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What Is Problem Solving in Project Management? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Written by Contributing Writer
Updated on August 26, 2024

In project management , problem-solving is a crucial and necessary skill. Whether you have failed to consider every possible factor impacting a project, a problem arises through no fault of your own, or conditions change that create issues, problems must be addressed promptly to keep projects on track.

In this article, we will define problem-solving and how it impacts projects, provide real-world examples of problem-solving, and give you a structured, step-by-step process to solve problems. We’ll also show you how earning a project management certification can help you gain practical experience in problem-solving methods.

What Is Problem-Solving?

Problem-solving is a process to identify roadblocks or defects that arise during a project. A structured system to define problems, identify root causes, brainstorm and test solutions, and monitor results can affect change to improve performance and overcome challenges.

Effective problem-solving enables teams to deal with uncertainties or gaps in planning to minimize the impact on outcomes.

The Importance of Problem-Solving in Project Management

During a project and operation, problems can arise at any time. You may find that your planning before launching a product, for example, did not consider all the factors that impact results. You may find that you were too optimistic about project timelines, performance, or workforce. Or, as many of us discovered over the past few years, supply chain disruption may make even the best project plans obsolete.

Regardless, your job is identifying, solving, and overcoming these problems. Project managers must be skilled in leading team members through a structured approach to resolving problems.

Proactive problem-solving requires careful consideration of all the variables in a project, including preparation to:

Achieve project objectives
Address obstacles before they arise
Manage project risks and contingency plans
Manage communication and collaboration
Provide a framework for time and cost management
Provide a pathway for continuous improvement

Also Read: 10 Tips on How to Increase Productivity in the Workplace

Problem-Solving Steps in Project Management

While the process you choose to solve problems may vary, here is a seven-step framework many project managers use. This problem-solving method combines primary and secondary problem-solving steps.

#1. Define the Problem

Gather data and information from key stakeholders, team members, and project documentation. Include any relevant reporting or data analysis
Itemized key details, such as a description of the problem, timelines, outcomes, and impact
Frame the issue as a problem statement

A good example of a problem statement might be: An unexpected demand spike has exceeded our current production capacity. How can we still meet customer deadlines for delivery?

#2. Analyze Root Causes

Break down issues into smaller components to diagnose bottlenecks or problems
Identify the organizational, mechanical, environmental, or operational factors that contribute
Distinguish between one-time issues vs. systematic, ongoing areas that need improvement

When analyzing root causes, it’s common to find multiple factors contributing to a problem. As such, it is essential to prioritize issues that have the most significant impact on outcomes.

#3. Brainstorm Potential Solutions

Holding specific sessions focused on brainstorming ideas to resolve root causes
Build on ideas or suggest combinations or iterations
Categorize solutions by types, such as process or input changes, adding additional resources, outsourcing, etc.)

In brainstorming, you should refrain from immediately analyzing suggestions to keep ideas coming.

#4. Evaluate Potential Solutions

Reframe the problem and concern for team members, providing a framework for evaluation such as cost, timing, and feasibility
With ideas in hand, it is time to evaluate potential solutions. Project managers often employ strategies such as weighted scoring models to rank ideas.
Consider the pros and cons in relation to project objectives

As you narrow the list, getting additional insight from subject matter experts to evaluate real-world viability is helpful. For example, if you are proposing a process change in operating a machine, get feedback from skilled operators before implementing changes.

#5. Decide on a Plan of Action

Make a decision on which course of action you want to pursue and make sure the solution aligns with your organizational goals
Create an action plan to implement the changes, including key milestones
Assign project ownership, deadlines, resources, and budgets

Defining what outcomes you need to achieve to declare success is also essential. Are you looking for incremental change or significant improvements, and what timeline are you establishing for measurement?

#6. Implement the Action Plan

Communicate the plan with key stakeholders
Provide any training associated with the changes
Allocate resources necessary for implementation

As part of the action plan, you will also want to detail the measures and monitoring you will put in place to assess process outcomes.

#7. Monitor and Track Results

Track solution performance against the action plan and key milestones
Solicit feedback from the project team on problem-solving effectiveness
Ensure the solution resolves the root cause, creating the desired results without negatively impacting other areas of the operation

You should refine results or start the process over again to increase performance. For example, you may address the root cause but find a need for secondary problem-solving in project management, focusing on other factors.

These problem-solving steps are used repeatedly in lean management and Six Sigma strategies for continuous improvement.

Also Read: 5 Project Management Steps You Need to Know

How Can Project Management Tools Help You Solve Problems?

Project management software can guide teams through problem-solving, acting as a central repository to provide visibility into the stages of a project.

The best project management software will include the following:

Issue tracking to capture problems as they arise
Chat and real-time collaboration for discussion and brainstorming
Templates for analysis, such as fishbone diagrams
Action plans, assigning tasks, ownership, and accountability
Dashboards for updates to monitor solutions
Reporting on open issues, mitigation, and resolution

Examples of Problem-Solving

Here are some examples of the problem-solving process demonstrating how team members can work through the process to achieve results.

Sign-ups for a New Software Solution Were Well Below First-Month Targets

After analyzing the data, a project team identifies the root cause as inefficient onboarding and account configurations. They then brainstorm solutions. Ideas include re-architecting the software, simplifying onboarding steps, improving the initial training and onboarding process, or applying additional resources to guide customers through the configuration process.

After weighing alternatives, the company invests in streamlining onboarding and developing software to automate configuration.

A Project Was at Risk of Missing a Hard Deadline Due to Supplier Delays

In this case, you already know the root cause: Your supplier cannot deliver the necessary components to complete the project on time. Brainstorming solutions include finding alternative sources for components, considering project redesigns to use different (available) components, negotiating price reductions with customers due to late delivery, or adjusting the scope to complete projects without this component.

After evaluating potential solutions, the project manager might negotiate rush delivery with the original vendor. While this might be more expensive, it enables the business to meet customer deadlines. At the same time, project schedules might be adjusted to account for later-than-expected part delivery.

A Construction Project Is Falling Behind Due to Inclement Weather

Despite months of planning, a major construction project has fallen behind schedule due to bad weather, preventing concrete and masonry work. The problem-solving team brainstorms the problem and evaluates solutions, such as constructing temporary protection from the elements, heating concrete to accelerate curing, and bringing on additional crews once the weather clears.

The project team might decide to focus on tasks not impacted by weather earlier in the process than expected to postpone exterior work until the weather clears.

Also Read: Understanding KPIs in Project Management

Improve Your Problem-Solving and Project Management Skills

This project management course delivered by Simpliearn, in collaboration wiht the University of Massachusetts, can boost your career journey as a project manager. This 24-week online bootcamp aligns with Project Management Institute (PMI) practices, the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, and IASSC-Lean Six Sigma.

This program teaches skills such as:

Agile management
Customer experience design
Design thinking
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Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

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Problem Solving Techniques for Project Managers

Learn which problem solving techniques and strategies can help you effectively handle the challenges you face in your projects.

Problem Solving Techniques: A 5-Step Approach

Some problems are small and can be resolved quickly. Other problems are large and may require significant time and effort to solve. These larger problems are often tackled by turning them into formal projects.

"A project is a problem scheduled for solution."

- Joseph M. Juran

Problem Solving is one of the Tools & Techniques used for Managing Quality and Controlling Resources.

Modules 8 and 9 of the PM PrepCast cover Project Quality Management and Project Resource Management.

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Whether the problem you are focusing on is small or large, using a systematic approach for solving it will help you be a more effective project manager.

This approach defines five problem solving steps you can use for most problems...

Define the Problem

Determine the causes, generate ideas, select the best solution, take action.

The most important of the problem solving steps is to define the problem correctly. The way you define the problem will determine how you attempt to solve it.

For example, if you receive a complaint about one of your project team members from a client, the solutions you come up with will be different based on the way you define the problem.

If you define the problem as poor performance by the team member you will develop different solutions than if you define the problem as poor expectation setting with the client.

Once you have defined the problem, you are ready to dig deeper and start to determine what is causing it. You can use a fishbone diagram to help you perform a cause and effect analysis.

If you consider the problem as a gap between where you are now and where you want to be, the causes of the problem are the obstacles that are preventing you from closing that gap immediately.

This level of analysis is important to make sure your solutions address the actual causes of the problem instead of the symptoms of the problem. If your solution fixes a symptom instead of an actual cause, the problem is likely to reoccur since it was never truly solved.

Once the hard work of defining the problem and determining its causes has been completed, it's time to get creative and develop possible solutions to the problem.

Two great problem solving methods you can use for coming up with solutions are brainstorming and mind mapping .

After you come up with several ideas that can solve the problem, one problem solving technique you can use to decide which one is the best solution to your problem is a simple trade-off analysis .

To perform the trade-off analysis, define the critical criteria for the problem that you can use to evaluate how each solution compares to each other. The evaluation can be done using a simple matrix. The highest ranking solution will be your best solution for this problem.

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Once you've determined which solution you will implement, it's time to take action. If the solution involves several actions or requires action from others, it is a good idea to create an action plan and treat it as a mini-project.

Using this simple five-step approach can increase the effectiveness of your problem solving skills .

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40 problem-solving techniques and processes

All teams and organizations encounter challenges. Approaching those challenges without a structured problem solving process can end up making things worse.

Proven problem solving techniques such as those outlined below can guide your group through a process of identifying problems and challenges , ideating on possible solutions , and then evaluating and implementing the most suitable .

In this post, you'll find problem-solving tools you can use to develop effective solutions. You'll also find some tips for facilitating the problem solving process and solving complex problems.

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What is problem solving?

Problem solving is a process of finding and implementing a solution to a challenge or obstacle. In most contexts, this means going through a problem solving process that begins with identifying the issue, exploring its root causes, ideating and refining possible solutions before implementing and measuring the impact of that solution.

For simple or small problems, it can be tempting to skip straight to implementing what you believe is the right solution. The danger with this approach is that without exploring the true causes of the issue, it might just occur again or your chosen solution may cause other issues.

Particularly in the world of work, good problem solving means using data to back up each step of the process, bringing in new perspectives and effectively measuring the impact of your solution.

Effective problem solving can help ensure that your team or organization is well positioned to overcome challenges, be resilient to change and create innovation. In my experience, problem solving is a combination of skillset, mindset and process, and it’s especially vital for leaders to cultivate this skill.

A group of people looking at a poster with notes on it

What is the seven step problem solving process?

A problem solving process is a step-by-step framework from going from discovering a problem all the way through to implementing a solution.

With practice, this framework can become intuitive, and innovative companies tend to have a consistent and ongoing ability to discover and tackle challenges when they come up.

You might see everything from a four step problem solving process through to seven steps. While all these processes cover roughly the same ground, I’ve found a seven step problem solving process is helpful for making all key steps legible.

We’ll outline that process here and then follow with techniques you can use to explore and work on that step of the problem solving process with a group.

The seven-step problem solving process is:

1. Problem identification

The first stage of any problem solving process is to identify the problem(s) you need to solve. This often looks like using group discussions and activities to help a group surface and effectively articulate the challenges they’re facing and wish to resolve.

Be sure to align with your team on the exact definition and nature of the problem you’re solving. An effective process is one where everyone is pulling in the same direction – ensure clarity and alignment now to help avoid misunderstandings later.

2. Problem analysis and refinement

The process of problem analysis means ensuring that the problem you are seeking to solve is the right problem . Choosing the right problem to solve means you are on the right path to creating the right solution.

At this stage, you may look deeper at the problem you identified to try and discover the root cause at the level of people or process. You may also spend some time sourcing data, consulting relevant parties and creating and refining a problem statement.

Problem refinement means adjusting scope or focus of the problem you will be aiming to solve based on what comes up during your analysis. As you analyze data sources, you might discover that the root cause means you need to adjust your problem statement. Alternatively, you might find that your original problem statement is too big to be meaningful approached within your current project.

Remember that the goal of any problem refinement is to help set the stage for effective solution development and deployment. Set the right focus and get buy-in from your team here and you’ll be well positioned to move forward with confidence.

3. Solution generation

Once your group has nailed down the particulars of the problem you wish to solve, you want to encourage a free flow of ideas connecting to solving that problem. This can take the form of problem solving games that encourage creative thinking or techniquess designed to produce working prototypes of possible solutions.

The key to ensuring the success of this stage of the problem solving process is to encourage quick, creative thinking and create an open space where all ideas are considered. The best solutions can often come from unlikely places and by using problem solving techniques that celebrate invention, you might come up with solution gold.

4. Solution development

No solution is perfect right out of the gate. It’s important to discuss and develop the solutions your group has come up with over the course of following the previous problem solving steps in order to arrive at the best possible solution. Problem solving games used in this stage involve lots of critical thinking, measuring potential effort and impact, and looking at possible solutions analytically.

During this stage, you will often ask your team to iterate and improve upon your front-running solutions and develop them further. Remember that problem solving strategies always benefit from a multitude of voices and opinions, and not to let ego get involved when it comes to choosing which solutions to develop and take further.

Finding the best solution is the goal of all problem solving workshops and here is the place to ensure that your solution is well thought out, sufficiently robust and fit for purpose.

5. Decision making and planning

Nearly there! Once you’ve got a set of possible, you’ll need to make a decision on which to implement. This can be a consensus-based group decision or it might be for a leader or major stakeholder to decide. You’ll find a set of effective decision making methods below.

Once your group has reached consensus and selected a solution, there are some additional actions that also need to be decided upon. You’ll want to work on allocating ownership of the project, figure out who will do what, how the success of the solution will be measured and decide the next course of action.

Set clear accountabilities, actions, timeframes, and follow-ups for your chosen solution. Make these decisions and set clear next-steps in the problem solving workshop so that everyone is aligned and you can move forward effectively as a group.

Ensuring that you plan for the roll-out of a solution is one of the most important problem solving steps. Without adequate planning or oversight, it can prove impossible to measure success or iterate further if the problem was not solved.

6. Solution implementation

This is what we were waiting for! All problem solving processes have the end goal of implementing an effective and impactful solution that your group has confidence in.

Project management and communication skills are key here – your solution may need to adjust when out in the wild or you might discover new challenges along the way. For some solutions, you might also implement a test with a small group and monitor results before rolling it out to an entire company.

You should have a clear owner for your solution who will oversee the plans you made together and help ensure they’re put into place. This person will often coordinate the implementation team and set-up processes to measure the efficacy of your solution too.

7. Solution evaluation

So you and your team developed a great solution to a problem and have a gut feeling it’s been solved. Work done, right? Wrong. All problem solving strategies benefit from evaluation, consideration, and feedback.

You might find that the solution does not work for everyone, might create new problems, or is potentially so successful that you will want to roll it out to larger teams or as part of other initiatives.

None of that is possible without taking the time to evaluate the success of the solution you developed in your problem solving model and adjust if necessary.

Remember that the problem solving process is often iterative and it can be common to not solve complex issues on the first try. Even when this is the case, you and your team will have generated learning that will be important for future problem solving workshops or in other parts of the organization.

It’s also worth underlining how important record keeping is throughout the problem solving process. If a solution didn’t work, you need to have the data and records to see why that was the case. If you go back to the drawing board, notes from the previous workshop can help save time.

What does an effective problem solving process look like?

Every effective problem solving process begins with an agenda . In our experience, a well-structured problem solving workshop is one of the best methods for successfully guiding a group from exploring a problem to implementing a solution.

The format of a workshop ensures that you can get buy-in from your group, encourage free-thinking and solution exploration before making a decision on what to implement following the session.

This Design Sprint 2.0 template is an effective problem solving process from top agency AJ&Smart. It’s a great format for the entire problem solving process, with four-days of workshops designed to surface issues, explore solutions and even test a solution.

Check it for an example of how you might structure and run a problem solving process and feel free to copy and adjust it your needs!

For a shorter process you can run in a single afternoon, this remote problem solving agenda will guide you effectively in just a couple of hours.

Whatever the length of your workshop, by using SessionLab, it’s easy to go from an idea to a complete agenda . Start by dragging and dropping your core problem solving activities into place . Add timings, breaks and necessary materials before sharing your agenda with your colleagues.

The resulting agenda will be your guide to an effective and productive problem solving session that will also help you stay organized on the day!

Complete problem-solving methods

In this section, we’ll look at in-depth problem-solving methods that provide a complete end-to-end process for developing effective solutions. These will help guide your team from the discovery and definition of a problem through to delivering the right solution.

If you’re looking for an all-encompassing method or problem-solving model, these processes are a great place to start. They’ll ask your team to challenge preconceived ideas and adopt a mindset for solving problems more effectively.

Six Thinking Hats

Individual approaches to solving a problem can be very different based on what team or role an individual holds. It can be easy for existing biases or perspectives to find their way into the mix, or for internal politics to direct a conversation.

Six Thinking Hats is a classic method for identifying the problems that need to be solved and enables your team to consider them from different angles, whether that is by focusing on facts and data, creative solutions, or by considering why a particular solution might not work.

Like all problem-solving frameworks, Six Thinking Hats is effective at helping teams remove roadblocks from a conversation or discussion and come to terms with all the aspects necessary to solve complex problems.

The Six Thinking Hats #creative thinking #meeting facilitation #problem solving #issue resolution #idea generation #conflict resolution The Six Thinking Hats are used by individuals and groups to separate out conflicting styles of thinking. They enable and encourage a group of people to think constructively together in exploring and implementing change, rather than using argument to fight over who is right and who is wrong.

Lightning Decision Jam

Featured courtesy of Jonathan Courtney of AJ&Smart Berlin, Lightning Decision Jam is one of those strategies that should be in every facilitation toolbox. Exploring problems and finding solutions is often creative in nature, though as with any creative process, there is the potential to lose focus and get lost.

Unstructured discussions might get you there in the end, but it’s much more effective to use a method that creates a clear process and team focus.

In Lightning Decision Jam, participants are invited to begin by writing challenges, concerns, or mistakes on post-its without discussing them before then being invited by the moderator to present them to the group.

From there, the team vote on which problems to solve and are guided through steps that will allow them to reframe those problems, create solutions and then decide what to execute on.

By deciding the problems that need to be solved as a team before moving on, this group process is great for ensuring the whole team is aligned and can take ownership over the next stages.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) #action #decision making #problem solving #issue analysis #innovation #design #remote-friendly It doesn’t matter where you work and what your job role is, if you work with other people together as a team, you will always encounter the same challenges: Unclear goals and miscommunication that cause busy work and overtime Unstructured meetings that leave attendants tired, confused and without clear outcomes. Frustration builds up because internal challenges to productivity are not addressed Sudden changes in priorities lead to a loss of focus and momentum Muddled compromise takes the place of clear decision- making, leaving everybody to come up with their own interpretation. In short, a lack of structure leads to a waste of time and effort, projects that drag on for too long and frustrated, burnt out teams. AJ&Smart has worked with some of the most innovative, productive companies in the world. What sets their teams apart from others is not better tools, bigger talent or more beautiful offices. The secret sauce to becoming a more productive, more creative and happier team is simple: Replace all open discussion or brainstorming with a structured process that leads to more ideas, clearer decisions and better outcomes. When a good process provides guardrails and a clear path to follow, it becomes easier to come up with ideas, make decisions and solve problems. This is why AJ&Smart created Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ). It’s a simple and short, but powerful group exercise that can be run either in-person, in the same room, or remotely with distributed teams.

Problem Definition Process

While problems can be complex, the problem-solving methods you use to identify and solve those problems can often be simple in design.

By taking the time to truly identify and define a problem before asking the group to reframe the challenge as an opportunity, this method is a great way to enable change.

Begin by identifying a focus question and exploring the ways in which it manifests before splitting into five teams who will each consider the problem using a different method: escape, reversal, exaggeration, distortion or wishful. Teams develop a problem objective and create ideas in line with their method before then feeding them back to the group.

This method is great for enabling in-depth discussions while also creating space for finding creative solutions too!

Problem Definition #problem solving #idea generation #creativity #online #remote-friendly A problem solving technique to define a problem, challenge or opportunity and to generate ideas.

The 5 Whys

Sometimes, a group needs to go further with their strategies and analyze the root cause at the heart of organizational issues. An RCA or root cause analysis is the process of identifying what is at the heart of business problems or recurring challenges.

The 5 Whys is a simple and effective method of helping a group go find the root cause of any problem or challenge and conduct analysis that will deliver results.

By beginning with the creation of a problem statement and going through five stages to refine it, The 5 Whys provides everything you need to truly discover the cause of an issue.

The 5 Whys #hyperisland #innovation This simple and powerful method is useful for getting to the core of a problem or challenge. As the title suggests, the group defines a problems, then asks the question “why” five times, often using the resulting explanation as a starting point for creative problem solving.

World Cafe is a simple but powerful facilitation technique to help bigger groups to focus their energy and attention on solving complex problems.

World Cafe enables this approach by creating a relaxed atmosphere where participants are able to self-organize and explore topics relevant and important to them which are themed around a central problem-solving purpose. Create the right atmosphere by modeling your space after a cafe and after guiding the group through the method, let them take the lead!

Making problem-solving a part of your organization’s culture in the long term can be a difficult undertaking. More approachable formats like World Cafe can be especially effective in bringing people unfamiliar with workshops into the fold.

World Cafe #hyperisland #innovation #issue analysis World Café is a simple yet powerful method, originated by Juanita Brown, for enabling meaningful conversations driven completely by participants and the topics that are relevant and important to them. Facilitators create a cafe-style space and provide simple guidelines. Participants then self-organize and explore a set of relevant topics or questions for conversation.

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)

One of the best approaches is to create a safe space for a group to share and discover practices and behaviors that can help them find their own solutions.

With DAD, you can help a group choose which problems they wish to solve and which approaches they will take to do so. It’s great at helping remove resistance to change and can help get buy-in at every level too!

This process of enabling frontline ownership is great in ensuring follow-through and is one of the methods you will want in your toolbox as a facilitator.

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD) #idea generation #liberating structures #action #issue analysis #remote-friendly DADs make it easy for a group or community to discover practices and behaviors that enable some individuals (without access to special resources and facing the same constraints) to find better solutions than their peers to common problems. These are called positive deviant (PD) behaviors and practices. DADs make it possible for people in the group, unit, or community to discover by themselves these PD practices. DADs also create favorable conditions for stimulating participants’ creativity in spaces where they can feel safe to invent new and more effective practices. Resistance to change evaporates as participants are unleashed to choose freely which practices they will adopt or try and which problems they will tackle. DADs make it possible to achieve frontline ownership of solutions.

Design Sprint 2.0

Want to see how a team can solve big problems and move forward with prototyping and testing solutions in a few days? The Design Sprint 2.0 template from Jake Knapp, author of Sprint, is a complete agenda for a with proven results.

Developing the right agenda can involve difficult but necessary planning. Ensuring all the correct steps are followed can also be stressful or time-consuming depending on your level of experience.

Use this complete 4-day workshop template if you are finding there is no obvious solution to your challenge and want to focus your team around a specific problem that might require a shortcut to launching a minimum viable product or waiting for the organization-wide implementation of a solution.

Open space technology

Open space technology- developed by Harrison Owen – creates a space where large groups are invited to take ownership of their problem solving and lead individual sessions. Open space technology is a great format when you have a great deal of expertise and insight in the room and want to allow for different takes and approaches on a particular theme or problem you need to be solved.

