creative problems solving - tools & techniques (a)

What is CPS? Why we need it? and How to apply?

Creative Problems Solving

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” -Albert Einstein

“Originality is simply a fresh pair of eyes.” - Woodrow Wilson

Quotes

CREATIVE Thinking vs CRITICAL Thinking

What is C P S?

Why do we need C P S ?

How to apply C P S tools ?

1 . Ho w d o w e make a b a l l po int pen w o r k i n a zer o gr av i t y env i r o nm e nt (space) ?

2 . W ho car es ? 3 . Spend $ M i l l i o ns 4 . Get f i r ed ! 5 . D o n’t go t o t he mo o n ! O r 6 . Change t he Pr o b lem 7 . Ho w d o w e w r i t e i n a zer o gr av i t y env i r o nm e nt ?

CRITICAL THINKING

The process we use to reflect on assess and judge the assumption underlying our own and others ideas and efforts.

CREATIVE THINKING

The process we use to develop ideas that are unique, useful and worthy of further elaboration

Quotes

What is C P S?

DESIGN THINKING

“A process of creative and critical thinking that allows information and ideas to be organized, decisions to be made, situations to be improved, and knowledge to be gained.”

- Charles Burnette

Quotes

What is C P S?

I t’s a mindset of combin ing creat i ve and analyt ica l th ink ing and apply ing i t toward

solv ing a spec i f ic problem.

CREATIVE

THINKING Generative Possibility Subjective Visual

LOGICAL

THINKING Analytic

Probability Objective

Verbal

“a simple process that involves breaking down a problem to understand it, generating ideas to solve the problem and evaluating those ideas to find the most effective solutions”

Quotes

What is C P S?

P r o b l e m S o l v i n g D e c i s i o n M a k i n g

Critical

Thinking

• A n a l y z i n g • E v a l u a t i n g • R e a s o n i n g

New Ideas

Creative

Thinking

R i g h t L e f t

What is Creative Problems Solving?

• A process such as

brainstorming or lateral

thinking which improves your

ability to be creative and look at

problems in a fresh new way!

• State of mind that generates

new ideas unique to you.

• Free yourself from your strict

logical confines.

• Become illogical!

• Become flexible!

Lateral Thinking

BrainStorming

Strict Logical Confines

Become illogical

• Solve Problems! • Develop better solutions to

already implemented solutions.

• Prevent situations before they manifest (obvious, clear) themselves.

• Understand the ramifications (effects , outcomes) of our solutions.

• Unlearn that which we have already learned.

Quotes

What is C P S?

1 . L a z y m a n – s a v e T I M E a n d m a k e l i f e E A S I E R . 2 . T h r i f t y m a n – s a v e M O N E Y 3 . F a t m a n – H E L P m e g e t s l i m m e r q u i c k e r 4 . M e s s y m a n – s a v e S P A C E 5 . i m p o r t a n t t o i n t e l l e c t u a l a n d c u l t u r a l

e v o l u t i o n . 6 . r e d u c e s s t r e s s a n d k e e p s y o u h e a l t h y . 7 . i m p r o v e s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e a n d m a k e y o u a

m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g p e r s o n .

6 STEPS – CPS essential

• Identify the Goal, Wish or Challenge

• Gather Data

• Clarify the Problem

EXPLORE the

Challenge

• Generate Ideas

Generate IDEA

• Select & Strengthen Solutions • Plan for Action

Prepare for ACTION

Divergent Thinking Process

Defer Judgment

Strive For Quantity

Seek Wild & Unusual

Build On Other Ideas

1. Whatever idea comes to mind, go with it.

2. Don’t evaluate ideas while you are generating them.

3. The ideas can be evaluated later.

Defer Judgment

Strive For Quantity

Seek Wild & Unusual

1. The more ideas you

have, the greater

chances of getting a

good one.

2. Lay out all the usual

approaches to the

problem, then push to

consider new ideas.

