Problem Solving — The Step by Step Guide

7 Key Actionable Items for you

Oct 10, 2024

The moment which I recalled very clearly.

Sitting in our small conference room with my team, we were all frozen in front of our computers with no idea what to do.

We were only just days away from our product release and one of the key functionalities was not in its optimal state.

It was time-sensitive and ideas became scarce.

Panic set in.

But that day, I got to know one of the greatest lessons of problem-solving.

All that matters is not having the right answer, but how one would go about it, and what thinking style one has.

In this article, let me guide you through that journey and give you a step-by-step guide, That presents practical steps that are implemented with real-life scenarios.

Step 1

When a problem is presented, there is always an instinct to go straight to a solution.

But to that end, the ultimate secret starts with making sure you comprehend the issue.

In our case, it means that we have been working for a long time on those data, changing technical settings, without asking the question: what is the real problem here?

Actionable Takeaway: Diagnose Before You Treat

Before rushing into solutions, take a step back and ask:

What exactly is the problem?
What is right, symptoms or the cause?
Which stakeholders are implicated in the problem and why does it matter?

To be more precise, knowing how to frame the problem right is beneficial in the long run in terms of time.

In our product launch scenario, we were seeing that while the feature was problematic, the problem was not the feature but how it interacted with another part of the system. That spark of small ideas was a turning point.

Step 2

A problem can sometimes become so daunting.

The concept seems very generalized, what matters is how it is divided into smaller parts.

In our case, we identified three key areas:

Logical structure and coding
Algorithmic theory of the user process, and
The integration of the application into various other systems. For each, we developed a series of sub-tasks.

Actionable Takeaway: Divide and Conquer

If you are dealing with a big problem, then try to look for smaller problems that make up the big problem.

It is no longer a challenge and becomes easier to address. Ask yourself:

Is it possible to split this into separate parts?
What links are seen, and what links are not?

In our project, a distributed workload let the different team members tackle various parts without actually getting in each other’s way and hence resolve the issue faster.

Step 3

Pressure can cloud judgment.

On that day in the conference room as soon as we stopped reacting to panic, ideas emerged.

We concentrated on breathing exercises as well as changing our attitude towards a particular problem and collaboration.

Actionable Takeaway: Easier said than done, right?

Here’s how you can regain control over your reaction to stress.

Pause and take deep breaths.
Try and see stress not as a negative force but as something positive such as a positive challenge.
Mindfulness or even a few minutes of meditation will help you stay grounded.

This way, the members of our team were not pressured to act quickly and their cooperation improved, they were also able to share their thoughts more easily and this led to a solution being found much faster.

It wasn’t pressure that got the better of us, it was the way that we thought that did.

Step 4

However, after having outlined the problem, and categorizing it, it was time to come up with multiple solutions.

There was absolutely no concept childlike or foolish.

This idea came from one of my teammates and he was not part of technical staff of the organization and he proposed this joke of a solution.

We attempted it with unbelievable surprise that it was possible to do it.

Actionable Takeaway: Include Diverse Perspectives

It is advised to call people from different fields into a brainstorming session. This can be one of the main advantages of inviting new people to help: they can see something that insiders cannot.

To brainstorm effectively:

Instruct the timewise and let them come up with ideas frantically.
It is very unbeneficial to filter or judge at first — just let ideas come.

It made us not only think beyond code and look at the problem in a more broad perspective thanks to inputs from the non-technical people involved.

Step 5

Ideas, after brainstorming, were still to be experimented, on. Some failed.

Some were not as effective as required.

However every time a strategy failed, it gave insight on what does not work about the problem.

Every bankruptcy was leading up to the ultimate other answer.

Actionable Takeaway: Consider Failure as a Positive Resource

Always remember not to be afraid to test multiple methods. In some cases, death begins from that which does not succeed.

When you approach problem-solving, adopt a “test and learn” mentality:

Use one strategy at a time, and write down what you got as a result of the attempt.
This means you should assess your victories as well as your defeats to fine-tune the way you go about it.

Finally, we were not only able to cope with the mistake but also found several changes that would exclude such a problem in the future.

Step 6

After having addressed the core of the problem, other to comes to identifying the best way to disseminate the information among the rest of workforce.

We provided a long post-incident report, as to what happened, what actions were taken and what should be done to prevent such occurrences in future.

That way, all the people became wise to the outcome and it made our subsequent problem-solving different and effective.

Actionable Takeaway: Document and Share Solutions

Disregard option C, but when you solve a problem never walk away without first documenting the journey made. This helps teams grow collectively:

Summarize the problem in one paragraph and then summarize in the other two paragraphs how it was resolved from a process perspective.

It should be presented to your team, with recommendations for the future.

Step 7

Solving problems is also a skill that is acquire, and there is always room for improvement across different experiences.

After that project, I developed a great passion for enhancing some of the problem-solving strategies.

I had read many books, went to workshops, and enrolled in classes on critical thinking and the process of it.

Each new problem emerged as a chance to conduct what had been studied beforehand.

It should be understood that the ability to solve problems can be improved at all times. Keep learning:

One should Read books on critical and creative thinking- listen to podcasts as well as take courses online on them.

Do some puzzles or problems solving exercises at least once a week in order to keep your mind busy.

As the years went by I also realized that any problem I encountered I could face boldly and solutions took less time to be found.

Problem solving is a journey, and with the right tools, you can tackle anything. Whether it’s a technical glitch, a team conflict, or a personal challenge, these principles will guide you to find clarity and success. So the next time you find yourself stuck, take a deep breath and remember: every problem has a solution — you just need the right approach.

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