Strategies for Individuals Problem- Solving and Teams
Jan 15, 2016
Strategies for Individuals
Problem-Solving
and Teams
Teamwork and Communication
Section 1:
Broken Squares Activity• Goal: Use pieces to assemble
5 squares, all of equal size.• No talking, pointing, or gesturing.• You may give pieces to another team member,
but not take pieces from anyone.• Pieces must be given directly to another, not
just placed in the center of the table.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork
Broken Squares Activity• What part of the game was the
most fun?• Were some members frustrated? Why?• Were any members always/never
willing to give away their pieces?• Did some members dominate the play?• Were some members willing to violate the rules?
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork
Broken Squares Activity• How did team members interact?• Were any members always/never
willing to give away their pieces?• Was there a turning point where cooperation began?• What role does communication play in solving
problems?
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork
Broken Squares Activity• What strategies could group
members have used to make theteam’s outcome more successful?
• What lessons did you learn from the game that could be applied in other problem-solving situations?
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork
Broken Squares Activity• Cooperation by all team members is necessary to
solve team problems.• It is important that everyone understand and follow
guidelines.• Everyone’s efforts are important.• Recognize that your contributions are important.• Communication in many forms is vital for success.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork
Making Decisions
Section 2:
• How many decisions do you make in a day?• How do you make a decision?• What is a good decision? • Describe how you recently made a good
decision? What was the process?
Your Decision-making Skills
• Flip a coin, roll a die, “draw a card.”
• It “feels right.”• Formal or logical
methods; ranking the options.
• Eliminating decisions.
• Flip a coin, roll a die, “draw a card.”
• It “feels right.”• Formal or logical
methods; ranking the options.
• Eliminating decisions.
Making Decisions
For each approach:• Is this sometimes an
appropriate method?• Is this a good method?• Any drawbacks?• What will be the
likely outcomes?
Solving Problems
Section 3:
Draw a diagram.• “A picture is worth a thousand words.”• Are you a visual learners?• Turn an abstract problem into a concrete
problem by making a sketch.• Example: Determine the order of the houses.
Problem-solving Strategies
Make a list.• A systematic listing of options/choices can
make the answer clearer.• Use a methodical approach to cover all
options/choices.• Example: How many possible tile arrangements
are there?
Problem-solving Strategies
Trial and error.• Sometimes known as “guess and check.”• Good if the cost of a wrong guess is minimal.• Good if the number of possible answers is not
too large.• Example: The product of five consecutive
integers is greater than one million. What are the smallest values that do this?
Problem-solving Strategies
Divide and conquer.• Break big problems into several smaller
problems that are more easily solved.• Example: How many tiles
should be ordered for a countertop with complex geometry?
Problem-solving Strategies
Look for a pattern.• Often other approaches yield a pattern that
suggests a possible solution. Test the solution.• Example: 1000 students have 1000 lockers. Starting
at locker 0001, Student #1 opens every locker. Student #2 closes every other locker. Student #3 changes every 3rd locker. Student #4 changes every 4th locker. And so on, through Student #1000. What lockers will be left open?
Problem-solving Strategies
Working backward might be useful when...• The final result is clear, but the initial conditions are not.• The beginning situation is complicated but the end is simple.• The direct approach would involve a complicated equation.• The problem involves a sequence of reversible actions.• Example: What was your previous month’s bank balance if
this month’s statement shows $493.18, after checks for $17.73 and $88.10, and a deposit of $193.22 and interest of $0.26?
Problem-solving Strategies
Quality Improvement
Section 4:
1. Identify and define the problem.a) Brainstormingb) Impact changeability toolc) Problem statement
2. Study the current situation.a) Force-field analysisb) Flow chart
Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement
3. Find the root cause.a) Asking “why” five timesb) Fishbone diagram
4. Choose a solution.a) Brainstormingb) Evaluation grid
Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement
5. Develop and action plan.– Specific and clear– Logical sequence– Comprehensive– Shared with whole team– Reviewed frequently
Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement
• Illustrates the beginning and completion dates for sub-tasks within a project
GANTT Chart
• Project Evaluation and Review (PERT) shows the sequence of tasks in a project or problem-solving process
PERT Chart
6. Implement the action plan.a) Five Ws and one H
Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement
7. Check the results.a) Force-field analysisb) Brainstormingc) Evaluation grid
Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement
• X-Bar and R-charts– “X-bar” (orx ) is
the average of sample measures.
– “R” is the range, themaximum value minus minimum value.
• X-bar shows “drift.”• R shows variation.
Quality-Control Charting