FST 696 TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING

1. FST 696TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS TO REAL INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS

2. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS • MAY HAVE MANY POSSIBLE ANSWERS • NOT ALL TECHNICALLY CORRECT ANSWERS ARE FEASIBLE IN COMMERCIAL PRACTICE

3. PROBLEM SOLVING • PROBLEM DEFINITION • FACT FINDING AND ANALYSIS • IDEATION AND SOLUTION FINDING • SOLUTION(S) - EVALUATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

4. EVERY ONE CAN BE A PROBLEM SOLVER • ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATIVE AND HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE • APPROACH THE PROBLEM POSTIVELY WITH TOLERANCE FOR THE VIEWS OF OTHERS • RESERVE JUDGEMENT UNTIL ALL THE FACTS ARE GATHERED • ENGENDER AN ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES IDEATION AND LATERAL THINKING • WORK FROM THE STRENGS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL • FIND THE METHOD(S) THAT WORK BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM

5. PROBLEM SOLVING IN AN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT • IN TODAY’S INDUSTRIAL CLIMATE, PROBLEM SOLVING GENERALLY UTILIZES THE TEAM APPROACH • PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND BACKGROUND BRING STRENGTH TO THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

6. PROBLEM DEFINTION • THE INITIAL STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM MAY NOT REALLY DEFINE THE PROBLEM • A PROBLEM THAT APPEARS TO BE ONE THING, MAY BE ANOTHER

7. PROBLEM DEFINITION • REVIEW THE BACKGROUND O F THE PROBLEM • VISIT THE LITERATURE • TALK TO OTHERS FAMILIAR WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS • GO OVER ALL ELEMENTS OF THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES TO GET A TOTAL PICTURE • DEVELOP A LINE OF QUESTIONS TO CLARIFY ISSUES • SUSPEND JUDGEMENT • REDEFINE THE PROBLEM

8. FACT FINDING • TO DEFINE THE PROBLEM • TO DETERMINE PROBABLE CAUSES • TO BUILD A BACKGROUND • TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS

9. FACT FINDING • USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES • USE OF ‘EXPERTS’ IN THE FIELD • USE OF EXPERIENCE IN SOVLING SIMILAR PROBLEMS • USE OF DIFFERENT EXPERTISE OF TEAM MEMBERS • USE OF THE INTERNET • DEVELOPING QUESTIONS TO ASK INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES AS A BASIS OF GET NEW INFORMATION

10. ?????????????? • REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE QUESTIONS TO APPLY TO ALL SITUATIONS - SUCH AS • IS THE PROBLEM NEW? • IS IT SPORADIC OR DOES IT OCCUR ALL THE TIME? • CAN YOU RELATE TO PROBLEM TO A SPECIFIC CUSTOMER? SEASON? WORK SHIFT? • WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE? • PROCESS • PRODUCT • EQUIPMENT • DISTRIBUTION

11. ????????? • WITH EXPERIENCE, YOU WILL DEVELOP A LINE OF QUESTIONS THAT GET YOU STARTED IN ANY NEW SITUATION

12. IDEATION AND SOLUTION FINDING • AFTER PROBLEM DEFINIITION, THE NEXT STEP IS TO GET AS MANY IDEAS AS POSSIBLE AS TO BOTH CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS

13. DETERRENTS TO PROBLEM SOLVING • PREJUDGEMENT IS ALLOWED • NO PRE-PLANNING • GROUP DYNAMICS NOT UNDERSTOOD • A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL IS ALLOWED TO DOMINATE • TOO MANY SIDE TRACTS OR DISTRACTIONS • CRITICISM OF IDEAS OCCURS • NOT RECOGNIZING THAT EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE

14. EFFECTIVE IDEATION • DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST -- GATHER AS MANY FACTS AS POSSIBLE • DEVELOP A CHECK LIST • TRY TO DEVELOP LATERAL THINKING • IF YOU ARE GETTING NO-WHERE, TRY A DIFFERENT APPROACH • TAKE A BREAN WHEN YOU GET STUCK • KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

15. FOR EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK • BE A GOOD LISTENER • WITHOLD CRITICISM • BE CONSIDERATE • GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE • SHOW INTEREST AND APPRECIATION OF THE VIEWS OF OTHERS • BE CONSISTENT • BE POSITIVE

16. PROBLEM SOLVINGA STEPWISE APPROACH • ORIENTATION - DEFINE THE PROBLEM • PREPARATTION - FACT FINDING • REDEFINE PROBLEM - AS NEEDED • ANALYSIS - DIVIDE INTO WORKABLE UNITS • SYNTHESIS - EXPERIMENTATION • DEFINE SOLUTIONS • EVALUATION - NOW YOU CAN BE OBJECTIVE • RECOMMENDAITIONS • REPORT -- THE FINAL STEP

17. IDEATION - BRAINSTORMINGLATERAL AND ZIG-ZAG THINKING • PURPOSE OF BRAINSTORMING IS TO GET AS MANY IDEAS AS POSSIBLE • REQUIRES BOTH VERTICAL AND LATERAL THINKING

18. LATERAL VS VERTICLE THINKING • VERTICAL THINKING PROGRESS BY SEQUENTIAL, JUSTIFIED STEPS -- EACH STEP ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS ONE • LATERAL (ZIG-ZAG) PROCEEDS BY ANY MEANS AT HAND -- SO LONG AS CHANGE RESULTS

19. LATERAL THINKING • IS NOT SEQUENTIAL - FREQUENTLY JUMPS FROM POINT TO POINT -- THEN STOPPING TO “COALESCE” • DOES NOT HAVE TO BE CORRECT AT EVERY POINT. A REDICULOUS CONCEPT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO GIVE A NEW ALIGNMENT • IS NOT RESTRICTED BY RELEVENT INFORMATION -- USES A RANDOM APPROACH TO PERTURB THE SYSTEM AND BRING CHANGE • JUDGEMENT IS NOT ALLOWED!!!!

