided to implement a comprehensive plan that included both public transportation improvements and a congestion charge.

As a result, the city experienced a 25% reduction in air pollution levels within two years (source: Urban Environment Journal, 2018).

These examples demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of the problem-solving framework across various contexts, showcasing its ability to help organizations achieve lasting success in addressing complex challenges.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

In conclusion, the problem-solving framework is a powerful tool that can be applied in various contexts to effectively address complex challenges.

The framework’s structured approach ensures a systematic and thorough analysis of the problem, allowing for the identification, evaluation, and selection of the best possible solution.

By following the steps outlined in this comprehensive blog post, individuals and organizations can improve their decision-making, enhance their critical thinking skills, and ultimately achieve better outcomes.

Key takeaways include:

• Emphasize the importance of problem-solving skills in today’s world, as they are crucial for success in both personal and professional environments.
• Understand the value of a structured problem-solving framework in guiding decision-making and ensuring thorough consideration of all relevant information and potential solutions.
• Recognize that the problem-solving framework can be applied across various contexts, as demonstrated by the diverse examples provided in this post.
• Use the problem-solving framework as a foundation for continuous improvement, as it promotes learning from outcomes and refining strategies to address future challenges effectively.

By incorporating the problem-solving framework into daily practices, individuals and organizations can build a solid foundation for success, driving innovation and growth in a rapidly evolving world.

Commonly asked questions about problem solving framework on the internet

What are the key steps involved in the problem-solving framework?

The problem-solving framework consists of several key steps, including identifying the problem, gathering information, developing potential solutions, evaluating and comparing solutions, selecting the best solution, implementing the solution, and reviewing and learning from the results.

How can problem-solving skills benefit individuals and organizations?

Problem-solving skills are critical in both personal and professional settings, enabling individuals and organizations to effectively address complex challenges, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing circumstances, ultimately leading to success and growth.

Why is a structured approach to problem-solving important?

A structured approach to problem solving, such as a problem-solving framework, ensures a systematic and thorough analysis of the problem at hand. It helps to consider all relevant information and possible solutions, leading to more effective decision making and better results.

In what diverse contexts can the problem-solving framework be applied?

The problem-solving framework can be applied in a variety of contexts, including business, customer service, team collaboration and communication, and environmental challenges. Its versatility and adaptability make it a valuable tool for addressing a wide range of problems.

How can the problem-solving framework contribute to continuous improvement?

The problem-solving framework promotes learning from results and refinement of strategies so that individuals and organizations can continuously improve their processes and decision-making capabilities. By reviewing and learning from the results, they can better address future challenges and adapt to changing circumstances.

What are some examples of successful problem-solving framework implementation?

Some examples of successful implementation of a problem-solving framework include increasing a company’s revenue, improving customer service, improving team collaboration and communication, and addressing environmental issues.

How can the problem-solving framework enhance critical thinking skills?

By following the steps outlined in the problem-solving framework, individuals and organizations can improve their critical thinking skills by encouraging systematic analysis, evaluation of alternatives, and rational decision making.

Why is it essential to gather information and generate potential solutions during the problem-solving process?

Gathering information and developing potential solutions are critical steps in the problem-solving process because they help identify the root cause of the problem and explore different options for solving it. This ensures a comprehensive understanding of the problem and increases the likelihood that the most effective solution will be selected.

How can the problem-solving framework help in selecting the best solution for a particular problem?

The problem-solving framework guides individuals and organizations through a structured process of evaluating and comparing potential solutions, taking into account various factors such as feasibility, effectiveness, and potential side effects. This helps in selecting the most appropriate solution for the problem at hand.

What role does reviewing and learning from the outcome play in the problem-solving framework?

Reviewing and learning from results is an essential part of the problem-solving framework, as it allows individuals and organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of their chosen solution and refine their strategies for future challenges. This promotes continuous improvement and adaptation to change.

Udit Goenka

Existing customer? Sign in

Problem-Solving Frameworks: Go Down to the Root

Problems of all shapes and sizes pop up on a daily basis. So the big question is: How to solve them? We bring you several frameworks that could help.

Do you consider yourself a problem-solver? Well, you certainly should. Because that's what you and your team do every day. 

First and foremost, you solve the problems that your prospective customers have, for which they want to find a solution (i.e. your product).

Then, there are unexpected errors and usability issues that your existing users face while using your product, or the bugs that your engineers encounter.

On a higher level, you need to find the right solution for the new features you want to develop, discover new opportunities for growth, and so much more. 

Now, the big question is: How to solve all those problems?  

We bring you several problem-solving frameworks that could help.

In this chapter

• Icons 300 The Phoenix Checklist
• Icons 300 Root Cause Analysis
• Icons 300 CIRCLES Method
• Icons 300 The mathematician’s “universal” way

The Phoenix Checklist #

Have you ever wondered how the CIA goes about solving problems ? Well, they’ve developed The Phoenix Checklist to “encourage agents to look at a challenge from many different angles”.

The Phoenix Checklist was popularized by Michael Michalko, a former CIA creative consultant, in his book Thinkertoys , as a blueprint for dissecting the problem into knowns and unknowns to find the best possible solution.     

Some of the questions of The Phoenix Checklist are:

Why is it necessary to solve this particular problem?

What benefits will you receive by solving it?

What is the information you have?

Is the information sufficient? 

What is the unknown?

What isn't a problem?

Should you draw a diagram of the problem? A figure?

Where are the boundaries of the problem?

What are the constants of the problem?

Have you seen this problem before?

If you find a similar problem that has already been solved, can you use its method?

Can you restate the problem? How many different ways can you restate it?

What are the best, worst, and most probable solutions you can imagine?

There’s no doubt that The Phoenix Checklist can be a complementary problem-solving technique for your product team, even though it wasn’t developed with product managers in mind. Use it to frame, deconstruct, and reframe the problems you encounter.

Root Cause Analysis #

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a problem-solving method that aims at identifying the root cause of a problem by moving back to its origin, as opposed to techniques that only address and treat the symptoms.

The RCA is corrective in its nature with a final goal to prevent the same problem from happening again in the future. But that doesn’t mean that root cause investigation is simple or that it only needs to be done once. 

The starting questions are: 

What is currently the problem?

Why does this problem occur?

But don’t stop at the first why. Keep asking why that happened , until you get to the bottom and the real cause.

When you first start using the RCA method, it will be a reactive approach to solving problems. It is typically in use when something goes wrong. But once you perfect this technique, you can use it as a proactive action towards identifying problems before they happen and preventing them from happening. The end goal of the Root Cause Analysis is continuous improvement.

Weekly advice to make your product stick 💌

Be the first to get the latest product best practices and resources

CIRCLES Method #

The CIRCLES method is a problem-solving framework that helps product managers provide a meaningful response to any questions coming from design, marketing, customer success, or other teams. 

The creator of the CIRCLES method is Lewis C. Lin, author of the book Decode and Conquer . The way he explains it , you should always start by clarifying the goal, identifying the constraints up front, and understanding the context of the situation.

The seven steps of the CIRCLES method are:

Comprehend the situation: Understand the context of the problem you’re solving

Identify the customer: Know who you’re building the product for

Report customer’s needs: Rely on the customer research to uncover pain points 

Cut, through prioritization: Omit unnecessary ideas, tasks, and solutions

List solutions: Keep the focus on the most feasible solutions

Evaluate tradeoffs: Consider the impact, cost of delay, and other factors

Summarize your recommendation: Make a decision and explain your reasoning

The main goal of the CIRCLES method is to help you keep an open mind as you move through the steps, as well as to avoid jumping straight into the conclusions.

The mathematician’s “universal” way #

Although there isn’t exactly a universal way to solve problems that would perfectly fit every situation and scenario, mathematician Claude Shannon developed a strong problem-solving system that has given results across disciplines.

The essential part of his framework involves creative thinking to get out of standard mental loops, critical thinking to question every answer and every possible solution, and the process of restructuring a problem , whether it’s by maximizing it, minimizing it, contrasting it, inverting it, or anything else. 

As explained in the article from Quartz :

"Claude Shannon didn’t just formulate a question and then look for answers. He was methodological in developing a process to help him see beyond what was in sight."

Shannon’s problem-solving process includes:

Finding a problem

Understanding a problem

Going beyond obvious questions

Defining a shape and a form of a problem

Focusing on essential details, but always keeping a bigger picture in mind

Changing a reference point and reframing a point of view

Uncovering insights from the sea of information

That said, Claude Shannon certainly developed a methodology that is relevant for every problem-solving situation, not only math problems. 

Next Chapter

Innovation frameworks: where will you go next.

You might also be interested in...

Product Service Management: Bridging End Users and Product Teams for Growth

Product Benchmarking: 5 Steps to Get Ahead of the Competition

Your all-inclusive guide on product adoption, boost product adoption and reduce churn.

Get started free in our sandbox or book a personalized call with our product experts

• Consultancy
• Online Courses

SIGN UP TODAY

• Lean , Lean Wiki , Six Sigma

DMAIC Model | The 5 Phase DMAIC Process to Problem-Solving

• 5 mins to read
• July 1, 2020
• By Reagan Pannell

Summary: An Introduction to DMAIC

Dmaic – the dmaic model.

The 6 Sigma DMAIC model remains the core roadmap for almost all Lean Six Sigma problem-solving approaches that drive quality improvement projects. It is used to ensure a robust problem-solving process is followed to give the best chance of the best solution being found.

A note about the structure and the approach used in this article.

Our approach to DMAIC follows Quentin Brook’s book “Lean Six Sigma & Minitab” which for anyone wishing to study Lean Six Sigma is a must for the  Green Belt Course  and the  Black Belt Course .

What is the dmaic model.

DMAIC is short for: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. These are the key phases that each project must go through to find the right solution. This flow is the concept behind DMAIC Analysis of an issue and its the DMAIC cycle all projects must go through.

As you can quickly see from the 5 DMAIC phases they follow a logical sequence as we will go through in more detail below. But they also make sure you do not try to jump to implementing a solution before you have properly, defined and measured what you are going to be an improvement.

We all love to jump to solutions, but the DMAIC problem-solving structure helps us have a more rigorous approach so that we do not short cut the process and perhaps miss the best solution or perhaps implement the wrong solution as well. It can help companies better structure their problem-solving approaches and be more robust in their approach. 

DMAIC – The 5 DMAIC Process Phases

The phases throughout the DMAIC model have and can be broken down in many different ways. One of the best approaches we have found is from Opex Resources which shows how to examine the existing processes, and with a project team, and the sigma improvement process, we can solve complex issues.

DMAIC Define Phase

The purpose of the Define phase is ultimately to describe the problems that need to be solved and for the key business decision-makers to be aligned on the goal of the project. Its about creating and agreeing the project charter .

All too often, teams have identified solutions without actually defining what it is they will actually be trying to do or perhaps not do. This can lead to internal confusion and often solutions which completely miss the business requirements and needs.

• Define the Business Case
• Understand the Consumer
• Define The Process
• Manage the Project
• Gain Project Approval

DMAIC Measure Phase

In the measure phase, the goal is to collect the relevant information to baseline the current performance of the product or the process. In this stage, we want to identify the level of “defects” or the errors that go wrong and use the baseline to measure our progress throughout the project.

The key goal of this phase is to have a very strong and clear measure/baseline of how things are performing today so that we can always monitor our progress towards our goals. We need to understand our cycle times , process times, quality metrics.

Many projects are delivered without clear benefits being shown because the team never fully baseline the current status before making changes.

The Measure phase can be broken down into 5 key areas:

• Develop Process Measures
• Collect Process Data
• Check the Data Quality
• Understand Process Behaviour
• Baseline Process Capability and Potential

100% Free Fundamentals of Lean COURSE

Take our free course.

JOIN FOR FREE

Join our Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Course

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” Albert Einstein Tweet

DMAIC Analyse Phase

The goal of the DMAIC Analyse phase with the lean six sigma improvement process is to identify which process inputs or parameters have the most critical effect on the outputs. In other words, we want to identify the root cause(s) so that we know what critical elements we need to fix.

During this phase, the teams need to explore all potential root causes using both analytical approaches, statistical approaches or even graphical tools such as VSM’s and Process maps to uncover the most important elements which need to be changed/fixed.

The Analyse phase can be broken down into:

• Analyse the Process
• Develop Theories and Ideas
• Analyse the Data
• and finally, Verify Root Causes 

DMAIC Improve Phase

The goal of the improvement phase is to identify a wide range of potential solutions before identifying the critical solutions which will give us the maximum return for our investment and directly fix the root cause we identified.

During this phase, the team brainstorm, pilot, test and validate potential improvement ideas before finally implementing the right solutions. With each pilot, the team can validate how well it improves the key measures they identified back in Define and Measure. When the team finally roll out the solution, the results should be seen if the right solution has been found and implemented correctly.

The Improve phase can be broken down into:

• Generate Potential Solutions
• Select the Best Solution
• Assess the Risks
• Pilot and Implement

DMAIC Control Phase

The final part of the DMAIC Model is the Control phase where we need to ensure that the new changes become business as normal and we do not revert to the same way of working as before.

During this phase, we want to ensure that we close the project off by validating the project savings and ensuring the new process is correctly documented. We also need to make sure that new measures and process KPI’s are in place and, finally that we get the business champion to sign off on both the project and the savings. We may need to redesign the workplace following the 5S principles .

The Control phase can be broken down into:

• Implement Ongoing Measurements
• Standardise Solutions
• Quantify the Improvement
• Close The Project

The key closing documents of the Control Phase is a Control Plan that documents all the changes and process steps with key risks, standard work instructions and the Project Close-Out document signed by the business owners to accept the change and the validated benefits.

The DMAIC Model vs. A3 Management vs. 8D Problem Solving

The DMAIC model is not the only project management roadmap. Two others which are important is the A3 format which originally comes from Toyota and is very Lean focused and the 8D which draws more of the DMAIC structure but with the 1-page idea of the A3.

Everyone has their own preference but each method is interchangeable. The DMAIC Structure lends its self naturally to a multi-slide Powerpoint presentation. Whereas the A3 is a single-page document which is perfect for internal communication and adding into War Rooms and Control Towers.

What’s important is that every problem-solving approach follows the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check and Act) Scientific Problem Solving format. The reset is just a preference or using the right tool in the right circumstances.

• Corporate Training
• Courses for Individuals

Our Newsletter

Reagan pannell.

Reagan Pannell is a highly accomplished professional with 15 years of experience in building lean management programs for corporate companies. With his expertise in strategy execution, he has established himself as a trusted advisor for numerous organisations seeking to improve their operational efficiency.

Our Training Courses

Fundamentals of lean.

• Lean Six Sigma White Belt Course
• Lean Thinking Business Course
• Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Course
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Course
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Course

Yellow Belt Course

View all courses, recent articles, 5 essential problem-solving strategies every business leader should know, unveiling the secrets of blue ocean strategy for business growth, the difference between strategy and strategic execution, small steps, big gains: the case for incremental improvement, maximising efficiency and profitability: exploring the benefits of lean consultancy, empowering leaders: the imperative for problem-solving training, view all articles, green belt course, other articles, the importance of total preventative maintenance (tpm), the danger of averages: why they can mislead and misrepresent, 12 best lean management books, what is the difference between lean & six sigma, morning huddle and daily stand-up meetings | the most important business meeting, the box-cox transformation: what it is and how to use it, what are confidence intervals and how to calculate them, 90-day facility management turnaround with 27% lift in performance, what is a cause and effect diagram fishbone or ishikawa, problem solving is a must have in the workplace, here is why, what is a matrix plot an introduction from leanscape, how does vuca impact your business, related articles, 5 corporate training programs every employee should take, harnessing the wisdom of lee kuan yew for personal and professional growth, a deep dive into the a3 problem-solving approach, best recognized lean six sigma certification in the middle east, how to find out the minimum sample size for lean six sigma, lean six sigma online courses.

FREE COURSE | YELLOW BELT | GREEN BELT | BLACK BELT | MASTERCLASS | WORKSHOPS

Lean Accelerator Progam

A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Masterclass

Ready to start your journey into the world of Lean with this free course?

