background preloader

What is Problem Solving? - Problem Solving Skills from MindTools.com

What is Problem Solving? - Problem Solving Skills from MindTools.com
© iStockphoto/PerlAlexander Problems are only opportunities in work clothes. – Henry Kaiser (American industrialist) Having good strong problem solving skills can make a huge difference to your career. Problems are at the center of what many people do at work every day. A fundamental part of every manager's role is finding ways to solve them. There are four basic steps in solving a problem: Defining the problem. Steps 2 to 4 of this process are covered in depth in other areas of Mind Tools. The articles in this section of Mind Tools therefore focus on helping you make a success of the first of these steps – defining the problem. Defining the Problem The key to a good problem definition is ensuring that you deal with the real problem – not its symptoms. Tools like 5 Whys , Appreciation and Root Cause Analysis help you ask the right questions, and work through the layers of a problem to uncover what's really going on. Understanding Complexity Problem-Solving Processes Key Points

Drill Down Technique - Problem Solving Skills from MindTools.com Breaking Problems Down Into Manageable Parts © iStockphoto/lurii Drill Down is a simple technique for breaking complex problems down into progressively smaller parts. To use the technique, start by writing the problem down on the left-hand side of a large sheet of paper. Next, write down the points that make up the next level of detail on the problem a little to the right of this. These may be factors contributing to the problem, information relating to it, or questions raised by it. For each of these points, repeat the process. Drilling into a question helps you... ... for the complete article: Mind Tools Club members, click here. Join the Mind Tools Club to finish this article AND get 1,000 more resources Join now for just $1, first month "When I started using Mind Tools, I was not in a supervisory position. Join the Mind Tools Club Now and Get Our People Skills Workbook FREE Access training, help and ideas to boost your career. Find out more

70 Ways to Increase Your Brain Power 28. Creatine. This is a compound found in meat, used by athletes to help build muscle. 35. 36. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 45. 46. 49. 50. 51. 52. 54. 57. 58. 60. 61. 63. 64. 66. 69. By Steve Gillman. A Book of Secrets How To Read Minds, Save Money, Boost Brainpower, Get Lucky, See The Real News, Find Treasure, Subliminally Persuade People, Buy Real Estate With No Money Down - And That's Just The Beginning!

School secretary Job Information Page Content School secretary Hours37 per weekStarting salary£15,000 + per year As a school secretary or administrator, it would be your job to provide administrative support in a school. If you are organised and have good office skills, and would like to work in an educational environment, this job could be perfect for you. In this job you would need good spoken and written communication skills. To get into this job you would usually need previous experience of office work, especially the main computer software packages. WorkDesc The work Your typical duties would include: You would come into contact with a wide range of people including teachers, pupils, parents and carers, education welfare officers, social workers and school governors. In some smaller schools, you may take on extra management duties, such as responsibility for finance. HoursDesc Hours In many jobs you would work during term-time only (usually 40 weeks a year), or you could work all year round. IncomeDesc Income More information

Design and Research January 2003 (This article is derived from a keynote talk at the fall 2002 meeting of NEPLS.) Visitors to this country are often surprised to find that Americans like to begin a conversation by asking "what do you do?" I've never liked this question. I don't consider myself to be doing research on programming languages. The difference between design and research seems to be a question of new versus good. What I'm going to talk about today is what your target looks like from the back. The biggest difference is that you focus more on the user. Notice I said "what they need," not "what they want." The customer is always right in the sense that the measure of good design is how well it works for the user. And yet, making what works for the user doesn't mean simply making what the user tells you to. The answer to the paradox, I think, is that you have to design for the user, but you have to design what the user needs, not simply what he says he wants. You can do this in software too. Related:

