Brad was sitting at his desk when Daniel entered the room, muttering. Dan was explaining this problem that he wished Brad to solve. Brad listened intently, then pointed to a small pad of imprinted sheets sitting on the corner of the desk. Each sheet contained the following questions.
- Describe the problem?
- What do you think is causing the problem?
- Describe three or four alternatives to solve the root cause of the problem?
- Which one is the best alternative?
“Take one of those sheets, go to the conference room. Work through the questions. I will meet you there in ten minutes,” Brad instructed.
Brad would always wait ten minutes before making his move to the conference room. He always stopped at the company coffee pot. When he arrived at the conference room, it was always empty.
What do you think happened? -TF
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Problem Solving Strategy adapted from a presentation by Ken Peterson, Pathwise.
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Dan must have solved the problem.
Brad gave Dan a way of thinking to resolve the problem.
I personally think this is a better way than asking these exact words verbally. The sheet of paper gave Dan the opportunity to look for solutions at his ritme, without being interrogated of some kind. Look over the questions over and over untill the solution appears. And make him make the decision for the correct solution. Dan will walk away, feeling he had resolved the problem. And he did. Thanks for the great tip Tom.
I think Dan has a got structured method of approaching the problem itself. But it does not mean that he will solve the problem. Did Dan had enough skills to solve the problem actually?
His absence from the conference room may also mean that he is still struggling with the “four alternatives” or “root cause” itself.
What do you say Tom ?