Developing Solutions

A detailed Summary of Developing Solutions

Graham Parker's Structured Problem Solving Guide describes the problem solving process in four phases, one of which is Developing and Selecting Solutions (Phase 4). The other phases are not summarized here, however, it is noteworthy to mention that Phase 4 is the entering into solution development, whereas during the first three Phases of the process, specific problems of study have already been defined, a selection process is undertaken to decide which problems to address, and finally the problem to be studied is characterized by the collection and analysis of the data to be studied. We then pick up the process of developing solutions for addressing the problems identified in the previous phases, as we enter Phase 4.

This particular stage of the Creative Problem Solving process is regarded as the primary decision-making stage. The function of implementing solutions hinges on two basic ideas: (1) consideration of the possible solutions by studying the results of the previous stages and the ideas they generated; and (2) development of evaluation criteria.

A simplified approach to solution development is the "in-house" search for solutions on the presumption that there are no new pro

Discussion 4: "The full benefits of problem solving derive not from just fixing a problem or reducing its impact in order to improve immediate performance, but from learning from the causes and what in turn caused them so that not only can the specific circumstances be avoided in the future....this will not happen unless they are relentlessly pursued even after partial solutions have been put in place. Concentration on short-term effects and curtailed investigations will ensure only short-term survival - complete problem solving has to be seen as an investment in the future" (Parker). Considering this theory, what seems to be the benefit of suggesting that we do in-fact sometimes need to come up with partial solutions? Parker is the one who suggests both - how?

When causes of particular problems have been identified, the problem solving process can be directed in several directions, but we concern ourselves with elimination of causes. Therefore, after problem identification, we move to solution filtering and selection. With each problem coming with many potential solutions, there are going to be a great number of solutions that must be filtered in order to get the best possible results. There are several methods of such filtering (some of which are covered in the three previous phases), such as grids, checklists, cost analysis, and constructive questioning. When eliminating certain solutions, caution must be used so that the "bundled" approach is not sacrificed. Meaning, there may be some solutions that, when coupled or teamed with other solutions to form a single approach, may be the answer to th

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