We’ve all been there—several people discussing the problem that needs to be solved to meet the goal. But the challenge is that different people have different definitions of the “real” problem. This short blog post, taken from Michael MIchalko’s book, Thinkertoys, will help you end that uncertainty. It will help you identify and prioritize problems and convert them into specific challenges using creative thinking. I have condensed this to keep it as short as possible for this blog post.  

Start with a list of problems.

Start by making a list of the problems that need to be solved. Following are a few examples. How can I increase revenues by 20% this year? How can I cut costs and increase production? How can we better differentiate our product from our competitors? How can we improve the role of the service department?  

Just the act of writing your challenges down may result in some immediate ideas. 

Carefully craft your challenge statement.

The more time you devote to perfecting the wording of your challenge, the closer you will be to a solution. So the next time you have a problem, write a challenge statement out, study it for a while, then leave it, change it, stretch and squeeze it, and restate it. Questions help you look at a challenge from different perspectives. Following is the blueprint for executing this statement challenge.

Blueprint

Broaden your view.

 1. Write your statement as a definitive question, beginning with “In what ways might I (statement)…?”

2. Vary the wording of your challenge by substituting different synonyms for keywords

to broaden your perspective of the problem (e.g., increase to multiply to enlarge)

Then, squeeze your view down to a very narrow, specific perspective.

1. Divide your challenge into sub-problems

2. Solve the sub-problems

3. Then, Keep asking how else? And why else?

Again, positively phrase these problems and as a question: “In what ways might I…?”  

This form helps keep you from concluding what the problem is too quickly. 

You want many different perceptions of the situation to see other possibilities.    

Stretch the challenge

To keep your mind open to all possibilities, stretch your challenge by asking “why?“ several times. Also, asking why will help you identify your general objective and challenge your assumptions. This process will also help you redefine and reshape your challenges.

For example, suppose your challenge is “in what ways might I sell more computers?“

1. Why do you want to sell more computers? Because we need more funds to pay bills.

2. Why do you want to increase revenues? Because costs are growing.

3. Why do you want to sell more computers? Because sales are beginning to slow down. 

4. Why do you want to sell more computers? To make investments in new products. 

5. Why do you want to increase your sales volume? To take advantage of discounts. 

 Expanding your challenge gives you a broader concept of the challenge so that you can view many more approaches.  

Squeeze the challenge

Once you have a broad idea of what you are trying to find, narrow the objective from the general to the specific by squeezing it. This process makes your challenge easier to solve. To squeeze a challenge, you want to discover its strengths, weaknesses, and boundaries. To do that, ask who, what, where, when, why, and how.

1. Who might have unique strengths and resources or access to helpful information 

2. What helps identify all the things, objects, and items involved in the situation, 

the requirements, difficulties, rewards, and advantages and

disadvantages of formulating a resolution?

3. Where considers the place? Locations or focal points of the problem.

4. When probes schedules, dates, and timeliness of the situation.

5. Why helps you reach an understanding of your primary objective?

6. How helps you recognize how the situation developed, actions that may

have been tempted or now occurring, and steps that one could take?

You’re going to do that for the larger problem and the sub-problem.

Conclusion

Going through this exercise will enable you to see all of the things you need to do to solve the problem.

Now, you can prioritize them and accomplish them one by one until you can reach your goal.

You may also have to redo your analysis as you go because things will change. 

Try to go through this discovery process. The first time makes you think. But you will be surprised at the results you get.