Defer Judgment

Strive For Quantity

Seek Wild & Unusual

1. Freewheel - the wilder the ideas the better.

2. It’s easier to tame a wild idea than to invigorate a weak one. (Osborn)

3. Stretch your thinking to create some wild ideas.

If at the first the idea is not absurd, there is no hope for

it” Albert Einstein

Defer Judgment

Strive For Quantity

Seek Wild & Unusual

1. Let one idea spur other ideas.

2. Build, combine and improve ideas.

Convergent Thinking Process

1. Be affirmative.

2. Be deliberate

3. Check your objectives

4. Improve ideas

5. Consider novelty

Divergent Thinking Process Convergent Thinking Process

Steven

Johnson

• Identify the Goal, Wish or Challenge

• Gather Data

• Clarify the Problem

EXPLORE the

Challenge

• Generate Ideas

Generate IDEA

• Select & Strengthen Solutions • Plan for Action

Prepare for ACTION

EXPLORE THE CHALLENGE :

I. State a variety of goals, wishes or challenges.

II. Choose a goal, wish or challenge where you have ownership, motivation and a need for imagination.

III. Explore all data around the goal, wish or challenge.

IV. Identify all the relevant data

V. Use Journalist’s questions 5Ws & 2Hs

a. Who…? What…? When…? Where…? Why…? How…? How much…?

VI. State the problem in as many ways as possible.

VII. Choose a problem statement to work on.

Identify the Goal, Wish or Challenge

Gather Data

Clarify the Problem

Generate Ideas

Select & Strengthen Solutions

Plan for Action

Convergent + Divergent

Will it work?

Can we do it?

Has it been tried before?

Does it fit in?

Have we got the resources?

Is the timing right?

Who can help?

How much will it cost?

Suppose it fails?

What if? Why not?

What associations can we find What rules can we break?

What assumptions are at work? What is this like?

What analogy could we use? What metaphor suggests itself?

Suppose the problem were a solution?

• Think up a wide variety of ideas to solve the problem.

• Choose the most promising ideas.

Gather Data

Clarify the Problem

Generate Ideas

Plan for Action

6 STEPS – CPS essential Select & Strengthen Solutions • Evaluate and refine the ideas you

selected. • Select the most promising

solution(s). • Many similar ideas – Restate &

PPCO • One idea – PPCO • Diverse Ideas – Evaluation Matrix • Many ideas of equal worth – Card

Sort Plan for Action • List a series of possible actions for

implementation. • Form a specific plan for action.

• Select key actions to implement. • Create a plan that details who does

what, by when, reporting completion to whom.

Gather Data

Clarify the Problem

Generate Ideas

Plan for Action

Goals Action By Whom By When Reporting completion to whom

Immediate

Medium

Long Term

TOOLS for Diverging&Converging

•Highlighting •Praise First (PPCO) •Card Sort •Evaluation Matrix

Converging

• Brainstorming • Brainwriting

• Forced Connections

• Visual Connections

• SCAMPER

• Ladder of Abstraction

• Word Dance

• Random Word

• Excursions

• Focus

• Alternatives

• Challenge

Diverging

www.mycoted.com

www.mindtools.com

TOOLS for Converging H

its Look for ideas that

are interesting, promising, compelling, intriguing, innovative or on target.

Mark or “hit” those ideas with a check, star or colored dot.

From the hits, see if any share a theme or reiterate the same idea.

Group or “cluster” of those related ideas.

For each cluster, try to synthesize the different ideas into a single statement.

Try to capture the essence and paraphrase the ideas into one concise phrase.

1. 3 steps of HIGHLIGHTING

TOOLS for Converging P

s What do you like about the person’s idea, work, proposal, or performance right now?

Be direct, honest and specific.

What opportunities might this idea open up?

It might…

rns Express your

concerns as open ended questions that offer a possible future direction.

How to…

rns Review your

list of concerns.

Brainstorm to generate ways to overcome each concern

2. Praise First (PPCO)

TOOLS for Converging

s Helps to compare, rank and prioritize promising ideas.

It can be used to rank ideas, solutions, problem statements or criteria

1. Write each idea on a separate card (3” x 5”) and arrange the cards in a row.

2. Count how many cards (ideas) you have.

3. Identify the option you like the least. Write the number that equals the total number of cards you have. Put the card off to the side.

4. Of the cards remaining, identify the option you like the best and write “1” on it. Put it off to the side.

3. CARD SORT

s A systematic way to analyze ideas.

