Problem Solving and Decision Making

Much of what managers and supervisors do is solve problems and make decisions. Present day managers and supervisors are "under the gun" stressed situation and very short for time. As a new manager or supervisor, we should get used to an organized approach to problem solving and decision making. Not all problems can be solved and decisions made by the following, rather rational approach. However, the following basic guidelines will get you started.

1. Define the problem

This is often where people struggle. They react to what they think the problem is. Instead, seek to understand more about why you think there's a problem. Ask yourself and others, the following questions:
What can you see that causes you to think there's a problem? Where is it happening? How is it happening? When is it happening? With whom is it happening? (HINT: When we're stressed, blaming is often one of our first reactions. To be an effective manager, you need to address issues more than people.) Why is it happening?

2. Look at potential causes for the problem

It's critical to get input from other people who notice the problem and who are effected by it. It's often useful to collect input from other individuals one at a time. Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited about offering their impressions of the real causes of problems. Write down what your opinions and what you've heard from others. Regarding what you think might be performance problems associated with an employee, it's often useful to seek advice from a peer or your supervisor in order to verify your impression of the problem. Write down a description of the cause of the problem and in terms of what is happening, where, when, how, with whom and why.

3. Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem

At this point, it's useful to keep others involved (unless you're facing a personal and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem. Very simply put, brainstorming is collecting as many ideas as possible, then screening them to find the best idea. It's critical when collecting the ideas to not pass any judgment on the ideas -- just write them down as you hear them.

4. Select an approach to resolve the problem

When selecting the best approach, consider: Which approach is the most likely to solve the problem for the long term? Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the resources? Are they affordable? Do you have enough time to implement the approach? What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative?

5. Plan the implementation of the best alternative (your action plan)

Carefully consider "What will the situation look like when the problem is solved? What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the problem? What systems or processes should be changed in your organization, for example, a new policy or procedure? How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your indicators of the success of your plan) What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities? How much time will you need to implement the solution and when you expect to see certain indicators of success? Who will primarily be responsible for ensuring implementation of the plan? Write down the answers to the above questions and consider this as your action plan. Communicate the plan to those who will involved in implementing it and, at least, to your immediate supervisor. (An important aspect of this step in the problem-solving process is continually observation and feedback)

6. Monitor implementation of the plan

Monitor the indicators of success: Are you seeing what you would expect from the indicators? Will the plan be done according to schedule? If the plan is not being followed as expected, then consider: Was the plan realistic? Are there sufficient resources to accomplish the plan on schedule? Should more priority be placed on various aspects of the plan? Should the plan be changed?

7. Verify if the problem has been resolved or not

One of the best ways to verify if a problem has been solved or not is to resume normal operations in the organization. Still, you should consider: What changes should be made to avoid this type of problem in the future? Consider changes to policies and procedures, training, etc. Lastly, consider "What did you learn from this problem solving?" Consider new knowledge, understanding and/or skills. Consider writing a brief memo that highlights the success of the problem solving effort, and what you learned as a result. Share it with your supervisor, peers and subordinates.

Activity 1 Got my Problem

contd.
Purpose This exercise allows participants to use others knowledge or experience in solving their problems. The activity also encourages asking for help from colleagues and team mates in solving problems and coming up with a variety of solutions. Objective: Participants to suggest solutions to others problems. What You Need A sheet of A4 paper and a pen for each participant

contd.
Setup Ask participants to sit in a circle. Ask them to write down one ongoing problem they are facing in their professional or personal life on a sheet of paper. Each delegate then passes their paper to the person to their left. After receiving the paper from the delegate on their right, participants have to write down one possible solution to the problem on the sheet before passing it to the person on their left. Continue this until each sheet of paper has been returned to their original owner. Ask delegates to read through their sheet and pick the best solution. Ask them to share the problem and the solution with the rest of the group. Timing 15 minutes