Start by bringing your participants together to align around a central theme and focus their efforts. Explain the ground rules to help guide the problem-solving process and then invite members to identify any issue connecting to the central theme that they are interested in and are prepared to take responsibility for.

Once participants have decided on their approach to the core theme, they write their issue on a piece of paper, announce it to the group, pick a session time and place, and post the paper on the wall. As the wall fills up with sessions, the group is then invited to join the sessions that interest them the most and which they can contribute to, then you’re ready to begin!

Everyone joins the problem-solving group they’ve signed up to, record the discussion and if appropriate, findings can then be shared with the rest of the group afterward.

Open Space Technology #action plan #idea generation #problem solving #issue analysis #large group #online #remote-friendly Open Space is a methodology for large groups to create their agenda discerning important topics for discussion, suitable for conferences, community gatherings and whole system facilitation

Techniques to identify and analyze problems

Using a problem-solving method to help a team identify and analyze a problem can be a quick and effective addition to any workshop or meeting.

While further actions are always necessary, you can generate momentum and alignment easily, and these activities are a great place to get started.

We’ve put together this list of techniques to help you and your team with problem identification, analysis, and discussion that sets the foundation for developing effective solutions.

Let’s take a look!

Fishbone Analysis

Organizational or team challenges are rarely simple, and it’s important to remember that one problem can be an indication of something that goes deeper and may require further consideration to be solved.

Fishbone Analysis helps groups to dig deeper and understand the origins of a problem. It’s a great example of a root cause analysis method that is simple for everyone on a team to get their head around.

Participants in this activity are asked to annotate a diagram of a fish, first adding the problem or issue to be worked on at the head of a fish before then brainstorming the root causes of the problem and adding them as bones on the fish.

Using abstractions such as a diagram of a fish can really help a team break out of their regular thinking and develop a creative approach.

Fishbone Analysis #problem solving ##root cause analysis #decision making #online facilitation A process to help identify and understand the origins of problems, issues or observations.

Problem Tree

Encouraging visual thinking can be an essential part of many strategies. By simply reframing and clarifying problems, a group can move towards developing a problem solving model that works for them.

In Problem Tree, groups are asked to first brainstorm a list of problems – these can be design problems, team problems or larger business problems – and then organize them into a hierarchy. The hierarchy could be from most important to least important or abstract to practical, though the key thing with problem solving games that involve this aspect is that your group has some way of managing and sorting all the issues that are raised.

Once you have a list of problems that need to be solved and have organized them accordingly, you’re then well-positioned for the next problem solving steps.

Problem tree #define intentions #create #design #issue analysis A problem tree is a tool to clarify the hierarchy of problems addressed by the team within a design project; it represents high level problems or related sublevel problems.

SWOT Analysis

Chances are you’ve heard of the SWOT Analysis before. This problem-solving method focuses on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is a tried and tested method for both individuals and teams.

Start by creating a desired end state or outcome and bare this in mind – any process solving model is made more effective by knowing what you are moving towards. Create a quadrant made up of the four categories of a SWOT analysis and ask participants to generate ideas based on each of those quadrants.

Once you have those ideas assembled in their quadrants, cluster them together based on their affinity with other ideas. These clusters are then used to facilitate group conversations and move things forward.

SWOT analysis #gamestorming #problem solving #action #meeting facilitation The SWOT Analysis is a long-standing technique of looking at what we have, with respect to the desired end state, as well as what we could improve on. It gives us an opportunity to gauge approaching opportunities and dangers, and assess the seriousness of the conditions that affect our future. When we understand those conditions, we can influence what comes next.

Agreement-Certainty Matrix

Not every problem-solving approach is right for every challenge, and deciding on the right method for the challenge at hand is a key part of being an effective team.

The Agreement Certainty matrix helps teams align on the nature of the challenges facing them. By sorting problems from simple to chaotic, your team can understand what methods are suitable for each problem and what they can do to ensure effective results.

If you are already using Liberating Structures techniques as part of your problem-solving strategy, the Agreement-Certainty Matrix can be an invaluable addition to your process. We’ve found it particularly if you are having issues with recurring problems in your organization and want to go deeper in understanding the root cause.

Agreement-Certainty Matrix #issue analysis #liberating structures #problem solving You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic . A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate. It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably. A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail. Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward. A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Organizing and charting a team’s progress can be important in ensuring its success. SQUID (Sequential Question and Insight Diagram) is a great model that allows a team to effectively switch between giving questions and answers and develop the skills they need to stay on track throughout the process.

Begin with two different colored sticky notes – one for questions and one for answers – and with your central topic (the head of the squid) on the board. Ask the group to first come up with a series of questions connected to their best guess of how to approach the topic. Ask the group to come up with answers to those questions, fix them to the board and connect them with a line. After some discussion, go back to question mode by responding to the generated answers or other points on the board.

It’s rewarding to see a diagram grow throughout the exercise, and a completed SQUID can provide a visual resource for future effort and as an example for other teams.

SQUID #gamestorming #project planning #issue analysis #problem solving When exploring an information space, it’s important for a group to know where they are at any given time. By using SQUID, a group charts out the territory as they go and can navigate accordingly. SQUID stands for Sequential Question and Insight Diagram.

To continue with our nautical theme, Speed Boat is a short and sweet activity that can help a team quickly identify what employees, clients or service users might have a problem with and analyze what might be standing in the way of achieving a solution.

Methods that allow for a group to make observations, have insights and obtain those eureka moments quickly are invaluable when trying to solve complex problems.

In Speed Boat, the approach is to first consider what anchors and challenges might be holding an organization (or boat) back. Bonus points if you are able to identify any sharks in the water and develop ideas that can also deal with competitors!

Speed Boat #gamestorming #problem solving #action Speedboat is a short and sweet way to identify what your employees or clients don’t like about your product/service or what’s standing in the way of a desired goal.

The Journalistic Six

Some of the most effective ways of solving problems is by encouraging teams to be more inclusive and diverse in their thinking.

Based on the six key questions journalism students are taught to answer in articles and news stories, The Journalistic Six helps create teams to see the whole picture. By using who, what, when, where, why, and how to facilitate the conversation and encourage creative thinking, your team can make sure that the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the are covered exhaustively and thoughtfully. Reporter’s notebook and dictaphone optional.

The Journalistic Six – Who What When Where Why How #idea generation #issue analysis #problem solving #online #creative thinking #remote-friendly A questioning method for generating, explaining, investigating ideas.

Individual and group perspectives are incredibly important, but what happens if people are set in their minds and need a change of perspective in order to approach a problem more effectively?

Flip It is a method we love because it is both simple to understand and run, and allows groups to understand how their perspectives and biases are formed.

Participants in Flip It are first invited to consider concerns, issues, or problems from a perspective of fear and write them on a flip chart. Then, the group is asked to consider those same issues from a perspective of hope and flip their understanding.

No problem and solution is free from existing bias and by changing perspectives with Flip It, you can then develop a problem solving model quickly and effectively.

Flip It! #gamestorming #problem solving #action Often, a change in a problem or situation comes simply from a change in our perspectives. Flip It! is a quick game designed to show players that perspectives are made, not born.

LEGO Challenge

Now for an activity that is a little out of the (toy) box. LEGO Serious Play is a facilitation methodology that can be used to improve creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

The LEGO Challenge includes giving each member of the team an assignment that is hidden from the rest of the group while they create a structure without speaking.

What the LEGO challenge brings to the table is a fun working example of working with stakeholders who might not be on the same page to solve problems. Also, it’s LEGO! Who doesn’t love LEGO!

LEGO Challenge #hyperisland #team A team-building activity in which groups must work together to build a structure out of LEGO, but each individual has a secret “assignment” which makes the collaborative process more challenging. It emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, cooperation, patience and problem solving strategy.

What, So What, Now What?

If not carefully managed, the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the problem-solving process can actually create more problems and misunderstandings.

The What, So What, Now What? problem-solving activity is designed to help collect insights and move forward while also eliminating the possibility of disagreement when it comes to identifying, clarifying, and analyzing organizational or work problems.

Facilitation is all about bringing groups together so that might work on a shared goal and the best problem-solving strategies ensure that teams are aligned in purpose, if not initially in opinion or insight.

Throughout the three steps of this game, you give everyone on a team to reflect on a problem by asking what happened, why it is important, and what actions should then be taken.

This can be a great activity for bringing our individual perceptions about a problem or challenge and contextualizing it in a larger group setting. This is one of the most important problem-solving skills you can bring to your organization.

W³ – What, So What, Now What? #issue analysis #innovation #liberating structures You can help groups reflect on a shared experience in a way that builds understanding and spurs coordinated action while avoiding unproductive conflict. It is possible for every voice to be heard while simultaneously sifting for insights and shaping new direction. Progressing in stages makes this practical—from collecting facts about What Happened to making sense of these facts with So What and finally to what actions logically follow with Now What . The shared progression eliminates most of the misunderstandings that otherwise fuel disagreements about what to do. Voila!

Journalists

Problem analysis can be one of the most important and decisive stages of all problem-solving tools. Sometimes, a team can become bogged down in the details and are unable to move forward.

Journalists is an activity that can avoid a group from getting stuck in the problem identification or problem analysis stages of the process.

In Journalists, the group is invited to draft the front page of a fictional newspaper and figure out what stories deserve to be on the cover and what headlines those stories will have. By reframing how your problems and challenges are approached, you can help a team move productively through the process and be better prepared for the steps to follow.

Journalists #vision #big picture #issue analysis #remote-friendly This is an exercise to use when the group gets stuck in details and struggles to see the big picture. Also good for defining a vision.

Problem-solving techniques for brainstorming solutions

Now you have the context and background of the problem you are trying to solving, now comes the time to start ideating and thinking about how you’ll solve the issue.

Here, you’ll want to encourage creative, free thinking and speed. Get as many ideas out as possible and explore different perspectives so you have the raw material for the next step.

Looking at a problem from a new angle can be one of the most effective ways of creating an effective solution. TRIZ is a problem-solving tool that asks the group to consider what they must not do in order to solve a challenge.

By reversing the discussion, new topics and taboo subjects often emerge, allowing the group to think more deeply and create ideas that confront the status quo in a safe and meaningful way. If you’re working on a problem that you’ve tried to solve before, TRIZ is a great problem-solving method to help your team get unblocked.

Making Space with TRIZ #issue analysis #liberating structures #issue resolution You can clear space for innovation by helping a group let go of what it knows (but rarely admits) limits its success and by inviting creative destruction. TRIZ makes it possible to challenge sacred cows safely and encourages heretical thinking. The question “What must we stop doing to make progress on our deepest purpose?” induces seriously fun yet very courageous conversations. Since laughter often erupts, issues that are otherwise taboo get a chance to be aired and confronted. With creative destruction come opportunities for renewal as local action and innovation rush in to fill the vacuum. Whoosh!

Mindspin

Brainstorming is part of the bread and butter of the problem-solving process and all problem-solving strategies benefit from getting ideas out and challenging a team to generate solutions quickly.

With Mindspin, participants are encouraged not only to generate ideas but to do so under time constraints and by slamming down cards and passing them on. By doing multiple rounds, your team can begin with a free generation of possible solutions before moving on to developing those solutions and encouraging further ideation.

This is one of our favorite problem-solving activities and can be great for keeping the energy up throughout the workshop. Remember the importance of helping people become engaged in the process – energizing problem-solving techniques like Mindspin can help ensure your team stays engaged and happy, even when the problems they’re coming together to solve are complex.

MindSpin #teampedia #idea generation #problem solving #action A fast and loud method to enhance brainstorming within a team. Since this activity has more than round ideas that are repetitive can be ruled out leaving more creative and innovative answers to the challenge.

The Creativity Dice

One of the most useful problem solving skills you can teach your team is of approaching challenges with creativity, flexibility, and openness. Games like The Creativity Dice allow teams to overcome the potential hurdle of too much linear thinking and approach the process with a sense of fun and speed.

In The Creativity Dice, participants are organized around a topic and roll a dice to determine what they will work on for a period of 3 minutes at a time. They might roll a 3 and work on investigating factual information on the chosen topic. They might roll a 1 and work on identifying the specific goals, standards, or criteria for the session.

Encouraging rapid work and iteration while asking participants to be flexible are great skills to cultivate. Having a stage for idea incubation in this game is also important. Moments of pause can help ensure the ideas that are put forward are the most suitable.

The Creativity Dice #creativity #problem solving #thiagi #issue analysis Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Idea and Concept Development

Brainstorming without structure can quickly become chaotic or frustrating. In a problem-solving context, having an ideation framework to follow can help ensure your team is both creative and disciplined.

In this method, you’ll find an idea generation process that encourages your group to brainstorm effectively before developing their ideas and begin clustering them together. By using concepts such as Yes and…, more is more and postponing judgement, you can create the ideal conditions for brainstorming with ease.

Idea & Concept Development #hyperisland #innovation #idea generation Ideation and Concept Development is a process for groups to work creatively and collaboratively to generate creative ideas. It’s a general approach that can be adapted and customized to suit many different scenarios. It includes basic principles for idea generation and several steps for groups to work with. It also includes steps for idea selection and development.

Problem-solving techniques for developing and refining solutions

The success of any problem-solving process can be measured by the solutions it produces. After you’ve defined the issue, explored existing ideas, and ideated, it’s time to develop and refine your ideas in order to bring them closer to a solution that actually solves the problem.

Use these problem-solving techniques when you want to help your team think through their ideas and refine them as part of your problem solving process.

Improved Solutions

After a team has successfully identified a problem and come up with a few solutions, it can be tempting to call the work of the problem-solving process complete. That said, the first solution is not necessarily the best, and by including a further review and reflection activity into your problem-solving model, you can ensure your group reaches the best possible result.

One of a number of problem-solving games from Thiagi Group, Improved Solutions helps you go the extra mile and develop suggested solutions with close consideration and peer review. By supporting the discussion of several problems at once and by shifting team roles throughout, this problem-solving technique is a dynamic way of finding the best solution.

Improved Solutions #creativity #thiagi #problem solving #action #team You can improve any solution by objectively reviewing its strengths and weaknesses and making suitable adjustments. In this creativity framegame, you improve the solutions to several problems. To maintain objective detachment, you deal with a different problem during each of six rounds and assume different roles (problem owner, consultant, basher, booster, enhancer, and evaluator) during each round. At the conclusion of the activity, each player ends up with two solutions to her problem.

Four Step Sketch

Creative thinking and visual ideation does not need to be confined to the opening stages of your problem-solving strategies. Exercises that include sketching and prototyping on paper can be effective at the solution finding and development stage of the process, and can be great for keeping a team engaged.

By going from simple notes to a crazy 8s round that involves rapidly sketching 8 variations on their ideas before then producing a final solution sketch, the group is able to iterate quickly and visually. Problem-solving techniques like Four-Step Sketch are great if you have a group of different thinkers and want to change things up from a more textual or discussion-based approach.

Four-Step Sketch #design sprint #innovation #idea generation #remote-friendly The four-step sketch is an exercise that helps people to create well-formed concepts through a structured process that includes: Review key information Start design work on paper, Consider multiple variations , Create a detailed solution . This exercise is preceded by a set of other activities allowing the group to clarify the challenge they want to solve. See how the Four Step Sketch exercise fits into a Design Sprint

Ensuring that everyone in a group is able to contribute to a discussion is vital during any problem solving process. Not only does this ensure all bases are covered, but its then easier to get buy-in and accountability when people have been able to contribute to the process.

1-2-4-All is a tried and tested facilitation technique where participants are asked to first brainstorm on a topic on their own. Next, they discuss and share ideas in a pair before moving into a small group. Those groups are then asked to present the best idea from their discussion to the rest of the team.

This method can be used in many different contexts effectively, though I find it particularly shines in the idea development stage of the process. Giving each participant time to concretize their ideas and develop them in progressively larger groups can create a great space for both innovation and psychological safety.

1-2-4-All #idea generation #liberating structures #issue analysis With this facilitation technique you can immediately include everyone regardless of how large the group is. You can generate better ideas and more of them faster than ever before. You can tap the know-how and imagination that is distributed widely in places not known in advance. Open, generative conversation unfolds. Ideas and solutions are sifted in rapid fashion. Most importantly, participants own the ideas, so follow-up and implementation is simplified. No buy-in strategies needed! Simple and elegant!

15% Solutions

Some problems are simpler than others and with the right problem-solving activities, you can empower people to take immediate actions that can help create organizational change.

Part of the liberating structures toolkit, 15% solutions is a problem-solving technique that focuses on finding and implementing solutions quickly. A process of iterating and making small changes quickly can help generate momentum and an appetite for solving complex problems.

Problem-solving strategies can live and die on whether people are onboard. Getting some quick wins is a great way of getting people behind the process.

It can be extremely empowering for a team to realize that problem-solving techniques can be deployed quickly and easily and delineate between things they can positively impact and those things they cannot change.

15% Solutions #action #liberating structures #remote-friendly You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference. 15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change. With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Problem-solving techniques for making decisions and planning

After your group is happy with the possible solutions you’ve developed, now comes the time to choose which to implement. There’s more than one way to make a decision and the best option is often dependant on the needs and set-up of your group.

Sometimes, it’s the case that you’ll want to vote as a group on what is likely to be the most impactful solution. Other times, it might be down to a decision maker or major stakeholder to make the final decision. Whatever your process, here’s some techniques you can use to help you make a decision during your problem solving process.

How-Now-Wow Matrix

The problem-solving process is often creative, as complex problems usually require a change of thinking and creative response in order to find the best solutions. While it’s common for the first stages to encourage creative thinking, groups can often gravitate to familiar solutions when it comes to the end of the process.

When selecting solutions, you don’t want to lose your creative energy! The How-Now-Wow Matrix from Gamestorming is a great problem-solving activity that enables a group to stay creative and think out of the box when it comes to selecting the right solution for a given problem.

Problem-solving techniques that encourage creative thinking and the ideation and selection of new solutions can be the most effective in organisational change. Give the How-Now-Wow Matrix a go, and not just for how pleasant it is to say out loud.

How-Now-Wow Matrix #gamestorming #idea generation #remote-friendly When people want to develop new ideas, they most often think out of the box in the brainstorming or divergent phase. However, when it comes to convergence, people often end up picking ideas that are most familiar to them. This is called a ‘creative paradox’ or a ‘creadox’. The How-Now-Wow matrix is an idea selection tool that breaks the creadox by forcing people to weigh each idea on 2 parameters.

Impact and Effort Matrix

All problem-solving techniques hope to not only find solutions to a given problem or challenge but to find the best solution. When it comes to finding a solution, groups are invited to put on their decision-making hats and really think about how a proposed idea would work in practice.

The Impact and Effort Matrix is one of the problem-solving techniques that fall into this camp, empowering participants to first generate ideas and then categorize them into a 2×2 matrix based on impact and effort.

Activities that invite critical thinking while remaining simple are invaluable. Use the Impact and Effort Matrix to move from ideation and towards evaluating potential solutions before then committing to them.

Impact and Effort Matrix #gamestorming #decision making #action #remote-friendly In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

If you’ve followed each of the problem-solving steps with your group successfully, you should move towards the end of your process with heaps of possible solutions developed with a specific problem in mind. But how do you help a group go from ideation to putting a solution into action?

Dotmocracy – or Dot Voting -is a tried and tested method of helping a team in the problem-solving process make decisions and put actions in place with a degree of oversight and consensus.

One of the problem-solving techniques that should be in every facilitator’s toolbox, Dot Voting is fast and effective and can help identify the most popular and best solutions and help bring a group to a decision effectively.

Dotmocracy #action #decision making #group prioritization #hyperisland #remote-friendly Dotmocracy is a simple method for group prioritization or decision-making. It is not an activity on its own, but a method to use in processes where prioritization or decision-making is the aim. The method supports a group to quickly see which options are most popular or relevant. The options or ideas are written on post-its and stuck up on a wall for the whole group to see. Each person votes for the options they think are the strongest, and that information is used to inform a decision.

Straddling the gap between decision making and planning, MoSCoW is a simple and effective method that allows a group team to easily prioritize a set of possible options.

Use this method in a problem solving process by collecting and summarizing all your possible solutions and then categorize them into 4 sections: “Must have”, “Should have”, “Could have”, or “Would like but won‘t get”.

This method is particularly useful when its less about choosing one possible solution and more about prioritorizing which to do first and which may not fit in the scope of your project. In my experience, complex challenges often require multiple small fixes, and this method can be a great way to move from a pile of things you’d all like to do to a structured plan.

MoSCoW #define intentions #create #design #action #remote-friendly MoSCoW is a method that allows the team to prioritize the different features that they will work on. Features are then categorized into “Must have”, “Should have”, “Could have”, or “Would like but won‘t get”. To be used at the beginning of a timeslot (for example during Sprint planning) and when planning is needed.

When it comes to managing the rollout of a solution, clarity and accountability are key factors in ensuring the success of the project. The RAACI chart is a simple but effective model for setting roles and responsibilities as part of a planning session.

Start by listing each person involved in the project and put them into the following groups in order to make it clear who is responsible for what during the rollout of your solution.

Responsibility (Which person and/or team will be taking action?)
Authority (At what “point” must the responsible person check in before going further?)
Accountability (Who must the responsible person check in with?)
Consultation (Who must be consulted by the responsible person before decisions are made?)
Information (Who must be informed of decisions, once made?)

Ensure this information is easily accessible and use it to inform who does what and who is looped into discussions and kept up to date.

RAACI #roles and responsibility #teamwork #project management Clarifying roles and responsibilities, levels of autonomy/latitude in decision making, and levels of engagement among diverse stakeholders.

Problem-solving warm-up activities

All facilitators know that warm-ups and icebreakers are useful for any workshop or group process. Problem-solving workshops are no different.

Use these problem-solving techniques to warm up a group and prepare them for the rest of the process. Activating your group by tapping into some of the top problem-solving skills can be one of the best ways to see great outcomes from your session.

Check-in / Check-out

Solid processes are planned from beginning to end, and the best facilitators know that setting the tone and establishing a safe, open environment can be integral to a successful problem-solving process. Check-in / Check-out is a great way to begin and/or bookend a problem-solving workshop. Checking in to a session emphasizes that everyone will be seen, heard, and expected to contribute.

If you are running a series of meetings, setting a consistent pattern of checking in and checking out can really help your team get into a groove. We recommend this opening-closing activity for small to medium-sized groups though it can work with large groups if they’re disciplined!

Check-in / Check-out #team #opening #closing #hyperisland #remote-friendly Either checking-in or checking-out is a simple way for a team to open or close a process, symbolically and in a collaborative way. Checking-in/out invites each member in a group to be present, seen and heard, and to express a reflection or a feeling. Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment; checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure.

Doodling Together

Thinking creatively and not being afraid to make suggestions are important problem-solving skills for any group or team, and warming up by encouraging these behaviors is a great way to start.

Doodling Together is one of our favorite creative ice breaker games – it’s quick, effective, and fun and can make all following problem-solving steps easier by encouraging a group to collaborate visually. By passing cards and adding additional items as they go, the workshop group gets into a groove of co-creation and idea development that is crucial to finding solutions to problems.