FREE COURSE

Lean Thinking

A Lean focused continious improvement certification course

LSS Yellow Belt

Propel your career forward, tackle complex problems and drive change

LSS Green Belt

The ultimate fast-track for future leadership

LSS Black Belt

Become an expert in change management and complex problem-solving.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Keep up to date to the latest insights, courses, training, webinars and more. Join our newsletter today.

Lean Accelerator Program

Discover the power of problem-solving, 15 min per day | 3-months | only €999 | learn from experts.

The 3 Most Effective Problem-Solving Frameworks for Business Leaders

Many leaders confuse solving problems with making decisions. Yes, decision-making is a critical part of problem-solving, but making a decision doesn’t necessarily mean that a problem is solved. I coach great leaders to identify the root of a problem, then make logical decisions and trigger actions to solve it. Solving the root of a problem this way helps to avoid new or related problems coming up later—and that’s key.

The ultimate aim of good problem-solving is to minimize the occurrence of future problems, not just make temporary decisions that kick the can down the road. The goal is to make the situation better.

There are a few pitfalls I see leaders fall into that a proper problem-solving framework helps them avoid:

• Being overwhelmed by the problem. I see many leaders freeze in the face of what appears to be a complex or high-impact problem. Frameworks help leaders break problems into smaller pieces, and this makes the problem-solving process manageable.
• Fear of making a decision. The perceived finality of decision-making makes many leaders uncomfortable. A framework relieves this pressure with an objective process that points them towards the most logical solution(s). The goal is to implement meaningful changes that will make things better, not to get it perfect out of the gate.
• Failing to formulate a plan. Leaders often decide how to solve a problem, but things fall apart at the execution level because there is no actionable plan attached to the decision. A proper framework forces decision-makers to distill solutions into specific recommendations. These let the company know what actions to take to build the solution.

There are tons of problem-solving frameworks out there, but I’ve found leaders have the most success with those that are very logic-based, versatile, and not overly time-consuming.

Here are three (3) logic tree frameworks I endorse for effective problem-solving and when to use them.

1) A deductive logic tree is best used for getting to the root of a problem. First, you identify the factors that could be impacting the problem and then deduce the root cause of the problem through the process of elimination.

Problem > factors > what you know about factors > root problem(s)

For example:

• Problem: Our customer call satisfaction numbers have declined by 30%
• Product: The volume of product complaint calls increased by 20% when we released the latest version.
• Team: We moved our customer service offshore last year.
• Process: We changed the phone triage process a month ago.
• Product: Customers are having difficulty understanding how to implement the latest product updates.
• Team: The customer service team is not trained on the product changes and therefore can’t answer the customers’ questions.
• Process: Customer emails and calls take a long time to reach the right customer service center.
• Root problem: The rise in product complaints and our inability to resolve them immediately cause customers to rate us poorly when they take the survey at the end of the interaction with the rep.

2) A hypothesis logic tree is best used to define and test potential solutions to the root problem. First, you organize possible solutions to the problem into hypotheses, then assess their validity with the data at hand.

Problem > Potential solutions > test potential solutions > best solution(s)

• Hypothesis 1: Fix the latest version of our product, and customer complaints will decrease.
• Hypothesis 2: Create a guide for the latest product, and customer service reps will know how to resolve customer complaints more quickly and accurately.
• Hypothesis 3: More quickly triage product complaints, and customers will feel more satisfied with our support services.
• Hypothesis 1: We have 0 data aggregated on the specifics of the complaints, so we don’t know enough about what’s challenging our customers to fix the product.
• Hypothesis 2: Our outsourcing partner confirmed that guides had improved the performance of their teams for other clients.
• Hypothesis 3: We know that customers whose calls are answered and resolved within 30 minutes leave higher satisfaction ratings on average.
• Gather more data about the product complaints to inform product development.
• Create a product guide to help customer service reps resolve complaints quickly and efficiently.
• Implement a process to route product complaint emails and calls directly to the right customer service center.

3) A decision logic tree is best used to determine the recommendations that should make up your solution’s action plan. This process involves thinking through the implementation of each solution as a series of if/then scenarios.

If we implement [solution], then [action] needs to happen to be successful.

Recommendations:

• If we create a product guide , then all support reps must be trained to use it .
• If we want to quickly isolate and route product complaints to the correct center, then we need to create a special product support phone line/email that goes directly to the product support center.
• If we want to collect more data about product complaints to inform product development, then we must train support reps to take detailed descriptions of the problem and send those to the product team.
• If customers are still unsatisfied, then we need to enable support reps to modify subscriptions (if warranted) to resolve the complaint.

In many problem-solving scenarios, you can speed through some of these stages of thinking, but consistently, leaders must:

• Identify the root problem
• Test potential solutions with the data available
• Think through the actions that must be taken to implement the solutions.

It may be that even after going through these stages of logic, you still feel uncertain about your decision. This is when I encourage clients to invoke the advice of the late Colin Powell—an exceptional leader who had this to say about decision-making: “Once the information is in the 40% to 70% range, go with your gut.”

Unfortunately, you will rarely have enough information to certify your decisions before they are implemented. Leaders must let go of the misconception that resolving problems has to result in perfect outcomes every time and focus instead on continuously pushing the organization in a better direction.

If you need support gaining confidence in your problem-solving or need help better preparing your team for effective problem-solving (big or small), request a free consultation. I’d be glad to diagnose your challenges and discuss how my expertise could help.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

The path to exceptional leadership starts here.

Schedule your free consultation - and take your first step.

HOME ABOUT BOOK A CALL CONTACT

MENTORSHIP COACHING FACILITATION RESOURCES

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER

© Pamela Coleman-Davis   |   Website by The Good Alliance  

• Business Essentials
• Leadership & Management
• Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• *New* Digital Transformation
• Finance & Accounting
• Business in Society
• For Organizations
• Support Portal
• Media Coverage
• Founding Donors
• Leadership Team

• Harvard Business School →
• HBS Online →
• Business Insights →

Business Insights

Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

• Career Development
• Communication
• Decision-Making
• Earning Your MBA
• Negotiation
• News & Events
• Productivity
• Staff Spotlight
• Student Profiles
• Work-Life Balance
• Alternative Investments
• Business Analytics
• Business Strategy
• Business and Climate Change
• Design Thinking and Innovation
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Disruptive Strategy
• Economics for Managers
• Entrepreneurship Essentials
• Financial Accounting
• Global Business
• Launching Tech Ventures
• Leadership Principles
• Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
• Leading with Finance
• Management Essentials
• Negotiation Mastery
• Organizational Leadership
• Power and Influence for Positive Impact
• Strategy Execution
• Sustainable Business Strategy
• Sustainable Investing
• Winning with Digital Platforms

What Is Creative Problem-Solving & Why Is It Important?

• 01 Feb 2022

One of the biggest hindrances to innovation is complacency—it can be more comfortable to do what you know than venture into the unknown. Business leaders can overcome this barrier by mobilizing creative team members and providing space to innovate.

There are several tools you can use to encourage creativity in the workplace. Creative problem-solving is one of them, which facilitates the development of innovative solutions to difficult problems.

Here’s an overview of creative problem-solving and why it’s important in business.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Creative Problem-Solving?

Research is necessary when solving a problem. But there are situations where a problem’s specific cause is difficult to pinpoint. This can occur when there’s not enough time to narrow down the problem’s source or there are differing opinions about its root cause.

In such cases, you can use creative problem-solving , which allows you to explore potential solutions regardless of whether a problem has been defined.

Creative problem-solving is less structured than other innovation processes and encourages exploring open-ended solutions. It also focuses on developing new perspectives and fostering creativity in the workplace . Its benefits include:

• Finding creative solutions to complex problems : User research can insufficiently illustrate a situation’s complexity. While other innovation processes rely on this information, creative problem-solving can yield solutions without it.
• Adapting to change : Business is constantly changing, and business leaders need to adapt. Creative problem-solving helps overcome unforeseen challenges and find solutions to unconventional problems.
• Fueling innovation and growth : In addition to solutions, creative problem-solving can spark innovative ideas that drive company growth. These ideas can lead to new product lines, services, or a modified operations structure that improves efficiency.

Creative problem-solving is traditionally based on the following key principles :

1. Balance Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creative problem-solving uses two primary tools to find solutions: divergence and convergence. Divergence generates ideas in response to a problem, while convergence narrows them down to a shortlist. It balances these two practices and turns ideas into concrete solutions.

2. Reframe Problems as Questions

By framing problems as questions, you shift from focusing on obstacles to solutions. This provides the freedom to brainstorm potential ideas.

3. Defer Judgment of Ideas

When brainstorming, it can be natural to reject or accept ideas right away. Yet, immediate judgments interfere with the idea generation process. Even ideas that seem implausible can turn into outstanding innovations upon further exploration and development.

4. Focus on "Yes, And" Instead of "No, But"

Using negative words like "no" discourages creative thinking. Instead, use positive language to build and maintain an environment that fosters the development of creative and innovative ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Whereas creative problem-solving facilitates developing innovative ideas through a less structured workflow, design thinking takes a far more organized approach.

Design thinking is a human-centered, solutions-based process that fosters the ideation and development of solutions. In the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar leverages a four-phase framework to explain design thinking.

The four stages are:

• Clarify: The clarification stage allows you to empathize with the user and identify problems. Observations and insights are informed by thorough research. Findings are then reframed as problem statements or questions.
• Ideate: Ideation is the process of coming up with innovative ideas. The divergence of ideas involved with creative problem-solving is a major focus.
• Develop: In the development stage, ideas evolve into experiments and tests. Ideas converge and are explored through prototyping and open critique.
• Implement: Implementation involves continuing to test and experiment to refine the solution and encourage its adoption.

Creative problem-solving primarily operates in the ideate phase of design thinking but can be applied to others. This is because design thinking is an iterative process that moves between the stages as ideas are generated and pursued. This is normal and encouraged, as innovation requires exploring multiple ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving Tools

While there are many useful tools in the creative problem-solving process, here are three you should know:

Creating a Problem Story

One way to innovate is by creating a story about a problem to understand how it affects users and what solutions best fit their needs. Here are the steps you need to take to use this tool properly.

1. Identify a UDP

Create a problem story to identify the undesired phenomena (UDP). For example, consider a company that produces printers that overheat. In this case, the UDP is "our printers overheat."

2. Move Forward in Time

To move forward in time, ask: “Why is this a problem?” For example, minor damage could be one result of the machines overheating. In more extreme cases, printers may catch fire. Don't be afraid to create multiple problem stories if you think of more than one UDP.

3. Move Backward in Time

To move backward in time, ask: “What caused this UDP?” If you can't identify the root problem, think about what typically causes the UDP to occur. For the overheating printers, overuse could be a cause.

Following the three-step framework above helps illustrate a clear problem story:

• The printer is overused.
• The printer overheats.
• The printer breaks down.

You can extend the problem story in either direction if you think of additional cause-and-effect relationships.

4. Break the Chains

By this point, you’ll have multiple UDP storylines. Take two that are similar and focus on breaking the chains connecting them. This can be accomplished through inversion or neutralization.

• Inversion: Inversion changes the relationship between two UDPs so the cause is the same but the effect is the opposite. For example, if the UDP is "the more X happens, the more likely Y is to happen," inversion changes the equation to "the more X happens, the less likely Y is to happen." Using the printer example, inversion would consider: "What if the more a printer is used, the less likely it’s going to overheat?" Innovation requires an open mind. Just because a solution initially seems unlikely doesn't mean it can't be pursued further or spark additional ideas.
• Neutralization: Neutralization completely eliminates the cause-and-effect relationship between X and Y. This changes the above equation to "the more or less X happens has no effect on Y." In the case of the printers, neutralization would rephrase the relationship to "the more or less a printer is used has no effect on whether it overheats."

Even if creating a problem story doesn't provide a solution, it can offer useful context to users’ problems and additional ideas to be explored. Given that divergence is one of the fundamental practices of creative problem-solving, it’s a good idea to incorporate it into each tool you use.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a tool that can be highly effective when guided by the iterative qualities of the design thinking process. It involves openly discussing and debating ideas and topics in a group setting. This facilitates idea generation and exploration as different team members consider the same concept from multiple perspectives.

Hosting brainstorming sessions can result in problems, such as groupthink or social loafing. To combat this, leverage a three-step brainstorming method involving divergence and convergence :

• Have each group member come up with as many ideas as possible and write them down to ensure the brainstorming session is productive.
• Continue the divergence of ideas by collectively sharing and exploring each idea as a group. The goal is to create a setting where new ideas are inspired by open discussion.
• Begin the convergence of ideas by narrowing them down to a few explorable options. There’s no "right number of ideas." Don't be afraid to consider exploring all of them, as long as you have the resources to do so.

Alternate Worlds

The alternate worlds tool is an empathetic approach to creative problem-solving. It encourages you to consider how someone in another world would approach your situation.

For example, if you’re concerned that the printers you produce overheat and catch fire, consider how a different industry would approach the problem. How would an automotive expert solve it? How would a firefighter?

Be creative as you consider and research alternate worlds. The purpose is not to nail down a solution right away but to continue the ideation process through diverging and exploring ideas.

Continue Developing Your Skills

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, or business leader, learning the ropes of design thinking can be an effective way to build your skills and foster creativity and innovation in any setting.

If you're ready to develop your design thinking and creative problem-solving skills, explore Design Thinking and Innovation , one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

About the Author

35 problem-solving techniques and methods for solving complex problems

Design your next session with SessionLab

Join the 150,000+ facilitators 
using SessionLab.

Recommended Articles

A step-by-step guide to planning a workshop, how to create an unforgettable training session in 8 simple steps, 47 useful online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation.

All teams and organizations encounter challenges as they grow. There are problems that might occur for teams when it comes to miscommunication or resolving business-critical issues . You may face challenges around growth , design , user engagement, and even team culture and happiness. In short, problem-solving techniques should be part of every team’s skillset.

Problem-solving methods are primarily designed to help a group or team through a process of first identifying problems and challenges , ideating possible solutions , and then evaluating the most suitable .

Finding effective solutions to complex problems isn’t easy, but by using the right process and techniques, you can help your team be more efficient in the process.

So how do you develop strategies that are engaging, and empower your team to solve problems effectively?

In this blog post, we share a series of problem-solving tools you can use in your next workshop or team meeting. You’ll also find some tips for facilitating the process and how to enable others to solve complex problems.

Let’s get started! 

How do you identify problems?

How do you identify the right solution.

• Tips for more effective problem-solving

Complete problem-solving methods

• Problem-solving techniques to identify and analyze problems
• Problem-solving techniques for developing solutions

Problem-solving warm-up activities

Closing activities for a problem-solving process.

Before you can move towards finding the right solution for a given problem, you first need to identify and define the problem you wish to solve. 

Here, you want to clearly articulate what the problem is and allow your group to do the same. Remember that everyone in a group is likely to have differing perspectives and alignment is necessary in order to help the group move forward. 

Identifying a problem accurately also requires that all members of a group are able to contribute their views in an open and safe manner. It can be scary for people to stand up and contribute, especially if the problems or challenges are emotive or personal in nature. Be sure to try and create a psychologically safe space for these kinds of discussions.

Remember that problem analysis and further discussion are also important. Not taking the time to fully analyze and discuss a challenge can result in the development of solutions that are not fit for purpose or do not address the underlying issue.

Successfully identifying and then analyzing a problem means facilitating a group through activities designed to help them clearly and honestly articulate their thoughts and produce usable insight.

With this data, you might then produce a problem statement that clearly describes the problem you wish to be addressed and also state the goal of any process you undertake to tackle this issue.  

Finding solutions is the end goal of any process. Complex organizational challenges can only be solved with an appropriate solution but discovering them requires using the right problem-solving tool.

After you’ve explored a problem and discussed ideas, you need to help a team discuss and choose the right solution. Consensus tools and methods such as those below help a group explore possible solutions before then voting for the best. They’re a great way to tap into the collective intelligence of the group for great results!

Remember that the process is often iterative. Great problem solvers often roadtest a viable solution in a measured way to see what works too. While you might not get the right solution on your first try, the methods below help teams land on the most likely to succeed solution while also holding space for improvement.