20. LATERAL THINKING • FOLLOWING IDEAS ARE TAKEN FROM JUMP START YOUR BRAIN • BY DOUG HALL, 1996

21. JUMP START YOUR BRAINCONCEPTS • FUN IS FUNDAMENTAL • RESPECT THE NEW BORN • REALITY IS NOT RELEVANT • YOU HAVE TO SWING A LOG TO MAKE A HOME RUN

22. HALL’S QUESTIONS • WHAT WOULD BE THE SIMPLE SOLUTION • WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST REDICULOUS SOLUTION • WHAT WOULD AROUSE CURIOSITY • WHAT WOULD TURN WEAKNESSES TO STRENGTHS • WHAT WOULD BE MOST COURAGEOUS SOLUTION • WHAT WOULD BE FARTHEST REMOVED FROM THE COMPETITION

23. B.O.S.BRAIN OPERATING SYSTEM • PEOPLE THINK IN DIFFERENT WAYS • REALIST • BUILDER • DREAMER

24. B.O.S. SCORES • REALIST • - SCORE OF 0=56 • BUILDER • - SCORE OF 56-67 • DREAMER • - SCORE OF 68-100

25. REALIST • PREFERS IDEAS THAT ARE A VARIATION ON A FAMILIAR THEME. HAS THE ABILITY TO GRASP ISSUES; IS MOST CREATIVE WHEN OPERATING ON AN INCREMENTAL LEVEL; IS GOOD IN REACTING TO OTHER IDEAS; LIKES TO WORK IN A STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT

26. BUILDER • SEES ALL ASPECTS OF A SITUATION AND SEES WHAT OTHERS MISS; CONNECTS THE DOTS AND MAKES POSSIBLE THE EXISTENCE OF EXTREMES; AT HOME IN BOTH STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED ENVIRONMENTS; CAN HELP AN IDEA GROW FROM AN ACORN TO A TREE.

27. DREAMER • SEES WHAT OTHRS DO NOT SEE; WORKS BEST WITHOUT STRUCTURE; LIKES THE LOOK, FEEL AND ELEGANCE OF AN IDEA, WITHOUT RELEVENCE TO REALITY; IS OFTEN THE CATYLST FOR OTHER TYPES OF THINKERS; MAKES UP LESS THAN 15% OF THE POPULATION

28. THE ART OF THINKING • PEOPLE THINK IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND THE SAME PERSON MAY USE DIFFERENT THOUGHT PROCESSES IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. MOST PEOPLE TEND TO FAVOR ONE OR TWO MODES AND ONLY A FEW USE MORE THAN TWO

29. THE ART OF THINKING • IF YOU SCORED MORE THAN 70 POINTS ON ANY TYPE, THIS IS THE MODE YOU USE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY • IF YOU SCORED BETWWEEN 60 - 70, YOU USE THIS MORE OFTEN • IF YOU SCORED BETWEEN 50-60, YOU USE THIS MODE OCCASIONALLY • IF YOU SCORED BETWEEN 40-50, YOU USE THE MODE SELDON • LESS THAN 40, YOU DON’T USE THIS MODE AT ALL

30. THE FIVE MODES OF THINKING • SNYNTHESIST • IDEALIST • PRAGMATIST • ANALYST • REALIST

31. SYNTHESIST • TAKES AN INTEGRATIVE VIEW • SEES LIKNESS IN APPARENT UNLIKES • INTERESTED IN CHANGE • SPECULATIVE • SEEKS CONFLICT AND SYNTHESIS

32. IDEALIST • TAKES AN ASSIMULATIVE VIEW • WELCOMES A WIDE RANGE OF VIEWS • SEEKS THE IDEAL SOLUTION • INTERESTED IN VALUES • DATA AND THEORY OF EQUAL VALUE

33. PRAGMATIST • ECLECTIC VIEW • “WHATEVER WORKS!” • SEEKS SHORTEST ROUTE TO PAYOFF • INTERESTED IN INOVATION • ADAPTIVE • ANY DATA OR THEORY THAT GETS US THERE

34. ANALYSYST • FORMAL AND LOGICAL DEDUCTION • SEEKS “ONE BEST WAY” • SEEKS MODELS AND FORMULAS • INTERESTED IN “SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS” • THEORY AND METHOD OVER DATA

35. REALIST • EMPERICAL VIEW AND INDUCTION • RELIES ON “FACTS” AND EXPERT OPINION • SEEKS SOLUTIONS THAT MEET CURRENT NEEDS • INTERESTED IN CONCRETE RESULTS • DATA OVER THEORY