Doodling Together #collaboration #creativity #teamwork #fun #team #visual methods #energiser #icebreaker #remote-friendly Create wild, weird and often funny postcards together & establish a group’s creative confidence.

Show and Tell

You might remember some version of Show and Tell from being a kid in school and it’s a great problem-solving activity to kick off a session.

Asking participants to prepare a little something before a workshop by bringing an object for show and tell can help them warm up before the session has even begun! Games that include a physical object can also help encourage early engagement before moving onto more big-picture thinking.

By asking your participants to tell stories about why they chose to bring a particular item to the group, you can help teams see things from new perspectives and see both differences and similarities in the way they approach a topic. Great groundwork for approaching a problem-solving process as a team!

Show and Tell #gamestorming #action #opening #meeting facilitation Show and Tell taps into the power of metaphors to reveal players’ underlying assumptions and associations around a topic The aim of the game is to get a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on anything—a new project, an organizational restructuring, a shift in the company’s vision or team dynamic.

Constellations

Who doesn’t love stars? Constellations is a great warm-up activity for any workshop as it gets people up off their feet, energized, and ready to engage in new ways with established topics. It’s also great for showing existing beliefs, biases, and patterns that can come into play as part of your session.

Using warm-up games that help build trust and connection while also allowing for non-verbal responses can be great for easing people into the problem-solving process and encouraging engagement from everyone in the group. Constellations is great in large spaces that allow for movement and is definitely a practical exercise to allow the group to see patterns that are otherwise invisible.

Constellations #trust #connection #opening #coaching #patterns #system Individuals express their response to a statement or idea by standing closer or further from a central object. Used with teams to reveal system, hidden patterns, perspectives.

Draw a Tree

Problem-solving games that help raise group awareness through a central, unifying metaphor can be effective ways to warm-up a group in any problem-solving model.

Draw a Tree is a simple warm-up activity you can use in any group and which can provide a quick jolt of energy. Start by asking your participants to draw a tree in just 45 seconds – they can choose whether it will be abstract or realistic.

Once the timer is up, ask the group how many people included the roots of the tree and use this as a means to discuss how we can ignore important parts of any system simply because they are not visible.

All problem-solving strategies are made more effective by thinking of problems critically and by exposing things that may not normally come to light. Warm-up games like Draw a Tree are great in that they quickly demonstrate some key problem-solving skills in an accessible and effective way.

Draw a Tree #thiagi #opening #perspectives #remote-friendly With this game you can raise awarness about being more mindful, and aware of the environment we live in.

Closing activities for a problem-solving process

Each step of the problem-solving workshop benefits from an intelligent deployment of activities, games, and techniques. Bringing your session to an effective close helps ensure that solutions are followed through on and that you also celebrate what has been achieved.

Here are some problem-solving activities you can use to effectively close a workshop or meeting and ensure the great work you’ve done can continue afterward.

One Breath Feedback

Maintaining attention and focus during the closing stages of a problem-solving workshop can be tricky and so being concise when giving feedback can be important. It’s easy to incur “death by feedback” should some team members go on for too long sharing their perspectives in a quick feedback round.

One Breath Feedback is a great closing activity for workshops. You give everyone an opportunity to provide feedback on what they’ve done but only in the space of a single breath. This keeps feedback short and to the point and means that everyone is encouraged to provide the most important piece of feedback to them.

One breath feedback #closing #feedback #action This is a feedback round in just one breath that excels in maintaining attention: each participants is able to speak during just one breath … for most people that’s around 20 to 25 seconds … unless of course you’ve been a deep sea diver in which case you’ll be able to do it for longer.

Who What When Matrix

Matrices feature as part of many effective problem-solving strategies and with good reason. They are easily recognizable, simple to use, and generate results.

The Who What When Matrix is a great tool to use when closing your problem-solving session by attributing a who, what and when to the actions and solutions you have decided upon. The resulting matrix is a simple, easy-to-follow way of ensuring your team can move forward.

Great solutions can’t be enacted without action and ownership. Your problem-solving process should include a stage for allocating tasks to individuals or teams and creating a realistic timeframe for those solutions to be implemented or checked out. Use this method to keep the solution implementation process clear and simple for all involved.

Who/What/When Matrix #gamestorming #action #project planning With Who/What/When matrix, you can connect people with clear actions they have defined and have committed to.

Response cards

Group discussion can comprise the bulk of most problem-solving activities and by the end of the process, you might find that your team is talked out!

Providing a means for your team to give feedback with short written notes can ensure everyone is head and can contribute without the need to stand up and talk. Depending on the needs of the group, giving an alternative can help ensure everyone can contribute to your problem-solving model in the way that makes the most sense for them.

Response Cards is a great way to close a workshop if you are looking for a gentle warm-down and want to get some swift discussion around some of the feedback that is raised.

Response Cards #debriefing #closing #structured sharing #questions and answers #thiagi #action It can be hard to involve everyone during a closing of a session. Some might stay in the background or get unheard because of louder participants. However, with the use of Response Cards, everyone will be involved in providing feedback or clarify questions at the end of a session.

Tips for effective problem solving

Problem-solving activities are only one part of the puzzle. While a great method can help unlock your team’s ability to solve problems, without a thoughtful approach and strong facilitation the solutions may not be fit for purpose.

Let’s take a look at some problem-solving tips you can apply to any process to help it be a success!

Clearly define the problem

Jumping straight to solutions can be tempting, though without first clearly articulating a problem, the solution might not be the right one. Many of the problem-solving activities below include sections where the problem is explored and clearly defined before moving on.

This is a vital part of the problem-solving process and taking the time to fully define an issue can save time and effort later. A clear definition helps identify irrelevant information and it also ensures that your team sets off on the right track.

Don’t jump to conclusions

It’s easy for groups to exhibit cognitive bias or have preconceived ideas about both problems and potential solutions. Be sure to back up any problem statements or potential solutions with facts, research, and adequate forethought.

The best techniques ask participants to be methodical and challenge preconceived notions. Make sure you give the group enough time and space to collect relevant information and consider the problem in a new way. By approaching the process with a clear, rational mindset, you’ll often find that better solutions are more forthcoming.

Try different approaches

Problems come in all shapes and sizes and so too should the methods you use to solve them. If you find that one approach isn’t yielding results and your team isn’t finding different solutions, try mixing it up. You’ll be surprised at how using a new creative activity can unblock your team and generate great solutions.

Don’t take it personally

Depending on the nature of your team or organizational problems, it’s easy for conversations to get heated. While it’s good for participants to be engaged in the discussions, ensure that emotions don’t run too high and that blame isn’t thrown around while finding solutions.

You’re all in it together, and even if your team or area is seeing problems, that isn’t necessarily a disparagement of you personally. Using facilitation skills to manage group dynamics is one effective method of helping conversations be more constructive.

Get the right people in the room

Your problem-solving method is often only as effective as the group using it. Getting the right people on the job and managing the number of people present is important too!

If the group is too small, you may not get enough different perspectives to effectively solve a problem. If the group is too large, you can go round and round during the ideation stages.

Creating the right group makeup is also important in ensuring you have the necessary expertise and skillset to both identify and follow up on potential solutions. Carefully consider who to include at each stage to help ensure your problem-solving method is followed and positioned for success.

Create psychologically safe spaces for discussion

Identifying a problem accurately also requires that all members of a group are able to contribute their views in an open and safe manner.

It can be tough for people to stand up and contribute if the problems or challenges are emotive or personal in nature. Try and create a psychologically safe space for these kinds of discussions and where possible, create regular opportunities for challenges to be brought up organically.

Document everything

The best solutions can take refinement, iteration, and reflection to come out. Get into a habit of documenting your process in order to keep all the learnings from the session and to allow ideas to mature and develop. Many of the methods below involve the creation of documents or shared resources. Be sure to keep and share these so everyone can benefit from the work done!

Bring a facilitator

Facilitation is all about making group processes easier. With a subject as potentially emotive and important as problem-solving, having an impartial third party in the form of a facilitator can make all the difference in finding great solutions and keeping the process moving. Consider bringing a facilitator to your problem-solving session to get better results and generate meaningful solutions!

Develop your problem-solving skills

It takes time and practice to be an effective problem solver. While some roles or participants might more naturally gravitate towards problem-solving, it can take development and planning to help everyone create better solutions.

You might develop a training program, run a problem-solving workshop or simply ask your team to practice using the techniques below. Check out our post on problem-solving skills to see how you and your group can develop the right mental process and be more resilient to issues too!

Design a great agenda

Workshops are a great format for solving problems. With the right approach, you can focus a group and help them find the solutions to their own problems. But designing a process can be time-consuming and finding the right activities can be difficult.

Check out our workshop planning guide to level-up your agenda design and start running more effective workshops. Need inspiration? Check out templates designed by expert facilitators to help you kickstart your process!

Save time and effort creating an effective problem solving process

A structured problem solving process is a surefire way of solving tough problems, discovering creative solutions and driving organizational change. But how can you design for successful outcomes?

With SessionLab, it’s easy to design engaging workshops that deliver results. Drag, drop and reorder blocks to build your agenda. When you make changes or update your agenda, your session timing adjusts automatically , saving you time on manual adjustments.

Collaborating with stakeholders or clients? Share your agenda with a single click and collaborate in real-time. No more sending documents back and forth over email.

Explore how to use SessionLab to design effective problem solving workshops or watch this five minute video to see the planner in action!

Over to you

The problem-solving process can often be as complicated and multifaceted as the problems they are set-up to solve. With the right problem-solving techniques and a mix of exercises designed to guide discussion and generate purposeful ideas, we hope we’ve given you the tools to find the best solutions as simply and easily as possible.

Is there a problem-solving technique that you are missing here? Do you have a favorite activity or method you use when facilitating? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

James Smart is Head of Content at SessionLab. He’s also a creative facilitator who has run workshops and designed courses for establishments like the National Centre for Writing, UK. He especially enjoys working with young people and empowering others in their creative practice.

thank you very much for these excellent techniques

Certainly wonderful article, very detailed. Shared!

Your list of techniques for problem solving can be helpfully extended by adding TRIZ to the list of techniques. TRIZ has 40 problem solving techniques derived from methods inventros and patent holders used to get new patents. About 10-12 are general approaches. many organization sponsor classes in TRIZ that are used to solve business problems or general organiztational problems. You can take a look at TRIZ and dwonload a free internet booklet to see if you feel it shound be included per your selection process.

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15 Problem-Solving Strategies for Projects and Teams

In project management and team collaboration, problem-solving is the process of identifying and resolving issues that arise during a project. It is a crucial skill that helps fix broken processes, improve performance, and identify opportunities. Problem-solving enables project managers and team leaders to overcome challenges and achieve success.

In this blog article, we will explore 15 problem-solving strategies that can revolutionize your approach and help you achieve success. From effective communication techniques to fostering collaboration, these strategies are designed to tackle the most common obstacles encountered in project management. Get ready to unlock the potential of your projects and teams with these tried-and-tested problem-solving strategies!

The 5 Whys Analysis

This problem-solving technique aims to uncover a problem's underlying cause by repeatedly asking the question, "Why?". The goal is to dig deep and identify the root cause rather than addressing surface-level symptoms. By asking "Why?" five times or more, depending on the complexity of the problem, you and your team members can gain valuable insights into the chain of events or processes that led to the issue. This method helps expose weaknesses, improve processes, and achieve project goals.

SWOT Analysis in Project Management

A SWOT analysis is a valuable tool in project management that helps identify and evaluate the internal pros and cons, weaknesses and strengths, and the external impacts that can threaten your project. By examining these factors, project managers can better understand the project's current state and potential risks.

SWOT analysis provides insights that help decision-making, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies. It allows project teams to counter threats, address weaknesses, and capitalize on strengths, ultimately enhancing project success.

Bring in a Facilitator

A skilled facilitator can provide objective guidance, ensure everyone's participation, and create a safe space for open discussions. They can help the project team effectively identify and evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Additionally, a facilitator can assist in summarizing and documenting the analysis, ensuring clarity and alignment among team members. Bringing in a facilitator enhances quality and efficiency, leading to better project outcomes.

Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause Analysis is a systematic approach used to identify the underlying causes of problems or incidents. It involves investigating the factors contributing to an issue rather than just addressing the symptoms.

By understanding the root causes, organizations can develop effective solutions to prevent similar problems from recurring in the future. This analysis helps improve processes, enhance quality, and reduce risks, ultimately leading to better outcomes and customer satisfaction.

Kipling Method

Also known as the 6 W's, this technique is used to gather information and comprehensively understand a situation. It involves asking and answering six key questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Addressing these questions helps team members and leaders analyze and evaluate a problem or decision from various angles, ensuring a thorough examination of the topic at hand. This method is widely used in journalism, problem-solving, and decision-making processes.

Work Backward

Working backward is a problem-solving approach where you start with the desired outcome and then identify the steps needed to achieve it. This method allows you to break down complex problems into smaller, manageable tasks.

By starting with the end goal in mind, you can create a clear roadmap and prioritize actions accordingly. Working backward helps ensure that your efforts are focused and aligned with the desired outcome, leading to more efficient and effective problem-solving.

Trial and Error

Trial and Error is a problem-solving approach that involves trying different solutions and learning from the outcomes. It is a standard method used to discover what works and what doesn't in various situations. By systematically testing different options, you can identify the most effective solution through a process of elimination.

Trial and Error allow team members flexibility and adaptability, as it encourages learning from mistakes and refining strategies based on feedback. This approach can be beneficial when dealing with complex or ambiguous problems that require experimentation.

Risk Analysis and Mitigation within Teams

Risk analysis and mitigation play a crucial role in project management. By identifying and planning for potential risks, teams can prevent problems. One effective way to facilitate this process is by utilizing project management software.

Project management software such as ActiveCollab provides a centralized platform where teams can document and track risks throughout the project lifecycle. This software often includes features such as risk registers , where risks can be identified, categorized, and assigned to team members for mitigation. Additionally, the software may offer risk assessment tools that help teams evaluate the impact and likelihood of each risk.

With ActiveCollab, teams can collaborate in real time, ensuring all members can access the latest risk information. This promotes transparency and allows immediate communication and decision-making regarding risk mitigation strategies.

Using project management software for risk analysis and mitigation, your team members can proactively address potential challenges, minimize project disruptions, and improve project success rates.

Implementing Conflict Resolution Techniques

Conflict resolution techniques are essential for maintaining healthy relationships and fostering a positive work environment. Some effective methods include active listening, communication skills training, mediation, negotiation, and compromise. Conflicts can be understood and resolved more effectively by actively listening to all parties involved and encouraging open and honest communication.

Mediation allows a neutral third party to facilitate discussions, while negotiation and compromise help find mutually agreeable solutions. These techniques promote understanding, empathy, and collaboration, improving relationships and increasing productivity.

Scenario Planning and Forecasting

Scenario planning and forecasting are essential tools used by organizations to anticipate and prepare for future uncertainties. Scenario planning involves creating multiple plausible narratives or scenarios to explore possible futures, allowing decision-makers to identify risks and opportunities. Forecasting, on the other hand, uses historical data and statistical models to project future outcomes.

Combining these approaches allows businesses to develop robust strategies and make informed decisions in an ever-changing and unpredictable environment. This proactive approach helps organizations adapt, minimize risks, and seize opportunities, ensuring long-term success and resilience in an uncertain world.

Brainstorming and Ideation Sessions

Brainstorming and ideation sessions are great for generating creative ideas and solutions. You can bring together a diverse group of individuals while these sessions help them with collaboration and free thinking. Participants in brainstorming sessions are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas without judgment, allowing for a wide range of possibilities to be explored.

The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, with the understanding that quantity leads to quality. Through active listening and open-mindedness, participants can build upon each other's ideas and spark new insights. This collaborative process fosters innovation and can lead to breakthrough solutions to complex problems.

Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and collaboration. It involves understanding the needs and experiences of users, generating a wide range of ideas, prototyping, testing solutions, and iterating based on feedback.

It encourages a human-centered and iterative mindset, which leads to exploring multiple possibilities before arriving at a final solution. Design Thinking enables teams to approach challenges with an open mind, fostering innovation and driving meaningful change. By putting people at the heart of the process, Design Thinking helps create solutions that meet their needs and aspirations.

Creating a Feedback Loop with Team Members

Creating a feedback loop with team members leads to a culture of continuous improvement. Regularly soliciting positive and constructive feedback allows open communication, builds trust, and enhances teamwork. Encourage team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

Actively listen to their feedback, acknowledge their contributions, and provide actionable insights to help them grow professionally. Remember, a well-functioning feedback loop promotes collaboration, boosts morale, and ultimately leads to better outcomes for the entire team.

Agile Principles for Efficient Problem-Solving (Enhance Flexibility and Responsiveness)

Agile principles are values and practices that enhance flexibility and responsiveness in problem-solving. These principles prioritize individuals and interactions, working solutions, customer collaboration, and responding to change.

Agile principles promote a more efficient problem-solving process by encouraging frequent communication and collaboration. Iterative development, continuous feedback, and adaptive planning are key components of agile problem-solving, allowing teams to adapt and respond to changing requirements quickly. Focusing on delivering value to the customer and embracing change enables organizations to address problems efficiently and effectively.

Importance of Effective Problem-Solving

Effective problem-solving is crucial in project management as it ensures that issues are identified, analyzed, and resolved promptly and efficiently. By integrating problem-solving strategies with project management software like ActiveCollab, teams can enhance collaboration and streamline workflow.

Integrating problem-solving strategies with project management software allows for better communication and coordination among team members. It enables teams to track the progress of problem-solving activities, assign tasks, and monitor deadlines, ensuring everyone is on the same page. This integration also facilitates the sharing of information and knowledge, enabling teams to leverage their collective expertise and experience.

Moreover, project management software such as ActiveCollab provides a centralized platform where team members can document and access relevant information, making it easier to analyze problems and make informed decisions. It also allows the implementation of feedback loops, enabling continuous improvement and learning from past experiences.

In conclusion, integrating problem-solving strategies with ActiveCollab enhances teamwork, improves communication, and facilitates the efficient resolution of issues. This integration ultimately contributes to the successful execution of projects and achieving desired outcomes.

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Team Conflicts - Dealing And Solving Them

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Introduction to Problem Solving in Project Management

Definition and importance of problem solving.

Problem solving is the process of identifying and resolving issues or obstacles that arise during a project. It is a critical skill for project managers as it allows them to overcome challenges and ensure the successful completion of a project. Effective problem solving enables project managers to make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and maintain project timelines and budgets.

Role of Problem Solving in Project Management

Problem solving plays a central role in project management. It helps project managers identify and address issues that may hinder project progress. By actively solving problems, project managers can minimize the impact of obstacles on project outcomes and ensure that the project stays on track.

Benefits of Effective Problem Solving

Effective problem solving in project management offers several benefits. It improves project efficiency by eliminating roadblocks and streamlining processes. It enhances team collaboration and communication as team members work together to find solutions. It also boosts stakeholder satisfaction by addressing their concerns and delivering successful project outcomes.

Understanding the Problem

Identifying and defining the problem.

In order to solve a problem, project managers must first identify and define it clearly. This involves gathering relevant information and data related to the problem. By understanding the problem statement, project managers can analyze its root causes and develop appropriate solutions.

1. Gathering Information and Data

Project managers should gather all available information and data related to the problem. This may include project documentation, stakeholder feedback, and historical data. By collecting comprehensive information, project managers can gain a holistic view of the problem and make informed decisions.

2. Analyzing the Problem Statement

Once the problem is identified, project managers need to analyze its statement. This involves breaking down the problem into its components and understanding its impact on the project. By analyzing the problem statement, project managers can prioritize their efforts and focus on the most critical aspects.

Determining the Root Cause of the Problem

Identifying the root cause of a problem is essential for effective problem solving. It allows project managers to address the underlying issues rather than just treating the symptoms. Various techniques can be used for root cause analysis, such as the fishbone diagram and the 5 Whys technique.

1. Techniques for Root Cause Analysis

The fishbone diagram, also known as the Ishikawa diagram, is a visual tool that helps identify the root causes of a problem. It categorizes potential causes into different branches, such as people, process, equipment, and environment. By analyzing these branches, project managers can pinpoint the root cause.

2. Importance of Identifying the Root Cause

Identifying the root cause is crucial because it allows project managers to implement targeted solutions. By addressing the underlying issue, project managers can prevent the problem from recurring in the future and ensure long-term project success.

Developing Problem Solving Strategies

Brainstorming techniques.

Brainstorming is a creative problem-solving technique that encourages the generation of ideas and solutions. There are various brainstorming techniques, including traditional brainstorming and mind mapping.

1. Traditional Brainstorming

Traditional brainstorming involves a group of individuals coming together to generate ideas. Participants freely share their thoughts and suggestions without any judgment or criticism. This technique encourages the exploration of diverse perspectives and fosters creativity.

2. Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual brainstorming technique that helps organize ideas and connections. It involves creating a central idea or problem statement and branching out with related ideas. Mind mapping allows project managers to visualize the problem and its potential solutions.

Analytical Problem Solving Methods

Analytical problem-solving methods involve structured approaches to problem solving. Two commonly used methods are the fishbone diagram and the 5 Whys technique.

1. Fishbone Diagram

The fishbone diagram, as mentioned earlier, helps identify the root causes of a problem. By analyzing different branches, project managers can uncover the underlying factors contributing to the problem and develop appropriate solutions.

2. 5 Whys Technique

The 5 Whys technique involves asking “why” multiple times to uncover the root cause of a problem. By repeatedly asking why a problem occurred, project managers can dig deeper into the underlying causes and address them directly.

Decision-Making Approaches

Effective problem solving requires sound decision-making. Two decision-making approaches commonly used in project management are cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis.

1. Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis involves evaluating the costs and benefits associated with different solutions. Project managers weigh the potential advantages and disadvantages of each option to make an informed decision. This approach helps prioritize solutions based on their potential impact.

2. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Multi-criteria decision analysis considers multiple factors or criteria when making a decision. Project managers assign weights to each criterion based on its importance and evaluate potential solutions accordingly. This approach ensures a comprehensive evaluation of available options.

Implementing the Solution

Creating an action plan.

Once a solution is determined, project managers need to create an action plan to implement it successfully. This involves setting clear objectives and goals and assigning tasks and responsibilities to team members.

1. Setting Clear Objectives and Goals

Clear objectives and goals provide a roadmap for implementing the solution. Project managers should define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives to ensure clarity and focus.

2. Assigning Tasks and Responsibilities

Assigning tasks and responsibilities ensures that each team member knows their role in implementing the solution. Project managers should clearly communicate expectations and deadlines to facilitate smooth execution.

Executing the Action Plan

During the implementation phase, project managers need to monitor progress and make necessary adjustments. Effective communication and collaboration among team members are crucial for successful execution.

1. Monitoring Progress and Making Adjustments

Project managers should regularly monitor the progress of the action plan and identify any deviations or roadblocks. By making timely adjustments, project managers can ensure that the solution stays on track and achieves the desired results.