Directions:

• Generate Criteria

• Select Criteria

• Create a rating scale

• Set up the matrix

• Fill in the blank boxes

• Compare their strengths & weaknesses

• Overcome low criteria ratings

4. EVALUATION MATRIX

Option

Option6

Criteria 1

Criteria 2

Criteria 3

Criteria 4

Criteria 5

Rating Scale: VeryGood<5> Good <4> Fair<3> Poor<2> VeryPoor <1>

Explore The Challenge

1. Identify the Goal, Wish or Challenge.

2. Gather Data

3. Clarify the Problem

Generate Ideas

4. Generate Ideas

Prepare for Action

5. Select & Strengthen Solutions

6. Plan for Action

…summary

Copyright@Alice 2010 34

L E T ’ S C H I L L O U T !

R I D D L E

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

You are driving along in your new red Porsche on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus :

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

An old friend who once saved your life.

The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or

You could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ?

"I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams."

Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING -OSBORNE-PARNES CPS PROCESS

OF FF PF IF SF AF

Objective

Finding

Problem

Finding

Solution

Finding

Acceptance

Finding

Identify Goal,

Challenge

Gather Data Clarify the

Problem

Generate Ideas Select &

Strengthen

Solutions

Plan for Action

What is the goal,

wish, or

challenge upon

which you want

to work?

What's the

situation or

background?

What are all the

facts, questions,

data, feelings that

are involved?

What is the

problem that

really needs to be

focused on?

What is the

concern that

really needs to be

addressed?

What are all the

possible

solutions for how

to solve the

problem?

How can you

strengthen the

solution? How

can you select

the solutions to

know which one

will work best?

What are all the

action steps that

need to take

place in order to

implement your

solution?

Problem definition

Information

gathering

Problem Statement

Diverging

Converging

Explore the challenge

Identifying the goal,

wish, challenge

Gather data

Clarify the problem

Generating Ideas

1. PROBLEM DEFINITION Identify possible problem Define your problem - write out your problem concisely - make sure everyone understands the problem

and is in agreement with the way it is worded. - there is no need to put a lot of restrictions on

your problem at this point.

What would you like to get out of life?

What are your goals, as yet unfilled?

What would you like to accomplish, to achieve?

What would you like to have?

What would you like to do?

What would you like to do better?

What would you like to happen?

In what ways are you inefficient?

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING What would you like to organize in a better way?

What ideas would you like to get going?

What relationship would you like to improve?

What would you like to get others to do?

What takes too long?

What is wasted?

What barriers or bottlenecks exist?

What do you wish you had more time for?

What do you wish you had more money for?

What makes you angry, tense or anxious?

What do you complain about?

PROBLEM DEFINITION cont …

Determine the objective What is the goal, wish, or challenge upon which you want to

- State the goal and aim that you wish to

achieve.

- What is that you wish to see changed?

Discuss the situations you are concerned about.

Brainstorm a list of objectives or goals (of problems or challenges) which you want to achieve

Focus on ONE objective or goal which you would like to attempt.

Example:

ABSENTEEISM (the challenge)

– attendance problem among the students

(problem definition)

Goal/Wish example:

I wish all students could be on time for lectures.

I would like to see that there is always full attendance in lectures and tutorials.

2. INFORMATION GATHERING What's the situation or background? What are all the

facts, questions, data, feelings that are involved?

- Nature of the problem identified via Survey (Questionnaire) Facts finding (Interview/Observation) to confirm that it is a challenge & issue that

needs further action for betterment.

INFORMATION GATHERING cont ...

Who is or should be involved?

What is or is not happening?

When does this or should this happen?

Where does or doesn’t this occur?

Why does it or doesn’t it happen?

How does it or doesn't it occur?

3. PROBLEM STATEMENT What is the problem that really needs to be focused on?

What is the concern that really needs to be addressed?

One principle of creative problem solving is that the definition of a problem will determine the nature of the solutions.

In this step it helps to begin each statement with "In what ways might we (or I)...." (IWWMW).

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING What is the real problem? What is the main objective?

What do you really want to accomplish?

Why do I want to do this?

- Restate the identified challenge into a workable problem

(has to be focused & specific)

Example: Attendance problem among first year UTHM

engineering students.

I hear I forget

I see I remember

I do I understand

- Confucius

CPSEngineering

creative problems solving - tools & techniques (a)

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