A practical approach to problem-solving
This common sense method can keep meetings focused, and solutions in sight.
There’s a problem on the farm. You and
your team gather to discuss it, but you
can’t make any progress. Instead of
finding a solution, all you seem to do is
talk the issue around and around. With
no answers in sight, you give up, and the
problem continues.
What you need is a better, more
disciplined, more systematic way to
problem-solve.
Management professor Marv Painter of
the University of Saskatchewan assigns
his classes complex business questions,
then challenges groups of students to
sort them out. He’s seen how those who
tackle the issue systematically – as
opposed to using free-form discussion –
often find a better solution, in less time.
Start at the beginning
“When our students are facing a research
question, we ask them to start with the
problem first,” says Painter. Identify it,
define it and achieve consensus around
it. Once people agree on the nature of
the problem, they can start to tackle it
together.
The next step is to look at what is causing
the problem. After all, if you remove the
cause, the problem ought to stop. There
could be one essential cause factor, or a
series of related ones.
Does everyone agree on the problem and
its cause? If so, move on to the solution.
Discuss as many solutions as the group
can come up with.
“You need to explore every possible
solution, to see how well each one
addresses the cause of the problem,”
says Painter. “Look at the pros, cons,
costs and benefits of each one.”
The problem and its cause have been
pinpointed and agreed on. You now
want the same consensus around the
solutions, to ensure they are supported
and carried out by everyone on the team.
Discuss as needed, and choose the
solution or solutions you believe will
yield the best results.
Is it working?
Next step: Implementation. But note,
your task as a problem-solver hasn’t
ended. You’ll want to monitor the
situation to determine how well your
solution addressed the cause, and
whether the problem continues.
“If you’re not satisfied, then loop back
and do some more work,” says Painter.
Perhaps experience will show that
another of your solutions will work
better, or that your identification of the
cause was a bit off the mark.
In Painter’s experience, most people
find it easiest to problem-solve a
physical or technical issue. These
problems often respond to applied
solutions in a predictable way. If the
problem is proving to be more stubborn,
there could be a good reason.
“Usually, the human factor adds the most
complexity,” Painter says. “If the problem
involves people, such as the performance
of an employee, finding a solution could
be much more difficult.”
Problem. Cause. Solution. Monitoring.
Next time there’s an issue to be solved on
the farm – relating to strategy, production,
expansion or personnel – try this fourstep
process to get past it efficiently and
effectively.
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