2. Communication and Collaboration During Implementation

Open and transparent communication is essential during the implementation phase. Project managers should encourage team members to share updates, challenges, and suggestions. Collaboration fosters a supportive environment and enhances problem-solving capabilities.

Evaluating the Solution

Assessing the effectiveness of the solution.

After implementing the solution, project managers need to assess its effectiveness. This involves measuring outcomes and results and collecting feedback from stakeholders.

1. Measuring Outcomes and Results

Project managers should measure the outcomes and results achieved through the implemented solution. This may include evaluating key performance indicators (KPIs) and comparing them to the initial problem statement. Measuring outcomes provides insights into the solution’s effectiveness.

2. Collecting Feedback from Stakeholders

Feedback from stakeholders is invaluable for evaluating the solution. Project managers should actively seek feedback from team members, clients, and other relevant stakeholders. Their perspectives can highlight areas of improvement and inform future problem-solving strategies.

Identifying Lessons Learned

Documenting successes and failures is crucial for continuous improvement. Project managers should identify and document lessons learned from the problem-solving process.

1. Documenting Successes and Failures

Project managers should record both successful and unsuccessful problem-solving experiences. Documenting successes helps replicate effective strategies in future projects, while documenting failures allows project managers to learn from mistakes and avoid similar pitfalls.

2. Incorporating Lessons into Future Projects

Lessons learned should be incorporated into future projects to enhance problem-solving capabilities. Project managers can create knowledge repositories or conduct training sessions to share best practices and ensure continuous improvement.

Continuous Improvement

Encouraging a culture of continuous improvement.

To foster continuous improvement, project managers should encourage a culture that values learning and innovation. Team members should feel empowered to suggest improvements and experiment with new problem-solving techniques.

Implementing Feedback Loops and Learning Mechanisms

Feedback loops and learning mechanisms facilitate continuous improvement. Project managers should establish regular feedback sessions, retrospectives, or post-project reviews to gather insights and identify areas for growth.

Leveraging Problem-Solving Skills for Future Projects

Problem-solving skills developed during a project can be leveraged for future projects. Project managers should encourage team members to apply their problem-solving expertise and share their insights with colleagues.

Recap of Key Points Discussed

In this article, we explored the importance of problem solving in project management. We discussed the definition and benefits of effective problem solving, as well as the role it plays in project success. We also delved into understanding the problem, developing problem-solving strategies, implementing the solution, evaluating its effectiveness, and embracing continuous improvement.

Importance of Ongoing Problem-Solving Skills in Project Management

Ongoing problem-solving skills are essential for project managers to navigate challenges and ensure project success. By continuously improving their problem-solving capabilities, project managers can adapt to changing circumstances, mitigate risks, and deliver exceptional results.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

To excel in problem solving, project managers should stay updated with industry best practices and leverage available tools and techniques. They should foster a collaborative and innovative environment that encourages creativity and critical thinking. By prioritizing problem solving, project managers can overcome obstacles and drive project success.

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Problem-Solving: Navigating Complex Challenges ¶

Problem-solving is a critical soft skill that involves identifying complex problems, analyzing the issues, and developing logical, effective solutions. This skill is indispensable in both personal and professional contexts, enabling individuals to tackle challenges methodically and creatively.

Topics ¶

Understanding Problem-Solving
Steps in the Problem-Solving Process
Tools and Techniques for Problem-Solving
Problem-Solving in Team Settings
Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills

Overview ¶

Title: "Problem-Solving: Navigating Complex Challenges: Strategies for Effective Solutions"
Subtitle: "Strategies for Effective Solutions"
Tagline: "Mastering the Art of Finding Solutions"
Description: "Enhance your problem-solving skills to approach complex issues with confidence and develop innovative solutions that drive success."
Keywords: Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Creative Solutions, Analytical Skills, Decision Making

Cheat ¶

Understanding problem-solving ¶.

Effective problem-solving starts with accurately defining and understanding the problem. This involves breaking down the problem into smaller, manageable parts and identifying the underlying causes.

Steps in the Problem-Solving Process ¶

A systematic approach to problem-solving includes: 1. Identifying the problem : Clearly defining what needs to be solved. 2. Analyzing the problem : Understanding the context and constraints. 3. Generating options : Brainstorming possible solutions. 4. Evaluating alternatives : Assessing the feasibility and implications of each solution. 5. Implementing the solution : Putting the chosen solution into action. 6. Reviewing and refining : Evaluating the effectiveness of the solution and making adjustments as necessary.

Tools and Techniques for Problem-Solving ¶

Various tools and techniques can aid problem-solving, including: - SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) - Root Cause Analysis to determine the origin of the problem - Brainstorming sessions to generate creative solutions - Decision Matrix to evaluate and compare different solutions based on specific criteria

Problem-Solving in Team Settings ¶

Problem-solving in teams allows for diverse perspectives and expertise to tackle complex issues. Effective communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution are key to successful team problem-solving.

Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills ¶

Enhancing problem-solving skills involves practice, learning from past experiences, and staying open to new approaches and technologies. Continuous learning and adaptability play crucial roles in refining these skills over time.

Problem-solving is a vital skill that empowers individuals to manage and resolve issues effectively, driving innovation and efficiency. If you'd like to continue exploring soft skills or move on to another topic, just let me know!

A Short Guide to Problem Solving in Project Management (Expert Tips)

One of the foremost skills that makes you a great project manager is problem-solving.

When you are managing your projects, problems are inevitable. As we all have to face the same sort of situations even in our daily life. What makes the difference is knowledge and how efficiently you put in that knowledge to solve a current or impending issue.

Problem-solving is the process of observing what is going on in your environment; identifying things that could be changed or improved. kepner-tregoe

Problem-solving in project management is a strategic process. Hence, you can't achieve that skill overnight. It needs step-by-step learning, adopting a framework to do that, and obviously, maintaining some crucial considerations.

Well, in this short guide, we will show you some of the proven problem-solving methods to follow in project management. After you finish reading, you will be able to understand what are the most essential things you must do, and initiate a roadmap to become an efficient problem solver.

Importance of Problem Solving in Project Management

There are many reasons that you must learn the skill of problem-solving in project management. Before you get on with the top techniques or best practices, let's go through some of the key points that make problem-solving in project management a serious business.

Fixing Broken Things in the Process
Sort Out the Risks
Improving performance
Looking for Opportunities

1. Fixing Broken Things in the Process

Problem-solving demands a unique mentality. When you have that in mind, you can easily look after your projects with more intensity. Doing business and managing projects is a simultaneous thing . A well-developed problem-solving structure helps you to point out things that are broken, need improvement, or an update.

2. Sort Out the Risks

Identifying risks is crucial to your projects. The problem-solving framework helps you to understand the current state of your business. With sufficient data, you can easily sort out the risks that can be handled with proper resources.

3. Improving performance

Your projects and the employees are integral, they complement each other to reach a single goal – success and development. So, when you are all up to looking for a reliable solution to your problems, it also makes a good impact on your employees. Eventually, that leads to improving your overall performance.

4. Looking for Opportunities

The more you keep solving problems, you see the newest crack, broken things, and things that need an update. With the same process, you can learn to see the big picture, understand the nature of the big picture, and become capable to convey it as a project manager . Hence, you can sort out the risks and opportunities and the same time.

If you want to manage all your project activities right from your WordPress dashboard check this article on The Beginner’s Guide To WordPress Project Management .

5 Steps to Problem Solving in Project Management You Should Follow

An illustration demonstrating the steps to problem solving in project management

As you already know, problem-solving skills demand a framework. As a project manager, you must streamline the most fitting methods following your expertise and resources. Below, we have sorted a handful of the most proven techniques that can make you a smart professional for problem-solving in project management.

Take a look at them one by one –

Defining the Problem is Your First Priority
Find Out the Reasons Behind the Problem
Generating Ideas for Solutions
Select the Most Fitting Solution
Taking Action to Solve Your Problems

1. Defining the Problem is Your First Priority

The way you look at a problem, your employees won't. Because, when they see a problem, they want you to solve it for them, as you are the project manager. So, it's important for you to define the problem in the first place. For example, your team is continuously missing deadlines, so it's an issue from their end. To get to a viable solution, you must understand why your team is doing the same mistakes.

Understanding the nature of a problem is possible when you know why something is happening to your project, and why things keep getting in trouble. To figure it out, you can follow the 5W1H approach.

An illustration for defining the problem with 511H method

It means asking these six questions to define a problem in project management –

Who does the problem affect?
What are the symptoms of the problem?
Where does/ wherein the project did it happen?
When does it happen?
Why does the problem take place?
How does it happen?

So, asking this question would definitely help you to define your problem when you want to solve it in a smart and impeccable way.

Read more: How to Improve Team Productivity Using WP Project Manager .

2. Find Out the Reasons Behind the Problem

After you understand the nature of a problem, the next necessary step is to find out the reasons behind it and analyze them to the core. It is similar to finding the gap in your workflow and filling them one after another to reach a suitable solution. Therefore, finding reasons won't be hard if you follow a strategic approach.

For example, you can use a Fishbone diagram. It is a famous and useful process to find out the reasons for a problem. Well, what is a Fishbone diagram? Japanese organizational theorist Kaoru Ishikawa created it that is used to categorize the core reasons for a problem in a visual form.

An illustration demonstrating to find out the reasons behind the problem with fishbone diagram

Look above the picture. Suppose, the problem is your website is down. A Fishbone diagram will help you to note down the possible reasons that can cause your website to fall. By maintaining such a visual demonstration , you can get better and more effective regarding your problem-solving in project management.

Here are some unavoidable things – the reasons you note down, they ought to be real. From a lot of possible reasons, your job is to understand the real reasons. It is possible if you go for deep analysis. Hence, to do this, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) would be helpful.

3. Generating Ideas for Solutions

Now that you know which problem you need to solve, and what are the causes, you can go for generating ideas for the right solutions. It is a gradual step of problem-solving in project management. So, in this step, you have more liberty to become creative. The goal of this step is to find out a set of solutions. You need a reserve of solutions or alternative solutions evidently. They help you to reduce your risks. If one solution fails, you may go for an alternative approach.

Hence, you need to do a lot of mind work, research and gather ways to possible solutions. The two best ways of generating ideas are – brainstorming and mind mapping.

Mindtools explains that creative problem-solving works in four steps. They are – clarify, ideate, develop, implement.

An illustration to generating creative ideas with five steps

The clarification stage makes you explore again your vision of the project and the nature of the problems. Then it guides to gathering necessary data and formulating questions. The following steps are all about expanding the framework with all of your understanding, data, resources, and goal to explore ideas, formulate solutions, and create a plan for implementation.

4. Select the Most Fitting Solution

It's not easy to select the right color when your wardrobe is full of similar clothing. But when you are determined, and know the etiquette and dress code of that particular program, your fashion sense lets you choose the color that is most fitting. The same thing always occurs while you are managing any projects and up to solve something.

After you have generated a lot of ideas and formulated a bunch of different solutions, hesitation is inevitable. So as a project manager, your problem-solving skill demands that you select the most useful and easiest way to sort out your trouble.

Well, the best ways to do that is to measure all the solutions, compare them with each other, and consider the following facts –

Your expectation and priorities
Evaluate all the solutions and measure them
Consider your resources
Go for the simplest one in the first place

However, you should never stop asking questions. Ask yourself, inspire your pupils working on the project to ask questions. The more question arises, the solution would be more effective and flawless.

5. Taking Action to Solve Your Problems

When you know what is your problem, and which solution you must implement, start right over. It's time to take action. Implementing a solution is the final step. But you must come through all the earlier steps to reach that level. It's an established framework to increase your skill as a problem solver.

Read More: 6 Interesting Project Management Ideas To Follow in 2023 .

How a Project Management Tool Can Help You in Problem-solving

An illustration demonstrating problem solving in project management with a PM tool

In an age of automation, project management becomes easier because of tools that help you create an online database of your employees, clients, accounts, overall projects, etc. PM automation software lets you keep track of every process live, and ease your effort to make better decisions.

For example, if you have a PM automation tool like WP Project Manager , you're problem-solving in project management would be more viable and simple. Here's how –

It ensures the best use of your resources and planning
Robustly organize and track your projects and tasks
Advanced management tool to make your tracking more efficient
The tool will intensify your collaborative effort
Generate a report so that you can see how your projects going on and what are your lackings

Overall, WP Project Manager has all the features that can make your workflow streamlined. When you see live updates and activities of your projects dashboard (including Kanban board, Gantt Chart, Task list, Calendar, etc), you can easily follow all the problem-solving steps with more efficiency. The job would be easier, nonetheless.

Bonus: A Quick Glimpse of Project Management Best Practices

To excel in project management, it is essential to follow industry best practices.

Here are some key best practices to consider:

Define clear project objectives and success criteria at the beginning.
Develop a comprehensive project plan that includes a detailed schedule, resource allocation, and risk management strategy.
Establish a robust management process that can easily adjust to new changes.
Foster a culture of open communication and collaboration throughout the project team.
Regularly monitor project progress and key performance indicators.
Proactively identify and mitigate project risks.
Provide ongoing support and feedback to team members.
Continuously learn from past projects and incorporate lessons learned into future projects.

Though it's not mandatory one strategy will work the same way for all industries. But if you have prior ideas, it would be easier for you to make constructive decisions.

By adopting these best practices, project managers can set themselves up for success and increase the likelihood of delivering projects on time and within budget.

Read more: 7 Project Management Strategies To Get Ahead Of The Game (Tips+Tool).

Closing Up for Problem-Solving in Project Management

Most problems are small in the beginning. As a resourceful project manager, your job is to solve them as soon as possible. The more you delay, the bigger the problem would grow. A ship often has many little glitches in the engine or cracks when it is on a long voyage. The smart captain is always in the loop to fix them simultaneously. As a project manager, your job is nothing less than that.

A strategic problem-solving framework will help you to cope with that loop, and a perfect project management automation tool lets you solve your problems faster (don't forget to add up flexibility, affordability, time management, and smartness).

So, here are our final words – keep innovating the newest ways to solve problems in your projects, and don't let your problem grow bigger than you.

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Kaji Enamul Islam

Enamul is an author of fiction, eCommerce, digital business, and WordPress. Addicted to stories, facts, movies, and books. Loves traveling to unusual places.

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What is Problem Solving? (Steps, Techniques, Examples)

By Status.net Editorial Team on May 7, 2023 — 5 minutes to read

What Is Problem Solving?

Definition and importance.

Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to obstacles or challenges you encounter in your life or work. It is a crucial skill that allows you to tackle complex situations, adapt to changes, and overcome difficulties with ease. Mastering this ability will contribute to both your personal and professional growth, leading to more successful outcomes and better decision-making.

Problem-Solving Steps

The problem-solving process typically includes the following steps:

Identify the issue : Recognize the problem that needs to be solved.
Analyze the situation : Examine the issue in depth, gather all relevant information, and consider any limitations or constraints that may be present.
Generate potential solutions : Brainstorm a list of possible solutions to the issue, without immediately judging or evaluating them.
Evaluate options : Weigh the pros and cons of each potential solution, considering factors such as feasibility, effectiveness, and potential risks.
Select the best solution : Choose the option that best addresses the problem and aligns with your objectives.
Implement the solution : Put the selected solution into action and monitor the results to ensure it resolves the issue.
Review and learn : Reflect on the problem-solving process, identify any improvements or adjustments that can be made, and apply these learnings to future situations.

Defining the Problem

To start tackling a problem, first, identify and understand it. Analyzing the issue thoroughly helps to clarify its scope and nature. Ask questions to gather information and consider the problem from various angles. Some strategies to define the problem include:

Brainstorming with others
Asking the 5 Ws and 1 H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How)
Analyzing cause and effect
Creating a problem statement

Generating Solutions

Once the problem is clearly understood, brainstorm possible solutions. Think creatively and keep an open mind, as well as considering lessons from past experiences. Consider:

Creating a list of potential ideas to solve the problem
Grouping and categorizing similar solutions
Prioritizing potential solutions based on feasibility, cost, and resources required
Involving others to share diverse opinions and inputs

Evaluating and Selecting Solutions

Evaluate each potential solution, weighing its pros and cons. To facilitate decision-making, use techniques such as:

SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
Decision-making matrices
Pros and cons lists
Risk assessments

After evaluating, choose the most suitable solution based on effectiveness, cost, and time constraints.

Implementing and Monitoring the Solution

Implement the chosen solution and monitor its progress. Key actions include:

Communicating the solution to relevant parties
Setting timelines and milestones
Assigning tasks and responsibilities
Monitoring the solution and making adjustments as necessary
Evaluating the effectiveness of the solution after implementation

Utilize feedback from stakeholders and consider potential improvements. Remember that problem-solving is an ongoing process that can always be refined and enhanced.

Problem-Solving Techniques

During each step, you may find it helpful to utilize various problem-solving techniques, such as:

Brainstorming : A free-flowing, open-minded session where ideas are generated and listed without judgment, to encourage creativity and innovative thinking.
Root cause analysis : A method that explores the underlying causes of a problem to find the most effective solution rather than addressing superficial symptoms.
SWOT analysis : A tool used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to a problem or decision, providing a comprehensive view of the situation.
Mind mapping : A visual technique that uses diagrams to organize and connect ideas, helping to identify patterns, relationships, and possible solutions.

Brainstorming

When facing a problem, start by conducting a brainstorming session. Gather your team and encourage an open discussion where everyone contributes ideas, no matter how outlandish they may seem. This helps you:

Generate a diverse range of solutions
Encourage all team members to participate
Foster creative thinking

When brainstorming, remember to:

Reserve judgment until the session is over
Encourage wild ideas
Combine and improve upon ideas

Root Cause Analysis

For effective problem-solving, identifying the root cause of the issue at hand is crucial. Try these methods:

5 Whys : Ask “why” five times to get to the underlying cause.
Fishbone Diagram : Create a diagram representing the problem and break it down into categories of potential causes.
Pareto Analysis : Determine the few most significant causes underlying the majority of problems.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis helps you examine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to your problem. To perform a SWOT analysis:

List your problem’s strengths, such as relevant resources or strong partnerships.
Identify its weaknesses, such as knowledge gaps or limited resources.
Explore opportunities, like trends or new technologies, that could help solve the problem.
Recognize potential threats, like competition or regulatory barriers.

SWOT analysis aids in understanding the internal and external factors affecting the problem, which can help guide your solution.

Mind Mapping

A mind map is a visual representation of your problem and potential solutions. It enables you to organize information in a structured and intuitive manner. To create a mind map:

Write the problem in the center of a blank page.
Draw branches from the central problem to related sub-problems or contributing factors.
Add more branches to represent potential solutions or further ideas.

Mind mapping allows you to visually see connections between ideas and promotes creativity in problem-solving.

Examples of Problem Solving in Various Contexts

In the business world, you might encounter problems related to finances, operations, or communication. Applying problem-solving skills in these situations could look like:

Identifying areas of improvement in your company’s financial performance and implementing cost-saving measures
Resolving internal conflicts among team members by listening and understanding different perspectives, then proposing and negotiating solutions
Streamlining a process for better productivity by removing redundancies, automating tasks, or re-allocating resources

In educational contexts, problem-solving can be seen in various aspects, such as:

Addressing a gap in students’ understanding by employing diverse teaching methods to cater to different learning styles
Developing a strategy for successful time management to balance academic responsibilities and extracurricular activities
Seeking resources and support to provide equal opportunities for learners with special needs or disabilities

Everyday life is full of challenges that require problem-solving skills. Some examples include:

Overcoming a personal obstacle, such as improving your fitness level, by establishing achievable goals, measuring progress, and adjusting your approach accordingly
Navigating a new environment or city by researching your surroundings, asking for directions, or using technology like GPS to guide you
Dealing with a sudden change, like a change in your work schedule, by assessing the situation, identifying potential impacts, and adapting your plans to accommodate the change.
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Problem management: 8 steps to better p ...

Problem management: 8 steps to better problem solving

Problem management is an 8 step framework most commonly used by IT teams. You can use problem management to solve for repeating major incidents. By organizing and structuring your problem solving, you can more effectively get to the root cause of high-impact problems—and devise a solution. Solving the root cause prevents recurrence and creates a repeatable solution to use on similar errors in the future.

In an IT department, errors and mishaps are part of the job. You can't always control these problems, but you can control how you respond to them with problem management. Problem management helps you solve larger problems and reduce the risk that they’ll happen again by identifying all connected problems, solving them, and planning for the future.

What is problem management?

Problem management is an 8 step framework most commonly used by IT teams. Your team can use problem management to solve for repeating major incidents. By organizing and structuring your problem solving, you can more effectively get to the root cause of high-impact problems—and devise a solution. Problem management is a process—used mostly by IT teams—to identify, react, and respond to issues. It’s not for every problem, but it’s a useful response when multiple major incidents occur that cause large work interruptions. Unlike problem solving, problem management goes beyond the initial incident to discover and dissect the root causes, preventing future incidents with permanent solutions.

The goals of problem management are to:

Prevent problems before they start.

Solve for repetitive errors.

Lessen each incident’s impact.

Problem management vs. incident management

Example: Someone leaves their unprotected laptop in a coffee shop, causing a security breach. The security team can use incident management to solve for this one, isolated event. In this case, the team could manually shut down the accounts connected to that laptop. If this continues to happen, IT would use problem management to solve the root of this issue—perhaps installing more security features on each company laptop so that if employees lose them, no one else can access the information.

Problem management vs. problem solving

While similar in name, problem management differs slightly from problem-solving. Problem management focuses on every aspect of the incident—identifying the root cause of the problem, solving it, and prevention. Problem solving is, as the name implies, focused solely on the solution step.

Example: You’re launching a new password management system when it crashes—again. You don’t know if anything leaked, but you know it could contain confidential information. Plus, it’s happened before. You start the problem management process to ensure it doesn’t happen again. In that process, you’ll use problem solving as a step to fix the issue. In this case, perhaps securing confidential information before you try to launch a new software.

Problem management vs. change management

Change management targets large transitions within your workplace, good and bad. These inevitable changes aren’t always negative, so you can’t always apply problem management as a solution. That’s where change management comes in—a framework that helps you adjust to any new scenario.

Example: Your company is transitioning to a new cloud platform. The transition happens incident-free—meaning you won’t need problem management—but you can ease the transition by implementing some change management best practices. Preparing and training team members in the new software is a good place to start.

Problem management vs. project management

Project management is the framework for larger collections of work. It’s the overarching method for how you work on any project, hit goals, and get results. You can use project management to help you with problem management, but they are not the same thing. Problem management and project management work together to solve issues as part of your problem management process.

Example: During problem management, you uncover a backend security issue that needs to be addressed—employees are using storage software with outdated security measures. To solve this, you create a project and outline the tasks from start to finish. In this case, you might need to alert senior executives, get approval to remove the software, and alert employees. You create a project schedule with a defined timeline and assign the tasks to relevant teams. In this process, you identified a desired outcome—remove the unsafe software—and solved it. That’s project management.

The 8 steps of problem management

It’s easy to get upset when problems occur. In fact, it’s totally normal. But an emotional response is not always the best response when faced with new incidents. Having a reliable system—such as problem management—removes the temptation to respond emotionally. Proactive project management gives your team a framework for problem solving. It’s an iterative process —the more you use it, the more likely you are to have fewer problems, faster response times, and better outputs.

