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Problem Solving Skills | SkillsYouNeed

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10-12 minutes

Everybody can benefit from having good problem solving skills as

we all encounter problems on a daily basis. Some of these
problems are obviously more severe or complex than others.

It would be wonderful to have the ability to solve all problems

efficiently and in a timely fashion without difficulty, unfortunately
though there is no one way in which all problems can be solved.

You will discover, as you read through our pages on problem

solving, that the subject is complex.

However well prepared we are for problem solving, there is always

an element of the unknown. Although planning and structuring will
help make the problem solving process more likely to be
successful, good judgement and an element of good luck will
ultimately determine whether problem solving was a success.

Interpersonal relationships fail and businesses fail because of poor

problem solving.

This is often due to either problems not being recognised or being

recognised but not being dealt with appropriately.

Problem solving skills are highly sought after by employers as

many companies rely on their employees to identify and solve

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 problems.

A lot of the work in problem solving involves understanding what

the underlying issues of the problem really are - not the symptoms.
Dealing with a customer complaint may be seen as a problem that
needs to be solved, and it's almost certainly a good idea to do so.
The employee dealing with the complaint should be asking what
has caused the customer to complain in the first place, if the cause
of the complaint can be eliminated then the problem is solved.

In order to be effective at problem solving you are likely to need

some other key skills, which include:

Creativity. Problems are usually solved either intuitively or

systematically. Intuition is used when no new knowledge is needed
- you know enough to be able to make a quick decision and solve
the problem, or you use common sense or experience to solve the
problem. More complex problems or problems that you have not
experienced before will likely require a more systematic and logical
approach to solve, and for these you will need to use creative
thinking. See our page on Creative Thinking for more information.

Researching Skills. Defining and solving problems often requires

you to do some research: this may be a simple Google search or a
more rigorous research project. See our Research Methods
section for ideas on how to conduct effective research.

Team Working. Many problems are best defined and solved with
the input of other people. Team working may sound like a 'work
thing' but it is just as important at home and school as well as in the
workplace. See our Team-Working page for more.

Emotional Intelligence. It is worth considering the impact that a

problem and/or its solution has on you and other people. Emotional

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 intelligence, the ability to recognise the emotions of yourself and
others, will help guide you to an appropriate solution. See our
Emotional Intelligence pages for more.

Risk Management. Solving a problem involves a certain amount of

risk - this risk needs to be weighed up against not solving the
problem. You may find our Risk Management page useful.

Decision Making. Problem solving and decision making are

closely related skills, and making a decision is an important part of
the problem solving process as you will often be faced with various
options and alternatives. See Decision Making for more.

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem

to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.

John Foster Dulles, Former US Secretary of State.

What is a Problem?

The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1995) defines a problem as:

“A doubtful or difficult matter requiring a solution”

and

“Something hard to understand or accomplish or deal with.”

It is worth also considering our own view of what a problem is.

We are constantly exposed to opportunities in life, at work, at

school and at home. However many opportunities are missed or not
taken full advantage of. Often we are unsure how to take
advantage of an opportunity and create barriers - reasons why we
can't take advantage. These barriers can turn a potentially positive
situation into a negative one, a problem.

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 Are we missing the 'big problem'? It is human nature to notice and
focus on small, easy to solve problems but much harder to work on
the big problems that may be causing some of the smaller ones.

It's useful to consider the following questions when faced with a

problem.

Is the problem real or perceived?

Is this problem really an opportunity?

Does the problem need solving?

All problems have two features in common: goals and barriers.

Goals

Problems involve setting out to achieve some objective or desired

state of affairs and can include avoiding a situation or event.

Goals can be anything that you wish to achieve, or where you want
to be. If you are hungry then your goal is probably to eat something.
If you are the head of an organisation (CEO), then your main goal
may be to maximise profits and this main goal may need to be split
into numerous sub-goals in order to fulfil the ultimate aim of
increasing profits.

Barriers

If there were no barriers in the way of achieving a goal, then there

would be no problem. Problem solving involves overcoming the
barriers or obstacles that prevent the immediate achievement of
goals.

Following our examples above, if you feel hungry then your goal is
to eat. A barrier to this may be that you have no food available - so

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 you take a trip to the supermarket and buy some food, removing
the barrier and thus solving the problem. Of course for the CEO
wanting to increase profits there may be many more barriers
preventing the goal from being reached. The CEO needs to attempt
to recognise these barriers and remove them or find other ways to
achieve the goals of the organisation.

Our problem solving pages provide a simple and structured

approach to problem solving.

The approach referred to is generally designed for problem solving

in an organisation or group context, but can also be easily adapted
to work at an individual level at home or in education.

Trying to solve a complex problem alone however can be a

mistake. The old adage "A problem shared is a problem halved" is
sound advice.

Talking to others about problems is not only therapeutic but can

help you see things from a different point of view, opening up more
potential solutions.

Stages of Problem Solving

Effective problem solving usually involves working through a

number of steps or stages, such as those outlined below.

Problem Identification:

This stage involves: detecting and recognising that there is a

problem; identifying the nature of the problem; defining the
problem.

The first phase of problem solving may sound obvious but often

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 requires more thought and analysis. Identifying a problem can be a
difficult task in itself. Is there a problem at all? What is the nature of
the problem, are there in fact numerous problems? How can the
problem be best defined? By spending some time defining the
problem you will not only understand it more clearly yourself but be
able to communicate its nature to others, which leads to the second
phase.

Structuring the Problem:

This stage involves: a period of observation, careful inspection,

fact-finding and developing a clear picture of the problem.

Following on from problem identification, structuring the problem is

all about gaining more information about the problem and
increasing understanding. This phase is all about fact finding and
analysis, building a more comprehensive picture of both the goal(s)
and the barrier(s). This stage may not be necessary for very simple
problems but is essential for problems of a more complex nature.

Looking for Possible Solutions:

During this stage you will generate a range of possible courses of

action, but with little attempt to evaluate them at this stage.

From the information gathered in the first two phases of the

problem solving framework it is now time to start thinking about
possible solutions to the identified problem. In a group situation this
stage is often carried out as a brain-storming session, letting each
person in the group express their views on possible solutions (or
part solutions). In organisations different people will have different
expertise in different areas and it is useful, therefore, to hear the

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 views of each concerned party.

Making a Decision:

This stage involves careful analysis of the different possible

courses of action and then selecting the best solution for
implementation.

This is perhaps the most complex part of the problem solving

process. Following on from the previous step it is now time to look
at each potential solution and carefully analyse it. Some solutions
may not be possible, due to other problems like time constraints or
budgets. It is important at this stage to also consider what might
happen if nothing was done to solve the problem - sometimes trying
to solve a problem that leads to many more problems requires
some very creative thinking and innovative ideas.

Finally, make a decision on which course of action to take - decision

making is an important skill in itself and we recommend that you
see our pages on decision making.

Implementation:

This stage involves accepting and carrying out the chosen course
of action.

Implementation means acting on the chosen solution. During

implementation more problems may arise especially if identification
or structuring of the original problem was not carried out fully.

Monitoring/Seeking Feedback:

The last stage is about reviewing the outcomes of problem solving

over a period of time, including seeking feedback as to the success

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 of the outcomes of the chosen solution.

The final stage of problem solving is concerned with checking that

the process was successful. This can be achieved by monitoring
and gaining feedback from people affected by any changes that
occurred. It is good practice to keep a record of outcomes and any
additional problems that occurred.

For more details on the stages of problem solving continue to

Identifying and Structuring Problems.

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