Speed Reading - Study Skills from MindTools Learning to Read More Efficiently Learn how to speed read, with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson. Think about how much reading you do every day. Perhaps you read the newspaper to catch up with what's going on in the world. When you look at it, reading could be the work-related skill that you use most often! Maybe not. But what does becoming a better reader involve? How We Read Although you spend a good part of your day reading, have you ever thought about how you read? When you actually think about it, reading is quite a complex skill. Scientists now believe that each of your eyes lock onto a different letter at the same time, usually two characters apart. Advantages of Speed Reading Many people read at an average rate of 250 words per minute. However, imagine if you could double your rate to 500 words per minute. Another important advantage of speed reading is that you can better comprehend the overall structure of an argument. Note: Speed reading is a useful and valuable skill. Regression Tip:

School Secretary Career Guide - Education & Childcare Jobs School secretaries perform important administrative tasks which help in the day-to-day running of a school, enabling teachers and teaching assistants to perform their jobs efficiently. School secretaries perform administrative tasks in schools. They ensure that the school environment runs as smoothly as possible and allow teachers to focus their energies purely on providing children with an education, rather than worrying about keeping records and other vital yet time-consuming tasks. A school secretary provides a warm and welcoming face to members of the general public as well as providing comfort and reassurance to pupils throughout the school day. School secretaries work in all kinds of schools, including small, rural primary schools and large comprehensive schools located in city centres. The tasks performed will differ depending upon the environment but, regardless of the type of school employing the secretary, their role is vital to the overall performance of the institution. Salary

Engineers Text Book - Market Push, Tech Pull Market pull Market pull refers to the development of new designs based on a need for either a completely new product to meet some demand or an improved product to address customer dissatisfaction with existing products. In the automotive market. for example. customers are always looking for better fuel economy. greater comfort and improved safety; as a result. manufacturers tend to focus on these areas. The identification of these needs may be through informal customer feedback. such as sales agents chatting with customers, or more formal market research. Customer feedback and market research can be used to identify areas of the market where a new product with the correct characteristics could make an impact. Market pull does, however, have its limitations.

Speed Reading Test Online How do I prioritise my workload? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time... People who over-eat are often described as having ‘eyes bigger than their stomachs’. The time management equivalent is the person who takes on more and more projects that look inviting and exciting, with a total disregard for existing work commitments. This behaviour is typical of a Type A working style and the end result is ‘plate spinning’ – dashing from one unfinished task to another, putting in short bursts of effort and hoping that none of the plates crashes to the floor. To regain control over your workload, a reality check is essential. And finally, apply a little discipline. The scenario of being allocated too much work by a superior and feeling that you cannot refuse is addressed in another page of this topic – The art of saying ‘no’. Prioritisation Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. Prioritisation is the cornerstone of good time management. Quadrant 1 – important and urgent

Engineers Text Book - Engineering and Design Briefs The designer's first task is to explore the design brief provided by the client. In some cases it may give a very clear picture of the requirements, but in others it will be necessary to help clients develop a full understanding of their needs. Briefs should not be regarded as tablets of stone; they may alter as designers begin their research and communicate their findings. A concept which many designers find helpful in analysing a design brief is that of primary and secondary functions. It is sometimes possible to draw up a list of functions that the product must fulfil, and others that would enhance its value but are not essential and could be sacrificed. When the PDS is written this analysis would be reflected in the weighting or priority given to a particular aspect throughout the design process. Information is the life blood of the design process and never more so than at the beginning. Bottle disposal and recycling Portable drawing equipment. Primary functions: Secondary functions:

How to Learn Speed Reading Steps Part 1 Learning to Speed Read <img alt="Image titled Learn Speed Reading Step 1" src=" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn" onload="WH.performance.clearMarks('image1_rendered'); WH.performance.mark('image1_rendered');">1Stop talking to yourself. Almost every reader "subvocalizes," or moves their throat as they imagine speaking the words.[1] This may help the reader remember concepts, but it's also a major barrier to speed.[2][3] Here are a few ways to keep this habit to a minimum: Chew gum or hum while you read. Part 2 Skimming Text <img alt="Image titled Learn Speed Reading Step 7" src=" width="728" height="546" class="whcdn">1Know when to skim. Part 3 Timing Your Reading Speed Community Q&A Ask a Question Tips

Related: