Creative Problem Solving Workshop
Course Duration 1 Day
In the past few decades, psychologists and business people alike have discovered that
successful problem solvers tend to use the same type of process to identify and implement the
solutions to their problems. This process works for any kind of problem, large or small.
The Creative Problem Solving workshop will give participants an overview of the entire creative
problem-solving process, as well as key problem-solving tools that they can use every day. Skills such as brainstorming, information gathering, analyzing data, and identifying resources will be covered throughout the workshop..
Course Objectives
At the end of the course participants will be able to :
- Understand problems and the creative problem solving process
- Identify types of information to gather and key questions to ask in problem solving
- Identify the importance of defining a problem correctly
- Identify and use four different problem definition tools
- Write concrete problem statements
- Use basic brainstorming tools to generate ideas for solutions
- Evaluate potential solutions against criteria, including cost/benefit analysis and group voting
- Perform a final analysis to select a solution
- Understand the roles that fact and intuition play in selecting a solutiong
- Understand the need to refine the shortlist and redefine it
- Understand how to identify the tasks and resources necessary to implement solutions
- Evaluate and adapt solutions to reality
Course Outline
The Problem Solving Method
What is a Problem?
What is a Creative Problem Solving?
What are the Steps in the Creative Solving Process?
Information Gathering
Understanding Types of Information
Identifying Key Questions
Methods of Gathering Information
Problem Definition
Defining the Problem
Determining Where the Problem Originated
Defining the Present State and the Desired State
Stating and Restating the Problem
Analysing the Problem
Writing the Problem Statement
Preparing for Brainstorming
Identifying Mental Blocks
Removing Mental Blocks
Stimulating Creativity
Generating Solutions (I)
Brainstorming Basics
Brainwriting and Mind Mapping
Duncker Diagrams
Generating Solutions (II)
The Morphological Matrix
The Six Thinking Hats
The Blink Method
Analysing Solutions
Developing Criteria
Analysing Wants and Needs
Using Cost/Benefit Analysis
Selecting a Solution
Doing a Final Analysis
Paired Comparison Analysis
Analysing Potential Problems
Planning Your Next Steps
Identifying Tasks
Identifying Resources
Implementing, Evaluating, and Adapting
Recording Lessons Learned
Planning the Follow-Up Meeting
Celebrating Successes
Identifying Improvements
Download this outline as a PDF.