Key Messages
Learn The Basics Of Problem Solving And Learn From Wild Salmon’S Breeding Habits, Solar Panels And Data Collection
Problem-solving has never been easier, thanks to the Bulletproof Problem Solving book.
This comprehensive guide takes you through each step of problem-solving and teaches you how to frame your issues in the best possible way.
No longer do you need to be a genius to solve your problems – with this book, anyone can master the basics.
You’ll also gain insights on prioritization from the fascinating study of wild salmon breeding habits, learn how to assess whether it’s time for those solar panels, and discover where all that important data is hiding when budgets are tight.
Whether it’s an intuitive skill or something completely new to you, the principles outlined in Bulletproof Problem Solving will help make your problem-solving endeavors much more efficient and effective!
The Key To Effective Problem-Solving: Start By Asking The Right Questions
Defining a problem correctly is at the heart of effective problem-solving.
Without this vital first step, your time, energy and money may be wasted on solutions that have little chance of leading to success.
This point is illustrated perfectly by the newspaper industry.
Before the internet emerged in the mid-1990s, newspapers held sway over local news.
Initially, executives were spooked but assumed they would still prevail because of their experienced editorial teams making quality content.
Except it didn’t turn out that way–defining their problem incorrectly meant they missed a key detail: online platforms did not need to poach readers – they only needed to draw in advertising dollars.
This shift caused hundreds of newspapers to fold.
The takeaway? To find useful solutions, you must define problems properly by asking yourself the right questions such as who are key decision makers determining if my solutions will be adopted or ignored? What will success look like? Etc…
Only with these considerations can real answers be found that lead to success and prevent wasted time trying to solve the wrong questions.
Breaking Down Complex Problems Into Smaller Parts Makes Them Easier To Solve
Figuring out a complex problem can be intimidating – especially if it seems impossible to solve.
Robert McLean faced such a challenge when he wanted to determine whether installing solar panels made sense economically.
Instead of getting overwhelmed, however, he took advantage of the logic tree tool to break his problem down into smaller components and analyze it systematically.
By first stating his hypothesis – “installing solar panels would be a good idea” – and the criteria needed in order to support it, McLean was able to seek out specific data that could prove or disprove his idea.
He found that he could reduce his carbon footprint by more than 20 percent, as well as make back his investment within 10 years.
This kind of step-by-step approach is key for tackling any complex issue: breaking problems down into manageable chunks can help you figure out how to tackle them quickly and effectively.
Prioritizing Solutions Involves Assessing Impact And Influence
Prioritizing solutions to a given problem is all about assessing the degree of influence you can exert, as well as the potential impact that solution may have on the outcome.
This was evident in Charles Conn’s project to increase wild Pacific salmon stocks.
Since there was limited resources, it was important for him to identify high-impact, high-influence solutions.
One example of such a solution was in restoring and improving damaged habitats of rivers where Pacific Salmon breed.
Not only would this boost the number of wild fish, but Conn’s team could also potentially exert a great degree of influence on the outcomes since their focus was limited to just three or four rivers.
On the other hand, despite being highly effective at boosting fish stocks, strategies like improving ocean conditions would require vast resources and cooperative efforts from multiple states or international bodies – making it a low-influence solution.
Similarly tight regulation or reducing quotas on sports fishing licenses could also be ineffective due to lack of influence on politicians and stakeholders involved.
The Key To Effective Problem-Solving Is A Teamwork-Based Egalitarian Process
When it comes to problem-solving, individual biases can be a major roadblock – but there is a way around this issue.
That way is through establishing egalitarian work processes that allow everyone’s ideas to be heard and considered fairly.
This was confirmed by Philip Tetlock, author of the book Superforecasting.
The data shows that when their processes are optimized correctly, teams always outperform even the most talented individual in terms of making predictions about future developments, and oftentimes even perform better than computers!
McKinsey has a policy called the obligation to dissent that perfectly encapsulates this idea.
Junior staff members are obligated to voice disagreements with senior staff members while superiors must commit themselves to listening objectively to these opinions without letting bias factor into their decision-making process.
One great way of fostering this kind of openness within your team is by assigning each member ten votes represented by sticky notes which they can then them place next to the best ideas on a whiteboard.
Senior members should cast their sticky notes last so as not to influence anyone else’s decision-making process.
By following these steps, you’ll have a higher chance of avoiding individual biases and coming up with the best solution possible!
The Power Of Heuristics: Using Simple Solutions To Solve Complex Problems
When it comes to solving problems, having data is one thing; having the tools to interpret that data in a meaningful way and reach beneficial solutions is another.
You can have all the data in the world, but you won’t able to get very far if you don’t know how to make sense of it.
That’s where heuristics come in.
Heuristics are methods of problem-solving that rely on empirical rules and educated guesses as strategies for reaching conclusions that mesh with the existing data.
One popular heuristic is Occam’s Razor, which states that simpler solutions are more likely to be correct than complex ones.
Another method is the 80:20 Rule or Pareto Analysis, which states that 80 percent of outcomes can frequently be explained by 20 percent of causes.
These methods guide your decision making process by helping narrow down potential explanations and focus on areas where progress can be made efficiently.
At its core, the key message here is this: treat your data well and it’ll reward you with useful insights.
Instead of trying to squeeze what you want out of it, approach your data from an open-minded perspective and let richer understanding gradually evolve through careful observation and contemplation.
In time – provided you use your reason – you’ll find yourself armed with powerful ideas not only about how best to solve your problems, but also about how those solutions fit within larger contexts of meaning and implication.
How To Find Answers Without Running Experiments: Look To Natural Experiments
Organizations often want to understand the impacts of their policies, and sometimes the most effective way to do so lies in gathering data from the real world.
This isn’t always easy, as running an experiment could be ethically dubious or even illegal.
Fortunately, there are creative ways to collect data without resorting to experiments.
Take for example a political scientists team who wanted to find out if American voters discriminate against minority candidates in elections.
Rather than running an experiment themselves, they turned to a natural experiment which has already been set up – they looked at the voting protocol used by the Republican Party during presidential primaries in Illinois.
Voters had to select delegates representing them; since their names were on the ballots and voters didn’t have to select all of one candidate’s delegates, it was possible for the researchers to tell which delegates were more likely of a certain ethnicity simply by looking at their names.
By analyzing this data, they didn’t need anything more complex or resource-heavy than sifting through it – and they got results!
This is just one example of how useful data can be collected via natural experiments that exist in the real world; if you take some time and look closely enough, you may well be able to find something like this too!
Wrap Up
The Bulletproof Problem Solving book is a great resource for anyone looking to sharpen their problem-solving skills.
It starts by teaching readers the importance of properly defining the problem before attempting to solve it.
Doing this allows you to break the problem down into smaller parts and prioritize solutions in order to get the best results.
The book also encourages an egalitarian approach when tackling problems as this helps ensure that any biases are avoided, making problem-solving more efficient.
In short, Bulletproof Problem Solving provides an invaluable source of practical advice for solving workplace problems effectively.
