Developing Solutions :: essays research papers

Developing and Selecting 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 problems, only unsolved ones. This simply suggests the research team ask, "has anyone else had this problem?" Consideration would be given to a problem of similar circumstances, how they solved the problem previously, if the solution was successful, and if any disadvantages resulted from the solutions implemented. This method simply uses history to our advantage so that don’t find ourselves re-creating a solution that perhaps has already been developed that would serve current needs. A second consideration would be to find out if anyone else is looking at the same, or a similar, problem. We could determine what, if anything, they have learned to date, determine if we can be of help to each other, and perhaps pool resources to broaden the prospects of ideas and solutions. In-house efforts can quickly bring solutions to common problems, that are frequently dealt with which minimizes effort in coming to a successful solution. Parker explains that sometimes solutions can be found simply by restating the problem, so by examining other problems/solutions with a view toward solving current problems, a solution from previous events, can potentially be redesigned to fit an existing event. 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.