1. Identify the problem

During problem identification, you’re looking at the present—what’s happening right now? Here, you’ll define what the incident is and its scale. Is this a small, quick-fix, or a full overhaul? Consider using problem framing to define, prioritize, and understand the obstacles involved with these more complex problems.

2. Diagnose the cause

Use problem analysis or root cause analysis to strategically look at the cause of a problem. Follow the trail of issues all the way back to its beginnings.

To diagnose the underlying cause, you’ll want to answer:

What factors or conditions led to the incident?

Do you see related incidents? Could those be coming from the same source?

Did someone miss a step? Are processes responsible for this problem?

3. Organize and prioritize

Now it’s time to build out your framework. Use an IT project plan to organize information in a space where everyone can make and see updates in real time. The easiest way to do this is with a project management tool where you can input ‌tasks, assign deadlines, and add dependencies to ensure nothing gets missed. To better organize your process, define:

What needs to be done?

Who’s responsible for each aspect? If no one is, can we assign someone?

When does each piece need to be completed?

What is the final number of incidents related to this problem?

Are any of these tasks dependent on another one? Do you need to set up dependencies ?

What are your highest priorities? How do they affect our larger business goals ?

How should you plan for this in the future?

4. Create a workaround

If the incident has stopped work or altered it, you might need to create a workaround. This is not always necessary, but temporary workarounds can keep work on track and avoid backlog while you go through the problem management steps. When these workarounds are especially effective, you can make them permanent processes.

5. Update your known error database

Every time an incident occurs, create a known error record and add it to your known error database (KEDB). Recording incidents helps you catch recurrences and logs the solution, so you know how to solve similar errors in the future.

[product ui] Incident log example (lists)

6. Pause for change management (if necessary)

Larger, high-impact problems might require change management. For example, if you realize the problem’s root cause is a lack of staff, you might dedicate team members to help. You can use change management to help them transition their responsibilities, see how these new roles fit in with the entire team, and determine how they will collaborate moving forward.

7. Solve the problem

This is the fun part—you get to resolve problems. At this stage, you should know exactly what you’re dealing with and the steps you need to take. But remember—with problem management, it’s not enough to solve the current problem. You’ll want to take any steps to prevent this from happening again in the future. That could mean hiring a new role to cover gaps in workflows , investing in new softwares and tools, or training staff on best practices to prevent these types of incidents.

Read: Turn your team into skilled problem solvers with these problem-solving strategies

8. Reflect on the process

The problem management process has the added benefit of recording the process in its entirety, so you can review it in the future. Once you’ve solved the problem, take the time to review each step and reflect on the lessons learned during this process. Make note of who was involved, what you needed, and any opportunities to improve your response to the next incident. After you go through the problem management process a few times and understand the basic steps, stakeholders, workload, and resources you need, create a template to make the kickoff process easier in the future.

5 benefits of problem management

Problem management helps you discover every piece of the problem—from the current scenario down to its root cause. Not only does this have an immediate positive impact on the current issue at hand, it also promotes collaboration and helps to build a better product overall.

Here are five other ways ‌problem management can benefit your team:

Avoids repeat incidents. When you manage the entire incident from start to finish, you will address the foundational problems that caused it. This leads to fewer repeat incidents.

Boosts cross-functional collaboration. Problem management is a collaborative process. One incident might require collaboration from IT, the security team, and legal. Depending on the level of the problem, it might trickle all the way back down to the product or service team, where core changes need to be made.

Creates a better user experience. It’s simple—the fewer incidents you have, the better your customer’s experience will be. Reducing incidents means fewer delays, downtime, and frustrations for your users, and a higher rate of customer satisfaction.

Improves response time. As you develop a flow and framework with a project management process, you’ll be better equipped to handle future incidents—even if they’re different scenarios.

Organizes problem solving. Problem management provides a structured, thoughtful approach to solving problems. This reduces impulsive responses and helps you keep a better problem record of incidents and solutions.

Problem management leads to better, faster solutions

IT teams will always have to deal with incidents, but they don’t have to be bogged down by them. That’s because problem management works. Whether you employ a full problem management team or choose to apply these practices to your current IT infrastructure, problem management—especially when combined with a project management tool—saves you time and effort down the road.

With IT project plans, we’ve made it easier than ever to track your problem management work in a shared tool. Try our free IT project template to see your work come together, effortlessly.

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How to streamline compliance management software with Asana

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How Asana streamlines strategic planning with work management

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Problem solving

Regular task for project managers.

Problem solving is a basic task for the project management . It is a process for developing and applying a solution for the occurred problems. The probability of the success rises, if a particular method is implemented to the project work. The problem solving can be described in the following steps. First of all it is necessary to determine the actual status or problem definition. The next step is the applying of the solution process. And the last step is the achievement of the wanted actual status.

First, a clear picture of the situation to be changed is necessary. It should be thereby clearly defined, which objective should be achieved. And the question is: “Why this project is to be performed; which objective it serves?” The initial situation, objects, purpose and scenario of the project are to be analyzed to answer this question and to define therefore the project. The initial situation illustrates the project situation. The project purpose places the project in the subordinated context. The object description enables project measurability and transparency of the target tracking. The scenario or project structure plan divides the whole project into work packages to effectively accomplish project objects.

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Learn Creative Problem Solving Techniques to Stimulate Innovation in Your Organization

By Kate Eby | October 20, 2017 (updated August 27, 2021)

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In today’s competitive business landscape, organizations need processes in place to make strong, well-informed, and innovative decisions. Problem solving - in particular creative problem solving (CPS) - is a key skill in learning how to accurately identify problems and their causes, generate potential solutions, and evaluate all the possibilities to arrive at a strong corrective course of action. Every team in any organization, regardless of department or industry, needs to be effective, creative, and quick when solving problems.

In this article, we’ll discuss traditional and creative problem solving, and define the steps, best practices, and common barriers associated. After that, we’ll provide helpful methods and tools to identify the cause(s) of problematic situations, so you can get to the root of the issue and start to generate solutions. Then, we offer nearly 20 creative problem solving techniques to implement at your organization, or even in your personal life. Along the way, experts weigh in on the importance of problem solving, and offer tips and tricks.

What Is Problem Solving and Decision Making?

Problem solving is the process of working through every aspect of an issue or challenge to reach a solution. Decision making is choosing one of multiple proposed solutions — therefore, this process also includes defining and evaluating all potential options. Decision making is often one step of the problem solving process, but the two concepts are distinct.

Collective problem solving is problem solving that includes many different parties and bridges the knowledge of different groups. Collective problem solving is common in business problem solving because workplace decisions typically affect more than one person.

Problem solving, especially in business, is a complicated science. Not only are business conflicts multifaceted, but they often involve different personalities, levels of authority, and group dynamics. In recent years, however, there has been a rise in psychology-driven problem solving techniques, especially for the workplace. In fact, the psychology of how people solve problems is now studied formally in academic disciplines such as psychology and cognitive science.

Joe Carella is the Assistant Dean for Executive Education at the University of Arizona . Joe has over 20 years of experience in helping executives and corporations in managing change and developing successful business strategies. His doctoral research and executive education engagements have seen him focus on corporate strategy, decision making and business performance with a variety of corporate clients including Hershey’s, Chevron, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Intel, DP World, Essilor, BBVA Compass Bank.

He explains some of the basic psychology behind problem solving: “When our brain is engaged in the process of solving problems, it is engaged in a series of steps where it processes and organizes the information it receives while developing new knowledge it uses in future steps. Creativity is embedded in this process by incorporating diverse inputs and/or new ways of organizing the information received.”

Laura MacLeod is a Professor of Social Group Work at City University of New York, and the creator of From The Inside Out Project® , a program that coaches managers in team leadership for a variety of workplaces. She has a background in social work and over two decades of experience as a union worker, and currently leads talks on conflict resolution, problem solving, and listening skills at conferences across the country.

MacLeod thinks of problem solving as an integral practice of successful organizations. “Problem solving is a collaborative process — all voices are heard and connected, and resolution is reached by the group,” she says. “Problems and conflicts occur in all groups and teams in the workplace, but if leaders involve everyone in working through, they will foster cohesion, engagement, and buy in. Everybody wins.”

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What Is the First Step in Solving a Problem?

Although problem solving techniques vary procedurally, experts agree that the first step in solving a problem is defining the problem. Without a clear articulation of the problem at stake, it is impossible to analyze all the key factors and actors, generate possible solutions, and then evaluate them to pick the best option.

Dr. Elliott Jaffa is a behavioral and management psychologist with over 25 years of problem solving training and management experience. “Start with defining the problem you want to solve,” he says, “And then define where you want to be, what you want to come away with.” He emphasizes these are the first steps in creating an actionable, clear solution.

Bryan Mattimore is Co-Founder of Growth Engine, an 18-year old innovation agency based in Norwalk, CT. Bryan has facilitated over 1,000 ideation sessions and managed over 200 successful innovation projects leading to over $3 billion in new sales. His newest book is 21 Days to a Big Idea . When asked about the first critical component to successful problem solving, Mattimore says, “Defining the challenge correctly, or ‘solving the right problem’ … The three creative techniques we use to help our clients ‘identify the right problem to be solved’ are questioning assumptions, 20 questions, and problem redefinition. A good example of this was a new product challenge from a client to help them ‘invent a new iron. We got them to redefine the challenge as first: a) inventing new anti-wrinkle devices, and then b) inventing new garment care devices.”

What Are Problem Solving Skills?

To understand the necessary skills in problem solving, you should first understand the types of thinking often associated with strong decision making. Most problem solving techniques look for a balance between the following binaries:

Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking: Convergent thinking is bringing together disparate information or ideas to determine a single best answer or solution. This thinking style values logic, speed, and accuracy, and leaves no chance for ambiguity. Divergent thinking is focused on generating new ideas to identify and evaluate multiple possible solutions, often uniting ideas in unexpected combinations. Divergent thinking is characterized by creativity, complexity, curiosity, flexibility, originality, and risk-taking.
Pragmatics vs. Semantics: Pragmatics refer to the logic of the problem at hand, and semantics is how you interpret the problem to solve it. Both are important to yield the best possible solution.
Mathematical vs. Personal Problem Solving: Mathematical problem solving involves logic (usually leading to a single correct answer), and is useful for problems that involve numbers or require an objective, clear-cut solution. However, many workplace problems also require personal problem solving, which includes interpersonal, collaborative, and emotional intuition and skills.

The following basic methods are fundamental problem solving concepts. Implement them to help balance the above thinking models.

Reproductive Thinking: Reproductive thinking uses past experience to solve a problem. However, be careful not to rely too heavily on past solutions, and to evaluate current problems individually, with their own factors and parameters.
Idea Generation: The process of generating many possible courses of action to identify a solution. This is most commonly a team exercise because putting everyone’s ideas on the table will yield the greatest number of potential solutions.

However, many of the most critical problem solving skills are “soft” skills: personal and interpersonal understanding, intuitiveness, and strong listening.

Mattimore expands on this idea: “The seven key skills to be an effective creative problem solver that I detail in my book Idea Stormers: How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs are: 1) curiosity 2) openness 3) a willingness to embrace ambiguity 4) the ability to identify and transfer principles across categories and disciplines 5) the desire to search for integrity in ideas, 6) the ability to trust and exercise “knowingness” and 7) the ability to envision new worlds (think Dr. Seuss, Star Wars, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc.).”

“As an individual contributor to problem solving it is important to exercise our curiosity, questioning, and visioning abilities,” advises Carella. “As a facilitator it is essential to allow for diverse ideas to emerge, be able to synthesize and ‘translate’ other people’s thinking, and build an extensive network of available resources.”

MacLeod says the following interpersonal skills are necessary to effectively facilitate group problem solving: “The abilities to invite participation (hear all voices, encourage silent members), not take sides, manage dynamics between the monopolizer, the scapegoat, and the bully, and deal with conflict (not avoiding it or shutting down).”

Furthermore, Jaffa explains that the skills of a strong problem solver aren’t measurable. The best way to become a creative problem solver, he says, is to do regular creative exercises that keep you sharp and force you to think outside the box. Carella echoes this sentiment: “Neuroscience tells us that creativity comes from creating novel neural paths. Allow a few minutes each day to exercise your brain with novel techniques and brain ‘tricks’ – read something new, drive to work via a different route, count backwards, smell a new fragrance, etc.”

What Is Creative Problem Solving? History, Evolution, and Core Principles

Creative problem solving (CPS) is a method of problem solving in which you approach a problem or challenge in an imaginative, innovative way. The goal of CPS is to come up with innovative solutions, make a decision, and take action quickly. Sidney Parnes and Alex Osborn are credited with developing the creative problem solving process in the 1950s. The concept was further studied and developed at SUNY Buffalo State and the Creative Education Foundation.

The core principles of CPS include the following:

Balance divergent and convergent thinking
Ask problems as questions
Defer or suspend judgement
Focus on “Yes, and…” rather than “No, but…”

According to Carella, “Creative problem solving is the mental process used for generating innovative and imaginative ideas as a solution to a problem or a challenge. Creative problem solving techniques can be pursued by individuals or groups.”

When asked to define CPS, Jaffa explains that it is, by nature, difficult to create boundaries for. “Creative problem solving is not cut and dry,” he says, “If you ask 100 different people the definition of creative problem solving, you’ll get 100 different responses - it’s a non-entity.”

Business presents a unique need for creative problem solving. Especially in today’s competitive landscape, organizations need to iterate quickly, innovate with intention, and constantly be at the cutting-edge of creativity and new ideas to succeed. Developing CPS skills among your workforce not only enables you to make faster, stronger in-the-moment decisions, but also inspires a culture of collaborative work and knowledge sharing. When people work together to generate multiple novel ideas and evaluate solutions, they are also more likely to arrive at an effective decision, which will improve business processes and reduce waste over time. In fact, CPS is so important that some companies now list creative problem solving skills as a job criteria.

MacLeod reiterates the vitality of creative problem solving in the workplace. “Problem solving is crucial for all groups and teams,” she says. “Leaders need to know how to guide the process, hear all voices and involve all members - it’s not easy.”

“This mental process [of CPS] is especially helpful in work environments where individuals and teams continuously struggle with new problems and challenges posed by their continuously changing environment,” adds Carella.

Problem Solving Best Practices

By nature, creative problem solving does not have a clear-cut set of do’s and don’ts. Rather, creating a culture of strong creative problem solvers requires flexibility, adaptation, and interpersonal skills. However, there are a several best practices that you should incorporate:

Use a Systematic Approach: Regardless of the technique you use, choose a systematic method that satisfies your workplace conditions and constraints (time, resources, budget, etc.). Although you want to preserve creativity and openness to new ideas, maintaining a structured approach to the process will help you stay organized and focused.
View Problems as Opportunities: Rather than focusing on the negatives or giving up when you encounter barriers, treat problems as opportunities to enact positive change on the situation. In fact, some experts even recommend defining problems as opportunities, to remain proactive and positive.
Change Perspective: Remember that there are multiple ways to solve any problem. If you feel stuck, changing perspective can help generate fresh ideas. A perspective change might entail seeking advice of a mentor or expert, understanding the context of a situation, or taking a break and returning to the problem later. “A sterile or familiar environment can stifle new thinking and new perspectives,” says Carella. “Make sure you get out to draw inspiration from spaces and people out of your usual reach.”
Break Down Silos: To invite the greatest possible number of perspectives to any problem, encourage teams to work cross-departmentally. This not only combines diverse expertise, but also creates a more trusting and collaborative environment, which is essential to effective CPS. According to Carella, “Big challenges are always best tackled by a group of people rather than left to a single individual. Make sure you create a space where the team can concentrate and convene.”
Employ Strong Leadership or a Facilitator: Some companies choose to hire an external facilitator that teaches problem solving techniques, best practices, and practicums to stimulate creative problem solving. But, internal managers and staff can also oversee these activities. Regardless of whether the facilitator is internal or external, choose a strong leader who will value others’ ideas and make space for creative solutions. Mattimore has specific advice regarding the role of a facilitator: “When facilitating, get the group to name a promising idea (it will crystalize the idea and make it more memorable), and facilitate deeper rather than broader. Push for not only ideas, but how an idea might specifically work, some of its possible benefits, who and when would be interested in an idea, etc. This fleshing-out process with a group will generate fewer ideas, but at the end of the day will yield more useful concepts that might be profitably pursued.” Additionally, Carella says that “Executives and managers don’t necessarily have to be creative problem solvers, but need to make sure that their teams are equipped with the right tools and resources to make this happen. Also they need to be able to foster an environment where failing fast is accepted and celebrated.”
Evaluate Your Current Processes: This practice can help you unlock bottlenecks, and also identify gaps in your data and information management, both of which are common roots of business problems.

MacLeod offers the following additional advice, “Always get the facts. Don’t jump too quickly to a solution – working through [problems] takes time and patience.”

Mattimore also stresses that how you introduce creative problem solving is important. “Do not start by introducing a new company-wide innovation process,” he says. “Instead, encourage smaller teams to pursue specific creative projects, and then build a process from the ground up by emulating these smaller teams’ successful approaches. We say: ‘You don’t innovate by changing the culture, you change the culture by innovating.’”

Barriers to Effective Problem Solving

Learning how to effectively solve problems is difficult and takes time and continual adaptation. There are several common barriers to successful CPS, including:

Confirmation Bias: The tendency to only search for or interpret information that confirms a person’s existing ideas. People misinterpret or disregard data that doesn’t align with their beliefs.
Mental Set: People’s inclination to solve problems using the same tactics they have used to solve problems in the past. While this can sometimes be a useful strategy (see Analogical Thinking in a later section), it often limits inventiveness and creativity.
Functional Fixedness: This is another form of narrow thinking, where people become “stuck” thinking in a certain way and are unable to be flexible or change perspective.
Unnecessary Constraints: When people are overwhelmed with a problem, they can invent and impose additional limits on solution avenues. To avoid doing this, maintain a structured, level-headed approach to evaluating causes, effects, and potential solutions.
Groupthink: Be wary of the tendency for group members to agree with each other — this might be out of conflict avoidance, path of least resistance, or fear of speaking up. While this agreeableness might make meetings run smoothly, it can actually stunt creativity and idea generation, therefore limiting the success of your chosen solution.
Irrelevant Information: The tendency to pile on multiple problems and factors that may not even be related to the challenge at hand. This can cloud the team’s ability to find direct, targeted solutions.
Paradigm Blindness: This is found in people who are unwilling to adapt or change their worldview, outlook on a particular problem, or typical way of processing information. This can erode the effectiveness of problem solving techniques because they are not aware of the narrowness of their thinking, and therefore cannot think or act outside of their comfort zone.

According to Jaffa, the primary barrier of effective problem solving is rigidity. “The most common things people say are, ‘We’ve never done it before,’ or ‘We’ve always done it this way.’” While these feelings are natural, Jaffa explains that this rigid thinking actually precludes teams from identifying creative, inventive solutions that result in the greatest benefit.

“The biggest barrier to creative problem solving is a lack of awareness – and commitment to – training employees in state-of-the-art creative problem-solving techniques,” Mattimore explains. “We teach our clients how to use ideation techniques (as many as two-dozen different creative thinking techniques) to help them generate more and better ideas. Ideation techniques use specific and customized stimuli, or ‘thought triggers’ to inspire new thinking and new ideas.”

MacLeod adds that ineffective or rushed leadership is another common culprit. “We're always in a rush to fix quickly,” she says. “Sometimes leaders just solve problems themselves, making unilateral decisions to save time. But the investment is well worth it — leaders will have less on their plates if they can teach and eventually trust the team to resolve. Teams feel empowered and engagement and investment increases.”

Strategies for Problem Cause Identification

As discussed, most experts agree that the first and most crucial step in problem solving is defining the problem. Once you’ve done this, however, it may not be appropriate to move straight to the solution phase. Rather, it is often helpful to identify the cause(s) of the problem: This will better inform your solution planning and execution, and help ensure that you don’t fall victim to the same challenges in the future.

Below are some of the most common strategies for identifying the cause of a problem:

Root Cause Analysis: This method helps identify the most critical cause of a problem. A factor is considered a root cause if removing it prevents the problem from recurring. Performing a root cause analysis is a 12 step process that includes: define the problem, gather data on the factors contributing to the problem, group the factors based on shared characteristics, and create a cause-and-effect timeline to determine the root cause. After that, you identify and evaluate corrective actions to eliminate the root cause.

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Problem Solving Techniques and Strategies

In this section, we’ll explain several traditional and creative problem solving methods that you can use to identify challenges, create actionable goals, and resolve problems as they arise. Although there is often procedural and objective crossover among techniques, they are grouped by theme so you can identify which method works best for your organization.

Divergent Creative Problem Solving Techniques

Brainstorming: One of the most common methods of divergent thinking, brainstorming works best in an open group setting where everyone is encouraged to share their creative ideas. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible – you analyze, critique, and evaluate the ideas only after the brainstorming session is complete. To learn more specific brainstorming techniques, read this article .

Mind Mapping: This is a visual thinking tool where you graphically depict concepts and their relation to one another. You can use mind mapping to structure the information you have, analyze and synthesize it, and generate solutions and new ideas from there. The goal of a mind map is to simplify complicated problems so you can more clearly identify solutions.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI): The basic assumption of AI is that “an organization is a mystery to be embraced.” Using this principle, AI takes a positive, inquisitive approach to identifying the problem, analyzing the causes, and presenting possible solutions. The five principles of AI emphasize dialogue, deliberate language and outlook, and social bonding.

Lateral Thinking: This is an indirect problem solving approach centered on the momentum of idea generation. As opposed to critical thinking, where people value ideas based on their truth and the absence of errors, lateral thinking values the “movement value” of new ideas: This means that you reward team members for producing a large volume of new ideas rapidly. With this approach, you’ll generate many new ideas before approving or rejecting any.

Problem Solving Techniques to Change Perspective

Constructive Controversy: This is a structured approach to group decision making to preserve critical thinking and disagreement while maintaining order. After defining the problem and presenting multiple courses of action, the group divides into small advocacy teams who research, analyze, and refute a particular option. Once each advocacy team has presented its best-case scenario, the group has a discussion (advocacy teams still defend their presented idea). Arguing and playing devil’s advocate is encouraged to reach an understanding of the pros and cons of each option. Next, advocacy teams abandon their cause and evaluate the options openly until they reach a consensus. All team members formally commit to the decision, regardless of whether they advocated for it at the beginning. You can learn more about the goals and steps in constructive controversy here .

Carella is a fan of this approach. “Create constructive controversy by having two teams argue the pros and cons of a certain idea,” he says. “It forces unconscious biases to surface and gives space for new ideas to formulate.”

Abstraction: In this method, you apply the problem to a fictional model of the current situation. Mapping an issue to an abstract situation can shed extraneous or irrelevant factors, and reveal places where you are overlooking obvious solutions or becoming bogged down by circumstances.

Analogical Thinking: Also called analogical reasoning , this method relies on an analogy: using information from one problem to solve another problem (these separate problems are called domains). It can be difficult for teams to create analogies among unrelated problems, but it is a strong technique to help you identify repeated issues, zoom out and change perspective, and prevent the problems from occurring in the future. .