Every effective problem solving process begins with an agenda . A well-structured workshop is one of the best methods for successfully guiding a group from exploring a problem to implementing a solution.

In SessionLab, it’s easy to go from an idea to a complete agenda . Start by dragging and dropping your core problem solving activities into place . Add timings, breaks and necessary materials before sharing your agenda with your colleagues.

The resulting agenda will be your guide to an effective and productive problem solving session that will also help you stay organized on the day!

Tips for more effective problem solving

Problem-solving activities are only one part of the puzzle. While a great method can help unlock your team’s ability to solve problems, without a thoughtful approach and strong facilitation the solutions may not be fit for purpose.

Let’s take a look at some problem-solving tips you can apply to any process to help it be a success!

Clearly define the problem

Jumping straight to solutions can be tempting, though without first clearly articulating a problem, the solution might not be the right one. Many of the problem-solving activities below include sections where the problem is explored and clearly defined before moving on.

This is a vital part of the problem-solving process and taking the time to fully define an issue can save time and effort later. A clear definition helps identify irrelevant information and it also ensures that your team sets off on the right track.

Don’t jump to conclusions

It’s easy for groups to exhibit cognitive bias or have preconceived ideas about both problems and potential solutions. Be sure to back up any problem statements or potential solutions with facts, research, and adequate forethought.

The best techniques ask participants to be methodical and challenge preconceived notions. Make sure you give the group enough time and space to collect relevant information and consider the problem in a new way. By approaching the process with a clear, rational mindset, you’ll often find that better solutions are more forthcoming.  

Try different approaches  

Problems come in all shapes and sizes and so too should the methods you use to solve them. If you find that one approach isn’t yielding results and your team isn’t finding different solutions, try mixing it up. You’ll be surprised at how using a new creative activity can unblock your team and generate great solutions.

Don’t take it personally 

Depending on the nature of your team or organizational problems, it’s easy for conversations to get heated. While it’s good for participants to be engaged in the discussions, ensure that emotions don’t run too high and that blame isn’t thrown around while finding solutions.

You’re all in it together, and even if your team or area is seeing problems, that isn’t necessarily a disparagement of you personally. Using facilitation skills to manage group dynamics is one effective method of helping conversations be more constructive.

Get the right people in the room

Your problem-solving method is often only as effective as the group using it. Getting the right people on the job and managing the number of people present is important too!

If the group is too small, you may not get enough different perspectives to effectively solve a problem. If the group is too large, you can go round and round during the ideation stages.

Creating the right group makeup is also important in ensuring you have the necessary expertise and skillset to both identify and follow up on potential solutions. Carefully consider who to include at each stage to help ensure your problem-solving method is followed and positioned for success.

Document everything

The best solutions can take refinement, iteration, and reflection to come out. Get into a habit of documenting your process in order to keep all the learnings from the session and to allow ideas to mature and develop. Many of the methods below involve the creation of documents or shared resources. Be sure to keep and share these so everyone can benefit from the work done!

Bring a facilitator 

Facilitation is all about making group processes easier. With a subject as potentially emotive and important as problem-solving, having an impartial third party in the form of a facilitator can make all the difference in finding great solutions and keeping the process moving. Consider bringing a facilitator to your problem-solving session to get better results and generate meaningful solutions!

Develop your problem-solving skills

It takes time and practice to be an effective problem solver. While some roles or participants might more naturally gravitate towards problem-solving, it can take development and planning to help everyone create better solutions.

You might develop a training program, run a problem-solving workshop or simply ask your team to practice using the techniques below. Check out our post on problem-solving skills to see how you and your group can develop the right mental process and be more resilient to issues too!

Design a great agenda

Workshops are a great format for solving problems. With the right approach, you can focus a group and help them find the solutions to their own problems. But designing a process can be time-consuming and finding the right activities can be difficult.

Check out our workshop planning guide to level-up your agenda design and start running more effective workshops. Need inspiration? Check out templates designed by expert facilitators to help you kickstart your process!

In this section, we’ll look at in-depth problem-solving methods that provide a complete end-to-end process for developing effective solutions. These will help guide your team from the discovery and definition of a problem through to delivering the right solution.

If you’re looking for an all-encompassing method or problem-solving model, these processes are a great place to start. They’ll ask your team to challenge preconceived ideas and adopt a mindset for solving problems more effectively.

• Six Thinking Hats
• Lightning Decision Jam
• Problem Definition Process
• Discovery & Action Dialogue

Design Sprint 2.0

• Open Space Technology

1. Six Thinking Hats

Individual approaches to solving a problem can be very different based on what team or role an individual holds. It can be easy for existing biases or perspectives to find their way into the mix, or for internal politics to direct a conversation.

Six Thinking Hats is a classic method for identifying the problems that need to be solved and enables your team to consider them from different angles, whether that is by focusing on facts and data, creative solutions, or by considering why a particular solution might not work.

Like all problem-solving frameworks, Six Thinking Hats is effective at helping teams remove roadblocks from a conversation or discussion and come to terms with all the aspects necessary to solve complex problems.

2. Lightning Decision Jam

Featured courtesy of Jonathan Courtney of AJ&Smart Berlin, Lightning Decision Jam is one of those strategies that should be in every facilitation toolbox. Exploring problems and finding solutions is often creative in nature, though as with any creative process, there is the potential to lose focus and get lost.

Unstructured discussions might get you there in the end, but it’s much more effective to use a method that creates a clear process and team focus.

In Lightning Decision Jam, participants are invited to begin by writing challenges, concerns, or mistakes on post-its without discussing them before then being invited by the moderator to present them to the group.

From there, the team vote on which problems to solve and are guided through steps that will allow them to reframe those problems, create solutions and then decide what to execute on. 

By deciding the problems that need to be solved as a team before moving on, this group process is great for ensuring the whole team is aligned and can take ownership over the next stages. 

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)   #action   #decision making   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #innovation   #design   #remote-friendly   The problem with anything that requires creative thinking is that it’s easy to get lost—lose focus and fall into the trap of having useless, open-ended, unstructured discussions. Here’s the most effective solution I’ve found: Replace all open, unstructured discussion with a clear process. What to use this exercise for: Anything which requires a group of people to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges. It’s always good to frame an LDJ session with a broad topic, here are some examples: The conversion flow of our checkout Our internal design process How we organise events Keeping up with our competition Improving sales flow

3. Problem Definition Process

While problems can be complex, the problem-solving methods you use to identify and solve those problems can often be simple in design. 

By taking the time to truly identify and define a problem before asking the group to reframe the challenge as an opportunity, this method is a great way to enable change.

Begin by identifying a focus question and exploring the ways in which it manifests before splitting into five teams who will each consider the problem using a different method: escape, reversal, exaggeration, distortion or wishful. Teams develop a problem objective and create ideas in line with their method before then feeding them back to the group.

This method is great for enabling in-depth discussions while also creating space for finding creative solutions too!

Problem Definition   #problem solving   #idea generation   #creativity   #online   #remote-friendly   A problem solving technique to define a problem, challenge or opportunity and to generate ideas.

4. The 5 Whys 

Sometimes, a group needs to go further with their strategies and analyze the root cause at the heart of organizational issues. An RCA or root cause analysis is the process of identifying what is at the heart of business problems or recurring challenges. 

The 5 Whys is a simple and effective method of helping a group go find the root cause of any problem or challenge and conduct analysis that will deliver results. 

By beginning with the creation of a problem statement and going through five stages to refine it, The 5 Whys provides everything you need to truly discover the cause of an issue.

The 5 Whys   #hyperisland   #innovation   This simple and powerful method is useful for getting to the core of a problem or challenge. As the title suggests, the group defines a problems, then asks the question “why” five times, often using the resulting explanation as a starting point for creative problem solving.

5. World Cafe

World Cafe is a simple but powerful facilitation technique to help bigger groups to focus their energy and attention on solving complex problems.

World Cafe enables this approach by creating a relaxed atmosphere where participants are able to self-organize and explore topics relevant and important to them which are themed around a central problem-solving purpose. Create the right atmosphere by modeling your space after a cafe and after guiding the group through the method, let them take the lead!

Making problem-solving a part of your organization’s culture in the long term can be a difficult undertaking. More approachable formats like World Cafe can be especially effective in bringing people unfamiliar with workshops into the fold. 

World Cafe   #hyperisland   #innovation   #issue analysis   World Café is a simple yet powerful method, originated by Juanita Brown, for enabling meaningful conversations driven completely by participants and the topics that are relevant and important to them. Facilitators create a cafe-style space and provide simple guidelines. Participants then self-organize and explore a set of relevant topics or questions for conversation.

6. Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)

One of the best approaches is to create a safe space for a group to share and discover practices and behaviors that can help them find their own solutions.

With DAD, you can help a group choose which problems they wish to solve and which approaches they will take to do so. It’s great at helping remove resistance to change and can help get buy-in at every level too!

This process of enabling frontline ownership is great in ensuring follow-through and is one of the methods you will want in your toolbox as a facilitator.

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)   #idea generation   #liberating structures   #action   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   DADs make it easy for a group or community to discover practices and behaviors that enable some individuals (without access to special resources and facing the same constraints) to find better solutions than their peers to common problems. These are called positive deviant (PD) behaviors and practices. DADs make it possible for people in the group, unit, or community to discover by themselves these PD practices. DADs also create favorable conditions for stimulating participants’ creativity in spaces where they can feel safe to invent new and more effective practices. Resistance to change evaporates as participants are unleashed to choose freely which practices they will adopt or try and which problems they will tackle. DADs make it possible to achieve frontline ownership of solutions.

7. Design Sprint 2.0

Want to see how a team can solve big problems and move forward with prototyping and testing solutions in a few days? The Design Sprint 2.0 template from Jake Knapp, author of Sprint, is a complete agenda for a with proven results.

Developing the right agenda can involve difficult but necessary planning. Ensuring all the correct steps are followed can also be stressful or time-consuming depending on your level of experience.

Use this complete 4-day workshop template if you are finding there is no obvious solution to your challenge and want to focus your team around a specific problem that might require a shortcut to launching a minimum viable product or waiting for the organization-wide implementation of a solution.

8. Open space technology

Open space technology- developed by Harrison Owen – creates a space where large groups are invited to take ownership of their problem solving and lead individual sessions. Open space technology is a great format when you have a great deal of expertise and insight in the room and want to allow for different takes and approaches on a particular theme or problem you need to be solved.

Start by bringing your participants together to align around a central theme and focus their efforts. Explain the ground rules to help guide the problem-solving process and then invite members to identify any issue connecting to the central theme that they are interested in and are prepared to take responsibility for.

Once participants have decided on their approach to the core theme, they write their issue on a piece of paper, announce it to the group, pick a session time and place, and post the paper on the wall. As the wall fills up with sessions, the group is then invited to join the sessions that interest them the most and which they can contribute to, then you’re ready to begin!

Everyone joins the problem-solving group they’ve signed up to, record the discussion and if appropriate, findings can then be shared with the rest of the group afterward.

Open Space Technology   #action plan   #idea generation   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #large group   #online   #remote-friendly   Open Space is a methodology for large groups to create their agenda discerning important topics for discussion, suitable for conferences, community gatherings and whole system facilitation

Techniques to identify and analyze problems

Using a problem-solving method to help a team identify and analyze a problem can be a quick and effective addition to any workshop or meeting.

While further actions are always necessary, you can generate momentum and alignment easily, and these activities are a great place to get started.

We’ve put together this list of techniques to help you and your team with problem identification, analysis, and discussion that sets the foundation for developing effective solutions.

Let’s take a look!

• The Creativity Dice
• Fishbone Analysis
• Problem Tree
• SWOT Analysis
• Agreement-Certainty Matrix
• The Journalistic Six
• LEGO Challenge
• What, So What, Now What?
• Journalists

Individual and group perspectives are incredibly important, but what happens if people are set in their minds and need a change of perspective in order to approach a problem more effectively?

Flip It is a method we love because it is both simple to understand and run, and allows groups to understand how their perspectives and biases are formed. 

Participants in Flip It are first invited to consider concerns, issues, or problems from a perspective of fear and write them on a flip chart. Then, the group is asked to consider those same issues from a perspective of hope and flip their understanding.  

No problem and solution is free from existing bias and by changing perspectives with Flip It, you can then develop a problem solving model quickly and effectively.

Flip It!   #gamestorming   #problem solving   #action   Often, a change in a problem or situation comes simply from a change in our perspectives. Flip It! is a quick game designed to show players that perspectives are made, not born.

10. The Creativity Dice

One of the most useful problem solving skills you can teach your team is of approaching challenges with creativity, flexibility, and openness. Games like The Creativity Dice allow teams to overcome the potential hurdle of too much linear thinking and approach the process with a sense of fun and speed. 

In The Creativity Dice, participants are organized around a topic and roll a dice to determine what they will work on for a period of 3 minutes at a time. They might roll a 3 and work on investigating factual information on the chosen topic. They might roll a 1 and work on identifying the specific goals, standards, or criteria for the session.

Encouraging rapid work and iteration while asking participants to be flexible are great skills to cultivate. Having a stage for idea incubation in this game is also important. Moments of pause can help ensure the ideas that are put forward are the most suitable. 

The Creativity Dice   #creativity   #problem solving   #thiagi   #issue analysis   Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

11. Fishbone Analysis

Organizational or team challenges are rarely simple, and it’s important to remember that one problem can be an indication of something that goes deeper and may require further consideration to be solved.

Fishbone Analysis helps groups to dig deeper and understand the origins of a problem. It’s a great example of a root cause analysis method that is simple for everyone on a team to get their head around. 

Participants in this activity are asked to annotate a diagram of a fish, first adding the problem or issue to be worked on at the head of a fish before then brainstorming the root causes of the problem and adding them as bones on the fish. 

Using abstractions such as a diagram of a fish can really help a team break out of their regular thinking and develop a creative approach.

Fishbone Analysis   #problem solving   ##root cause analysis   #decision making   #online facilitation   A process to help identify and understand the origins of problems, issues or observations.

12. Problem Tree 

Encouraging visual thinking can be an essential part of many strategies. By simply reframing and clarifying problems, a group can move towards developing a problem solving model that works for them. 

In Problem Tree, groups are asked to first brainstorm a list of problems – these can be design problems, team problems or larger business problems – and then organize them into a hierarchy. The hierarchy could be from most important to least important or abstract to practical, though the key thing with problem solving games that involve this aspect is that your group has some way of managing and sorting all the issues that are raised.

Once you have a list of problems that need to be solved and have organized them accordingly, you’re then well-positioned for the next problem solving steps.

Problem tree   #define intentions   #create   #design   #issue analysis   A problem tree is a tool to clarify the hierarchy of problems addressed by the team within a design project; it represents high level problems or related sublevel problems.

13. SWOT Analysis

Chances are you’ve heard of the SWOT Analysis before. This problem-solving method focuses on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is a tried and tested method for both individuals and teams.

Start by creating a desired end state or outcome and bare this in mind – any process solving model is made more effective by knowing what you are moving towards. Create a quadrant made up of the four categories of a SWOT analysis and ask participants to generate ideas based on each of those quadrants.

Once you have those ideas assembled in their quadrants, cluster them together based on their affinity with other ideas. These clusters are then used to facilitate group conversations and move things forward. 

SWOT analysis   #gamestorming   #problem solving   #action   #meeting facilitation   The SWOT Analysis is a long-standing technique of looking at what we have, with respect to the desired end state, as well as what we could improve on. It gives us an opportunity to gauge approaching opportunities and dangers, and assess the seriousness of the conditions that affect our future. When we understand those conditions, we can influence what comes next.

14. Agreement-Certainty Matrix

Not every problem-solving approach is right for every challenge, and deciding on the right method for the challenge at hand is a key part of being an effective team.

The Agreement Certainty matrix helps teams align on the nature of the challenges facing them. By sorting problems from simple to chaotic, your team can understand what methods are suitable for each problem and what they can do to ensure effective results. 

If you are already using Liberating Structures techniques as part of your problem-solving strategy, the Agreement-Certainty Matrix can be an invaluable addition to your process. We’ve found it particularly if you are having issues with recurring problems in your organization and want to go deeper in understanding the root cause. 

