While digital professionals tend to be very focused on new technologies, tools, and techniques, my view is that the biggest driver of success would be their problem-solving skills. That is the biggest differentiator between top digital professionals and average ones.
Digital tools and techniques applied mechanically and without sharp problem-solving rigor rarely get you great outcomes. The challenge is that problem-solving skills are not easy to build in a programmatic fashion. These skills are built through coaching and nurturing and require the right role models and enterprise culture. Problem-solving skills are also soft skills that will stay with you for the rest of your lives. These will not change with a change in new technologies. We need to establish and appreciate the need for a structured problem-solving approach, which is breaking down any problem into several small steps so you can quickly get to the depth of it and come up with solutions.
So, what is structured problem-solving, and what are the seven steps to breaking down any problem into actionable steps? Let’s dive in.
Curriculum
- 8 Sections
- 7 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Step 1. Problem DefinitionLearn about the importance of identifying, “What are we trying to solve?”. Find out why we need to consider the decision-makers, stakeholders and the overall context of the problem.1
- Step 2. Problem DisaggregationLearn about the ‘hidden gem’ of a problem-solving approach. When you break down a big problem into smaller problems, using logic trees or issue trees, you build common understanding and make the problem solvable.1
- Step 3. Hypothesis Generation and PrioritizationFind out about the different approaches to hypothesis generation. The deductive or traditional approach involves extensive collection of data, analysis and conclusions based on the analyzed data. The inductive approach is about analyzing the hypotheses and taking an iterative feedback loop to arrive at conclusions.1
- Step 4. Work PlanningOnce the component parts are defined and prioritized, how do you link each part to a plan for fact-gathering and analysis?1
- Step 5. AnalysisThe importance of starting with a simple analysis and then go deeper. Avoid both “Boiling the ocean” and “Winging it.” Guard against analysis-paralysis, yet be objective and rigorous.1
- Step 6. SynthesisHow does one synthesize findings from analysis? These findings have to be assembled into a logical structure to test validity and then synthesized to convince others that you have a good solution.1
- Step 7. RecommendationsLearn the importance of constant communication. Be ready for multiple rounds of syndication. Ask yourself, how do I communicate in a compelling way? In other words, tell a great story.1
- Quiz1