CATWOE: This framework ensures that you evaluate the perspectives of those whom your decision will impact. The factors and questions to consider include (which combine to make the acronym CATWOE):

Customers: Who is on the receiving end of your decisions? What problem do they currently have, and how will they react to your proposed solution?
Actors: Who is acting to bring your solution to fruition? How will they respond and be affected by your decision?
Transformation Process: What processes will you employ to transform your current situation and meet your goals? What are the inputs and outputs?
World View: What is the larger context of your proposed solution? What is the larger, big-picture problem you are addressing?
Owner: Who actually owns the process? How might they influence your proposed solution (positively or negatively), and how can you influence them to help you?
Environmental Constraints: What are the limits (environmental, resource- and budget-wise, ethical, legal, etc.) on your ideas? How will you revise or work around these constraints?

Complex Problem Solving

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM): For extremely complex problems, SSM can help you identify how factors interact, and determine the best course of action. SSM was borne out of organizational process modeling and general systems theory, which hold that everything is part of a greater, interconnected system: This idea works well for “hard” problems (where logic and a single correct answer are prioritized), and less so for “soft” problems (i.e., human problems where factors such as personality, emotions, and hierarchy come into play). Therefore, SSM defines a seven step process for problem solving:

Begin with the problem or problematic situation
Express the problem or situation and build a rich picture of the themes of the problem
Identify the root causes of the problem (most commonly with CATWOE)
Build conceptual models of human activity surrounding the problem or situation
Compare models with real-world happenings
Identify changes to the situation that are both feasible and desirable
Take action to implement changes and improve the problematic situation

SSM can be used for any complex soft problem, and is also a useful tool in change management .

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): This method helps teams anticipate potential problems and take steps to mitigate them. Use FMEA when you are designing (redesigning) a complex function, process, product, or service. First, identify the failure modes, which are the possible ways that a project could fail. Then, perform an effects analysis to understand the consequences of each of the potential downfalls. This exercise is useful for internalizing the severity of each potential failure and its effects so you can make adjustments or safeties in your plan.

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Problem Solving Based on Data or Logic (Heuristic Methods)

TRIZ: A Russian-developed problem solving technique that values logic, analysis, and forecasting over intuition or soft reasoning. TRIZ (translated to “theory of inventive problem solving” or TIPS in English) is a systematic approach to defining and identifying an inventive solution to difficult problems. The method offers several strategies for arriving at an inventive solution, including a contradictions matrix to assess trade-offs among solutions, a Su-Field analysis which uses formulas to describe a system by its structure, and ARIZ (algorithm of inventive problem solving) which uses algorithms to find inventive solutions.

Inductive Reasoning: A logical method that uses evidence to conclude that a certain answer is probable (this is opposed to deductive reasoning, where the answer is assumed to be true). Inductive reasoning uses a limited number of observations to make useful, logical conclusions (for example, the Scientific Method is an extreme example of inductive reasoning). However, this method doesn’t always map well to human problems in the workplace — in these instances, managers should employ intuitive inductive reasoning , which allows for more automatic, implicit conclusions so that work can progress. This, of course, retains the principle that these intuitive conclusions are not necessarily the one and only correct answer.

Process-Oriented Problem Solving Methods

Plan Do Check Act (PDCA): This is an iterative management technique used to ensure continual improvement of products or processes. First, teams plan (establish objectives to meet desired end results), then do (implement the plan, new processes, or produce the output), then check (compare expected with actual results), and finally act (define how the organization will act in the future, based on the performance and knowledge gained in the previous three steps).

Means-End Analysis (MEA): The MEA strategy is to reduce the difference between the current (problematic) state and the goal state. To do so, teams compile information on the multiple factors that contribute to the disparity between the current and goal states. Then they try to change or eliminate the factors one by one, beginning with the factor responsible for the greatest difference in current and goal state. By systematically tackling the multiple factors that cause disparity between the problem and desired outcome, teams can better focus energy and control each step of the process.

Hurson’s Productive Thinking Model: This technique was developed by Tim Hurson, and is detailed in his 2007 book Think Better: An Innovator’s Guide to Productive Thinking . The model outlines six steps that are meant to give structure while maintaining creativity and critical thinking: 1) Ask “What is going on?” 2) Ask “What is success?” 3) Ask “What is the question?” 4) Generate answers 5) Forge the solution 6) Align resources.

Control Influence Accept (CIA): The basic premise of CIA is that how you respond to problems determines how successful you will be in overcoming them. Therefore, this model is both a problem solving technique and stress-management tool that ensures you aren’t responding to problems in a reactive and unproductive way. The steps in CIA include:

Control: Identify the aspects of the problem that are within your control.
Influence: Identify the aspects of the problem that you cannot control, but that you can influence.
Accept: Identify the aspects of the problem that you can neither control nor influence, and react based on this composite information.

GROW Model: This is a straightforward problem solving method for goal setting that clearly defines your goals and current situation, and then asks you to define the potential solutions and be realistic about your chosen course of action. The steps break down as follows:

Goal: What do you want?
Reality: Where are you now?
Options: What could you do?
Will: What will you do?

OODA Loop: This acronym stands for observe, orient, decide, and act. This approach is a decision-making cycle that values agility and flexibility over raw human force. It is framed as a loop because of the understanding that any team will continually encounter problems or opponents to success and have to overcome them.

There are also many un-named creative problem solving techniques that follow a sequenced series of steps. While the exact steps vary slightly, they all follow a similar trajectory and aim to accomplish similar goals of problem, cause, and goal identification, idea generation, and active solution implementation.

Identify Goal	Define Problem	Define Problem
Gather Data	Define Causes	Identify Options
Clarify Problem	Generate Ideas	Evaluate Options
Generate Ideas	Choose the Best Solution	Implement Solution
Select Solution	Take Action	-

MacLeod offers her own problem solving procedure, which echoes the above steps:

“1. Recognize the Problem: State what you see. Sometimes the problem is covert. 2. Identify: Get the facts — What exactly happened? What is the issue? 3. and 4. Explore and Connect: Dig deeper and encourage group members to relate their similar experiences. Now you're getting more into the feelings and background [of the situation], not just the facts. 5. Possible Solutions: Consider and brainstorm ideas for resolution. 6. Implement: Choose a solution and try it out — this could be role play and/or a discussion of how the solution would be put in place. 7. Evaluate: Revisit to see if the solution was successful or not.”

Many of these problem solving techniques can be used in concert with one another, or multiple can be appropriate for any given problem. It’s less about facilitating a perfect CPS session, and more about encouraging team members to continually think outside the box and push beyond personal boundaries that inhibit their innovative thinking. So, try out several methods, find those that resonate best with your team, and continue adopting new techniques and adapting your processes along the way.

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How to master the seven-step problem-solving process

In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , Simon London speaks with Charles Conn, CEO of venture-capital firm Oxford Sciences Innovation, and McKinsey senior partner Hugo Sarrazin about the complexities of different problem-solving strategies.

Podcast transcript

Simon London: Hello, and welcome to this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , with me, Simon London. What’s the number-one skill you need to succeed professionally? Salesmanship, perhaps? Or a facility with statistics? Or maybe the ability to communicate crisply and clearly? Many would argue that at the very top of the list comes problem solving: that is, the ability to think through and come up with an optimal course of action to address any complex challenge—in business, in public policy, or indeed in life.

Looked at this way, it’s no surprise that McKinsey takes problem solving very seriously, testing for it during the recruiting process and then honing it, in McKinsey consultants, through immersion in a structured seven-step method. To discuss the art of problem solving, I sat down in California with McKinsey senior partner Hugo Sarrazin and also with Charles Conn. Charles is a former McKinsey partner, entrepreneur, executive, and coauthor of the book Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything [John Wiley & Sons, 2018].

Charles and Hugo, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being here.

Hugo Sarrazin: Our pleasure.

Charles Conn: It’s terrific to be here.

Simon London: Problem solving is a really interesting piece of terminology. It could mean so many different things. I have a son who’s a teenage climber. They talk about solving problems. Climbing is problem solving. Charles, when you talk about problem solving, what are you talking about?

Charles Conn: For me, problem solving is the answer to the question “What should I do?” It’s interesting when there’s uncertainty and complexity, and when it’s meaningful because there are consequences. Your son’s climbing is a perfect example. There are consequences, and it’s complicated, and there’s uncertainty—can he make that grab? I think we can apply that same frame almost at any level. You can think about questions like “What town would I like to live in?” or “Should I put solar panels on my roof?”

You might think that’s a funny thing to apply problem solving to, but in my mind it’s not fundamentally different from business problem solving, which answers the question “What should my strategy be?” Or problem solving at the policy level: “How do we combat climate change?” “Should I support the local school bond?” I think these are all part and parcel of the same type of question, “What should I do?”

I’m a big fan of structured problem solving. By following steps, we can more clearly understand what problem it is we’re solving, what are the components of the problem that we’re solving, which components are the most important ones for us to pay attention to, which analytic techniques we should apply to those, and how we can synthesize what we’ve learned back into a compelling story. That’s all it is, at its heart.

I think sometimes when people think about seven steps, they assume that there’s a rigidity to this. That’s not it at all. It’s actually to give you the scope for creativity, which often doesn’t exist when your problem solving is muddled.

Simon London: You were just talking about the seven-step process. That’s what’s written down in the book, but it’s a very McKinsey process as well. Without getting too deep into the weeds, let’s go through the steps, one by one. You were just talking about problem definition as being a particularly important thing to get right first. That’s the first step. Hugo, tell us about that.

Hugo Sarrazin: It is surprising how often people jump past this step and make a bunch of assumptions. The most powerful thing is to step back and ask the basic questions—“What are we trying to solve? What are the constraints that exist? What are the dependencies?” Let’s make those explicit and really push the thinking and defining. At McKinsey, we spend an enormous amount of time in writing that little statement, and the statement, if you’re a logic purist, is great. You debate. “Is it an ‘or’? Is it an ‘and’? What’s the action verb?” Because all these specific words help you get to the heart of what matters.

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Simon London: So this is a concise problem statement.

Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah. It’s not like “Can we grow in Japan?” That’s interesting, but it is “What, specifically, are we trying to uncover in the growth of a product in Japan? Or a segment in Japan? Or a channel in Japan?” When you spend an enormous amount of time, in the first meeting of the different stakeholders, debating this and having different people put forward what they think the problem definition is, you realize that people have completely different views of why they’re here. That, to me, is the most important step.

Charles Conn: I would agree with that. For me, the problem context is critical. When we understand “What are the forces acting upon your decision maker? How quickly is the answer needed? With what precision is the answer needed? Are there areas that are off limits or areas where we would particularly like to find our solution? Is the decision maker open to exploring other areas?” then you not only become more efficient, and move toward what we call the critical path in problem solving, but you also make it so much more likely that you’re not going to waste your time or your decision maker’s time.

How often do especially bright young people run off with half of the idea about what the problem is and start collecting data and start building models—only to discover that they’ve really gone off half-cocked.

Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah.

Charles Conn: And in the wrong direction.

Simon London: OK. So step one—and there is a real art and a structure to it—is define the problem. Step two, Charles?

Charles Conn: My favorite step is step two, which is to use logic trees to disaggregate the problem. Every problem we’re solving has some complexity and some uncertainty in it. The only way that we can really get our team working on the problem is to take the problem apart into logical pieces.

What we find, of course, is that the way to disaggregate the problem often gives you an insight into the answer to the problem quite quickly. I love to do two or three different cuts at it, each one giving a bit of a different insight into what might be going wrong. By doing sensible disaggregations, using logic trees, we can figure out which parts of the problem we should be looking at, and we can assign those different parts to team members.

Simon London: What’s a good example of a logic tree on a sort of ratable problem?

Charles Conn: Maybe the easiest one is the classic profit tree. Almost in every business that I would take a look at, I would start with a profit or return-on-assets tree. In its simplest form, you have the components of revenue, which are price and quantity, and the components of cost, which are cost and quantity. Each of those can be broken out. Cost can be broken into variable cost and fixed cost. The components of price can be broken into what your pricing scheme is. That simple tree often provides insight into what’s going on in a business or what the difference is between that business and the competitors.

If we add the leg, which is “What’s the asset base or investment element?”—so profit divided by assets—then we can ask the question “Is the business using its investments sensibly?” whether that’s in stores or in manufacturing or in transportation assets. I hope we can see just how simple this is, even though we’re describing it in words.

When I went to work with Gordon Moore at the Moore Foundation, the problem that he asked us to look at was “How can we save Pacific salmon?” Now, that sounds like an impossible question, but it was amenable to precisely the same type of disaggregation and allowed us to organize what became a 15-year effort to improve the likelihood of good outcomes for Pacific salmon.

Simon London: Now, is there a danger that your logic tree can be impossibly large? This, I think, brings us onto the third step in the process, which is that you have to prioritize.

Charles Conn: Absolutely. The third step, which we also emphasize, along with good problem definition, is rigorous prioritization—we ask the questions “How important is this lever or this branch of the tree in the overall outcome that we seek to achieve? How much can I move that lever?” Obviously, we try and focus our efforts on ones that have a big impact on the problem and the ones that we have the ability to change. With salmon, ocean conditions turned out to be a big lever, but not one that we could adjust. We focused our attention on fish habitats and fish-harvesting practices, which were big levers that we could affect.

People spend a lot of time arguing about branches that are either not important or that none of us can change. We see it in the public square. When we deal with questions at the policy level—“Should you support the death penalty?” “How do we affect climate change?” “How can we uncover the causes and address homelessness?”—it’s even more important that we’re focusing on levers that are big and movable.

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Simon London: Let’s move swiftly on to step four. You’ve defined your problem, you disaggregate it, you prioritize where you want to analyze—what you want to really look at hard. Then you got to the work plan. Now, what does that mean in practice?

Hugo Sarrazin: Depending on what you’ve prioritized, there are many things you could do. It could be breaking the work among the team members so that people have a clear piece of the work to do. It could be defining the specific analyses that need to get done and executed, and being clear on time lines. There’s always a level-one answer, there’s a level-two answer, there’s a level-three answer. Without being too flippant, I can solve any problem during a good dinner with wine. It won’t have a whole lot of backing.

Simon London: Not going to have a lot of depth to it.

Hugo Sarrazin: No, but it may be useful as a starting point. If the stakes are not that high, that could be OK. If it’s really high stakes, you may need level three and have the whole model validated in three different ways. You need to find a work plan that reflects the level of precision, the time frame you have, and the stakeholders you need to bring along in the exercise.

Charles Conn: I love the way you’ve described that, because, again, some people think of problem solving as a linear thing, but of course what’s critical is that it’s iterative. As you say, you can solve the problem in one day or even one hour.

Charles Conn: We encourage our teams everywhere to do that. We call it the one-day answer or the one-hour answer. In work planning, we’re always iterating. Every time you see a 50-page work plan that stretches out to three months, you know it’s wrong. It will be outmoded very quickly by that learning process that you described. Iterative problem solving is a critical part of this. Sometimes, people think work planning sounds dull, but it isn’t. It’s how we know what’s expected of us and when we need to deliver it and how we’re progressing toward the answer. It’s also the place where we can deal with biases. Bias is a feature of every human decision-making process. If we design our team interactions intelligently, we can avoid the worst sort of biases.

Simon London: Here we’re talking about cognitive biases primarily, right? It’s not that I’m biased against you because of your accent or something. These are the cognitive biases that behavioral sciences have shown we all carry around, things like anchoring, overoptimism—these kinds of things.

Both: Yeah.

Charles Conn: Availability bias is the one that I’m always alert to. You think you’ve seen the problem before, and therefore what’s available is your previous conception of it—and we have to be most careful about that. In any human setting, we also have to be careful about biases that are based on hierarchies, sometimes called sunflower bias. I’m sure, Hugo, with your teams, you make sure that the youngest team members speak first. Not the oldest team members, because it’s easy for people to look at who’s senior and alter their own creative approaches.

Hugo Sarrazin: It’s helpful, at that moment—if someone is asserting a point of view—to ask the question “This was true in what context?” You’re trying to apply something that worked in one context to a different one. That can be deadly if the context has changed, and that’s why organizations struggle to change. You promote all these people because they did something that worked well in the past, and then there’s a disruption in the industry, and they keep doing what got them promoted even though the context has changed.

Simon London: Right. Right.

Hugo Sarrazin: So it’s the same thing in problem solving.

Charles Conn: And it’s why diversity in our teams is so important. It’s one of the best things about the world that we’re in now. We’re likely to have people from different socioeconomic, ethnic, and national backgrounds, each of whom sees problems from a slightly different perspective. It is therefore much more likely that the team will uncover a truly creative and clever approach to problem solving.

Simon London: Let’s move on to step five. You’ve done your work plan. Now you’ve actually got to do the analysis. The thing that strikes me here is that the range of tools that we have at our disposal now, of course, is just huge, particularly with advances in computation, advanced analytics. There’s so many things that you can apply here. Just talk about the analysis stage. How do you pick the right tools?

Charles Conn: For me, the most important thing is that we start with simple heuristics and explanatory statistics before we go off and use the big-gun tools. We need to understand the shape and scope of our problem before we start applying these massive and complex analytical approaches.

Simon London: Would you agree with that?

Hugo Sarrazin: I agree. I think there are so many wonderful heuristics. You need to start there before you go deep into the modeling exercise. There’s an interesting dynamic that’s happening, though. In some cases, for some types of problems, it is even better to set yourself up to maximize your learning. Your problem-solving methodology is test and learn, test and learn, test and learn, and iterate. That is a heuristic in itself, the A/B testing that is used in many parts of the world. So that’s a problem-solving methodology. It’s nothing different. It just uses technology and feedback loops in a fast way. The other one is exploratory data analysis. When you’re dealing with a large-scale problem, and there’s so much data, I can get to the heuristics that Charles was talking about through very clever visualization of data.

You test with your data. You need to set up an environment to do so, but don’t get caught up in neural-network modeling immediately. You’re testing, you’re checking—“Is the data right? Is it sound? Does it make sense?”—before you launch too far.

Simon London: You do hear these ideas—that if you have a big enough data set and enough algorithms, they’re going to find things that you just wouldn’t have spotted, find solutions that maybe you wouldn’t have thought of. Does machine learning sort of revolutionize the problem-solving process? Or are these actually just other tools in the toolbox for structured problem solving?

Charles Conn: It can be revolutionary. There are some areas in which the pattern recognition of large data sets and good algorithms can help us see things that we otherwise couldn’t see. But I do think it’s terribly important we don’t think that this particular technique is a substitute for superb problem solving, starting with good problem definition. Many people use machine learning without understanding algorithms that themselves can have biases built into them. Just as 20 years ago, when we were doing statistical analysis, we knew that we needed good model definition, we still need a good understanding of our algorithms and really good problem definition before we launch off into big data sets and unknown algorithms.

Simon London: Step six. You’ve done your analysis.

Charles Conn: I take six and seven together, and this is the place where young problem solvers often make a mistake. They’ve got their analysis, and they assume that’s the answer, and of course it isn’t the answer. The ability to synthesize the pieces that came out of the analysis and begin to weave those into a story that helps people answer the question “What should I do?” This is back to where we started. If we can’t synthesize, and we can’t tell a story, then our decision maker can’t find the answer to “What should I do?”

Simon London: But, again, these final steps are about motivating people to action, right?

Charles Conn: Yeah.

Simon London: I am slightly torn about the nomenclature of problem solving because it’s on paper, right? Until you motivate people to action, you actually haven’t solved anything.

Charles Conn: I love this question because I think decision-making theory, without a bias to action, is a waste of time. Everything in how I approach this is to help people take action that makes the world better.

Simon London: Hence, these are absolutely critical steps. If you don’t do this well, you’ve just got a bunch of analysis.

Charles Conn: We end up in exactly the same place where we started, which is people speaking across each other, past each other in the public square, rather than actually working together, shoulder to shoulder, to crack these important problems.

Simon London: In the real world, we have a lot of uncertainty—arguably, increasing uncertainty. How do good problem solvers deal with that?

Hugo Sarrazin: At every step of the process. In the problem definition, when you’re defining the context, you need to understand those sources of uncertainty and whether they’re important or not important. It becomes important in the definition of the tree.

You need to think carefully about the branches of the tree that are more certain and less certain as you define them. They don’t have equal weight just because they’ve got equal space on the page. Then, when you’re prioritizing, your prioritization approach may put more emphasis on things that have low probability but huge impact—or, vice versa, may put a lot of priority on things that are very likely and, hopefully, have a reasonable impact. You can introduce that along the way. When you come back to the synthesis, you just need to be nuanced about what you’re understanding, the likelihood.

Often, people lack humility in the way they make their recommendations: “This is the answer.” They’re very precise, and I think we would all be well-served to say, “This is a likely answer under the following sets of conditions” and then make the level of uncertainty clearer, if that is appropriate. It doesn’t mean you’re always in the gray zone; it doesn’t mean you don’t have a point of view. It just means that you can be explicit about the certainty of your answer when you make that recommendation.

Simon London: So it sounds like there is an underlying principle: “Acknowledge and embrace the uncertainty. Don’t pretend that it isn’t there. Be very clear about what the uncertainties are up front, and then build that into every step of the process.”

Hugo Sarrazin: Every step of the process.

Simon London: Yeah. We have just walked through a particular structured methodology for problem solving. But, of course, this is not the only structured methodology for problem solving. One that is also very well-known is design thinking, which comes at things very differently. So, Hugo, I know you have worked with a lot of designers. Just give us a very quick summary. Design thinking—what is it, and how does it relate?

Hugo Sarrazin: It starts with an incredible amount of empathy for the user and uses that to define the problem. It does pause and go out in the wild and spend an enormous amount of time seeing how people interact with objects, seeing the experience they’re getting, seeing the pain points or joy—and uses that to infer and define the problem.

Simon London: Problem definition, but out in the world.

Hugo Sarrazin: With an enormous amount of empathy. There’s a huge emphasis on empathy. Traditional, more classic problem solving is you define the problem based on an understanding of the situation. This one almost presupposes that we don’t know the problem until we go see it. The second thing is you need to come up with multiple scenarios or answers or ideas or concepts, and there’s a lot of divergent thinking initially. That’s slightly different, versus the prioritization, but not for long. Eventually, you need to kind of say, “OK, I’m going to converge again.” Then you go and you bring things back to the customer and get feedback and iterate. Then you rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. There’s a lot of tactile building, along the way, of prototypes and things like that. It’s very iterative.

Simon London: So, Charles, are these complements or are these alternatives?

Charles Conn: I think they’re entirely complementary, and I think Hugo’s description is perfect. When we do problem definition well in classic problem solving, we are demonstrating the kind of empathy, at the very beginning of our problem, that design thinking asks us to approach. When we ideate—and that’s very similar to the disaggregation, prioritization, and work-planning steps—we do precisely the same thing, and often we use contrasting teams, so that we do have divergent thinking. The best teams allow divergent thinking to bump them off whatever their initial biases in problem solving are. For me, design thinking gives us a constant reminder of creativity, empathy, and the tactile nature of problem solving, but it’s absolutely complementary, not alternative.

