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Problem Solving Techniques and Tools from MindTools

Problem Solving Techniques and Tools from MindTools
© 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

70 Ways to Increase Your Brain Power 28. Creatine. This is a compound found in meat, used by athletes to help build muscle. Now the evidence is here to show that it helps your brain as well. Proceedings B , a journal published by the Royal Society reports that the research showed improvement in working memory and general intelligence resulting from creatine supplementation. The dose used in the study was 5 grams per day. 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!

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. 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. And get a FREE copy of our Build Your People Skills workbook, plus four other career-boosting bonuses, when you join before midnight, October 23. Find out more

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 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. If good design must do what the user needs, who is the user? 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:

Engineers Text Book - Design Process Diagram Models like this are often dismissed as being linear, with a start and an end, whereas the product design process has feedback and is continuous. What is learned in the design and development process, and the final evaluation, might well lead to a new specification, just as an analysis of the deficiencies of an existing product might. For this reason models of the design and development process are often shown as circles or spirals. The model shown is perhaps best imagined as the circle 'straightened out', or one segment of an innovation spiral. For a particular designer working on a specific project, the design process can be seen as beginning with the design brief and ending with the evaluation of the proposed solution. Would you like to know more?

Speed Reading Test Online 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. Market pull can also arise from the pressure to upgrade a product in response to competitor developments. 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.

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. <img alt="Image titled Learn Speed Reading Step 6" src=" width="728" height="410" class="whcdn"> Speed Reading Step 6.360p.mp46Try RSVP software. Part 2 Skimming Text Part 3 Timing Your Reading Speed

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. Information is the life blood of the design process and never more so than at the beginning. Design briefs must give sufficient information to put the problem in context and to indicate the requirements, but they must not impose unnecessary constraints on the solutions which might be proposed. Bottle disposal and recycling

Speed Reading Software Design Methods Step 1: Discover This four-part guide is for anyone who wants to understand the methods designers use and try them out for themselves. We’ve grouped 25 design methods into four steps – Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver – based on the stages of the Double Diamond, the Design Council’s simple way of mapping the design process. From rapid prototyping to personas and surveys, methods like these are used all the time in our work with partners. Browse through our case studies to see how they have been instrumental in bringing about dramatic improvements to products, services and environments, ensuring they are clearly focused on the needs of users. Use the methods below to keep your perspectives wide, allowing for a broad range of ideas and influences. Creating a project space What is it? Creating a dedicated area to organise project materials, work and meet. What is it useful for? How can I do it? Find – or make – a dedicated project zone. © Image Copyright: Flickr/Daniel Foster Observation User diaries Next steps

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