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Slide Notes
Problem solving. We all need to do it, we all HAVE to do it, and it's really, really difficult. My first assignment at Boeing was a problem. I solved it. Then there were more, and I solved them, too. Then I got into the startup world, which is--and I am not exaggerating here--ALL problem solving. All day, all night. Yes, all night, too. This is a story about how to treat problem solving with the respect it deserves. Most of the world views problems solely as belonging to their respective silos: finance problems, website problems, personnel problems. I'm here to say that problem solving is a field in its own right. Today we call it "consulting", and that's not terrible. It's what I do. I'll give you a peek into the process and hopefully give you some takeaways you can use to solve your own problems--and when you need to hire a professional.
Here's Your Problem and Here's How To Fix It:
Published on Jul 06, 2018
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Here's Your Problem and Here's How To Fix It:
Or, Why I'm Not Fun At Parties
Problem solving. We all need to do it, we all HAVE to do it, and it's really, really difficult. My first assignment at Boeing was a problem. I solved it. Then there were more, and I solved them, too. Then I got into the startup world, which is--and I am not exaggerating here--ALL problem solving. All day, all night. Yes, all night, too. This is a story about how to treat problem solving with the respect it deserves. Most of the world views problems solely as belonging to their respective silos: finance problems, website problems, personnel problems. I'm here to say that problem solving is a field in its own right. Today we call it "consulting", and that's not terrible. It's what I do. I'll give you a peek into the process and hopefully give you some takeaways you can use to solve your own problems--and when you need to hire a professional.
Photo by Tortured Mind
I've Always Been A Problem Solver
- Stalled compliance testing
- Troubled international sales executions
- "Capture" teams
- Changing customer behavior
- Workflow automation
First, my own history: That stalled compliance testing is a good story. Boeing was trying to find a shorter and cheaper way to flame-test PCBs. As you might imagine, fire is a big deal on planes--it's not like you can just pull over to the side of the road. So while there's hundreds of expensive and lengthy testing procedures required, flammability testing is one of the big ones. Everyone knows that computers get hot--a lot of people have even seen a computer catch fire, thanks to Youtube, which wasn't even around at that time. Now remember that planes are FULL of electrical components and motherboards, and you'll start to understand the scope of the problem.
The additional examples are just my favorites, culled from a long problem solving career. My first assignment at Boeing was the stalled compliance testing, and it was love at first problem. I did do some product development, and some regular materials certification, for awhile, too. But somehow that's not...AS FUN. My own grandmother has referred to me as "radically practical", which should also give you some idea of who gave me my vocabulary. It's not always fun.
The additional examples are just my favorites, culled from a long problem solving career. My first assignment at Boeing was the stalled compliance testing, and it was love at first problem. I did do some product development, and some regular materials certification, for awhile, too. But somehow that's not...AS FUN. My own grandmother has referred to me as "radically practical", which should also give you some idea of who gave me my vocabulary. It's not always fun.
Photo by Photos by Mavis
The Good Thing: As a Troubleshooter, You Always Have Another Job
Because there's ALWAYS problems somewhere, get it? Get it? Eh??
You'll notice this is kind of a long list. And that's normal. Because, as a problem-solver, I always have another job. You will, too! And I phrase it this way--with the ANOTHER part--because...you might not stay very long in any particular job. Because, if you fix problems...
You'll notice this is kind of a long list. And that's normal. Because, as a problem-solver, I always have another job. You will, too! And I phrase it this way--with the ANOTHER part--because...you might not stay very long in any particular job. Because, if you fix problems...
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The Bad Thing: No One Likes You.
Has anyone read the Honor Harrington books, by David Weber? Great space opera. SHE'S a troubleshooter. They start calling her The Salamander, from the old legend that Salamanders live in fire. (In case you're wondering, this is not, in fact, true.)
Product Development is sexy. "Future Space"--that's sexy. Names like "PhantomWorks, WhiteSpace." In contrast, in trouble-shooting, I heard a lot of "You're bothering me, Margaret." (Honestly, I love working with other engineers for exactly that reason.) Here's a brief history of problem solving:
Product Development is sexy. "Future Space"--that's sexy. Names like "PhantomWorks, WhiteSpace." In contrast, in trouble-shooting, I heard a lot of "You're bothering me, Margaret." (Honestly, I love working with other engineers for exactly that reason.) Here's a brief history of problem solving:
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A Brief History Of Problem Solvers
- Grand Vizier (Jafar, anyone?)
- Ombudsman
- Executioner
- Trouble-shooting
- Bug-finder
- Consultant
Ombudsman was a big term in Washington DC when I was an intern, which is funny because it means the first problem anyone has to solve is enunciation. And let's look at some famous problem solvers here.
Photo by Don Fulano
Famous Problem Solvers
- Kissinger
- Archimedes
- And the original problem solvers: MOMS.
I did some light Googling and came up with Cat In The Hat as another great example--and I am not making that up, it was in Fast Company.
A slightly more in-depth Google search turned up exactly bupkis--of either women OR men. Thought leaders? Futuristic thinkers? Sure. Problem solvers? Not much glory for those. Background only. Moms got their own day --in America, at least--in 1914. I've never celebrated Archimedes Day, although that's a great idea. And not only is it glory-free--it's a TOUGH field.
Why? Problem-solving is basically all uncertainty--you are literally uncertain of the answer--and uncertainty is, according to science, tough for the brain.
