4. Having good, strong
problem solving
skills can make a
huge difference to
your career.
Problem Solving
Problems are at the center of what many people do at work every day.
Whether you're solving a problem for a client (internal or external),
supporting those who are solving problems, or discovering new
problems to solve, the problems you face can be large or small, simple
or complex, and easy or difficult.
A fundamental part of every individual is finding ways to solve them.
So, being a confident problem solver is really important to your
success.
Much of that confidence comes from having a good process to use
when approaching a problem. With one, you can solve problems
quickly and effectively. Without one, your solutions may be
ineffective, or you'll get stuck and do nothing, with sometimes painful
consequences.
PROBLEM SOLVING 04
5. PROBLEM SOLVING 05
Problem
Analysis
A Problem Analysis
investigates a
situation/problem in order to
allow the researcher to
understand more fully the
problem, in order to
recommend practical
solutions for solving it.
Problem Analysis determines the degree of the problem
and if the problem is a genuinely related to the specific site
under investigated.
For example, a workplace can request that a study be conducted to
estimate the cost and time involved in installing a new lighting
system because a number of employees have filed insurance claims
because of eye problems. Before investigating the cost of lighting, a
problem analysis would determine the degree that the lighting is
affecting employees or if the lighting is not actually the problem. It
may be that, after reviewing records, the eye problems are isolated
to workers in one particular shop. In this case, the problem analysis
study would recommend solutions related to this particular area.
6. Problem Analysis Procedure
A. Problem
- Identify the problem.
B. Background/ Research
- Conduct an interviews with employees, review company records, or conduct an onsite
investigation.
C. Findings
- Report the results of your investigation. Discuss each area of research, in the same order that
you investigated specific areas.
D. Conclusions
- From your findings, discuss the outcomes, what you determine are facts.
E. Recommendation
- Identify 3 recommendations that you believe will solve the problem.
PROBLEM SOLVING 06
7. Identifying the likely
causes of the problem.
Cause and Effect Analysis
(Also known as Cause and Effect Diagrams, Fishbone Diagrams,
Ishikawa Diagrams, Herringbone Diagrams, and Fishikawa
Diagrams.)
About the Tool
Cause and Effect Analysis was devised by professor Kaoru
Ishikawa, a pioneer of quality management, in the 1960s. The
technique was then published in his 1990 book, "Introduction to
Quality Control."
8. PROBLEM SOLVING 08
Cause and Effect Analysis
gives you a useful way of
doing this. This diagram-
based technique, which
combines Brainstorming
with a type of Mind Map ,
pushes you to consider all
possible causes of a
problem, rather than just
the ones that are most
obvious.
9. How to Use the Tool
Follow these steps to solve a problem with Cause and Effect
Analysis:
PROBLEM SOLVING 09
First, write down the exact problem you face. Where appropriate, identify
who is involved, what the problem is, and when and where it occurs.
Example:
In this simple example, a manager is having problems with an uncooperative
branch office.
Step 1: Identify the Problem
10. How to Use the Tool
Follow these steps to solve a problem with Cause and Effect
Analysis:
PROBLEM SOLVING 10
Next, identify the factors that may be part of the problem. These may be
systems, equipment, materials, external forces, people involved with the
problem, and so on.
Step 2: Work Out the Major Factors Involved
11. PROBLEM SOLVING 11
Example:
The manager identifies the following factors, and adds these to his diagram:
• Site
• Task
• People
• Equipment
• Control
12. How to Use the Tool
Follow these steps to solve a problem with Cause and Effect
Analysis:
PROBLEM SOLVING 12
Now, for each of the factors you considered in step 2, brainstorm possible
causes of the problem that may be related to the factor.
Show these possible causes as shorter lines coming off the "bones" of the
diagram. Where a cause is large or complex, then it may be best to break it
down into sub-causes. Show these as lines coming off each cause line.
Step 3: Identify Possible Causes
13. PROBLEM SOLVING 13
Example:
For each of the factors he identified in step 2, the manager brainstorms
possible causes of the problem, and adds these to his diagram.
14. How to Use the Tool
Follow these steps to solve a problem with Cause and Effect
Analysis:
PROBLEM SOLVING 14
By this stage you should have a diagram showing all of the possible causes
of the problem that you can think of.
Depending on the complexity and importance of the problem, you can now
investigate the most likely causes further. This may involve setting up
investigations, carrying out surveys, and so on. These will be designed to
test which of these possible causes is actually contributing to the problem.
