How Good is Your Problem By the

Mind Tools
Editorial Team

Solving?

Use a systematic
approach.

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Entienou

Good problem solving skills are fundamentally important

if you're going to be successful in your career.
But problems are something that we don't particularly like.

They're time-consuming.

They muscle their way into already packed schedules.

They force us to think about an uncertain future.

And they never seem to go away!

That's why, when faced with problems, most of us try to eliminate them as quickly as
possible. But have you ever chosen the easiest or most obvious solution – and then
realized that you have entirely missed a much better solution? Or have you found
yourself fixing just the symptoms of a problem, only for the situation to get much worse?

To be an effective problem-solver, you need to be systematic and logical in your

approach. This quiz helps you assess your current approach to problem solving. By
improving this, you'll make better overall decisions. And as you increase your
confidence with solving problems, you'll be less likely to rush to the first solution –
which may not necessarily be the best one.

Once you've completed the quiz, we'll direct you to tools and resources that can help
you make the most of your problem-solving skills.

How Good Are You at Solving Problems?

Instructions
For each statement, click the button in the column that best describes you. Please
answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you think you should be), and
don't worry if some questions seem to score in the 'wrong direction'. When you are
finished, please click the 'Calculate My Total' button at the bottom of the test.

Not at Very
16 Statements to Answer Rarely Sometimes Often
All Often

Once I choose a solution, I develop an

1
implementation plan with the sequence of
events necessary for completion.

After a solution has been implemented, I

2
immediately look for ways to improve the idea
and avoid future problems.

To avoid asking the wrong question, I take care

3
to define each problem carefully before trying to
solve it.

I strive to look at problems from different

4
perspectives and generate multiple solutions.

I try to address the political issues and other

5
consequences of the change I’m proposing so
that others will understand and support my

solution.
 I evaluate potential solutions carefully and
6
thoroughly against a predefined standard.

I systematically search for issues that may

7
become problems in the future.

When I decide on a solution, I make it happen –

8
no matter what opposition I may face.

I find that small problems often become much

9
bigger in scope, and thus very difficult to solve.

I ask myself lots of different questions about the

10
nature of the problem.

After my solution is implemented, I relax and

11
focus again on my regular duties.

I focus on keeping current operations running

12
smoothly and hope that problems don’t appear.

I evaluate potential solutions as I think of them.

13
When I need to find a solution to a problem, I
14
usually have all of the information I need to
solve it.

When evaluating solutions, I take time to think

15
about how I should choose between options.

Making a decision is the end of my problem-

16
solving process.

Calculate My Total Total = 0

Score Interpretation
Score Comment

16-36 You probably tend to view problems as negatives, instead of seeing them as opportunities
to make exciting and necessary change. Your approach to problem solving is more intuitive
than systematic, and this may have led to some poor experiences in the past. With more
practice, and by following a more structured approach, you'll be able to develop this
important skill and start solving problems more effectively right away. (Read below to start.)

37-58 Your approach to problem solving is a little "hit-and-miss." Sometimes your solutions work
really well, and other times they don't. You understand what you should do, and you
recognize that having a structured problem-solving process is important. However, you don't
always follow that process. By working on your consistency and committing to the process,
you'll see significant improvements. (Read below to start.)

59- You are a confident problem solver. You take time to understand the problem, understand
80 the criteria for a good decision, and generate some good options. Because you approach
problems systematically, you cover the essentials each time – and your decisions are well
though out, well planned, and well executed. You can continue to perfect your problem-
solving skills and use them for continuous improvement initiatives within your organization.
Skim through the sections where you lost points below, and sharpen your skills still further!
(Read below to start.)

Answering these questions should have helped you recognize the key steps associated
with effective problem solving.

This quiz is based on Min Basadur's Simplex problem-solving model. This eight-step
process follows the circular pattern shown below, within which current problems are
solved and new problems are identified on an ongoing basis.

Figure 1 – The Simplex Process

Below, we outline the tools and strategies you can use for each stage of the problem-
solving process. Enjoy exploring these stages!

Step 1: Find the Problem

(Questions 7, 12)

Some problems are very obvious, however others are not so easily identified. As part of
an effective problem-solving process, you need to look actively for problems – even
when things seem to be running fine. Proactive problem solving helps you avoid
emergencies and allows you to be calm and in control when issues arise.

These techniques can help you do this:

PEST Analysis helps you pick up changes to your environment that you should be
paying attention to. Make sure too that you're watching changes in customer needs
and market dynamics, and that you're monitoring trends that are relevant to your
industry.

Risk Analysis helps you identify significant business risks.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis helps you identify possible points of failure in
 your business process, so that you can fix these before problems arise.

After Action Reviews help you scan recent performance to identify things that can
be done better in the future.

Where you have several problems to solve, our articles on Prioritization and
Pareto Analysis help you think about which ones you should focus on first.