Activity 2 Brainstorming or Expert

contd.
Purpose This exercise encourages creativity and helps delegates to come up with a larger variety of solutions. The activity also enables participants to evaluate and compare the influence and effect of using expert views in solving problems. This activity is suitable for groups of people who have access to Internet and phone during the training session. Objective Delegates to come up with solutions to a specific problem with and without the help from experts and sources of information. What You Need 1 page, Internet access Timing 10 min brainstorm/expert advice + 5 min record it = 15 minutes

contd.
Setup Divide the delegates to groups of 6 people. Write down the problem you want the delegates to solve. Select half of the groups and explain that they have 10 minutes to use the resources available to them such as Internet and/or phone to find more information related to the problem or even ask an expert for advice. The other groups should use this 10 minutes to brainstorm and come up with solutions for the proposed problem. At the end of 10 minutes, each group has 5 minutes to write down their best solutions. Collect the papers with the solutions from delegates. Get back together and initiate a discussion to find out the best solutions.

Activity 3 With my friends help

contd.
Purpose This exercise aims to introduce an effective method for problem solving and brainstorming within teams. It demonstrates the efficiency of using others experiences and expertise in solving problems and dealing with challenging situations. Objective A group of delegates to help solving a specific problem What You Need Chairs for delegates Paper and pen Timing 20 minutes

contd.
Setup Divide the delegates into groups of 5 people. Ask each group to sit in a circle with paper and pens nearby. Choose a member of the group randomly and ask him to explain his problem to the group as clearly as possible in 2 minutes. Once the problem has been stated, explain that others in the group have 5 minutes to ask any questions to clarify the problem and gain a better understanding of the issue. They, however, cannot offer any solutions. After 5 minutes, ask the delegate with the problem to push his chair backwards, out of the circle about a meter and ask him to quietly observe the session until instructed otherwise. Explain to the group that they have 10 minutes to explore the problem and brainstorm possible solutions. Ask the delegate with the problem to join the group in their discussion and offer suggestions. Give the person with the problem 2 minutes to explain what he has gained from this session and if the group has helped him to come up with any solutions.

TRAFFIC JAM
Set-up Person: A B C D W X Y Z Square: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Desired Result: Person: W X Y Z A B C D Square: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rules: One person at a time moves forward one square. Move only forward into an empty square in front of you or around someone going in the opposite direction to an empty square behind that person. The group must start over when: Anyone moves around someone going in the same direction. You can no longer move forward legally and have not completed exchanging places. Anyone on your team moves backwards.

Traditional 24 step Approach

1. D 4 moves to 5 2. W 6 moves to 4 3. X 7 moves to 6 4. D 5 moves to 7 5. C 3 moves to 5 6. B 2 moves to 3 7. W 4 moves to 2 8. X 6 moves to 4 9. Y 8 moves to 6 10. Z 9 moves to 8 11. D 7 moves to 9 12. C 5 moves to 7 13. B 3 moves to 5 14. A 1 moves to 3 15. W 2 moves to 1 16. X 4 moves to 2 17. Y 6 moves to 4 18. Z 8 moves to 6 19. C 7 moves to 8 20. B 5 moves to 7 21 A 3 moves to 5 22. Y 4 moves to 3 23. Z 6 moves to 4 24. A 5 moves to 6

A Creative Adaptation
In the first two phases the team learned how to solve the problem as previously outlined. In the third phase the team was challenged to develop a creative method to solve the problem in under 20 seconds. During a 20 minute planning session, the team created the following plan: L4 L3 L2 L1 R1 R2 R3 R4 As in the original problem, each person was assigned a specific square. But now each person was assigned a name based on the square (s)he was standing on, e.g., L2. Next, the team created the table below on a flipchart. Each person was assigned 3 specific moves, e.g., Person R4 had the moves #10, #18, and #23. With the flipchart as an visual aid, each person called out his/her move number and immediately moved forward to the empty square or around a person to the empty square. Thus, the activity began with L1 calling out 1 and immediately moving to the empty square. Then R1 called out 2 and immediately moved around the person facing her into the empty square. R2 called out 3 and immediately moved into the empty square. This process continued until L4 made the final move #24, completing the task in 15 seconds!