Problem Solving / 7.1 Define and Analyze the Problem Questions: 0 of 4 complete (0%) | 0 of 2 correct (0%)

Define and Analyze the Problem

Thinking is about making decisions and solving problems. Those times when you’re facing a tough decision or solving a difficult problem demand careful thinking. And once you’ve made your decision or solved the problem, you usually don’t need to worry about it any more.

Granted, some problems are more consequential than others. You’ll likely make dozens of decisions each morning before you leave your house, from what time to get up to which color of socks to wear. Most of these considerations won’t give you much trouble, so you’re unlikely to unleash the full power of your decision-making faculties. You’ll probably devote more time and thought to larger decisions related to career, relationships, financial problems, or reaching some long-sought goal like visiting Fiji or losing thirty pounds.

Most of your day is probably spent dealing with problems at work. Nearly everyone solves problems in their jobs: plumbers, doctors, cops, engineers, social workers, and stonemasons, just to name a few.

Then there are the overwhelming problems that go far beyond the scope of an individual life, but require many people to do their parts. These can be issues like managing a government, reducing poverty, or finding clean sources of energy.

When you do come in contact with a problem that is worth taking the time to think about, it sometimes helps to break the problem solving process into steps.1

The standard approach to solving a problem has these basic steps:

· Step One: Define the Problem

· Step Two: Analyze the Problem

· Step Three: Generate Options

· Step Four: Evaluate the Options

· Step Five: Make Your Decision

· Step Six: Implement and Reflect

Anwar’s Dilemma: A Problem Solving Case Study

Anwar has lived in a small town in New Hampshire for most of his adult life, where he has a good job as a high school music teacher and spends a significant part of his time taking care of his aging father, whose health has declined in the last few years.

His girlfriend of two years, Bridget, has gotten an offer for her dream job as a pastry chef at a high-end restaurant. The job is in New York City, and Bridget wants Anwar to relocate with her. Anwar is not sure what to do, largely because he knows that without someone checking in on his father regularly and running errands for him, Anwar’s father would most likely have to move to a nursing home.

To make a decision, Anwar decides to go through the six steps of solving a problem.

Step One: Define the Problem

To learn to think critically is to acquire explicit strategies for making better decisions and finding better solutions. When faced with a problem, it’s sometimes tempting to just jump in and start brainstorming ways to solve it. However, setting aside time to consider what your problem actually is about can make completing the later steps both easier and more productive. What is the question you’re really trying to answer or the problem you’re really trying to solve?

Depending on what your problem is, strategies for defining the problem will include the following components:

· Deciding that you are committed to finding a solution.

· Articulating why the decision is necessary.

· Stating the problem as clearly as possible.

· Rephrasing the problem in a new way.

· Detecting any sub-problems. Many perplexing problems are perplexing because they’re multifaceted.

While not every strategy would apply to every problem, applying some of these tips might look like this:

Anwar’s Dilemma: Defining the Problem