The Complex Problem Solving Challenge
Problem solving is one of the most critical skills for life and business. It likely consumes the largest part of your day. It’s what you get paid to do. We’re all problem solvers to one extent or another, but to be an effective leader you need to be able to solve complex problems effectively and efficiently in a multivariate environment where folks have different perspectives and approaches. This article will provide you with 3 simple questions that will help guide you to frame out and solve the most complex of problems.
Solving complex problem, or executing complex projects, can be challenging because one needs to move from the current “problem” state to a future “resolved” state with the best solution in the shortest amount of time at the lowest possible cost. In addition, complex problems will vary widely across a number of factors including:
• Clarity
• Complexity
• Criticality
• Time sensitivity
• Impact
Even though an array of problem solving techniques exists, many folks still have difficulty approaching and addressing complex problems. Many continue to approach these problems in a disorganized manner; some apply the wrong tools or fall back to methods they’re familiar with, while others stumble through a quasi-problem solving process, ultimately not accomplishing their objective. This is where some folks, under pressure to appear assertive and maintain aggressive timelines, take premature actions, resulting in missteps and delays.
My Complex Problem
A few years ago, I was asked to lead a complex, unique, and challenging project. It had never been done before in my organization. Without going into the details, the problem was HR related, confidential in nature, analytically complex, and the result would affect the lives of hundreds of people for years to come. Although the team had an objective, we did not know where to begin and how to approach the problem because we’d never solved a problem like this before. The “3 Simple Questions” helped us frame out the problem, got the team moving in one cohesive direction, and enabled us to complete the effort successfully. Here are the “3 Simple Questions” …………
Question #1: What Do You Need to Define, Discover or Understand?
The only way to solve a problem is to first understand it. You need to understand the “Problem Space” clearly so that you know what elements to solve for. Question #1 is the step where you perform discovery. This question asks the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Example questions to prompt you to answer the main question might include the following:
– Who are you solving this problem for?
– Who is your customer?
– What is the problem definition?
– What are the elements, factors, or dependencies?
– When does the problem need to be resolved?
– Why are you solving this problem?
– Is there another related, dependent or higher priority problem that needs to be solved first?
– What discovery needs to be performed?
The result of answering these questions will be a list of items that you need to define, discover, or understand. I listed the questions and answers on the first tab of a spreadsheet, identifying them numerically, and marking them complete once answered because many lead to Question #2.
Question #2: What Decisions Do You Need to Make?
Problem solving involves making decisions and decisions shouldn’t be made until there is “just enough” understanding. In the problem solving cycle, decision making comes after the appropriate level of discovery, i.e. the answers that come out of Question #1. Decisions shouldn’t come prematurely (“ready, fire, aim” scenario) and they shouldn’t be unnecessarily delayed (risk of losing the window of opportunity). Question #2 identifies the definitive decisions that need to occur. Example prompting questions might include the following:
– What decisions need to be made in what priority order?
– When do decisions need to be made?
– Who needs to make what decisions?
– What are the predecessors and dependencies of the decisions?
The result of answering these questions identify the key decisions you need to make, who needs to make them and when. I listed them on the second tab of my spreadsheet, linking each decision to its related answer in Question #1. For decisions to have value, they should be followed by actions, the focus of Question #3.
Question #3: What Actions Do You Need to Take?
Once questions are answered and decisions are made, it’s time to figure out what actions to take. Question #3 identifies the actions that need to take place, who owns them, and when they need to happen. Example prompting questions might include:
– What are the appropriate actions to take and in what priority order?
– Does the team need to create and follow a to do list or a project plan?
– When do the actions need to be completed?
– Who owns what actions?
– What are the predecessors and dependencies of the actions?
The result of answering these questions identify the key actions you need to take, who needs to take them and when. I listed them on the third tab of my spreadsheet, linking each decision to its related answer in Question #2.
The last thing to consider is that decisions or actions may spawn new questions that should feed back to Question #1. The feedback loop captures these questions and starts the problem solving cycle again. Use of the “3 Simple Questions” doesn’t take the place of research, analytics, decision making methods, robust collaboration, or implementation strategies. Once discovery, decisions, and actions are fully satisfied though, your complex problem should be solved and your effort completed.
Hope this is useful for you!
