According to Skills for Success, problem solving is “your ability to identify, analyze, propose solutions, and make decisions.” It helps you “address issues, monitor success, and learn from the experience.” Learning this skill means understanding a few main components, which we will go over in this article. 

Component 1: Identify the issue to address

Consider using a framework that McKinsey uses known as MECE: “mutually exclusive, collectively exhausting.” This technique is about taking a complex problem and breaking it down into discrete, non-overlapping components that are manageable. 

You’ll also need to determine whether a decision must be made. A framework that can help with this is the Cynefin framework which lists 5 different domains: 

• Clear: This is when you are in a stable environment with clear cause and effect. In this case, you would Sense, then Feel, then Respond. 
• Complicated: There are several right answers, and you need expert analysis to determine cause and effect. In this case, you would Sense, then Analyze, then Respond. 
• Complex: There are no immediately detectable cause-and-effect relationships, which means that you can only understand certain relationships in retrospect after experimentation. In this case, you would Probe, then Sense, then Respond. 
• Chaotic: This is a situation where the situation is unstable and there are no clear or immediate cause-and-effect relationships, requiring immediate action to restore order and stability. In this case, you would Act, then Sense, then Respond. 
• Disorder: This is the centre domain. This is when you have no idea which domain you are in.

This framework helps you identify what type of environment you’re in and, as a result, what order your steps should take whether it’s Sense, Feel, Respond (for a Clear environment) or Act, Sense, Respond for a chaotic environment. 

Component 2: Gather information to help you address the issue

There are few principles that you can follow to ensure that you’re researching and collecting relevant information:

• Ensuring that the data or information you gather is mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive
• Using triangulation by drawing on multiple data sources and methods to ensure the reliability and validity of your findings
• Referring to grey literature to prevent publication bias
• Using research management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, Covidence, or Rayyan

There are three questions that you can ask to test whether something is a fact or opinion: 

• Can it be proven through verifiable methods such as physical or scientifically-accepted data? 
• Is it subjective and based on beliefs and preferences?
• Is it a prediction?

Component 3: Analyze the issue

There are frameworks that you can use for thinking critically, such as: 

• The Paul-Elder Framework
• The 5 Whys
• The PACIER Model
• The Scientific Method

What is the Paul-Elder Framework? 

This is a framework for critical thinking that focuses on asking eight main types of questions: 

• Purpose: What is the goal? 
• Question at Issue: What problem are we addressing? 
• Information: What data or evidence are we using? 
• Interpretation & Inference: What conclusions are we drawing? 
• Concepts: What ideas or theories are involved? 
• Assumptions: What are we taking for granted? 
• Implications & Consequences: What follows from our reasoning? 
• Point of View: From what perspective are we looking at the issue? 

What are the 5 Whys?

The 5 Whys approach is about asking “why?” five times in order to find the root cause of a problem. It helps you go beyond surface level explanations, so you can make systemic changes. Or, at the very least, understand the systemic factors that will help or hinder your efforts.

Component 4: Develop multiple routes of action

Once you understand the nature of the problem, you’ll need to consider and develop different routes of action. There are a few frameworks that you can consider. 

One option is Theory of Change (ToC). Theory of Change asks the user to start with a long-term goal and to work backwards, citing the specific changes in behaviour, knowledge, or conditions that are needed to reach that goal. It looks at: 

• Outputs
• Activities
• Assumptions and Risks

A strategy is just another way of saying, “How are we doing to get from Point A to Point B?” Theory of Change allows you to map all of the possible pathways and highlight where there isn’t enough evidence or logic. It also helps you come up with evaluation frameworks to determine whether a given initiative is working. This framework also helps identify assumptions by making “if/then” logic explicit and linking actions to specific impacts. This is also a great way to engage stakeholders. A Theory of Change Framework produces guiding documents that are dynamic, not static. They can be changed as new evidence and information becomes available. 

Component 5: Address the issue

You can use your Theory of Change Framework to come up with the best course of action. You can either: 

• Choose the causal pathway with the most evidence 
• Achieve consensus with a group of other stakeholders to pick your causal pathway

Whichever pathway you choose, you can come up with a risk mitigation plan to plan for failures where the causal chain or pathway is weak. 

Component 6: Evaluate the effectiveness of the solution or decision

Once you’ve embarked on a course of action, you can use the evaluation framework that you developed to check your progress. 

Problem Solving Can Help You Stay Focused on a Goal While Remaining in Reality

Problem solving can feel overwhelming, because it can feel like there are a million different variables to control for. This is where having a clear goal helps and faith in God. The more your practice problem solving, the more you’ll be able to deal with higher and higher levels of complexity and a greater magnitude of variables.