A slightly more in-depth Google search turned up exactly bupkis--of either women OR men. Thought leaders? Futuristic thinkers? Sure. Problem solvers? Not much glory for those. Background only. Moms got their own day --in America, at least--in 1914. I've never celebrated Archimedes Day, although that's a great idea. And not only is it glory-free--it's a TOUGH field.
Why? Problem-solving is basically all uncertainty--you are literally uncertain of the answer--and uncertainty is, according to science, tough for the brain.
Photo by gideon_wright
"Uncertainty can activate the fear center of the brain, thereby disrupting the thinking processes critical to successful innovation.” -Srini Pillay, Harvard psychologist, NeuroBusiness School
Problem solving is all about uncertainty. And here's what Harvard psychologists say about uncertainty:
This is why it's a tough field--and why it's SO CRUCIAL to business today. Notice the end of that quote: "Successful innovation". Anyone know of a business that prides itself on NOT being innovative today?
But if I haven't convinced you that it's difficult, you've decided you want to do it yourself, and I promised takeaways, so here they are!
This is why it's a tough field--and why it's SO CRUCIAL to business today. Notice the end of that quote: "Successful innovation". Anyone know of a business that prides itself on NOT being innovative today?
But if I haven't convinced you that it's difficult, you've decided you want to do it yourself, and I promised takeaways, so here they are!
Photo by Bernd Thaller
To solve a problem no one else has solved...
So, how do we do it? In all cases: to solve a problem...
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You have to DO what no one has THOUGHT of yet.
...you just have to do what no one has thought of yet. You'll notice I have two different words there: You have to DO what know one has THOUGHT of yet. Sometimes they HAVE thought of it--but they've dismissed it. "That probably won't help enough to justify the hours," "That's probably unrelated", etc, but no one has actually DONE it.
In Korea, I found myself learning Korean. Just a few phrases--but it dramatically unbent the customer. I found myself making 20 phone calls to track down the ONE PERSON in a dusty little office on the Duwamish, the ONE person who had ownership of the flight instruction manuals, and tell me how many pages those manuals had, because we got credit for $100/page of documentation. In my career, I've lost count of the times that people have said, "No one has ever asked me that before."
Good problem solving takes detective work, forensics, and data analysis, and a quiver of wide-ranging skills doesn't hurt, either. I know a little about databases, a little about coding, a little bit about materials testing, a little bit about regulatory compliance. I speak a smattering of languages, from foreign ones to government jargon.
In Korea, I found myself learning Korean. Just a few phrases--but it dramatically unbent the customer. I found myself making 20 phone calls to track down the ONE PERSON in a dusty little office on the Duwamish, the ONE person who had ownership of the flight instruction manuals, and tell me how many pages those manuals had, because we got credit for $100/page of documentation. In my career, I've lost count of the times that people have said, "No one has ever asked me that before."
Good problem solving takes detective work, forensics, and data analysis, and a quiver of wide-ranging skills doesn't hurt, either. I know a little about databases, a little about coding, a little bit about materials testing, a little bit about regulatory compliance. I speak a smattering of languages, from foreign ones to government jargon.
Photo by zaveqna
The Steps
- Identify a problem SUCH THAT you can take a three-day action to solve it.
- Check if three-day action solved problem.
- Repeat.
What's the theme? Here it is, in three bullets"
As an example: Very Bad: I'm not making enough money. Slightly better: I'm not selling enough. Slightly better: I need to sell more. Slightly better:
Better still: I need to sell more big ticket items. Better still: I know THIS particular big ticket item makes a lot of money, I need to sell more of it. Much better: I need to cross-reference it to another product to get THOSE customers over HERE. Finally: I need to add some code to my website. Either you do that, or your coder on call does that. NOW you've reached the point of calling a contractor with a statement of work and a total number of hours you want spent. Check if it works. If it does, great! If not, try something else. Maybe you need to offer more mid-range products. Maybe you need to strike the low-cost product. I wish there was a pithier tech tool for this, but it would be extreme overkill. If you haven't broken your problem's fix into a three day solution, then you haven't fully identified your problem. (As a side note, this is the same principle that produced Agile project management--the problem solving strategy.) If you can't do this, that's okay! That's what professionals are actually for.
As an example: Very Bad: I'm not making enough money. Slightly better: I'm not selling enough. Slightly better: I need to sell more. Slightly better:
Better still: I need to sell more big ticket items. Better still: I know THIS particular big ticket item makes a lot of money, I need to sell more of it. Much better: I need to cross-reference it to another product to get THOSE customers over HERE. Finally: I need to add some code to my website. Either you do that, or your coder on call does that. NOW you've reached the point of calling a contractor with a statement of work and a total number of hours you want spent. Check if it works. If it does, great! If not, try something else. Maybe you need to offer more mid-range products. Maybe you need to strike the low-cost product. I wish there was a pithier tech tool for this, but it would be extreme overkill. If you haven't broken your problem's fix into a three day solution, then you haven't fully identified your problem. (As a side note, this is the same principle that produced Agile project management--the problem solving strategy.) If you can't do this, that's okay! That's what professionals are actually for.
Photo by Chris Smith/Out of Chicago
The Takeaway
- If you find yourself staring down a problem you can't solve, remember this: problem solving is hard, thankless, and personally fear-inducing
- Hiring an outside perspective is often ideal. To hire a good one, ask for references.
- A shortcut to problem solving: Diversity & Inclusion
There's not enough time to go over the last point, but if you can't get wide ranging skills, you can at least get wide-ranging backgrounds as a shortcut. Often those lead to skills. I knew a woman in a wheelchair who could eyeball angles with incredible accuracy. It came in handy in all parts of her engineering work.
Photo by Paul Skorupskas