Agreement-Certainty Matrix   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #problem solving   You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic .  A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate.  It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably.  A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail.  Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward.  A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”  The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Organizing and charting a team’s progress can be important in ensuring its success. SQUID (Sequential Question and Insight Diagram) is a great model that allows a team to effectively switch between giving questions and answers and develop the skills they need to stay on track throughout the process. 

Begin with two different colored sticky notes – one for questions and one for answers – and with your central topic (the head of the squid) on the board. Ask the group to first come up with a series of questions connected to their best guess of how to approach the topic. Ask the group to come up with answers to those questions, fix them to the board and connect them with a line. After some discussion, go back to question mode by responding to the generated answers or other points on the board.

It’s rewarding to see a diagram grow throughout the exercise, and a completed SQUID can provide a visual resource for future effort and as an example for other teams.

SQUID   #gamestorming   #project planning   #issue analysis   #problem solving   When exploring an information space, it’s important for a group to know where they are at any given time. By using SQUID, a group charts out the territory as they go and can navigate accordingly. SQUID stands for Sequential Question and Insight Diagram.

16. Speed Boat

To continue with our nautical theme, Speed Boat is a short and sweet activity that can help a team quickly identify what employees, clients or service users might have a problem with and analyze what might be standing in the way of achieving a solution.

Methods that allow for a group to make observations, have insights and obtain those eureka moments quickly are invaluable when trying to solve complex problems.

In Speed Boat, the approach is to first consider what anchors and challenges might be holding an organization (or boat) back. Bonus points if you are able to identify any sharks in the water and develop ideas that can also deal with competitors!   

Speed Boat   #gamestorming   #problem solving   #action   Speedboat is a short and sweet way to identify what your employees or clients don’t like about your product/service or what’s standing in the way of a desired goal.

17. The Journalistic Six

Some of the most effective ways of solving problems is by encouraging teams to be more inclusive and diverse in their thinking.

Based on the six key questions journalism students are taught to answer in articles and news stories, The Journalistic Six helps create teams to see the whole picture. By using who, what, when, where, why, and how to facilitate the conversation and encourage creative thinking, your team can make sure that the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the are covered exhaustively and thoughtfully. Reporter’s notebook and dictaphone optional.

The Journalistic Six – Who What When Where Why How   #idea generation   #issue analysis   #problem solving   #online   #creative thinking   #remote-friendly   A questioning method for generating, explaining, investigating ideas.

18. LEGO Challenge

Now for an activity that is a little out of the (toy) box. LEGO Serious Play is a facilitation methodology that can be used to improve creative thinking and problem-solving skills. 

The LEGO Challenge includes giving each member of the team an assignment that is hidden from the rest of the group while they create a structure without speaking.

What the LEGO challenge brings to the table is a fun working example of working with stakeholders who might not be on the same page to solve problems. Also, it’s LEGO! Who doesn’t love LEGO! 

LEGO Challenge   #hyperisland   #team   A team-building activity in which groups must work together to build a structure out of LEGO, but each individual has a secret “assignment” which makes the collaborative process more challenging. It emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, cooperation, patience and problem solving strategy.

19. What, So What, Now What?

If not carefully managed, the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the problem-solving process can actually create more problems and misunderstandings.

The What, So What, Now What? problem-solving activity is designed to help collect insights and move forward while also eliminating the possibility of disagreement when it comes to identifying, clarifying, and analyzing organizational or work problems. 

Facilitation is all about bringing groups together so that might work on a shared goal and the best problem-solving strategies ensure that teams are aligned in purpose, if not initially in opinion or insight.

Throughout the three steps of this game, you give everyone on a team to reflect on a problem by asking what happened, why it is important, and what actions should then be taken. 

This can be a great activity for bringing our individual perceptions about a problem or challenge and contextualizing it in a larger group setting. This is one of the most important problem-solving skills you can bring to your organization.

W³ – What, So What, Now What?   #issue analysis   #innovation   #liberating structures   You can help groups reflect on a shared experience in a way that builds understanding and spurs coordinated action while avoiding unproductive conflict. It is possible for every voice to be heard while simultaneously sifting for insights and shaping new direction. Progressing in stages makes this practical—from collecting facts about What Happened to making sense of these facts with So What and finally to what actions logically follow with Now What . The shared progression eliminates most of the misunderstandings that otherwise fuel disagreements about what to do. Voila!

20. Journalists  

Problem analysis can be one of the most important and decisive stages of all problem-solving tools. Sometimes, a team can become bogged down in the details and are unable to move forward.

Journalists is an activity that can avoid a group from getting stuck in the problem identification or problem analysis stages of the process.

In Journalists, the group is invited to draft the front page of a fictional newspaper and figure out what stories deserve to be on the cover and what headlines those stories will have. By reframing how your problems and challenges are approached, you can help a team move productively through the process and be better prepared for the steps to follow.

Journalists   #vision   #big picture   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   This is an exercise to use when the group gets stuck in details and struggles to see the big picture. Also good for defining a vision.

Problem-solving techniques for developing solutions 

The success of any problem-solving process can be measured by the solutions it produces. After you’ve defined the issue, explored existing ideas, and ideated, it’s time to narrow down to the correct solution.

Use these problem-solving techniques when you want to help your team find consensus, compare possible solutions, and move towards taking action on a particular problem.

• Improved Solutions
• Four-Step Sketch
• 15% Solutions
• How-Now-Wow matrix
• Impact Effort Matrix

21. Mindspin  

Brainstorming is part of the bread and butter of the problem-solving process and all problem-solving strategies benefit from getting ideas out and challenging a team to generate solutions quickly. 

With Mindspin, participants are encouraged not only to generate ideas but to do so under time constraints and by slamming down cards and passing them on. By doing multiple rounds, your team can begin with a free generation of possible solutions before moving on to developing those solutions and encouraging further ideation. 

This is one of our favorite problem-solving activities and can be great for keeping the energy up throughout the workshop. Remember the importance of helping people become engaged in the process – energizing problem-solving techniques like Mindspin can help ensure your team stays engaged and happy, even when the problems they’re coming together to solve are complex. 

MindSpin   #teampedia   #idea generation   #problem solving   #action   A fast and loud method to enhance brainstorming within a team. Since this activity has more than round ideas that are repetitive can be ruled out leaving more creative and innovative answers to the challenge.

22. Improved Solutions

After a team has successfully identified a problem and come up with a few solutions, it can be tempting to call the work of the problem-solving process complete. That said, the first solution is not necessarily the best, and by including a further review and reflection activity into your problem-solving model, you can ensure your group reaches the best possible result. 

One of a number of problem-solving games from Thiagi Group, Improved Solutions helps you go the extra mile and develop suggested solutions with close consideration and peer review. By supporting the discussion of several problems at once and by shifting team roles throughout, this problem-solving technique is a dynamic way of finding the best solution. 

Improved Solutions   #creativity   #thiagi   #problem solving   #action   #team   You can improve any solution by objectively reviewing its strengths and weaknesses and making suitable adjustments. In this creativity framegame, you improve the solutions to several problems. To maintain objective detachment, you deal with a different problem during each of six rounds and assume different roles (problem owner, consultant, basher, booster, enhancer, and evaluator) during each round. At the conclusion of the activity, each player ends up with two solutions to her problem.

23. Four Step Sketch

Creative thinking and visual ideation does not need to be confined to the opening stages of your problem-solving strategies. Exercises that include sketching and prototyping on paper can be effective at the solution finding and development stage of the process, and can be great for keeping a team engaged. 

By going from simple notes to a crazy 8s round that involves rapidly sketching 8 variations on their ideas before then producing a final solution sketch, the group is able to iterate quickly and visually. Problem-solving techniques like Four-Step Sketch are great if you have a group of different thinkers and want to change things up from a more textual or discussion-based approach.

Four-Step Sketch   #design sprint   #innovation   #idea generation   #remote-friendly   The four-step sketch is an exercise that helps people to create well-formed concepts through a structured process that includes: Review key information Start design work on paper,  Consider multiple variations , Create a detailed solution . This exercise is preceded by a set of other activities allowing the group to clarify the challenge they want to solve. See how the Four Step Sketch exercise fits into a Design Sprint

24. 15% Solutions

Some problems are simpler than others and with the right problem-solving activities, you can empower people to take immediate actions that can help create organizational change. 

Part of the liberating structures toolkit, 15% solutions is a problem-solving technique that focuses on finding and implementing solutions quickly. A process of iterating and making small changes quickly can help generate momentum and an appetite for solving complex problems.

Problem-solving strategies can live and die on whether people are onboard. Getting some quick wins is a great way of getting people behind the process.   

It can be extremely empowering for a team to realize that problem-solving techniques can be deployed quickly and easily and delineate between things they can positively impact and those things they cannot change. 

15% Solutions   #action   #liberating structures   #remote-friendly   You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference.  15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change.  With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

25. How-Now-Wow Matrix

The problem-solving process is often creative, as complex problems usually require a change of thinking and creative response in order to find the best solutions. While it’s common for the first stages to encourage creative thinking, groups can often gravitate to familiar solutions when it comes to the end of the process. 

When selecting solutions, you don’t want to lose your creative energy! The How-Now-Wow Matrix from Gamestorming is a great problem-solving activity that enables a group to stay creative and think out of the box when it comes to selecting the right solution for a given problem.

Problem-solving techniques that encourage creative thinking and the ideation and selection of new solutions can be the most effective in organisational change. Give the How-Now-Wow Matrix a go, and not just for how pleasant it is to say out loud. 

How-Now-Wow Matrix   #gamestorming   #idea generation   #remote-friendly   When people want to develop new ideas, they most often think out of the box in the brainstorming or divergent phase. However, when it comes to convergence, people often end up picking ideas that are most familiar to them. This is called a ‘creative paradox’ or a ‘creadox’. The How-Now-Wow matrix is an idea selection tool that breaks the creadox by forcing people to weigh each idea on 2 parameters.

26. Impact and Effort Matrix

All problem-solving techniques hope to not only find solutions to a given problem or challenge but to find the best solution. When it comes to finding a solution, groups are invited to put on their decision-making hats and really think about how a proposed idea would work in practice. 

The Impact and Effort Matrix is one of the problem-solving techniques that fall into this camp, empowering participants to first generate ideas and then categorize them into a 2×2 matrix based on impact and effort.

Activities that invite critical thinking while remaining simple are invaluable. Use the Impact and Effort Matrix to move from ideation and towards evaluating potential solutions before then committing to them. 

Impact and Effort Matrix   #gamestorming   #decision making   #action   #remote-friendly   In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

27. Dotmocracy

If you’ve followed each of the problem-solving steps with your group successfully, you should move towards the end of your process with heaps of possible solutions developed with a specific problem in mind. But how do you help a group go from ideation to putting a solution into action? 

Dotmocracy – or Dot Voting -is a tried and tested method of helping a team in the problem-solving process make decisions and put actions in place with a degree of oversight and consensus. 

One of the problem-solving techniques that should be in every facilitator’s toolbox, Dot Voting is fast and effective and can help identify the most popular and best solutions and help bring a group to a decision effectively. 

Dotmocracy   #action   #decision making   #group prioritization   #hyperisland   #remote-friendly   Dotmocracy is a simple method for group prioritization or decision-making. It is not an activity on its own, but a method to use in processes where prioritization or decision-making is the aim. The method supports a group to quickly see which options are most popular or relevant. The options or ideas are written on post-its and stuck up on a wall for the whole group to see. Each person votes for the options they think are the strongest, and that information is used to inform a decision.

All facilitators know that warm-ups and icebreakers are useful for any workshop or group process. Problem-solving workshops are no different.

Use these problem-solving techniques to warm up a group and prepare them for the rest of the process. Activating your group by tapping into some of the top problem-solving skills can be one of the best ways to see great outcomes from your session.

• Check-in/Check-out
• Doodling Together
• Show and Tell
• Constellations
• Draw a Tree

28. Check-in / Check-out

Solid processes are planned from beginning to end, and the best facilitators know that setting the tone and establishing a safe, open environment can be integral to a successful problem-solving process.

Check-in / Check-out is a great way to begin and/or bookend a problem-solving workshop. Checking in to a session emphasizes that everyone will be seen, heard, and expected to contribute. 

If you are running a series of meetings, setting a consistent pattern of checking in and checking out can really help your team get into a groove. We recommend this opening-closing activity for small to medium-sized groups though it can work with large groups if they’re disciplined!

Check-in / Check-out   #team   #opening   #closing   #hyperisland   #remote-friendly   Either checking-in or checking-out is a simple way for a team to open or close a process, symbolically and in a collaborative way. Checking-in/out invites each member in a group to be present, seen and heard, and to express a reflection or a feeling. Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment; checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure.

29. Doodling Together  

Thinking creatively and not being afraid to make suggestions are important problem-solving skills for any group or team, and warming up by encouraging these behaviors is a great way to start. 

Doodling Together is one of our favorite creative ice breaker games – it’s quick, effective, and fun and can make all following problem-solving steps easier by encouraging a group to collaborate visually. By passing cards and adding additional items as they go, the workshop group gets into a groove of co-creation and idea development that is crucial to finding solutions to problems. 

Doodling Together   #collaboration   #creativity   #teamwork   #fun   #team   #visual methods   #energiser   #icebreaker   #remote-friendly   Create wild, weird and often funny postcards together & establish a group’s creative confidence.

30. Show and Tell

You might remember some version of Show and Tell from being a kid in school and it’s a great problem-solving activity to kick off a session.

Asking participants to prepare a little something before a workshop by bringing an object for show and tell can help them warm up before the session has even begun! Games that include a physical object can also help encourage early engagement before moving onto more big-picture thinking.

By asking your participants to tell stories about why they chose to bring a particular item to the group, you can help teams see things from new perspectives and see both differences and similarities in the way they approach a topic. Great groundwork for approaching a problem-solving process as a team! 

Show and Tell   #gamestorming   #action   #opening   #meeting facilitation   Show and Tell taps into the power of metaphors to reveal players’ underlying assumptions and associations around a topic The aim of the game is to get a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on anything—a new project, an organizational restructuring, a shift in the company’s vision or team dynamic.

31. Constellations

Who doesn’t love stars? Constellations is a great warm-up activity for any workshop as it gets people up off their feet, energized, and ready to engage in new ways with established topics. It’s also great for showing existing beliefs, biases, and patterns that can come into play as part of your session.

Using warm-up games that help build trust and connection while also allowing for non-verbal responses can be great for easing people into the problem-solving process and encouraging engagement from everyone in the group. Constellations is great in large spaces that allow for movement and is definitely a practical exercise to allow the group to see patterns that are otherwise invisible. 

Constellations   #trust   #connection   #opening   #coaching   #patterns   #system   Individuals express their response to a statement or idea by standing closer or further from a central object. Used with teams to reveal system, hidden patterns, perspectives.

32. Draw a Tree

Problem-solving games that help raise group awareness through a central, unifying metaphor can be effective ways to warm-up a group in any problem-solving model.

Draw a Tree is a simple warm-up activity you can use in any group and which can provide a quick jolt of energy. Start by asking your participants to draw a tree in just 45 seconds – they can choose whether it will be abstract or realistic. 

Once the timer is up, ask the group how many people included the roots of the tree and use this as a means to discuss how we can ignore important parts of any system simply because they are not visible.

All problem-solving strategies are made more effective by thinking of problems critically and by exposing things that may not normally come to light. Warm-up games like Draw a Tree are great in that they quickly demonstrate some key problem-solving skills in an accessible and effective way.

Draw a Tree   #thiagi   #opening   #perspectives   #remote-friendly   With this game you can raise awarness about being more mindful, and aware of the environment we live in.

Each step of the problem-solving workshop benefits from an intelligent deployment of activities, games, and techniques. Bringing your session to an effective close helps ensure that solutions are followed through on and that you also celebrate what has been achieved.

Here are some problem-solving activities you can use to effectively close a workshop or meeting and ensure the great work you’ve done can continue afterward.

• One Breath Feedback
• Who What When Matrix
• Response Cards

How do I conclude a problem-solving process?

All good things must come to an end. With the bulk of the work done, it can be tempting to conclude your workshop swiftly and without a moment to debrief and align. This can be problematic in that it doesn’t allow your team to fully process the results or reflect on the process.