Step 4: Analyze Your Diagram
Example:
The manager has now finished his analysis. If he hadn't looked at the problem this way, he
might have dealt with it by assuming that people in the branch office were "being difficult."
Instead he thinks that the best approach is to arrange a meeting with the Branch Manager. This
would allow him to brief the manager fully on the new strategy, and talk through any problems
that she may be experiencing.
15. SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis was first used to analyze businesses. Now it's often used by
governments, nonprofits, and individuals, including investors and entrepreneurs.
Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat Analysis
• Framework used to evaluate a company's competitive
position and to develop strategic planning.
• Assesses internal and external factors, as well as current and
future potential.
• Designed to facilitate a realistic, fact-based, data-driven look
at the strengths and weaknesses of an organization,
initiatives, or within its industry.
16.
17. SMART Objectives
This system gives organisations a smarter way of setting objectives.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely
• George T. Doran reportedly coined the phrase SMART objec-
tives back in 1981. Since then, the acronym has evolved and
experienced a number of iterations — meaning different man-
agers define SMART objectives in different ways.
• Put very simply, SMART objectives (or SMART goals) are a
form of objective setting which allows managers and employ-
ees to create, track and accomplish, short-and-long-term
goals.
18. S M A R T
The “S” in SMART usually stands for specific, to ensure the objective is not vague. Unclear objectives
are a recipe for disaster and leave employees uncertainties.
For example:
“Increase Sales” is far from a specific objective. An employee might question: more sales of what?
How many more sales? By when? This uncertainty will only add to stress levels.
A specific objective would be:
“Increase sales of advertising space this calendar year by 15%”.
This gives employees a clearer idea about what to achieve and by when.
19. S M A R T
• When it comes to the SMART objectives definition, “M” nearly always stands for measurable.
• It is important for both an employee and their manager to understand what success looks like for
the objective. This is the only way both parties will know if the objective has been achieved. This is
why objectives need to be trackable, measurable goals.
20. S M A R T
• This letter is where some variance occurs between different SMART objective definitions. The
most common variations are achievable and agreed.
• Achievable over attainable, as the word sounds slightly less bureaucratic. On the other hand, if the
employee has the freedom to create their own objectives to a certain extent, the goal is far more
likely to be achieved, and to a high standard.
• Agreed point is an important one — all objectives should be agreed by both the individual and the
manager in question. If the objective is forced upon the individual by the manager, there will be no
ownership on behalf of the individual and the objective is less likely to be achieved.
21. S M A R T
• An effective performance objective should be relevant to what the organisation and/or the team
needs to achieve. Otherwise, objectives could be successfully delivered but have no impact on the
overall performance of the organisation — defeating the ultimate purpose of performance man-
agement.
22. S M A R T
• It is very important that objectives have a target date, or a time frame for when they should be
completed — hence time-bound. This not only provides a sense of urgency but also helps when it
comes to reviewing whether or not the objective has been successfully achieved.
23. GANTT Chart
A Gantt chart is a bar chart that provides a
visual view of project tasks scheduled over
time. A Gantt chart is used for project planning:
it’s a useful way of showing what work is
scheduled to be done on specific days. It helps
project managers and team members view the
start dates, end dates and milestones of a
project schedule in one simple stacked bar
chart.
To complete a project successfully, you must
control a large number of activities, and ensure
that they're completed on schedule. If you miss
a deadline or finish a task out of sequence,
there could be knock-on effects on the rest of
the project.
PROBLEM SOLVING 23
A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart
that illustrates a project schedule,
named after its inventor, Henry Gantt
(1861–1919), who designed such a
chart around the years 1910–1915.
Modern Gantt charts also show the
dependency relationships between
activities and the current schedule
status.
24. GANTT Chart
PROBLEM SOLVING 23
On a Gantt chart you can easily see:
• The start date of the project schedule
• What the project tasks are
• Which team member is working on each task
• When tasks start and finish
• How long each task will take
• How tasks group together, overlap and link with each other
• Task dependencies, milestones and the critical path of your
project
• The finish date of the project
Planning and Scheduling Team Projects
27. Your boat is sinking! There is a desert island
nearby. You can swim there, but you can only
take one bag with you. Choose four items to
help you survive on the island.
28. Name the four items and explain why you choose each one.