Simon London: I think, in a world of cross-functional teams, an interesting question is do people with design-thinking backgrounds really work well together with classical problem solvers? How do you make that chemistry happen?

Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah, it is not easy when people have spent an enormous amount of time seeped in design thinking or user-centric design, whichever word you want to use. If the person who’s applying classic problem-solving methodology is very rigid and mechanical in the way they’re doing it, there could be an enormous amount of tension. If there’s not clarity in the role and not clarity in the process, I think having the two together can be, sometimes, problematic.

The second thing that happens often is that the artifacts the two methodologies try to gravitate toward can be different. Classic problem solving often gravitates toward a model; design thinking migrates toward a prototype. Rather than writing a big deck with all my supporting evidence, they’ll bring an example, a thing, and that feels different. Then you spend your time differently to achieve those two end products, so that’s another source of friction.

Now, I still think it can be an incredibly powerful thing to have the two—if there are the right people with the right mind-set, if there is a team that is explicit about the roles, if we’re clear about the kind of outcomes we are attempting to bring forward. There’s an enormous amount of collaborativeness and respect.

Simon London: But they have to respect each other’s methodology and be prepared to flex, maybe, a little bit, in how this process is going to work.

Hugo Sarrazin: Absolutely.

Simon London: The other area where, it strikes me, there could be a little bit of a different sort of friction is this whole concept of the day-one answer, which is what we were just talking about in classical problem solving. Now, you know that this is probably not going to be your final answer, but that’s how you begin to structure the problem. Whereas I would imagine your design thinkers—no, they’re going off to do their ethnographic research and get out into the field, potentially for a long time, before they come back with at least an initial hypothesis.

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Hugo Sarrazin: That is a great callout, and that’s another difference. Designers typically will like to soak into the situation and avoid converging too quickly. There’s optionality and exploring different options. There’s a strong belief that keeps the solution space wide enough that you can come up with more radical ideas. If there’s a large design team or many designers on the team, and you come on Friday and say, “What’s our week-one answer?” they’re going to struggle. They’re not going to be comfortable, naturally, to give that answer. It doesn’t mean they don’t have an answer; it’s just not where they are in their thinking process.

Simon London: I think we are, sadly, out of time for today. But Charles and Hugo, thank you so much.

Charles Conn: It was a pleasure to be here, Simon.

Hugo Sarrazin: It was a pleasure. Thank you.

Simon London: And thanks, as always, to you, our listeners, for tuning into this episode of the McKinsey Podcast . If you want to learn more about problem solving, you can find the book, Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything , online or order it through your local bookstore. To learn more about McKinsey, you can of course find us at McKinsey.com.

Charles Conn is CEO of Oxford Sciences Innovation and an alumnus of McKinsey’s Sydney office. Hugo Sarrazin is a senior partner in the Silicon Valley office, where Simon London, a member of McKinsey Publishing, is also based.

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To Solve a Tough Problem, Reframe It

Julia Binder
Michael D. Watkins

Research shows that companies devote too little effort to examining problems before trying to solve them. By jumping immediately into problem-solving, teams limit their ability to design innovative solutions.

The authors recommend that companies spend more time up front on problem-framing, a process for understanding and defining a problem. Exploring different frames is like looking at a scene through various camera lenses while adjusting your angle, aperture, and focus. A wide-angle lens gives you a very different photo from that taken with a telephoto lens, and shifting your angle and depth of focus yields distinct images. Effective problem-framing is similar: Looking at a problem from a variety of perspectives helps you uncover new insights and generate fresh ideas.

This article introduces a five-phase approach to problem-framing: In the expand phase, the team identifies all aspects of a problem; in examine, it dives into root causes; in empathize, it considers key stakeholders’ perspectives; in elevate, it puts the problem into a broader context; and in envision, it creates a road map toward the desired outcome.

Five steps to ensure that you don’t jump to solutions

Idea in Brief

The problem.

Research shows that most companies devote too little effort to examining problems from all angles before trying to solve them. That limits their ability to come up with innovative ways to address them.

The Solution

Companies need a structured approach for understanding and defining complex problems to uncover new insights and generate fresh ideas.

The Approach

When business leaders confront complex problems, there’s a powerful impulse to dive right into “solving” mode: You gather a team and then identify potential solutions. That’s fine for challenges you’ve faced before or when proven methods yield good results. But what happens when a new type of problem arises or aspects of a familiar one shift substantially? Or if you’re not exactly sure what the problem is?

Research conducted by us and others shows that leaders and their teams devote too little effort to examining and defining problems before trying to solve them. A study by Paul Nutt of Ohio State University, for example, looked at 350 decision-making processes at medium to large companies and found that more than half failed to achieve desired results, often because perceived time pressure caused people to pay insufficient attention to examining problems from all angles and exploring their complexities. By jumping immediately into problem-solving, teams limit their ability to design innovative and durable solutions.

When we work with organizations and teams, we encourage them to spend more time up front on problem-framing, a process for understanding and defining a problem. Exploring frames is like looking at a scene through various camera lenses while adjusting your angle, aperture, and focus. A wide-angle lens will give you a very different photo from that taken with a telephoto lens, and shifting your angle and depth of focus yields distinct images. Effective problem-framing is similar: Looking at a problem from a variety of perspectives lets you uncover new insights and generate fresh ideas.

As with all essential processes, it helps to have a methodology and a road map. This article introduces the E5 approach to problem-framing—expand, examine, empathize, elevate, and envision—and offers tools that enable leaders to fully explore the problem space.

Phase 1: Expand

In the first phase, set aside preconceptions and open your mind. We recommend using a tool called frame-storming, which encourages a comprehensive exploration of an issue and its nuances. It is a neglected precursor to brainstorming, which typically focuses on generating many different answers for an already framed challenge. Frame-storming helps teams identify assumptions and blind spots, mitigating the risk of pursuing inadequate or biased solutions. The goal is to spark innovation and creativity as people dig into—or as Tina Seelig from Stanford puts it, “fall in love with”—the problem.

Begin by assembling a diverse team, encompassing a variety of types of expertise and perspectives. Involving outsiders can be helpful, since they’re often coming to the issue cold. A good way to prompt the team to consider alternative scenarios is by asking “What if…?” and “How might we…?” questions. For example, ask your team, “What if we had access to unlimited resources to tackle this issue?” or “How might better collaboration between departments or teams help us tackle this issue?” The primary objective is to generate many alternative problem frames, allowing for a more holistic understanding of the issue. Within an open, nonjudgmental atmosphere, you deliberately challenge established thinking—what we call “breaking” the frame.

It may be easy to eliminate some possibilities, and that’s exactly what you should do. Rather than make assumptions, generate alternative hypotheses and then test them.

Consider the problem-framing process at a company we’ll call Omega Soundscapes, a midsize producer of high-end headphones. (Omega is a composite of several firms we’ve worked with.) Omega’s sales had declined substantially over the past two quarters, and the leadership team’s initial diagnosis, or reference frame, was that recent price hikes to its flagship product made it too expensive for its target market. Before acting on this assumption, the team convened knowledgeable representatives from sales, marketing, R&D, customer service, and external consultants to do some frame-storming. Team members were asked:

What if we lowered the price of our flagship product? How would that impact sales and profitability?
How might we identify customers in new target markets who could afford our headphones at the current price?
What if we offered financing or a subscription-based model for our headphones? How would that change perceptions of affordability?
How might we optimize our supply chain and production processes to reduce manufacturing costs without compromising quality?

In playing out each of those scenarios, the Omega team generated several problem frames:

The target market’s preferences have evolved.
New competitors have entered the market.
Product quality has decreased.
Something has damaged perceptions of the brand.
Something has changed in the priorities of our key distributors.

Each of the frames presented a unique angle from which to approach the problem of declining sales, setting the stage for the development of diverse potential solutions. At this stage, it may be relatively easy to eliminate some possibilities, and that’s exactly what you should do. Rather than make assumptions, generate alternative hypotheses and then test them.

Open Your Mind. Whereas brainstorming often involves generating many solutions for an already framed problem, frame-storming encourages teams to identify all aspects of a challenge. This graphic shows two diagrams. The first depicts brainstorming, where a single problem bubble leads to multiple solution bubbles. The second diagram depicts frame-storming, where a single problem bubble leads to multiple bubbles, labeled alternative problem frames, that represent different ways of defining the problem itself.

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Phase 2: Examine

If the expand phase is about identifying all the facets of a problem, this one is about diving deep to identify root causes. The team investigates the issue thoroughly, peeling back the layers to understand underlying drivers and systemic contributors.

A useful tool for doing this is the iceberg model, which guides the team through layers of causation: surface-level events, the behavioral patterns that drive them, underlying systematic structures, and established mental models. As you probe ever deeper and document your findings, you begin to home in on the problem’s root causes. As is the case in the expand phase, open discussions and collaborative research are crucial for achieving a comprehensive analysis.

Let’s return to our Omega Soundscapes example and use the iceberg model to delve into the issues surrounding the two quarters of declining sales. Starting with the first layer beneath the surface, the behavioral pattern, the team diligently analyzed customer feedback. It discovered a significant drop in brand loyalty. This finding validated the problem frame of a “shifting brand perception,” prompting further investigation into what might have been causing it.

Phase 3: Empathize

In this phase, the focus is on the stakeholders—employees, customers, clients, investors, supply chain partners, and other parties—who are most central to and affected by the problem under investigation. The core objective is to understand how they perceive the issue: what they think and feel, how they’re acting, and what they want.

First list all the people who are directly or indirectly relevant to the problem. It may be helpful to create a visual representation of the network of relationships in the ecosystem. Prioritize the stakeholders according to their level of influence on and interest in the problem, and focus on understanding the roles, demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals of the most important ones.

Now create empathy maps for those critical stakeholders. Make a template divided into four sections: Say, Think, Feel, and Do. Conduct interviews or surveys to gather authentic data. How do various users explain the problem? How do they think about the issue, and how do their beliefs inform that thinking? What emotions are they feeling and expressing? How are they behaving? Populate each section of the map with notes based on your observations and interactions. Finally, analyze the completed empathy maps. Look for pain points, inconsistencies, and patterns in stakeholder perspectives.

Returning to the Omega case study, the team identified its ecosystem of stakeholders: customers (both current and potential); retail partners and distributors; the R&D, marketing, and sales teams; suppliers of headphone components; investors and shareholders; and new and existing competitors. They narrowed the list to a few key stakeholders related to the declining-sales problem: customers, retail partners, and investors/shareholders; Omega created empathy maps for representatives from each.

Here’s what the empathy maps showed about what the stakeholders were saying, thinking, feeling, and doing:

Sarah, the customer, complained on social media about the high price of her favorite headphones. Dave, the retailer, expressed concerns about unsold inventory and the challenge of convincing customers to buy the expensive headphones. Alex, the shareholder, brought up Omega’s declining financial performance during its annual investor day.

Sarah thought that Omega was losing touch with its loyal customer base. Dave was considering whether to continue carrying Omega’s products in his store or explore other brands. Alex was contemplating diversifying his portfolio into other consumer-tech companies.

As a longtime supporter of the brand, Sarah felt frustrated and slightly betrayed. Dave was feeling anxious about the drop in sales and the impact on his store’s profitability. Alex was unhappy with the declining stock value.

Sarah was looking for alternatives to the headphones, even though she loves the product’s quality. Dave was scheduling a call with Omega to negotiate pricing and terms. Alex was planning to attend Omega’s next shareholder meeting to find out more information from the leadership team.

When Omega leaders analyzed the data in the maps, they realized that pricing wasn’t the only reason for declining sales. A more profound issue was customers’ dissatisfaction with the perceived price-to-quality ratio, especially when compared with competitors’ offerings. That insight prompted the team to consider enhancing the headphones with additional features, offering more-affordable alternatives, and possibly switching to a service model.

Engage with Stakeholders. Create an empathy map and conduct interviews and surveys to gather data to populate each section. This diagram shows a person in the center representing various types of stakeholders, with four questions companies should ask: What do stakeholders think? What do they do? What do they say? And what do they feel?

Phase 4: Elevate

This phase involves exploring how the problem connects to broader organizational issues. It’s like zooming out on a map to understand where a city lies in relation to the whole country or continent. This bird’s-eye view reveals interconnected issues and their implications.

For this analysis, we recommend the four-frame model developed by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal, which offers distinct lenses through which to view the problem at a higher level. The structural frame helps you explore formal structures (such as hierarchy and reporting relationships); processes (such as workflow); and systems, rules, and policies. This frame examines efficiency, coordination, and alignment of activities.

The human resources frame focuses on people, relationships, and social dynamics. This includes teamwork, leadership, employee motivation, engagement, professional development, and personal growth. In this frame, the organization is seen as a community or a family that recognizes that talent is its most valuable asset. The political frame delves into power dynamics, competing interests, conflicts, coalitions, and negotiations. From this perspective, organizations are arenas where various stakeholders vie for resources and engage in political struggles to influence decisions. It helps you see how power is distributed, used, and contested.

The symbolic frame highlights the importance of symbols, rituals, stories, and shared values in shaping group identity and culture. In it, organizations are depicted as theaters through which its members make meaning.

Using this model, the Omega team generated the following insights in the four frames:

Structural.

A deeper look into the company’s structure revealed siloing and a lack of coordination between the R&D and marketing departments, which had led to misaligned messaging to customers. It also highlighted a lack of collaboration between the two functions and pointed to the need to communicate with the target market about the product’s features and benefits in a coherent and compelling way.

Human resources.

This frame revealed that the declining sales and price hikes had ramped up pressure on the sales team, damaging morale. The demotivated team was struggling to effectively promote the product, making it harder to recover from declining sales. Omega realized it was lacking adequate support, training, and incentives for the team.

The key insight from this frame was that the finance team’s reluctance to approve promotions in the sales group to maintain margins was exacerbating the morale problem. Omega understood that investing in sales leadership development while still generating profits was crucial for long-term success and that frank discussions about the issue were needed.

This frame highlighted an important misalignment in perception: The company believed that its headphones were of “top quality,” while customers reported in surveys that they were “overpriced.” This divergence raised alarm that branding, marketing, and pricing strategies, which were all predicated on the central corporate value of superior quality, were no longer resonating with customers. Omega realized that it had been paying too little attention to quality assurance and functionality.

Adjust Your Vantage Point. Explore the broader organizational issues that factor into the problem, using four distinct frames. This diagram shows four quadrants: the first is political, including power dynamics, competing interests, and coalitions. The second is interpersonal, including people and relationships. The third is structural, including coordination and alignment of activities, and the fourth is symbolic, including group identity and culture.

Phase 5: Envision

In this phase, you transition from framing the problem to actively imagining and designing solutions. This involves synthesizing the insights gained from earlier phases and crafting a shared vision of the desired future state.

Here we recommend using a technique known as backcasting. First, clearly define your desired goal. For example, a team struggling with missed deadlines and declining productivity might aim to achieve on-time completion rates of 98% for its projects and increase its volume of projects by 5% over the next year. Next, reverse engineer the path to achieving your goal. Outline key milestones required over both the short term and the long term. For each one, pinpoint specific interventions, strategies, and initiatives that will propel you closer to your goal. These may encompass changes in processes, policies, technologies, and behaviors. Synthesize the activities into a sequenced, chronological, prioritized road map or action plan, and allocate the resources, including time, budget, and personnel, necessary to implement your plan. Finally, monitor progress toward your goal and be prepared to adjust the plan in response to outcomes, feedback, or changing circumstances. This approach ensures that the team’s efforts in implementing the insights from the previous phases are strategically and purposefully directed toward a concrete destination.

Applying the Approach

Albert Einstein once said, “If I had one hour to solve a problem, I would spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about the solution.” That philosophy underpins our E5 framework, which provides a structured approach for conscientiously engaging with complex problems before leaping to solutions.

As teams use the methodology, they must understand that problem-framing in today’s intricate business landscape is rarely a linear process. While we’re attempting to provide a structured path, we also recognize the dynamic nature of problems and the need for adaptability. Invariably, as teams begin to implement solutions, new facets of a problem may come to light, unforeseen challenges may arise, or external circumstances may evolve. Your team should be ready to loop back to previous phases—for instance, revisiting the expand phase to reassess the problem’s frame, delving deeper into an overlooked root cause in another examine phase, or gathering fresh insights from stakeholders in a new empathize phase. Ultimately, the E5 framework is intended to foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

JB Julia Binder is the director of the Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business and a professor of sustainable innovation at IMD.
Michael D. Watkins is a professor of leadership and organizational change at IMD , a cofounder of Genesis Advisers , and the author of The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking .

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How To Resolve 9 Common Conflicts In Project Management

Based in Vancouver, BC, Mark leads the capital projects and infrastructure advisory practice with a major professional services firm. He brings 5+ years of experience in engineering and project management, and a passion for the natural and built environment. His work with projects has taken him all over the world.

The only constant on projects is change—and conflict, stemming from everything from scope creep to limited resources. The more you encounter conflict, the better you'll be able to prevent it from derailing your project. Here are a few you're likely to encounter and how to resolve them.

project manager conducting conflict resolution in project management

Conflicts are Inevitable: You can't avoid the conflict that comes with teamwork, so it's important to develop strong conflict resolution skills and a sense of how to transform problems into opportunities for collaboration.

Navigating Miscommunications: Misunderstandings can disrupt progress, so it's imperative to clarify expectations from the start and model good communication for the rest of the team.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Successful project management heavily relies on teamwork, and you need to foster an open, collaborative environment that increases morale and the chances of project success.

From miscommunications to scope creep, conflicts are bound to pop up on any project and will test your problem-solving as a project manager.

I’ll explore some of the most common types of conflict that can arise and provide you with some practical conflict resolution solutions to navigate them smoothly.

These tips will improve your conflict management, help you maintain your composure, create win-win scenarios, and keep your projects on track.

1. Scope Creep

Scope creep is the sneaky expansion of a project's goals and deliverables beyond what was originally agreed upon. It’s when a seemingly simple website redesign balloons into an entire ecommerce platform—with all the trimmings—without any adjustments to the budget or timeline.

Example conflict situation : You're managing a project to launch a new software tool. Initially, it was just supposed to include basic features. But as you progress, stakeholders start asking for additional functionalities.

Before you know it, you've added a CRM system, a mobile app, and integration with every other tool on the market. Your original timeline is in tatters and your budget? Let’s just say it’s not looking good.

Conflict resolution techniques to manage scope creep:

Clearly define project requirements upfront : Detail every deliverable, set clear expectations and get stakeholder buy-in from the start.
Consider change control processes in your project management plan : Any addition to the scope should require a formal review and approval. This process helps manage expectations and keep everyone aligned.
Communicate regularly : Keep all stakeholders in the loop about how additional requests will impact timelines and budgets. Active listening and transparency can help curb unnecessary scope expansions.

2. Poor Communication

Communication issues can undermine even the most well-planned projects. Without effective communication, misunderstandings proliferate, deadlines are missed, and frustration grows. It’s like a game of “telephone” where everyone hears a different message, and no one knows what’s actually going on.

Example conflict situation : Imagine your team is spread across different continents. You send out an urgent email about a critical task, but due to time zone differences, half the team doesn’t see it until the following day. Meanwhile, the other half acts on outdated information. Chaos ensues, and the project timeline takes a hit.

Conflict resolution tips to improve open communication:

Set clear communication protocols : Decide on the best channels for different types of communication. For instance, use Slack for quick questions and email for formal updates.
Leverage project management tools : Tools like Asana or Trello can help keep all communication in one place, which reduces the chances of things falling through the cracks.
Regular check-ins, but not too many : Be an active listener and practice emotional intelligence. Balance is key—too few meetings and you risk misalignment; too many and everyone becomes a Zoom zombie.

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3. Resource Conflicts

Resource conflicts happen when multiple projects compete for the same resources—whether that’s budget, equipment, or human talent. Think of it as several people fighting over the last piece of cake: someone is bound to be left unsatisfied.

Example conflict situation : Two departments both want the same senior developer to work on their projects. The developer is torn between priorities, overworked, and unable to deliver high-quality work on either project. This results in delays and frustration all around.

How to resolve conflicts in resourcing:

Prioritize projects : Rank projects by strategic importance and allocate resources accordingly. Not all projects are created equal, and the most critical ones should get the most attention.
Flexible staffing : Consider hiring temporary staff or freelancers to manage peak workloads without overburdening your core team.

Treat your resources like a well-curated buffet—make sure everyone gets what they need without overloading their plate. And remember, nobody likes to see someone hogging all the shrimp.

4. Unclear Roles And Responsibilities

When roles and responsibilities aren’t clearly defined, tasks can either fall through the cracks or get duplicated. It’s like trying to play football with no designated positions—everyone’s running around, but no one knows who’s supposed to score.

Example conflict situation : On a content creation project, one team thinks the writers are also responsible for editing, while the writers assume there’s a separate editing team. The end result is a heap of unedited content and a lot of finger-pointing.

Conflict resolution strategies for resolving conflicts before they happen:

Create a detailed RACI chart : This chart clarifies who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for each task. It’s a straightforward way to prevent confusion and ensure everyone knows their role. Of course, there may be changes down the road, so try and anticipate these as best as possible and document a strategy in your project management plan.

5. Stakeholder Disagreements

Stakeholder disagreements can feel like being caught in a family feud. Different departments or key players have conflicting priorities or visions for the project, and you’re left in the middle, trying to find common ground. It’s a classic case of “too many cooks in the kitchen.”

Example conflict situation : Your design team wants to prioritize aesthetics, while the engineering team insists on functionality. Both are vital, but their inability to agree leads to team conflict and a stalemate, stalling the project and causing frustration on both sides.

How to manage stakeholder disagreements:

Facilitate regular stakeholder meetings : Bring everyone together to discuss their concerns and priorities. This creates a forum for open dialogue and problem-solving.
Document key decisions : Keep a record of every agreement and decision made. This reduces the chances of backtracking and rehashing old debates.

6. Unrealistic Deadlines

Unrealistic deadlines are the bane of any project manager’s existence. They lead to rushed work, stressed-out team members, and, ultimately, a lower-quality product.

Example conflict situation : A tech startup wants to launch a new app feature in a month, despite the development team’s warnings that it will take at least three months to develop and test properly. The result is a rushed, buggy release that frustrates users and damages the brand’s reputation.

Effective conflict resolution tips to handle unrealistic deadlines:

Break down tasks into manageable chunks : Focus on delivering small, incremental milestones rather than everything at once. This approach can help keep the project on track, even if adjustments are needed.

If you can’t negotiate a longer timeline, try to negotiate the scope. If the deadline is immovable, make sure everyone understands what can realistically be delivered within that timeframe.

7. Inadequate Risk Management

Risk management might not be the most glamorous aspect of project management, but it’s certainly one of the most critical. When risks are ignored, they have a nasty habit of becoming reality at the worst possible time.

Example conflict situation : A project team is developing a new app but fails to anticipate potential delays due to third-party integrations. Halfway through, a key vendor delays its integration, causing a ripple effect that pushes the launch date back by several weeks.

How to improve risk management:

Conduct a risk assessment early on : Identify all possible risks and their potential impact on the project. Prioritize them based on likelihood and severity.