At the end of an effective session, your team will have gone through a process that, while productive, can be exhausting. It’s important to give your group a moment to take a breath, ensure that they are clear on future actions, and provide short feedback before leaving the space. 

The primary purpose of any problem-solving method is to generate solutions and then implement them. Be sure to take the opportunity to ensure everyone is aligned and ready to effectively implement the solutions you produced in the workshop.

Remember that every process can be improved and by giving a short moment to collect feedback in the session, you can further refine your problem-solving methods and see further success in the future too.

33. One Breath Feedback

Maintaining attention and focus during the closing stages of a problem-solving workshop can be tricky and so being concise when giving feedback can be important. It’s easy to incur “death by feedback” should some team members go on for too long sharing their perspectives in a quick feedback round. 

One Breath Feedback is a great closing activity for workshops. You give everyone an opportunity to provide feedback on what they’ve done but only in the space of a single breath. This keeps feedback short and to the point and means that everyone is encouraged to provide the most important piece of feedback to them. 

One breath feedback   #closing   #feedback   #action   This is a feedback round in just one breath that excels in maintaining attention: each participants is able to speak during just one breath … for most people that’s around 20 to 25 seconds … unless of course you’ve been a deep sea diver in which case you’ll be able to do it for longer.

34. Who What When Matrix 

Matrices feature as part of many effective problem-solving strategies and with good reason. They are easily recognizable, simple to use, and generate results.

The Who What When Matrix is a great tool to use when closing your problem-solving session by attributing a who, what and when to the actions and solutions you have decided upon. The resulting matrix is a simple, easy-to-follow way of ensuring your team can move forward. 

Great solutions can’t be enacted without action and ownership. Your problem-solving process should include a stage for allocating tasks to individuals or teams and creating a realistic timeframe for those solutions to be implemented or checked out. Use this method to keep the solution implementation process clear and simple for all involved. 

Who/What/When Matrix   #gamestorming   #action   #project planning   With Who/What/When matrix, you can connect people with clear actions they have defined and have committed to.

35. Response cards

Group discussion can comprise the bulk of most problem-solving activities and by the end of the process, you might find that your team is talked out! 

Providing a means for your team to give feedback with short written notes can ensure everyone is head and can contribute without the need to stand up and talk. Depending on the needs of the group, giving an alternative can help ensure everyone can contribute to your problem-solving model in the way that makes the most sense for them.

Response Cards is a great way to close a workshop if you are looking for a gentle warm-down and want to get some swift discussion around some of the feedback that is raised. 

Response Cards   #debriefing   #closing   #structured sharing   #questions and answers   #thiagi   #action   It can be hard to involve everyone during a closing of a session. Some might stay in the background or get unheard because of louder participants. However, with the use of Response Cards, everyone will be involved in providing feedback or clarify questions at the end of a session.

Save time and effort discovering the right solutions

A structured problem solving process is a surefire way of solving tough problems, discovering creative solutions and driving organizational change. But how can you design for successful outcomes?

With SessionLab, it’s easy to design engaging workshops that deliver results. Drag, drop and reorder blocks  to build your agenda. When you make changes or update your agenda, your session  timing   adjusts automatically , saving you time on manual adjustments.

Collaborating with stakeholders or clients? Share your agenda with a single click and collaborate in real-time. No more sending documents back and forth over email.

Explore  how to use SessionLab  to design effective problem solving workshops or  watch this five minute video  to see the planner in action!

Over to you

The problem-solving process can often be as complicated and multifaceted as the problems they are set-up to solve. With the right problem-solving techniques and a mix of creative exercises designed to guide discussion and generate purposeful ideas, we hope we’ve given you the tools to find the best solutions as simply and easily as possible.

Is there a problem-solving technique that you are missing here? Do you have a favorite activity or method you use when facilitating? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you! 

thank you very much for these excellent techniques

Certainly wonderful article, very detailed. Shared!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Going from a mere idea to a workshop that delivers results for your clients can feel like a daunting task. In this piece, we will shine a light on all the work behind the scenes and help you learn how to plan a workshop from start to finish. On a good day, facilitation can feel like effortless magic, but that is mostly the result of backstage work, foresight, and a lot of careful planning. Read on to learn a step-by-step approach to breaking the process of planning a workshop into small, manageable chunks.  The flow starts with the first meeting with a client to define the purposes of a workshop.…

How does learning work? A clever 9-year-old once told me: “I know I am learning something new when I am surprised.” The science of adult learning tells us that, in order to learn new skills (which, unsurprisingly, is harder for adults to do than kids) grown-ups need to first get into a specific headspace.  In a business, this approach is often employed in a training session where employees learn new skills or work on professional development. But how do you ensure your training is effective? In this guide, we'll explore how to create an effective training session plan and run engaging training sessions. As team leader, project manager, or consultant,…

Effective online tools are a necessity for smooth and engaging virtual workshops and meetings. But how do you choose the right ones? Do you sometimes feel that the good old pen and paper or MS Office toolkit and email leaves you struggling to stay on top of managing and delivering your workshop? Fortunately, there are plenty of online tools to make your life easier when you need to facilitate a meeting and lead workshops. In this post, we’ll share our favorite online tools you can use to make your job as a facilitator easier. In fact, there are plenty of free online workshop tools and meeting facilitation software you can…

Design your next workshop with SessionLab

Join the 150,000 facilitators using SessionLab

Sign up for free

Adopting the right problem-solving approach

May 4, 2023 You’ve defined your problem, ensured stakeholders are aligned, and are ready to bring the right problem-solving approach and focus to the situation to find an optimal solution. But what is the right problem-solving approach? And what if there is no single ideal course of action? In our 2013 classic  from the Quarterly , senior partner Olivier Leclerc  highlights the value of taking a number of different approaches simultaneously to solve difficult problems. Read on to discover the five flexons, or problem-solving languages, that can be applied to the same problem to generate richer insights and more innovative solutions. Then check out more insights on problem-solving approaches, and dive into examples of pressing challenges organizations are contending with now.

Five routes to more innovative problem solving

Author Talks: Get on the performance curve

Strategy to beat the odds

How to master the seven-step problem-solving process

Want better strategies? Become a bulletproof problem solver

Digital performance management: From the front line to the bottom line

Addressing employee burnout: Are you solving the right problem?

Business’s ‘It’s not my problem’ IT problem

TEST YOUR SKILLS

Take the McKinsey Problem Solving Test

Solve, McKinsey’s assessment game

The Business Analyst Problem Solving Framework

Business analyst problem solving.

Previously I have discussed the Business Analyst mindset and the important factors required for delivering value to your organisation.

As a starting point for developing this mindset I identified 3 areas that will assist you in your daily work.

The things to adopt are:

• A ‘problem solving’ focus as opposed to an implementation focus (which does not necessarily solve the problem).
• An audience focused approach that clearly communicates solutions to complex business problems.
• A clear communication style that helps you manage expectations and maintain transparency.

With so many methodologies and technologies, developing competency in these 3 areas will help you stay relevant as a Business Analyst.

I believe 100% that great business analysis is more about mindset, and less about skills.

Because without having the right kind of mental framework for affecting change, it is difficult to deliver true value.

From having the right mindset, you can then develop the right skills and qualities to be most effective in your role.

Mindset is about ‘how’ you go about doing things that makes the real difference in this profession.

Developing the right mindset can only be developed through experience and awareness.

This awareness gives you an understanding of how to direct yourself towards a success-oriented mindset.

‘Hard’ skills such as tools and techniques are easily taught and learned.

Mindset is developed through ‘soft’ skills and tacit knowledge, which is difficult to teach in books and classroom settings.

But you can have a framework for developing a successful business analyst mindset.

This will focus your approach to problem solving and communicating in a way that delivers excellent results for your organisation.

It will also help you create better career opportunities as you are communicating from a viewpoint of the things that create true value, and not just your hard skills and certifications.

A very good starting point for developing your BA mindset is to gain an awareness of 3 things in your mental framework.

Adopt a problem solving focus to delivering results

With so many methodologies and technologies, developing a problem solving focus will help you stay relevant as a Business Analyst.

Adopting a problem solving focus means that you are striving towards delivering real results with measurable value.

You are not just ticking a box so you can say that you got something delivered.

You are truly aligned to the organisational mission and your stakeholders’ vision.

Problem solving primarily requires problem identification, elicitation skills and stakeholder management.

Problem identification

Supported by good elicitation techniques, problem identification includes methods such as root cause analysis, mind mapping , five whys , and fishbone analysis .

The real value in business analysis is understanding the problem. You gain true experience in engaging with your stakeholders , understanding their issues, and aligning with their needs.

When you have defined the problem then you can make a difference. You can narrow down and choose the right tool and use it to analyse and communicate the problem and articulate a possible solution.

This way there is less overwhelm, and you can produce better results.

Elicitation

Elicitation is important because the discovery of business requirements is almost never readily available at a business analyst’s fingertips.

Types of elicitation are:

• Brainstorming
• Document Analysis
• Focus Groups
• Interface Analysis
• Observation
• Prototyping
• Requirements Workshops
• Survey/Questionnaire

One of the first problems a business analyst needs to solve when starting a new project is how to elicit to the requirements. This goes together with how you go about engaging your stakeholders.

This is because there are several variables that need to be taken into consideration when planning the work needed to gather all necessary information.

Each project is different and will require a different way of approaching elicitation.

The importance of elicitation cannot be overstated, for it is the linchpin to any requirements project.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement is essential to build relationships, foster ownership, influence outcomes, gather information and facilitate the resolution of problems.

Cultivating good relationships is very important.

Stakeholders are more willing to answer questions, show up for meetings, review documentation, and help the business analysis process to go more smoothly if the business analyst has established good stakeholder rapport.

Essentially, projects are about people, and success is about creating value for those people.

Adopt an audience focused approach to problem solving

Adopt an audience focused approach that clearly communicates solutions to complex business problems.

Adopting a problem solving focus as opposed to an implementation focus will help you be truly successful in your business analyst career.

However, adopting an audience focused approach will help you clearly communicate solutions to complex business problems.

This means that you know your audience and you know how to present information to them for optimum clarity.

Who are your stakeholders? What are their challenges? What decisions do they need to make? What information do they need from you? What is the best way to present that information?

A large part of the Business Analyst’s work requires engagement to gather data about their stakeholders’ issues and needs, and then clearly and concisely present that information back to them.

Therefore, it is important to understand who your stakeholders are and what they need from you.

Adopt a clear communication style to align with your stakeholders

Develop a clear communication style that helps you manage expectations and maintain transparency.

Developing a clear communication style that helps you manage expectations and maintain transparency.

It’s important to:

• Always be prepared and don’t waste stakeholder time.
• Respond to feedback, don’t react.
• Listen, listen, listen.

Always align yourself with your stakeholders’ vision. Converse with them in a way that fully considers how they do their job and the issues that are impacting on them.

Use simple language and avoid jargon to ensure that people understand what you are saying.

Don’t make assumptions and always ask questions to clarify concepts and stay on course.

If you say you’re going to do something on a certain day, then do it. Otherwise communicate a new expectation before that time.

I use the OARS technique (open questions, affirmation, reflective listening, and summary reflections).

This is a client centred interaction technique that invites others to “tell their story” in their own words without leading them in a specific direction. It is an excellent way to build rapport with stakeholders.

In addition to the top 3 business analyst skills and qualities I have wrote about, there are many other supporting qualities such as self-belief, curiosity, integrity, self-reflection, motivation, initiative, resourcefulness, connectedness, professionalism, trustworthiness, and courage.

This is your start towards a new awareness on how you can become a great business analyst.

5 Levels Of Problem Solving: A Framework For (First-Time) Managers

Leading people can be tough. Taking the reins for the first time? It can feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. Many first-time managers feel that pit in their stomach. Without the right guidance or training, they often turn, unintentionally, into micromanagers. Nobody's dream scenario. But, good news - help's at hand!

A few weeks ago, I interviewed two workplace pioneers for one of our monthly live events (part of the Corporate Rebels Academy ). In this extremely insightful conversation, I had the pleasure of interviewing Edwin Jansen and Luz Iglesias. They both work at Raise (formerly known as Ian Martin Group).

The company employs over 450 people and has offices in the US, Canada, India, Ghana, and the Philippines. It is a certified B Corp and has been reinventing its management practices for about 8 years.

Its business? Recruitment.

Avoid becoming the all-mighty fixer

In 2017, Edwin and Luz took the lead on changing the company's way of working. They started in one of the company's subsidiaries and used it as a test ground for finding a better way to work.

When I asked Edwin, who was the leader of the subsidiary back then, what their biggest challenge was, his answer was clear:

"It was me. I had to change."

Edwin: "At the time, Luz pointed out a significant flaw in my approach: I had become a 'fixer'. To be clear, this wasn't a compliment.

"It highlighted a dangerous trajectory where I had become the go-to person for every problem, failing to empower my team members to think critically and solve issues independently.

"Doing so, I robbed people of the opportunity to learn and grow."

In a self-managing organization, leaders have to let go and give others the opportunity to step up. Edwin was very honest about his shortcomings:

"I simply didn't know how to do that. I had to let people find their own solutions, support them to take more ownership, and stop solving their problems for them."

Edwin and Luz decided to change.

5 levels of problem solving

Along the way, Edwin encountered a framework that helped him become a better leader.

The framework details 5 levels of problem solving - moving from highly dependent to highly independent. The clarity of the various 'levels' of problem solving helped him and his colleagues to create awareness on how they were operating, while also providing clear opportunities for growth (for all involved).

Here's how Edwin explained it:

To summarize, here are the 5 levels Edwin talked about:

• Level 1: The individual doesn't recognize the problem and doesn't know how to solve it.
• Level 2: The individual can identify the problem but doesn't know the solution.
• Level 3: The individual recognizes the problem and has considered multiple solutions, but is unsure which to choose.
• Level 4: The individual identifies the problem, has multiple solutions, and proposes one.
• Level 5: The individual has already encountered a problem, found a solution, and acted on it, and now reports the resolution post-action.

Wanna improve? Here's Edwin's advice:

"At any point, if you're a manager and someone comes to you, whatever level they come to you at, ask them to go one level up.

"And if you're not a manager and you're coming with problems, make sure you're at the highest level that you possibly can be."

Solid (and practical) advice.

Start decentralizing decision-making now

Decision-making is an art, but with the right framework, it becomes a systematic process that fosters growth and innovation.

The '5 levels of problem solving' is one of those frameworks that has the power to change the way you work immediately. Print it out, share it with your team, and follow Edwin's advice.

Eager for more tips, tools, and frameworks to improve your decision-making? We've got you covered.

With an in-depth course, lots of pioneering practices, and powerful tools, our Academy has everything you need to radically reinvent the way you work.

Start now. Click here .

Download: New Ways Of Working Guide

Unlock our in-depth guide spotlighting trends, tools, and best practices from over 150 pioneering organizations.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Download: Free Guide

Unlock our in-depth guide on trends, tools, and best practices from over 150 pioneering organizations.

Subscribe below and receive it directly in your inbox.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

The What, Why, and How framework of business problem solving

A real-life example

The challenges in deciphering the “Why”

The future of business analysis, related posts, gobblecube — our journey towards simplifying analytics for brands, data grind of revenue teams at brands, what is the biggest pain point of a business analyst, sales growth.