Step 2: Find the Facts

(Questions 10, 14)

After identifying a potential problem, you need information. What factors contribute to
the problem? Who is involved with it? What solutions have been tried before? What do
others think about the problem?

If you move forward to find a solution too quickly, you risk relying on imperfect
information that's based on assumptions and limited perspectives, so make sure that
you research the problem thoroughly.

Step 3: Define the Problem

(Questions 3, 9)

Now that you understand the problem, define it clearly and completely. Writing a clear
problem definition forces you to establish specific boundaries for the problem. This
keeps the scope from growing too large, and it helps you stay focused on the main
issues.

A great tool to use at this stage is CATWOE . With this process, you analyze potential
problems by looking at them from six perspectives, those of its Customers; Actors
(people within the organization); the Transformation, or business process; the World-
view, or top-down view of what's going on; the Owner; and the wider organizational
Environment. By looking at a situation from these perspectives, you can open your mind
and come to a much sharper and more comprehensive definition of the problem.

Cause and Effect Analysis is another good tool to use here, as it helps you think
about the many different factors that can contribute to a problem. This helps you
separate the symptoms of a problem from its fundamental causes.
Step 4: Find Ideas

(Questions 4, 13)

With a clear problem definition, start generating ideas for a solution. The key here is to
be flexible in the way you approach a problem. You want to be able to see it from as
many perspectives as possible. Looking for patterns or common elements in different
parts of the problem can sometimes help. You can also use metaphors and analogies
to help analyze the problem, discover similarities to other issues, and think of solutions
based on those similarities.

Traditional brainstorming and reverse brainstorming are very useful here. By

taking the time to generate a range of creative solutions to the problem, you'll
significantly increase the likelihood that you'll find the best possible solution, not just a
semi-adequate one. Where appropriate, involve people with different viewpoints to
expand the volume of ideas generated.

Tip:
Don't evaluate your ideas until step 5. If you do, this will limit your creativity at too early
a stage.

Step 5: Select and Evaluate

(Questions 6, 15)

After finding ideas, you'll have many options that must be evaluated. It's tempting at this
stage to charge in and start discarding ideas immediately. However, if you do this
without first determining the criteria for a good solution, you risk rejecting an alternative
that has real potential.

Decide what elements are needed for a realistic and practical solution, and think about
the criteria you'll use to choose between potential solutions.

Paired Comparison Analysis , Decision Matrix Analysis and Risk Analysis are
useful techniques here, as are many of the specialist resources available within our
Decision-Making section. Enjoy exploring these!
Step 6: Plan

(Questions 1, 16)

You might think that choosing a solution is the end of a problem-solving process. In fact,
it's simply the start of the next phase in problem solving: implementation. This involves
lots of planning and preparation. If you haven't already developed a full Risk Analysis
in the evaluation phase, do so now. It's important to know what to be prepared for as
you begin to roll out your proposed solution.

The type of planning that you need to do depends on the size of the implementation
project that you need to set up. For small projects, all you'll often need are Action Plans
that outline who will do what, when, and how. Larger projects need more
sophisticated approaches – you'll find out more about these in the Mind Tools Project
Management section. And for projects that affect many other people, you'll need to
think about Change Management as well.

Here, it can be useful to conduct an Impact Analysis to help you identify potential
resistance as well as alert you to problems you may not have anticipated. Force Field
Analysis will also help you uncover the various pressures for and against your
proposed solution. Once you've done the detailed planning, it can also be useful at this
stage to make a final Go/No-Go Decision , making sure that it's actually worth going
ahead with the selected option.

Step 7: Sell the Idea

(Questions 5, 8)

As part of the planning process, you must convince other stakeholders that your
solution is the best one. You'll likely meet with resistance, so before you try to “sell”
your idea, make sure you've considered all the consequences.

As you begin communicating your plan, listen to what people say, and make changes as
necessary. The better the overall solution meets everyone's needs, the greater its
positive impact will be! For more tips on selling your idea, read our article on Creating a
Value Proposition and use our Sell Your Idea Bite-Sized Training session.

Step 8: Act
(Questions 2, 11)

Finally, once you've convinced your key stakeholders that your proposed solution is
worth running with, you can move on to the implementation stage. This is the exciting
and rewarding part of problem solving, which makes the whole process seem
worthwhile.

This action stage is an end, but it's also a beginning: once you've completed your
implementation, it's time to move into the next cycle of problem solving by returning to
the scanning stage. By doing this, you'll continue improving your organization as you
move into the future.

Key Points

Problem solving is an exceptionally important workplace skill.

Being a competent and confident problem solver will create many opportunities for you.
By using a well-developed model like Simplex for solving problems, you can approach
the process systematically, and be comfortable that the decisions you make are solid.

Given the unpredictable nature of problems, it's very reassuring to know that, by
following a structured plan, you've done everything you can to resolve the problem to
the best of your ability.

This site teaches you the skills you need for a happy and successful career; and this is
just one of many tools and resources that you'll find here at Mind Tools. Subscribe to
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