8. Budget Overruns

Budget overruns are all too common in project management. They happen when costs exceed the original project estimate , often due to poor planning, unexpected expenses, or scope creep. It’s like trying to build a house with an unlimited appetite for granite countertops—costs quickly spiral out of control.

Example conflict situation : A marketing project aimed at launching a new product is underestimated in terms of the budget needed for digital ad spend. As the campaign progresses, additional funds are required to meet targets, leading to budget overruns and tough financial decisions.

How To Avoid Budget Overruns

To effectively avoid budget overruns, it’s essential to implement a robust cost control strategy from the outset. Here’s a more detailed approach to keeping your project finances in check:

1. Create a Comprehensive and Realistic Budget Plan

A well-crafted budget plan should be as detailed as possible. It must account for all potential costs, including those that might seem unlikely or are traditionally overlooked. The more specific you are, the fewer surprises you’ll encounter.

Include all direct and indirect costs : This means not just materials and labor but also overhead, taxes, software licenses, contingency costs, and any other expenses that could arise. For example, if you’re planning a digital marketing campaign, don’t just account for ad spend—also consider design, copywriting, monitoring tools, and post-campaign analysis.
Factor in a contingency buffer : Typically, you should set aside about 10-20% of the total budget as a buffer for unforeseen expenses. This cushion allows for flexibility and prevents minor setbacks from becoming major financial crises.

2. Implement a Rigorous Cost Tracking System

Tracking expenses in real-time is crucial to preventing budget overruns. By keeping a close eye on your spending, you can quickly identify any deviations from the budget and take corrective actions before things spiral out of control.

Use project management software with cost tracking features : Tools like Microsoft Project, Asana, or Monday.com offer budget tracking features that integrate directly with your project plan, allowing for seamless monitoring of both costs and project progress.
Regularly update your budget tracking sheet : Make it a habit to update your budget sheet daily or weekly, depending on the project’s pace. This practice ensures that every expense is accounted for and provides a clear picture of where you stand financially.

3. Establish Cost Control Policies and Procedures in Your Project Management Plan

Having clear policies and procedures for managing costs can help prevent budget overruns. These policies should outline how expenses are approved, tracked, and reported.

Set up a cost approval process : Define who has the authority to approve expenditures and set thresholds for different levels of spending. For example, minor expenses might require only a manager’s approval, while significant costs may need executive sign-off.
Regular financial reviews and audits : Schedule periodic budget reviews and audits to assess spending and adjust the budget as needed. These reviews should involve key stakeholders to ensure transparency and accountability.

4. Monitor and Manage Scope to Prevent Scope Creep

Scope creep is one of the leading root causes of budget overruns. As new tasks or features are added without corresponding budget increases, costs can quickly spiral out of control.

Conduct regular scope reviews : Regularly review the project scope with stakeholders as part of your project management plan to ensure that any changes are formally approved and documented. Use a change control process to evaluate the impact of scope changes on the budget and timeline.
Implement a change request process : Require a formal change request for any additions to the project scope. This request should outline the impact on budget and schedule, ensuring that stakeholders understand the financial implications before approving any changes.

5. Optimize Resource Allocation and Reduce Waste

Efficient use of resources is critical to controlling costs. By optimizing how resources are allocated and reducing waste, you can make the most of your budget.

Use resource management tools : These tools help in allocating resources effectively, ensuring that team members are not overburdened or underutilized. Proper resource management prevents overtime costs and reduces the need for additional hires or freelancers.
Negotiate with suppliers and vendors : Regularly review contracts with suppliers and vendors to ensure you’re getting the best deals. Consider renegotiating terms or seeking alternative suppliers if costs are higher than expected.
Encourage cost-saving initiatives : Foster a culture where team members are encouraged to suggest cost-saving ideas. Simple actions, such as reducing unnecessary meetings or opting for less expensive software tools, can add up to significant savings over the course of a project.

6. Engage Stakeholders in Cost Management

Keeping stakeholders informed and engaged in the project management and budget management process can prevent surprises and ensure everyone is aligned on financial priorities.

Regular stakeholder updates : Provide stakeholders with regular updates on the project’s financial status, including any variances and the reasons behind them. This transparency builds trust and facilitates more productive discussions about budget adjustments.
Collaborative decision-making : Involve stakeholders in discussions about major financial decisions, especially those that might impact the overall project scope or objectives. This ensures buy-in and helps in making decisions that are in the best interest of the project.

9. Team Dynamics

Working with a diverse, global team can lead to unique challenges—particularly when cultural differences impact communication and collaboration. It’s like trying to conduct an orchestra when each musician is playing a different tune. Harmony is possible, but it requires careful coordination.

Example conflict situation : A global marketing campaign is being managed by a culturally diverse team. Different team members have varying expectations about work hours, the work environment, deadlines, and meeting formats, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.

Conflict resolution when navigating cultural differences:

Foster cultural awareness and sensitivity : Conduct workshops or training sessions to help team members understand and respect each other’s cultural norms.
Adapt communication styles : Be flexible and open to adjusting your approach based on the cultural context of your team. Patience and active listening are key.

Embrace the variety, but make sure you have a good mix of personalities that complements rather than clashes with team dynamics and enhances teamwork.

What’s Next?

Managing conflicts effectively is key to project success. By understanding these common conflicts and implementing a mix of strategic and practical solutions, you’ll upgrade your conflict resolution skills and be better prepared to keep your projects on track and your stakeholders happy.

Remember, a great project manager is not just a master of schedules and budgets but also a skilled mediator, problem-solver, and strategist.

Want to connect with other project managers to share resources and best practices? Join our membership community and get access to 100+ templates, samples, and examples, and connect with 100s of other digital project managers in Slack.

12 Conflict Resolution Techniques Project Managers Must Know

Vartika Kashyap

7 Steps to improve project collaboration for maximized efficiency

Introduction

Project collaboration is a force multiplier.

It goes beyond just working together; it’s about teams strategizing intelligently, pooling experiences, and capitalizing on each others’ strengths to achieve more than they could achieve individually.

As Phil Jackson rightfully put it, “The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team.”

Because when teams are well-aligned and cohesive, they leave no scope for misalignments, rework, project delays, setbacks, and missed opportunities. Instead, they focus on improving and maximizing their core strength to enhance every individual’s contributions.

In this blog post, we will provide you with an in-depth outlook on collaboration, exploring its types, importance, and challenges. We will also discuss the effective tools, strategies, skills, and quick tips that project managers can use to achieve superior results.

What is project collaboration and why is it important?

Project collaboration refers to the practice of project teams and leaders contributing toward achieving a common project goal – cohesively, strategically, and purposefully.

Project managers play a crucial role in ensuring the project team works together to pull off a task without any hiccups. They always keep an eye on the team dynamics and address conflicts proactively, ensuring teams work in alignment for smooth project progression.

When teams understand each other’s skills, needs, knowledge, perspectives, and workload, they function more harmoniously in a collaborative environment. This enhances transparency, reduces misunderstandings, and fosters a shared understanding- regardless of the location and time zone.

Some proven benefits of project collaboration that make it crucial for successful businesses are:

1. Improved productivity

A collaborative team is aware of each other’s responsibilities and project expectations. They spend more time getting work done than merely asking for clarifications.

2. Better communication

Collaboration encourages open and transparent communication between team members, eliminating misunderstandings and facilitating shared understanding.

3. Increased motivation

When teams know their efforts contribute to the company’s larger vision, they feel more encouraged and motivated to excel and outperform themselves.

4. Shared understanding

Working closely with each other helps team members get on the same page. They approach challenges from a unified perspective, ensuring success looks the same to everyone.

5. Informed decision-making

When different team members with varied backgrounds, expertise, and experience come together, they can tap into their collective knowledge to form strategic decisions.

6. Enhanced innovation

Project collaboration creates an opportunity for teams to brainstorm new ideas, innovative solutions, and creative suggestions, leading to competitive outcomes and results.

7. Better work alignment

Despite dispersed work environments, collaborative teams always stay connected, update each other, and coordinate efforts to achieve project objectives.

8. Improved quality

Collaborative teams can produce high-quality standard deliverables by supporting each other and leveraging each others’ strengths. They can also share feedback to ensure the best possible results are delivered.

Discover how team collaboration can elevate your team’s productivity!

Types of collaboration in projects

Here are some of the different types of collaboration you can encounter while managing different projects:

1. Internal collaboration

Internal collaboration occurs between individuals and groups within the same department or organization. It is particularly helpful in streamlining communication, creating shared understanding, and keeping everyone on the same page. Many organizations use internal discussion forums, intranets, and messaging apps to keep the data secured from external access.

2. External collaboration

Contrary to the collaboration method discussed above, external collaboration prioritizes knowledge and idea sharing outside the organization. It is typically done with external stakeholders, clients, investors, or customers. The aim is to gather diverse stakeholders’ opinions and feedback, which can be instrumental in making improvements and driving improvements.

3. Team collaboration

Team collaboration is the most substantial, yet the most obvious type of project collaboration. There is a team leader responsible for bringing all the team members together to complete tasks and achieve the project objectives. Everyone knows their roles,responsibilities, deadlines, and expectations, making this the most direct and focused form of collaboration.

4. Cross-functional collaboration

This collaboration brings together team members from different departments, verticals, and teams come together for a common goal. This is usually prioritized when a project requires varied expertise, strengths, and experiences for successful project execution and delivery.

5. Cloud collaboration

Cloud collaboration is based on facilitating real-time coordination among team members through cloud applications. This collaboration maintains the balance between on-site and remote teams, providing everyone access to the latest data and resources. It allows them to read, edit, and access documents altogether, avoiding any duplicate work.

5. Virtual collaboration

Whether the team members are in the office, down the hallway, or anywhere across the globe, virtual collaboration has become necessary for teams to keep the ball rolling. This collaboration allows everyone to connect virtually via digital appliances, like mobile, laptop, or tablet, and collaboration tools, such as Zoom, Google Workspace, and more.

6. Synchronous collaboration

Synchronous collaboration requires real-time interaction, where team members respond and engage almost instantly. This could be through live meetings, virtual conferences, or online chat rooms, team members use it to share ideas, brainstorm, edit, review, or proofread documents. This ensures everyone is actively engaged and coordinating in real time.

7. Asynchronous collaboration

This collaboration type does not require immediate responses, making it ideal for teams spread across different time zones or with varying schedules. Communication happens through emails, shared documents, and discussion boards, ensuring that collaboration continues smoothly even when team members are not online at the same time.

Challenges in project collaboration

Project collaboration isn’t as simple as it may seem. There are destructive hindrances that may shake up the foundation of teamwork.

1. Misunderstandings

It is the most common challenge workforces face every day. Be it conflicting perspectives, unfounded assumptions, or miscommunication, the impact is derogatory and can easily lead to disagreements and misinterpretations.

2. Communication barriers

Global workforces often face collaboration challenges due to significant cultural and language differences. This can easily exacerbate issues, leading to misunderstandings, lack of clarity, and decreased productivity.

3. Lack of clear vision

When teams lack a clear picture of project objectives and collaboration expectations, they lose direction and project progress suffers. Also, this can lead to duplicated efforts, mindless working, and frustration, ultimately causing delays and inefficiencies.

4. Technological limitations

Unavailability of collaboration tools or incompatibility with current software are some of the major factors contributing to project collaboration challenges. Your team requires the right tools to keep pace with project demands and perform efficiently to streamline operations.

5. Organizational silos

Silos are the barriers that strain the collaborative ability of an organization. And the situation worsens if the teams operate in remote and hybrid setups. While it is not always intentional, as sometimes operational structures can genuinely create divisions.

6. Lack of trust and respect

If team members confuse providing feedback with picking mistakes in their work, they will be hesitant to work together and respect others’ opinions. Also, when they do not trust each other for particular responsibilities or decisions, nothing can stop the project from derailing.

7. Team conflicts

Different perspectives, working styles, and personalities can easily become reasons for team clashes and disagreements. These differences, if not addressed, can lead to silos formation, interpersonal conflicts, and collaboration breakdown.

7 strategies for successful project collaboration

Having the right workforce doesn’t mean they know how to function cohesively as a unit. You need to put in efforts to align their skills and strengths and get the most out of team efforts for successful project completion.

Here are some effective strategies to enhance team alignment and productivity:

7 strategies for successful project collaboration

1. Include collaboration in your company’s mission

Establishing collaboration as your core value and defining what successful collaboration looks like to you, helps you create a clear framework for your team members.

“ Collaboration is a key part of the success of any organization, executed through a clearly defined vision and mission and based on transparency and constant communication.” – Dinesh Paliwal

You should constantly communicate and review your company’s mission so that teams stay aligned and work together for effective teamwork. When they understand the reasons behind collaborative efforts, they will be more likely to embrace the collaborative culture and act accordingly. You can take company-wide initiatives or provide support to instill these values and practices in your operations.

2. Facilitate transparent communication

Create an environment that empowers your employees to speak openly and transparently with each other and, most importantly, you. You cannot expect a smooth communication flow until there is a hesitation or a fear of judgment in them.

Instead, when employees openly talk about their beliefs and perceptions, there is no scope for misunderstandings and miscommunication. They should also reciprocate this openness in their behavior when listening to other people’s opinions and perspectives.

3. Use communication and collaboration tools

Having a centralized interface where employees can collaborate and coordinate in real-time is necessary to facilitate strong and effective collaboration. And this can be achieved by using online collaboration tools.

Distributed workforce or local, these tools create a centralized space for your team to communicate, track progress, share files, and provide updates. It brings all your team members, documents, and communication into one location for seamless project collaboration.

Explore the best online collaboration tools that boost productivity and keep your team on track.

4. Establish clear communication channels

You must ensure you have clear communication channels and protocols defined for effective project collaboration. Your team must know who to turn to and how to reach out to them for guidance and support.

You can also define communication roles and provide collaborative training to ensure seamless coordination without any hiccups. This promotes open communication between team members, eliminating information silo formation and avoiding communication breakdowns.

5. Get regular feedback

Make sure to take regular employee feedback to analyze current collaboration dynamics in your organization. Ask them to share their concerns and thoughts on team interaction, their communication preferences and styles, and any potential setbacks.

This helps you identify potential gaps and areas of friction, helping you instantly address them. You can use these insights to highlight areas for improvement and refine collaboration strategies.

6. Managing conflict and resolving issues

Conflicts are bound to arise where diverse mindsets and perspectives thrive together. However, keeping them aligned and on the same page is the responsibility of a project manager.

Therefore, you must train yourself to manage conflicts without being biased and accusing anyone. Make sure to stay calm and neutral when addressing issues. Remember, your role is to resolve conflicts and not be a part of it. Understand everyone’s perspective and seek a mutual ground that benefits everyone.

7. Continually evolving and improving

Project collaboration isn’t a static rule; It is a dynamic process that demands ongoing assessment and refinement. As the project progresses through various stages, team members need to adjust their collaborative approach to stay in tune with changing requirements.

This means, you cannot expect your project collaboration plan to stay relevant over time. Instead, you must conduct regular retrospectives, refine strategies, and adapt them into your workflow to foster efficiency at every stage.

Discover 9 effective communication strategies to help your team stay connected

Essential project management collaboration tools

Project management collaboration tools are designed to facilitate real-time and effective communication and teamwork among project managers, teams, and external stakeholders. From coordinating work and managing tasks to facilitating knowledge sharing and enhancing progress visibility, these tools promote seamless and collaborative project execution.

Here is a list of the various categories of tools that facilitate collaboration among team members:

Essential project management collaboration tools

1. Project planning tools

Project planning tools assist individuals and teams in managing and executing projects from beginning to completion. They can easily build project timelines, define project objectives, create tasks and subtasks, allocate resources, and track milestones and dependencies for successful project execution. Some common features include Gantt charts, Kanban board, resource management, milestones, etc.

2. Task management tools

Task management tools help you create a to-do list of all your tasks in the project. You can easily create tasks, add assignees, define deadlines , set priorities, and track progress to streamline your workflow. These tools include features like task lists, tasks, due dates, task views, task dependencies, etc.

3. Team communication tools

Team communication tools come equipped with functionalities to facilitate real-time communication between team members. It creates a centralized knowledge base for teams to have in-person chats, mention team members, hold group discussions, and have brainstorming sessions.

4. Time tracking tools

Time tracking tools help businesses track time spent on tasks by employees to eliminate time wastage and improve team productivity. It allows team members to add manual estimates or use a built-in tracker for real-time monitoring. They can track both billable and non-billable hours and use timesheets for billing and invoicing clients.

5. Document management tools

Document management tools help businesses manage their digital assets and versions effectively, eliminating cluttered workspaces. With these cloud-based solutions, team members can easily store, manage, share, and access these documents from anywhere, anytime with a stable internet connection.

6. Reporting tools

Reporting tools help teams and leaders collect real-time data and generate reports on various parameters and metrics. They can use these reports to gain valuable insights, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions. They can even share reports with project stakeholders to keep them in the loop and encapsulate their feedback and opinions on project progress.

7. Automation tools

Automation software helps teams streamline mundane, repetitive, and recurring tasks by automating them. This makes work execution faster, swifter, and easier, ensuring the process is error-free and consistent. This saves teams time working on strategic tasks and the ones that contribute more to overall project objectives.

Explore the top 11 project management collaboration tools to boost your teamwork and productivity!

Skills project managers need for effective collaboration

A project manager’s role doesn’t end with forming a project team. In fact, they play a huge role in setting up a framework for them to collaborate effectively. This requires them to develop certain skill sets, shaped by experience and expertise.

1. Leadership

Leaders are the influential figures who set the tone and guide the team toward achieving the desired goal. They must create an environment that encourages team members to contribute their best selves, without fear of judgment. By motivating the team, demonstrating through actions, and providing guidance and support, you can bring a positive shift to teamwork and performance.

2. Communication

Being a leader, you should be mindful of how you communicate with your team . Are you able to share instructions, expectations, and updates clearly and concisely? This ensures your context doesn’t get lost in translation, facilitating shared understanding, avoiding misunderstandings, and reducing conflicts.

3. Emotional Intelligence

Being emotionally mature is a crucial leadership skill that was long overlooked for more traditional traits. A great leader knows how to manage their own emotions and approach others with empathy for better collaboration. This helps them better understand team sentiments, handle conflicts, and build strong relationships within the team.

4. Problem-Solving

There could be several instances where teams become indecisive or overwhelmed by unexpected challenges and setbacks. Therefore, a project manager should train themselves to quickly analyze the problem, identify the root cause, and think of effective solutions.

5. Adaptability

Unforeseen challenges, changing priorities, and resource constraints can impact project progression adversely. Therefore, project managers should demonstrate their ability to adapt to evolving project needs and navigate these issues. Instead of being bogged down by setbacks, they must quickly pivot to find effective and efficient solutions.

6. Organization

Project management is a multi-faceted approach with many moving parts. Keeping track of tasks, deadlines, progress, and resources, a project manager has to stay organized to avoid scope creep and ensure the project stays on track.

7. Persuasion

Persuasion is a crucial skill that helps project managers convince stakeholders, especially in crucial hours when everything seems out of place. Also, the quality empowers them to negotiate solutions and maintain momentum to secure necessary support, resources, and buy in.

Ready to master the art of project management? Discover 28 essential project management skills for project managers.

How to build a collaborative team (quick tips)

Building a collaborative team where each team member understands their responsibility, supports each other, and coordinates effectively to achieve common goals requires intentional efforts.

Here are some effective tips you can follow to build a strong collaborative environment:

Promote open and transparent communication: Encourage the team to share ideas, exchange information, and raise their opinion without any fear of judgment.
Define clear purpose and expectations: Empower your team by facilitating a better understanding of project goals, roles with the team, and collaboration expectations.
Implement clear task distribution: Make sure everyone in the team knows their roles and responsibilities, reducing task overlaps and ensuring clarity for smoother work execution.
Use collaborative tools and technologies: Ensure your team has access to dedicated communication platforms and protocols for real-time communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
Promote diversity and inclusivity: A team consists of diverse mindsets and personalities. Make sure everyone feels valued and heard during the entire project journey.
Reward collaborative efforts: You should always reward effective and successful teamwork. This practice motivates them to keep doing great work while inspiring others simultaneously.
Be the role model yourself: Being a leader, your role doesn’t end at building collaborative strategies. Instead, you should demonstrate these collaborative qualities every day for the team to emulate.

Conclusion: making project collaboration work for you

Successful project collaboration is a team effort. While team leaders should continually strive to improve collaboration practices, teams should actively engage and coordinate to achieve shared project goals. Everyone should work in fine alignment to make the project a huge hit.

Regardless of the project complexity and team dynamics, a project collaboration tool like ProofHub makes collaborating on projects seamless and efficient for teams. By streamlining tasks, facilitating real-time communication, and centralizing project management, it promotes accountability and enhances productivity.

Organize, manage, and collaborate seamlessly with ProofHub – All-in-one solution for projects, tasks, and teams

How can project collaboration improve productivity?

Project collaboration improves productivity by promoting better communication, clear role distribution, and effective teamwork. When team members are on the same page, they are more focused on coordinating effectively, minimizing overlaps, and ensuring projects are delivered on time.

What is an example of a project collaboration?

Collaboration between dispersed workforces working on a project is an example of a project collaboration. With employees spread across different locations and time zones, establishing effective knowledge-sharing and communication between them requires using cohesive strategies and collaboration tools.

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What Is Problem Solving in Project Management? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

What Is Problem-Solving?

The Importance of Problem-Solving in Project Management

Problem-Solving Steps in Project Management

#1. Define the Problem

#2. Analyze Root Causes

#3. Brainstorm Potential Solutions

#4. Evaluate Potential Solutions

#5. Decide on a Plan of Action

#6. Implement the Action Plan

#7. Monitor and Track Results

How Can Project Management Tools Help You Solve Problems?

Examples of Problem-Solving

Sign-ups for a New Software Solution Were Well Below First-Month Targets

A Project Was at Risk of Missing a Hard Deadline Due to Supplier Delays

A Construction Project Is Falling Behind Due to Inclement Weather

Improve Your Problem-Solving and Project Management Skills

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What is problem solving?

What is the seven step problem solving process?

1. Problem identification

2. Problem analysis and refinement

3. Solution generation

4. Solution development

5. Decision making and planning

6. Solution implementation

7. Solution evaluation

What does an effective problem solving process look like?

Complete problem-solving methods

Six Thinking Hats

Lightning Decision Jam

Problem Definition Process

The 5 Whys

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)

Open space technology

Techniques to identify and analyze problems

Fishbone Analysis

Problem Tree

SWOT Analysis

Agreement-Certainty Matrix

The Journalistic Six

LEGO Challenge

What, So What, Now What?

Journalists

Problem-solving techniques for brainstorming solutions

Mindspin

The Creativity Dice

Idea and Concept Development

Problem-solving techniques for developing and refining solutions

Improved Solutions

Four Step Sketch

15% Solutions

Problem-solving techniques for making decisions and planning

How-Now-Wow Matrix

Impact and Effort Matrix

Problem-solving warm-up activities

Check-in / Check-out

Doodling Together

Show and Tell

Constellations

Draw a Tree