Identify growth opportunities and revenue leakages across your portfolio

Minimize Sales Loss

Triangulate, monitor, and identify availability issues across channels

Marketing Spend Allocation

Track your and competition’s product visibility to maximize ROAS

Trade Spend Allocation

Track your and competition’s promos and optimize trade spends

Connect, model, and triangulate all your eCommerce data to create a a single portfolio view across channels

Integrations

Whatever your data source, we’ve got you covered

.css-s5s6ko{margin-right:42px;color:#F5F4F3;}@media (max-width: 1120px){.css-s5s6ko{margin-right:12px;}} Join us: Learn how to build a trusted AI strategy to support your company's intelligent transformation, featuring Forrester .css-1ixh9fn{display:inline-block;}@media (max-width: 480px){.css-1ixh9fn{display:block;margin-top:12px;}} .css-1uaoevr-heading-6{font-size:14px;line-height:24px;font-weight:500;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;color:#F5F4F3;}.css-1uaoevr-heading-6:hover{color:#F5F4F3;} .css-ora5nu-heading-6{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;color:#0D0E10;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s;transition:all 0.3s;position:relative;font-size:16px;line-height:28px;padding:0;font-size:14px;line-height:24px;font-weight:500;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;color:#F5F4F3;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:hover{border-bottom:0;color:#CD4848;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:hover path{fill:#CD4848;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:hover div{border-color:#CD4848;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:hover div:before{border-left-color:#CD4848;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:active{border-bottom:0;background-color:#EBE8E8;color:#0D0E10;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:active path{fill:#0D0E10;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:active div{border-color:#0D0E10;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:active div:before{border-left-color:#0D0E10;}.css-ora5nu-heading-6:hover{color:#F5F4F3;} Register now .css-1k6cidy{width:11px;height:11px;margin-left:8px;}.css-1k6cidy path{fill:currentColor;}

• Business strategy |
• 7 strategic planning models, plus 8 fra ...

7 strategic planning models, plus 8 frameworks to help you get started

Strategic planning is vital in defining where your business is going in the next three to five years. With the right strategic planning models and frameworks, you can uncover opportunities, identify risks, and create a strategic plan to fuel your organization’s success. We list the most popular models and frameworks and explain how you can combine them to create a strategic plan that fits your business.

A strategic plan is a great tool to help you hit your business goals . But sometimes, this tool needs to be updated to reflect new business priorities or changing market conditions. If you decide to use a model that already exists, you can benefit from a roadmap that’s already created. The model you choose can improve your knowledge of what works best in your organization, uncover unknown strengths and weaknesses, or help you find out how you can outpace your competitors.

In this article, we cover the most common strategic planning models and frameworks and explain when to use which one. Plus, get tips on how to apply them and which models and frameworks work well together. 

Strategic planning models vs. frameworks

First off: This is not a one-or-nothing scenario. You can use as many or as few strategic planning models and frameworks as you like. 

When your organization undergoes a strategic planning phase, you should first pick a model or two that you want to apply. This will provide you with a basic outline of the steps to take during the strategic planning process.

During that process, think of strategic planning frameworks as the tools in your toolbox. Many models suggest starting with a SWOT analysis or defining your vision and mission statements first. Depending on your goals, though, you may want to apply several different frameworks throughout the strategic planning process.

For example, if you’re applying a scenario-based strategic plan, you could start with a SWOT and PEST(LE) analysis to get a better overview of your current standing. If one of the weaknesses you identify has to do with your manufacturing process, you could apply the theory of constraints to improve bottlenecks and mitigate risks. 

Now that you know the difference between the two, learn more about the seven strategic planning models, as well as the eight most commonly used frameworks that go along with them.

1. Basic model

The basic strategic planning model is ideal for establishing your company’s vision, mission, business objectives, and values. This model helps you outline the specific steps you need to take to reach your goals, monitor progress to keep everyone on target, and address issues as they arise.

If it’s your first strategic planning session, the basic model is the way to go. Later on, you can embellish it with other models to adjust or rewrite your business strategy as needed. Let’s take a look at what kinds of businesses can benefit from this strategic planning model and how to apply it.

Small businesses or organizations

Companies with little to no strategic planning experience

Organizations with few resources 

Write your mission statement. Gather your planning team and have a brainstorming session. The more ideas you can collect early in this step, the more fun and rewarding the analysis phase will feel.

Identify your organization’s goals . Setting clear business goals will increase your team’s performance and positively impact their motivation.

Outline strategies that will help you reach your goals. Ask yourself what steps you have to take in order to reach these goals and break them down into long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals .

Create action plans to implement each of the strategies above. Action plans will keep teams motivated and your organization on target.

Monitor and revise the plan as you go . As with any strategic plan, it’s important to closely monitor if your company is implementing it successfully and how you can adjust it for a better outcome.

2. Issue-based model

Also called goal-based planning model, this is essentially an extension of the basic strategic planning model. It’s a bit more dynamic and very popular for companies that want to create a more comprehensive plan.

Organizations with basic strategic planning experience

Businesses that are looking for a more comprehensive plan

Conduct a SWOT analysis . Assess your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with a SWOT analysis to get a better overview of what your strategic plan should focus on. We’ll give into how to conduct a SWOT analysis when we get into the strategic planning frameworks below.

Identify and prioritize major issues and/or goals. Based on your SWOT analysis, identify and prioritize what your strategic plan should focus on this time around.

Develop your main strategies that address these issues and/or goals. Aim to develop one overarching strategy that addresses your highest-priority goal and/or issue to keep this process as simple as possible.

Update or create a mission and vision statement . Make sure that your business’s statements align with your new or updated strategy. If you haven’t already, this is also a chance for you to define your organization’s values.

Create action plans. These will help you address your organization’s goals, resource needs, roles, and responsibilities. 

Develop a yearly operational plan document. This model works best if your business repeats the strategic plan implementation process on an annual basis, so use a yearly operational plan to capture your goals, progress, and opportunities for next time.

Allocate resources for your year-one operational plan. Whether you need funding or dedicated team members to implement your first strategic plan, now is the time to allocate all the resources you’ll need.

Monitor and revise the strategic plan. Record your lessons learned in the operational plan so you can revisit and improve it for the next strategic planning phase.

The issue-based plan can repeat on an annual basis (or less often once you resolve the issues). It’s important to update the plan every time it’s in action to ensure it’s still doing the best it can for your organization.

You don’t have to repeat the full process every year—rather, focus on what’s a priority during this run.

3. Alignment model

This model is also called strategic alignment model (SAM) and is one of the most popular strategic planning models. It helps you align your business and IT strategies with your organization’s strategic goals. 

You’ll have to consider four equally important, yet different perspectives when applying the alignment strategic planning model:

Strategy execution: The business strategy driving the model

Technology potential: The IT strategy supporting the business strategy

Competitive potential: Emerging IT capabilities that can create new products and services

Service level: Team members dedicated to creating the best IT system in the organization

Ideally, your strategy will check off all the criteria above—however, it’s more likely you’ll have to find a compromise. 

Here’s how to create a strategic plan using the alignment model and what kinds of companies can benefit from it.

Organizations that need to fine-tune their strategies

Businesses that want to uncover issues that prevent them from aligning with their mission

Companies that want to reassess objectives or correct problem areas that prevent them from growing

Outline your organization’s mission, programs, resources, and where support is needed. Before you can improve your statements and approaches, you need to define what exactly they are.

Identify what internal processes are working and which ones aren’t. Pinpoint which processes are causing problems, creating bottlenecks , or could otherwise use improving. Then prioritize which internal processes will have the biggest positive impact on your business.

Identify solutions. Work with the respective teams when you’re creating a new strategy to benefit from their experience and perspective on the current situation.

Update your strategic plan with the solutions. Update your strategic plan and monitor if implementing it is setting your business up for improvement or growth. If not, you may have to return to the drawing board and update your strategic plan with new solutions.

4. Scenario model

The scenario model works great if you combine it with other models like the basic or issue-based model. This model is particularly helpful if you need to consider external factors as well. These can be government regulations, technical, or demographic changes that may impact your business.

Organizations trying to identify strategic issues and goals caused by external factors

Identify external factors that influence your organization. For example, you should consider demographic, regulation, or environmental factors.

Review the worst case scenario the above factors could have on your organization. If you know what the worst case scenario for your business looks like, it’ll be much easier to prepare for it. Besides, it’ll take some of the pressure and surprise out of the mix, should a scenario similar to the one you create actually occur.

Identify and discuss two additional hypothetical organizational scenarios. On top of your worst case scenario, you’ll also want to define the best case and average case scenarios. Keep in mind that the worst case scenario from the previous step can often provoke strong motivation to change your organization for the better. However, discussing the other two will allow you to focus on the positive—the opportunities your business may have ahead.

Identify and suggest potential strategies or solutions. Everyone on the team should now brainstorm different ways your business could potentially respond to each of the three scenarios. Discuss the proposed strategies as a team afterward.

Uncover common considerations or strategies for your organization. There’s a good chance that your teammates come up with similar solutions. Decide which ones you like best as a team or create a new one together.

Identify the most likely scenario and the most reasonable strategy. Finally, examine which of the three scenarios is most likely to occur in the next three to five years and how your business should respond to potential changes.

5. Self-organizing model

Also called the organic planning model, the self-organizing model is a bit different from the linear approaches of the other models. You’ll have to be very patient with this method. 

This strategic planning model is all about focusing on the learning and growing process rather than achieving a specific goal. Since the organic model concentrates on continuous improvement , the process is never really over.

Large organizations that can afford to take their time

Businesses that prefer a more naturalistic, organic planning approach that revolves around common values, communication, and shared reflection

Companies that have a clear understanding of their vision

Define and communicate your organization’s cultural values . Your team can only think clearly and with solutions in mind when they have a clear understanding of your organization's values.

Communicate the planning group’s vision for the organization. Define and communicate the vision with everyone involved in the strategic planning process. This will align everyone’s ideas with your company’s vision.

Discuss what processes will help realize the organization’s vision on a regular basis. Meet every quarter to discuss strategies or tactics that will move your organization closer to realizing your vision.

6. Real-time model

This fluid model can help organizations that deal with rapid changes to their work environment. There are three levels of success in the real-time model: 

Organizational: At the organizational level, you’re forming strategies in response to opportunities or trends.

Programmatic: At the programmatic level, you have to decide how to respond to specific outcomes or environmental changes.

Operational: On the operational level, you will study internal systems, policies, and people to develop a strategy for your company.

Figuring out your competitive advantage can be difficult, but this is absolutely crucial to ensure success. Whether it’s a unique asset or strength your organization has or an outstanding execution of services or programs—it’s important that you can set yourself apart from others in the industry to succeed.

Companies that need to react quickly to changing environments

Businesses that are seeking new tools to help them align with their organizational strategy

Define your mission and vision statement. If you ever feel stuck formulating your company’s mission or vision statement, take a look at those of others. Maybe Asana’s vision statement sparks some inspiration.

Research, understand, and learn from competitor strategy and market trends. Pick a handful of competitors in your industry and find out how they’ve created success for themselves. How did they handle setbacks or challenges? What kinds of challenges did they even encounter? Are these common scenarios in the market? Learn from your competitors by finding out as much as you can about them.

Study external environments. At this point, you can combine the real-time model with the scenario model to find solutions to threats and opportunities outside of your control.

Conduct a SWOT analysis of your internal processes, systems, and resources. Besides the external factors your team has to consider, it’s also important to look at your company’s internal environment and how well you’re prepared for different scenarios.

Develop a strategy. Discuss the results of your SWOT analysis to develop a business strategy that builds toward organizational, programmatic, and operational success.

Rinse and repeat. Monitor how well the new strategy is working for your organization and repeat the planning process as needed to ensure you’re on top or, perhaps, ahead of the game. 

7. Inspirational model

This last strategic planning model is perfect to inspire and energize your team as they work toward your organization’s goals. It’s also a great way to introduce or reconnect your employees to your business strategy after a merger or acquisition.

Businesses with a dynamic and inspired start-up culture

Organizations looking for inspiration to reinvigorate the creative process

Companies looking for quick solutions and strategy shifts

Gather your team to discuss an inspirational vision for your organization. The more people you can gather for this process, the more input you will receive.

Brainstorm big, hairy audacious goals and ideas. Encouraging your team not to hold back with ideas that may seem ridiculous will do two things: for one, it will mitigate the fear of contributing bad ideas. But more importantly, it may lead to a genius idea or suggestion that your team wouldn’t have thought of if they felt like they had to think inside of the box.

Assess your organization’s resources. Find out if your company has the resources to implement your new ideas. If they don’t, you’ll have to either adjust your strategy or allocate more resources.

Develop a strategy balancing your resources and brainstorming ideas. Far-fetched ideas can grow into amazing opportunities but they can also bear great risk. Make sure to balance ideas with your strategic direction. 

Now, let’s dive into the most commonly used strategic frameworks.

8. SWOT analysis framework

One of the most popular strategic planning frameworks is the SWOT analysis . A SWOT analysis is a great first step in identifying areas of opportunity and risk—which can help you create a strategic plan that accounts for growth and prepares for threats.

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Here’s an example:

9. OKRs framework

A big part of strategic planning is setting goals for your company. That’s where OKRs come into play. 

OKRs stand for objective and key results—this goal-setting framework helps your organization set and achieve goals. It provides a somewhat holistic approach that you can use to connect your team’s work to your organization’s big-picture goals.  When team members understand how their individual work contributes to the organization’s success, they tend to be more motivated and produce better results

10. Balanced scorecard (BSC) framework

The balanced scorecard is a popular strategic framework for businesses that want to take a more holistic approach rather than just focus on their financial performance. It was designed by David Norton and Robert Kaplan in the 1990s, it’s used by companies around the globe to: 

Communicate goals

Align their team’s daily work with their company’s strategy

Prioritize products, services, and projects

Monitor their progress toward their strategic goals

Your balanced scorecard will outline four main business perspectives:

Customers or clients , meaning their value, satisfaction, and/or retention

Financial , meaning your effectiveness in using resources and your financial performance

Internal process , meaning your business’s quality and efficiency

Organizational capacity , meaning your organizational culture, infrastructure and technology, and human resources

With the help of a strategy map, you can visualize and communicate how your company is creating value. A strategy map is a simple graphic that shows cause-and-effect connections between strategic objectives. 

The balanced scorecard framework is an amazing tool to use from outlining your mission, vision, and values all the way to implementing your strategic plan .

You can use an integration like Lucidchart to create strategy maps for your business in Asana.

11. Porter’s Five Forces framework

If you’re using the real-time strategic planning model, Porter’s Five Forces are a great framework to apply. You can use it to find out what your product’s or service’s competitive advantage is before entering the market.

Developed by Michael E. Porter , the framework outlines five forces you have to be aware of and monitor:

Threat of new industry entrants: Any new entry into the market results in increased pressure on prices and costs. 

Competition in the industry: The more competitors that exist, the more difficult it will be for you to create value in the market with your product or service.

Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers can wield more power if there are less alternatives for buyers or it’s expensive, time consuming, or difficult to switch to a different supplier.

Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers can wield more power if the same product or service is available elsewhere with little to no difference in quality.

Threat of substitutes: If another company already covers the market’s needs, you’ll have to create a better product or service or make it available for a lower price at the same quality in order to compete.

Remember, industry structures aren’t static. The more dynamic your strategic plan is, the better you’ll be able to compete in a market.

12. VRIO framework

The VRIO framework is another strategic planning tool designed to help you evaluate your competitive advantage. VRIO stands for value, rarity, imitability, and organization.

It’s a resource-based theory developed by Jay Barney. With this framework, you can study your firmed resources and find out whether or not your company can transform them into sustained competitive advantages. 

Firmed resources can be tangible (e.g., cash, tools, inventory, etc.) or intangible (e.g., copyrights, trademarks, organizational culture, etc.). Whether these resources will actually help your business once you enter the market depends on four qualities:

Valuable : Will this resource either increase your revenue or decrease your costs and thereby create value for your business?

Rare : Are the resources you’re using rare or can others use your resources as well and therefore easily provide the same product or service?

Inimitable : Are your resources either inimitable or non-substitutable? In other words, how unique and complex are your resources?

Organizational: Are you organized enough to use your resources in a way that captures their value, rarity, and inimitability?

It’s important that your resources check all the boxes above so you can ensure that you have sustained competitive advantage over others in the industry.

13. Theory of Constraints (TOC) framework

If the reason you’re currently in a strategic planning process is because you’re trying to mitigate risks or uncover issues that could hurt your business—this framework should be in your toolkit.

The theory of constraints (TOC) is a problem-solving framework that can help you identify limiting factors or bottlenecks preventing your organization from hitting OKRs or KPIs . 

Whether it’s a policy, market, or recourse constraint—you can apply the theory of constraints to solve potential problems, respond to issues, and empower your team to improve their work with the resources they have.

14. PEST/PESTLE analysis framework

The idea of the PEST analysis is similar to that of the SWOT analysis except that you’re focusing on external factors and solutions. It’s a great framework to combine with the scenario-based strategic planning model as it helps you define external factors connected to your business’s success.

PEST stands for political, economic, sociological, and technological factors. Depending on your business model, you may want to expand this framework to include legal and environmental factors as well (PESTLE). These are the most common factors you can include in a PESTLE analysis:

Political: Taxes, trade tariffs, conflicts

Economic: Interest and inflation rate, economic growth patterns, unemployment rate

Social: Demographics, education, media, health

Technological: Communication, information technology, research and development, patents

Legal: Regulatory bodies, environmental regulations, consumer protection

Environmental: Climate, geographical location, environmental offsets

15. Hoshin Kanri framework

Hoshin Kanri is a great tool to communicate and implement strategic goals. It’s a planning system that involves the entire organization in the strategic planning process. The term is Japanese and stands for “compass management” and is also known as policy management. 

This strategic planning framework is a top-down approach that starts with your leadership team defining long-term goals which are then aligned and communicated with every team member in the company. 

You should hold regular meetings to monitor progress and update the timeline to ensure that every teammate’s contributions are aligned with the overarching company goals.

Stick to your strategic goals

Whether you’re a small business just starting out or a nonprofit organization with decades of experience, strategic planning is a crucial step in your journey to success. 

If you’re looking for a tool that can help you and your team define, organize, and implement your strategic goals, Asana is here to help. Our goal-setting software allows you to connect all of your team members in one place, visualize progress, and stay on target.

Related resources

Solve your tech overload with an intelligent transformation

9 steps to craft a successful go-to-market (GTM) strategy

Unmanaged business goals don’t work. Here’s what does.

How Asana uses work management to effectively manage goals

• school Campus Bookshelves
• menu_book Bookshelves
• perm_media Learning Objects
• login Login
• how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
• hub Instructor Commons
• Download Page (PDF)
• Download Full Book (PDF)
• Periodic Table
• Physics Constants
• Scientific Calculator
• Reference & Cite
• Tools expand_more
• Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

2.2: Three Frameworks for Ethical Problem-Solving in Business and the Professions

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 20497

• William Frey and Jose a Cruz-Cruz
• University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Module Introduction

In this module, you will learn and practice three frameworks designed to integrate ethics into decision making in the areas of practical and occupational ethics. The first framework divides the decision making process into four stages: problem specification, solution generation, solution testing, and solution implementation. It is based on an analogy between ethics and design problems that is detailed in a table presented below. The second framework focuses on the process of testing solution alternatives for their ethics by deploying three ethics tests that will help you to evaluate and rank alternative courses of action. The reversibility, harm, and publicity tests each "encapsulate" or summarize an important ethical theory. Finally, a feasibility test will help you to uncover interest, resource, and technical constraints that will affect and possibly impede the realization of your solution or decision. Taken together, these three frameworks will help steer you toward designing and implementing ethical solutions to problems in the professional and occupational areas.

Two online resources provide more extensive background information. The first, www.computingcases.org, provides background information on the ethics tests, socio-technical analysis, and intermediate moral concepts. The second, onlineethics.org/essays/educa.../teaching.html, explores in more detail the analogy between ethics and design problems. Much of this information will be published in Good Computing: A Virtue Approach to Computer Ethics, a textbook of cases and decision-making techniques in computer ethics that is being authored by Chuck Huff, William Frey, and Jose A. Cruz-Cruz.

Problem-Solving or Decision-Making Framework: Analogy between ethics and design

Traditionally, problem-solving frameworks in professional and occupational ethics have been taken from rational decision procedures used in economics. While these are useful, they lead one to think that ethical decisions are already "out there" waiting to be discovered. In contrast, taking a design approach to ethical decision making emphasizes that ethical decisions must be created, not discovered. This, in turn, emphasizes the importance of moral imagination and moral creativity. Carolyn Whitbeck in Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research describes this aspect of ethical decision making through the analogy she draws between ethics and design problems in chapter one. Here she rejects the idea that ethical problems are multiple-choice problems. We solve ethical problems not by choosing between ready-made solutions given with the situation; rather we use our moral creativity and moral imagination to design these solutions. Chuck Huff builds on this by modifying the design method used in software engineering so that it can help structure the process of framing ethical situations and creating actions to bring these situations to a successful and ethical conclusion. The key points in the analogy between ethical and design problems are summarized in the table presented just below.

Software Development Cycle: Four Stages

(1) problem specification, (2) solution generation, (3) solution testing, and (4) solution implementation.

Problem specification

Problem specification involves exercising moral imagination to specify the socio-technical system (including the stakeholders) that will influence and will be influenced by the decision we are about to make. Stating the problem clearly and concisely is essential to design problems; getting the problem right helps structure and channel the process of designing and implementing the solution. There is no algorithm available to crank out effective problem specification. Instead, we offer a series of guidelines or rules of thumb to get you started in a process that is accomplished by the skillful exercise of moral imagination.

For a broader problem framing model see Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins, Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 2nd Edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2000, pp. 30-56. See also Cynthia Brincat and Victoria Wike, Morality and Professional Life: Values at Work, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.

Different Ways of Specifying the Problem

• Many problems can be specified as disagreements. For example, you disagree with your supervisor over the safety of the manufacturing environment. Disagreements over facts can be resolved by gathering more information. Disagreements over concepts (you and your supervisor have different ideas of what safety means) require working toward a common definition.
• Other problems involve conflicting values. You advocate installing pollution control technology because you value environmental quality and safety. Your supervisor resists this course of action because she values maintaining a solid profit margin. This is a conflict between a moral value (safety and environmental quality) and a nonmoral value (solid profits). Moral values can also conflict with one another in a given situation. Using John Doe lawsuits to force Internet Service Providers to reveal the real identities of defamers certainly protects the privacy and reputations of potential targets of defamation. But it also places restrictions on legitimate free speech by making it possible for powerful wrongdoers to intimidate those who would publicize their wrongdoing. Here the moral values of privacy and free speech are in conflict. Value conflicts can be addressed by harmonizing the conflicting values, compromising on conflicting values by partially realizing them, or setting one value aside while realizing the other (=value trade offs).
• If you specify your problem as a disagreement, you need to describe the facts or concepts about which there is disagreement.
• If you specify your problem as a conflict, you need to describe the values that conflict in the situation.
• One useful way of specifying a problem is to carry out a stakeholder analysis. A stakeholder is any group or individual that has a vital interest at risk in the situation. Stakeholder interests frequently come into conflict and solving these conflicts requires developing strategies to reconcile and realize the conflicting stakes.
• Another way of identifying and specifying problems is to carry out a socio-technical analysis. Socio-technical systems (STS) embody values. Problems can be anticipated and prevented by specifying possible value conflicts. Integrating a new technology, procedure, or policy into a socio-technical system can create three kinds of problem. (1) Conflict between values in the technology and those in the STS. For example, when an attempt is made to integrate an information system into the STS of a small business, the values present in an information system can conflict with those in the socio-technical system. (Workers may feel that the new information system invades their privacy.) (2) Amplification of existing value conflicts in the STS. The introduction of a new technology may magnify an existing value conflict. Digitalizing textbooks may undermine copyrights because digital media is easy to copy and disseminate on the Internet. (3) Harmful consequences. Introducing something new into a socio-technical system may set in motion a chain of events that will eventually harm stakeholders in the socio-technical system. For example, giving laptop computers to public school students may produce long term environmental harm when careless disposal of spent laptops releases toxic materials into the environment.
• The following table helps summarize some of these problem categories and then outlines generic solutions.

The materials on moral ecologies come from Huff, C., Barnard, L., and Frey, W. (2008). “Good computing: a pedagogically focused model of virtue in the practice of computing (parts 1 and 2)”, Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Volume 6, Issues 3 and 4: 246-316. See also, Michael Davis, Thinking Like An Engineer, Oxford, 1998, 119-156.

Instructions for Using Problem Classification Table

• Is your problem a conflict? Moral versus moral value? Moral versus non-moral values? Non-moral versus non-moral values? Identify the conflicting values as concisely as possible. Example: In Toysmart, the financial values of creditors come into conflict with the privacy of individuals in the database: financial versus privacy values.
• Is your problem a disagreement? Is the disagreement over basic facts? Are these facts observable? Is it a disagreement over a basic concept? What is the concept? Is it a factual disagreement that, upon further reflection, changes into a conceptual disagreement?
• Does your problem arise from an impending harm? What is the harm? What is its magnitude? What is the probability that it will occur?
• If your problem is a value conflict then can these values be fully integrated in a value integrating solution? Or must they be partially realized in a compromise or traded off against one another?
• If your problem is a factual disagreement, what is the procedure for gathering the required information, if this is feasible?
• If your problem is a conceptual disagreement, how can this be overcome? By consulting a government policy or regulation? (OSHA on safety for example.) By consulting a theoretical account of the value in question? (Reading a philosophical analysis of privacy.) By collecting past cases that involve the same concept and drawing analogies and comparisons to the present case?

Moral Ecologies

• "Moral Ecology" refers to the organization in which one works. Calling this organization an "ecology" conveys the idea that it is a system of interrelated parts. These "ecologies" differ depending on the content of the organization's central, identity-conferring values.
• In finance-driven companies, financial values form the core of the organization's identity. Ethical advocacy requires skills in bringing ethical issues to the attention of decision-makers and getting them to take these issues seriously. It helps to state ethical concerns in multi-disciplinary language. (For example, show that ignoring ethical concerns will cost the company money in the long run.)
• Customer-driven ecologies place customer values like usability, affordability, and efficiency, in the forefront of group deliberation and decision-making. Often, one must play the role of "ethics advocate" in deliberation and decision-making. One is expected to argue forcefully and persistently ("go to the mat") to make sure that ethical considerations are integrated into group deliberations and decision-making.
• Quality-driven companies place ethical values into the core of group deliberations and decision-making. Here one is not so much ethics advocate as ethics enabler. This new role requires that one help one's group find creative ways of integrating ethical values with other concerns like customer and financial values.

If you are having problems specifying your problem

• Try identifying the stakeholders. Stakeholders are any group or individual with a vital interest at stake in the situation at hand.
• Project yourself imaginatively into the perspectives of each stakeholder. How does the situation look from their standpoint? What are their interests? How do they feel about their interests?
• Compare the results of these different imaginative projections. Do any stakeholder interests conflict? Do the stakeholders themselves stand in conflict?
• If the answer to one or both of these questions is "yes" then this is your problem statement. How does one reconcile conflicting stakeholders or conflicting stakeholder interests in this situation?

Framing Your Problem

• We miss solutions to problems because we choose to frame them in only one way.
• For example, the Mountain Terrorist Dilemma is usually framed in only one way: as a dilemma, that is, a forced decision between two equally undesirable alternatives. (Gilbane Gold is also framed as a dilemma: blow the whistle on Z-Corp or go along with the excess polution.)
• Framing a problem differently opens up new horizons of solution. Your requirement from this point on in the semester is to frame every problem you are assigned in at least two different ways.
• For examples of how to frame problems using socio-technical system analysis see module m14025.
• These different frames are summarized in the next box below.

Different Frames for Problems

• Technical Frame: Engineers frame problems technically, that is, they specify a problem as raising a technical issue and requiring a technical design for its resolution. For example, in the Hughes case, a technical frame would raise the problem of how to streamline the manufacturing and testing processes of the chips.
• Physical Frame: In the Laminating Press case, the physical frame would raise the problem of how the layout of the room could be changed to reduce the white powder. Would better ventilation eliminate or mitigate the white powder problem?
• Social Frame: In the "When in Aguadilla" case, the Japanese engineer is uncomfortable working with the Puerto Rican woman engineer because of social and cultural beliefs concerning women still widely held by men in Japan. Framing this as a social problem would involve asking whether there would be ways of getting the Japanese engineer to see things from the Puerto Rican point of view.
• Financial or Market-Based Frames: The DOE, in the Risk Assessment case below, accuses the laboratory and its engineers of trying to extend the contract to make more money. The supervisor of the head of the risk assessment team pressures the team leader to complete the risk assessment as quickly as possible so as not to lose the contract. These two framings highlight financial issues.
• Managerial Frame: As the leader of the Puerto Rican team in the "When in Aguadilla" case, you need to exercise leadership in your team. The refusal of the Japanese engineer to work with a member of your team creates a management problem. What would a good leader, a good manager, do in this situation? What does it mean to call this a management problem? What management strategies would help solve it?
• Legal Frame: OSHA may have clear regulations concerning the white powder produced by laminating presses. How can you find out about these regulations? What would be involved in complying with them? If they cost money, how would you get this money? These are questions that arise when you frame the Laminating Press case as a legal problem.
• Environmental Framing: Finally, viewing your problem from an environmental frame leads you to consider the impact of your decision on the environment. Does it harm the environment? Can this harm be avoided? Can it be mitigated? Can it be offset? (Could you replant elsewhere the trees you cut down to build your new plant?) Could you develop a short term environmental solution to "buy time" for designing and implementing a longer term solution? Framing your problem as an environmental problem requires that you ask whether this solution harms the environment and whether this harming can be avoided or remedied in some other way.

Solution Generation

In solution generation, agents exercise moral creativity by brainstorming to come up with solution options designed to resolve the disagreements and value conflicts identified in the problem specification stage. Brainstorming is crucial to generating nonobvious solutions to difficult, intractable problems. This process must take place within a non-polarized environment where the members of the group respect and trust one another. (See the module on the Ethics of Group Work for more information on how groups can be successful and pitfalls that commonly trip up groups.) Groups effectively initiate the brainstorming process by suspending criticism and analysis. After the process is completed (say, by meeting a quota), then participants can refine the solutions generated by combining them, eliminating those that don't fit the problem, and ranking them in terms of their ethics and feasibility. If a problem can't be solved, perhaps it can be dissolved through reformulation. If an entire problem can't be solved, perhaps the problem can be broken down into parts some of which can be readily solved.

Having trouble generating solutions?

• One of the most difficult stages in problem-solving is to jump-start the process of brainstorming solutions. If you are stuck then here are some generic options guaranteed to get you "unstuck."
• Gather Information: Many disagreements can be resolved by gathering more information. Because this is the easiest and least painful way of reaching consensus, it is almost always best to start here. Gathering information may not be possible because of different constraints: there may not be enough time, the facts may be too expensive to gather, or the information required goes beyond scientific or technical knowledge. Sometimes gathering more information does not solve the problem but allows for a new, more fruitful formulation of the problem. Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins in Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases show how solving a factual disagreement allows a more profound conceptual disagreement to emerge.
• Nolo Contendere. Nolo Contendere is Latin for not opposing or contending. Your interests may conflict with your supervisor but he or she may be too powerful to reason with or oppose. So your only choice here is to give in to his or her interests. The problem with nolo contendere is that non-opposition is often taken as agreement. You may need to document (e.g., through memos) that your choosing not to oppose does not indicate agreement.
• Negotiate. Good communication and diplomatic skills may make it possible to negotiate a solution that respects the different interests. Value integrative solutions are designed to integrate conflicting values. Compromises allow for partial realization of the conflicting interests. (See the module, The Ethics of Team Work, for compromise strategies such as logrolling or bridging.) Sometimes it may be necessary to set aside one's interests for the present with the understanding that these will be taken care of at a later time. This requires trust.
• Oppose. If nolo contendere and negotiation are not possible, then opposition may be necessary. Opposition requires marshaling evidence to document one's position persuasively and impartially. It makes use of strategies such as leading an "organizational charge" or "blowing the whistle." For more on whistle-blowing consult the discussion of whistleblowing in the Hughes case that can be found in computing cases.
• Exit. Opposition may not be possible if one lacks organizational power or documented evidence. Nolo contendere will not suffice if non-opposition implicates one in wrongdoing. Negotiation will not succeed without a necessary basis of trust or a serious value integrative solution. As a last resort, one may have to exit from the situation by asking for reassignment or resigning.

Refining solutions

• Are any solutions blatantly unethical or unrealizable?
• Do any solutions overlap? Can these be integrated into broader solutions?
• Can solutions be brought together as courses of action that can be pursued simultaneously?
• Go back to the problem specification? Can any solutions be eliminated because they do not address the problem? (Or can the problem be revised to better fit what, intuitively, is a good solution.)
• Can solutions be brought together as successive courses of action? For example, one solution represents Plan A; if it does not work then another solution, Plan B, can be pursued. (You negotiate the problem with your supervisor. If she fails to agree, then you oppose your supervisor on the grounds that her position is wrong. If this fails, you conform or exit.)
• The goal here is to reduce the solution list to something manageable, say, a best, a second best, and a third best. Try adding a bad solution to heighten strategic points of comparison. The list should be short so that the remaining solutions can be intensively examined as to their ethics and feasibility.

Solution Testing: The solutions developed in the second stage must be tested in various ways.

• Reversibility: Would I still think the choice of this option good if I were one of those adversely affected by it? (Davis uses this formulation in various publications.) I identify different stakeholders and then take up their roles. Through this imaginative projection, I should consider how the action under consideration will affect them and how they will view, interpret, and experience this affect.
• Harm: Does this option do less harm than any available alternative? Here I try to design an action that will minimize harmful effects. I should factor in the likely results of the action under consideration but I should also evaluate how justly these results will be distributed among stakeholders.
• Publicity: What kind of person will I become if I choose this action? This is Davis' formulation of this test as a virtue test. The key to this test is that you associate the agent with the action. If I (the agent) am publicly judged as a person in terms of this action, what does this say about me as a person? Am I comfortable being judged an irresponsible person on the basis of my being identified with my irresponsible action?
• Meta-Test - Convergence: Do a quick inventory here. Do the ethics tests come together and agree on ranking this solution as a strong one? Then this solution satisfies the convergence meta-test and this provides independent evidence of the strength of the solution.
• Meta-Test - Divergence: Again, do a quick inventory of your solution evaluation matrix results to this point. Do the tests differ or diverge on this point? This is independent evidence of the weakness of this solution. Think about why this solution may be strong under one test but weak under the others.
• The solution evaluation matrix presented just below models and summarizes the solution testing process.

Solution Implementation

The chosen solution must be examined in terms of how well it responds to various situational constraints that could impede its implementation. What will be its costs? Can it be implemented within necessary time constraints? Does it honor recognized technical limitations or does it require pushing these back through innovation and discovery? Does it comply with legal and regulatory requirements? Finally, could the surrounding organizational, political, and social environments give rise to obstacles to the implementation of the solution? In general this phase requires looking at interest, technical, and resource constraints or limitations. A Feasibility Matrix helps to guide this process.

The Feasibility Tests focuses on situational constraints. How could these hinder the implementation of the solution? Should the solution be modified to ease implementation? Can the constraints be removed or remodeled by negotiation, compromise, or education? Can implementation be facilitated by modifying both the solution and changing the constraints?

Different Feasibility Constraints

• The Feasibility Test identifies the constraints that could interfere with realizing a solution. This test also sorts out these constraints into resource (time, cost, materials), interest (individuals, organizations, legal, social, political), and technical limitations. By identifying situational constraints, problem-solvers can anticipate implementation problems and take early steps to prevent or mitigate them.
• Time. Is there a deadline within which the solution has to be enacted? Is this deadline fixed or negotiable?
• Financial. Are there cost constraints on implementing the ethical solution? Can these be extended by raising more funds? Can they be extended by cutting existing costs? Can agents negotiate for more money for implementation?
• Technical. Technical limits constrain the ability to implement solutions. What, then, are the technical limitations to realizing and implementing the solution? Could these be moved back by modifying the solution or by adopting new technologies?
• Manufacturability. Are there manufacturing constraints on the solution at hand? Given time, cost, and technical feasibility, what are the manufacturing limits to implementing the solution? Once again, are these limits fixed or flexible, rigid or negotiable?
• Legal. How does the proposed solution stand with respect to existing laws, legal structures, and regulations? Does it create disposal problems addressed in existing regulations? Does it respond to and minimize the possibility of adverse legal action? Are there legal constraints that go against the ethical values embodied in the solution? Again, are these legal constraints fixed or negotiable?
• Individual Interest Constraints. Individuals with conflicting interests may oppose the implementation of the solution. For example, an insecure supervisor may oppose the solution because he fears it will undermine his authority. Are these individual interest constraints fixed or negotiable?
• Organizational. Inconsistencies between the solution and the formal or informal rules of an organization may give rise to implementation obstacles. Implementing the solution may require support of those higher up in the management hierarchy. The solution may conflict with organization rules, management structures, traditions, or financial objectives. Once again, are these constraints fixed or flexible?
• Social, Cultural, or Political. The socio-technical system within which the solution is to be implemented contains certain social structures, cultural traditions, and political ideologies. How do these stand with respect to the solution? For example, does a climate of suspicion of high technology threaten to create political opposition to the solution? What kinds of social, cultural, or political problems could arise? Are these fixed or can they be altered through negotiation, education, or persuasion?

Ethics Tests For Solution Evaluation

Three ethics tests (reversibility, harm/beneficence, and public identification) encapsulate three ethical approaches (deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics) and form the basis of stage three of the SDC, solution testing. A fourth test (a value realization test) builds upon the public identification/virtue ethics test by evaluating a solution in terms of the values it harmonizes, promotes, protects, or realizes. Finally a code test provides an independent check on the ethics tests and also highlights intermediate moral concepts such as safety, health, welfare, faithful agency, conflict of interest, confidentiality, professional integrity, collegiality, privacy, property, free speech, and equity/access). The following section provides advice on how to use these tests. More information can be found at www.computingcases.org.

Setting Up the Ethics Tests: Pitfalls to avoid

Set-Up Pitfalls: Mistakes in this area lead to the analysis becoming unfocused and getting lost in irrelevancies. (a) Agent-switching where the analysis falls prey to irrelevancies that crop up when the test application is not grounded in the standpoint of a single agent, (b) Sloppy action-description where the analysis fails because no specific action has been tested, (c) Test-switching where the analysis fails because one test is substituted for another. (For example, the public identification and reversibility tests are often reduced to the harm/beneficence test where harmful consequences are listed but not associated with the agent or stakeholders.)

Set up the test

• Identify the agent (the person who is going to perform the action)
• Describe the action or solution that is being tested (what the agent is going to do or perform)
• Identify the stakeholders (those individuals or groups who are going to be affected by the action), and their stakes (interests, values, goods, rights, needs, etc.
• Identify, sort out, and weigh the consequences (the results the action is likely to bring about)

Harm/Beneficence Test

• What harms would accompany the action under consideration? Would it produce physical or mental suffering, impose financial or non-financial costs, or deprive others of important or essential goods?
• What benefits would this action bring about? Would it increase safety, quality of life, health, security, or other goods both moral and non-moral?
• What is the magnitude of each these consequences? Magnitude includes likelihood it will occur (probability), the severity of its impact (minor or major harm) and the range of people affected.
• Identify one or two other viable alternatives and repeat these steps for them. Some of these may be modifications of the basic action that attempt to minimize some of the likely harms. These alternatives will establish a basis for assessing your alternative by comparing it with others.
• Decide on the basis of the test which alternative produces the best ratio of benefits to harms?
• Check for inequities in the distribution of harms and benefits. Do all the harms fall on one individual (or group)? Do all of the benefits fall on another? If harms and benefits are inequitably distributed, can they be redistributed? What is the impact of redistribution on the original solution imposed?

Pitfalls of the Harm/Beneficence Test

• “Paralysis of Analysis" comes from considering too many consequences and not focusing only on those relevant to your decision.
• Incomplete Analysis results from considering too few consequences. Often it indicates a failure of moral imagination which, in this case, is the ability to envision the consequences of each action alternative.
• Failure to compare different alternatives can lead to a decision that is too limited and one-sided.
• Failure to weigh harms against benefits occurs when decision-makers lack the experience to make the qualitative comparisons required in ethical decision making.
• Finally, justice failures result from ignoring the fairness of the distribution of harms and benefits. This leads to a solution which may maximize benefits and minimize harms but still give rise to serious injustices in the distribution of these benefits and harms.

Reversibility Test

• Set up the test by (i) identifying the agent, (ii) describing the action, and (iii) identifying the stakeholders and their stakes.
• Use the stakeholder analysis to identify the relations to be reversed.
• Reverse roles between the agent (you) and each stakeholder: put them in your place (as the agent) and yourself in their place (as the one subjected to the action).
• If you were in their place, would you still find the action acceptable?

Cross Checks for Reversibility Test (These questions help you to check if you have carried out the reversibility test properly.)

• Does the proposed action treat others with respect? (Does it recognize their autonomy or circumvent it?)
• Does the action violate the rights of others? (Examples of rights: free and informed consent, privacy, freedom of conscience, due process, property, freedom of expression)
• Would you recommend that this action become a universal rule?
• Are you, through your action, treating others merely as means?

Pitfalls of the Reversibility Test

• Leaving out a key stakeholder relation
• Failing to recognize and address conflicts between stakeholders and their conflicting stakes
• Confusing treating others with respect with capitulating to their demands (“Reversing with Hitler”)
• Failing to reach closure, i.e., an overall, global reversal assessment that takes into account all the stakeholders the agent has reversed with.

Steps in Applying the Public Identification Test

• Set up the analysis by identifying the agent, describing the action, and listing the key values or virtues at play in the situation.
• Association the action with the agent.
• Describe what the action says about the agent as a person. Does it reveal him or her as someone associated with a virtue or a vice?

Alternative Version of Public Identification

• Does the action under consideration realize justice or does it pose an excess or defect of justice?
• Does the action realize responsibility or pose an excess or defect of responsibility?
• Does the action realize reasonableness or pose too much or too little reasonableness?
• Does the action realize honesty or pose too much or too little honesty?
• Does the action realize integrity or pose too much or too little integrity?

Pitfalls of Public Identification

• Action not associated with agent. The most common pitfall is failure to associate the agent and the action. The action may have bad consequences and it may treat individuals with respect but these points are not as important in the context of this test as what they imply about the agent as a person who deliberately performs such an action.
• Failure to specify moral quality, virtue, or value. Another pitfall is to associate the action and agent but only ascribe a vague or ambiguous moral quality to the agent. To say, for example, that willfully harming the public is bad fails to zero in on precisely what moral quality this ascribes to the agent. Does it render him or her unjust, irresponsible, corrupt, dishonest, or unreasonable? The virtue list given above will help to specify this moral quality.

Code of Ethics Test

• Does the action hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public, i.e., those affected by the action but not able to participate in its design or execution?
• Does the action maintain faithful agency with the client by not abusing trust, avoiding conflicts of interest, and maintaining confidences?
• Is the action consistent with the reputation, honor, dignity, and integrity of the profession?
• Does the action serve to maintain collegial relations with professional peers?
• The ethics and feasibility tests will not always converge on the same solution. There is a complicated answer for why this is the case but the simple version is that the tests do not always agree on a given solution because each test (and the ethical theory it encapsulates) covers a different domain or dimension of the action situation. Meta tests turn this disadvantage to your advantage by feeding the interaction between the tests on a given solution back into the evaluation of that solution.
• When the ethics tests converge on a given solution, this convergence is a sign of the strength and robustness of the solution and counts in its favor.
• When a given solution responds well to one test but does poorly under another, this is a sign that the solution needs further development and revision. It is not a sign that one test is relevant while the others are not. Divergence between test results is a sign that the solution is weak.

Application Exercise

You will now practice the four stages of decision making with a real-world case. This case, Risk Assessment, came from a retreat on Business, Science, and Engineering Ethics held in Puerto Rico in December 1998. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, Grant SBR 9810253.

Risk Assessment ScenarioCase Scenario: You supervise a group of engineers working for a private laboratory with expertise in nuclear waste disposal and risk assessment. The DOE (Department of Energy) awarded a contract to your laboratory six years ago to do a risk assessment of various nuclear waste disposal sites. During the six years in which your team has been doing the study, new and more accurate calculations in risk assessment have become available. Your laboratory’s study, however, began with the older, simpler calculations and cannot integrate the newer without substantially delaying completion. You, as the leader of the team, propose a delay to the DOE on the grounds that it is necessary to use the more advanced calculations. Your position is that the laboratory needs more time because of the extensive calculations required; you argue that your group must use state of the art science in doing its risk assessment. The DOE says you are using overly high standards of risk assessment to prolong the process, extend the contract, and get more money for your company. They want you to use simpler calculations and finish the project; if you are unwilling to do so, they plan to find another company that thinks differently. Meanwhile, back at the laboratory, your supervisor (a high level company manager) expresses to you the concern that while good science is important in an academic setting, this is the real world and the contract with the DOE is in jeopardy. What should you do?

Part One: Problem Specification

• Specify the problem in the above scenario. Be as concise and specific as possible
• Is your problem best specifiable as a disagreement? Between whom? Over what?
• Can your problem be specified as a value conflict? What are the values in conflict? Are the moral, nonmoral, or both?

Part Two: Solution Generation

• Quickly and without analysis or criticism brainstorm 5 to ten solutions
• Refine your solution list. Can solutions be eliminated? (On what basis?) Can solutions be combined? Can solutions be combined as plan a and plan b?
• If you specified your problem as a disagreement, how do your solutions resolve the disagreement? Can you negotiate interests over positions? What if your plan of action doesn't work?
• If you formulated your problem as a value conflict, how do your solutions resolve this conflict? By integrating the conflicting values? By partially realizing them through a value compromise? By trading one value off for another?

Part Three: Solution Testing

• Construct a solution evaluation matrix to compare two to three solution alternatives.
• Choose a bad solution and then compare to it the two strongest solutions you have.
• Be sure to avoid the pitfalls described above and set up each test carefully.

Part Four: Solution Implementation

• Develop an implementation plan for your best solution. This plan should anticipate obstacles and offer means for overcoming them.
• Prepare a feasibility table outlining these issues using the table presented above.
• Remember that each of these feasibility constraints is negotiable and therefore flexible. If you choose to set aside a feasibility constraint then you need to outline how you would negotiate the extension of that constraint.

Decision-Making Presentation

Problem Solving Presentation

Shortened Presentation for Fall 2012

Vigo Socio-Technical System Table and Problems

Test Rubric Fall 2009: Problem-Solving

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

The Art of Asking Smarter Questions

• Arnaud Chevallier,
• Frédéric Dalsace,
• Jean-Louis Barsoux

With organizations of all sorts facing increased urgency and unpredictability, being able to ask smart questions has become key. But unlike lawyers, doctors, and psychologists, business professionals are not formally trained on what kinds of questions to ask when approaching a problem. They must learn as they go. In their research and consulting, the authors have seen that certain kinds of questions have gained resonance across the business world. In a three-year project they asked executives to brainstorm about the decisions they’ve faced and the kinds of inquiry they’ve pursued. In this article they share what they’ve learned and offer a practical framework for the five types of questions to ask during strategic decision-making: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. By attending to each, leaders and teams can become more likely to cover all the areas that need to be explored, and they’ll surface information and options they might otherwise have missed.

These five techniques can drive great strategic decision-making.

Idea in Brief

The situation.

With organizations of all sorts facing increased urgency and uncertainty, the ability to ask smart questions has become key. But business professionals aren’t formally trained in that skill.

Why It’s So Challenging

Managers’ expertise often blinds them to new ideas. And the flow of questions can be hard to process in real time, so certain concerns and insights may never be raised.

Strategic questions can be grouped into five domains: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. By attending to each, leaders and teams are more likely to cover all the areas that need to be explored—and they’ll surface information and options they might otherwise have missed.

As a cofounder and the CEO of the U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, Jensen Huang operates in a high-velocity industry requiring agile, innovative thinking. Reflecting on how his leadership style has evolved, he told the New York Times, “I probably give fewer answers and I ask a lot more questions….It’s almost possible now for me to go through a day and do nothing but ask questions.” He continued, “Through probing, I help [my management team]…explore ideas that they didn’t realize needed to be explored.”

• Arnaud Chevallier is a professor of strategy at IMD Business School.
• Frédéric Dalsace is a professor of marketing and strategy at IMD.
• Jean-Louis Barsoux is a term research professor at IMD and a coauthor of ALIEN Thinking: The Unconventional Path to Breakthrough Ideas (PublicAffairs, 2021).

Partner Center