On Problem Solving XVI: Trivia

"The problems of different fields are much more alike than their practitioners think, much more alike than different." (John W Tukey, "Analyzing Data: Sanctification or Detective Work?", 1969)

"Design is really a special case of problem solving. One wants to bring about a desired state of affairs. Occasionally one wants to remedy some fault but more usually one wants to bring about something new. For that reason design is more open ended than problem solving. It requires more creativity. It is not so much a matter of linking up a clearly defined objective with a clearly defined starting position (as in problem solving) but more a matter of starting out from a general position in the direction of a general objective." (Edward de Bono, "Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step", 1970)

"A system represents someone's solution to a problem. The system doesn't solve the problem." (John Gall, "General Systemantics: How systems work, and especially how they fail", 1975)

"[...] any hope that we are smart enough to find even transiently optimum solutions to our data analysis problems is doomed to failure, and, indeed, if taken seriously, will mislead us in the allocation of effort, thus wasting both intellectual and computational effort." (John W Tukey, "Choosing Techniques for the Analysis of Data", 1981)

"Delay time, the time between causes and their impacts, can highly influence systems. Yet the concept of delayed effect is often missed in our impatient society, and when it is recognized, it’s almost always underestimated. Such oversight and devaluation can lead to poor decision making as well as poor problem solving, for decisions often have consequences that don’t show up until years later. Fortunately, mind mapping, fishbone diagrams, and creativity/brainstorming tools can be quite useful here." (Stephen G Haines, "The Managers Pocket Guide to Systems Thinking & Learning", 1998)

"A problem is defined as a gap between where you are and where you want to be that is confronted with obstacles that make closing the gap difficult. It is actually the obstacles that make the gap a problem." (James P Lewis, "Project Planning, Scheduling, and Control" 3rd Ed., 2001)

"Complex problems are the problems that persist - the problems that bounce back and continue to haunt us. People often go through a series of stages in dealing with such problems - from believing they are beyond hope, to galvanizing collective efforts of many people and dollars to address the problem, to despair, retreat, and rationalization."(Yaneer Bar-Yam, "Making Things Work: Solving Complex Problems in a Complex World", 2004)

"Design thinking taps into capacities we all have but that are overlooked by more conventional problem-solving practices. It is not only human-centered; it is deeply human in and of itself. Design thinking relies on our ability to be intuitive, to recognize patterns, to construct ideas that have emotional meaning as well as functionality, to express ourselves in media other than words or symbols." (Tim Brown, "Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation", 2009)

"Mostly we rely on stories to put our ideas into context and give them meaning. It should be no surprise, then, that the human capacity for storytelling plays an important role in the intrinsically human-centered approach to problem solving, design thinking." (Tim Brown, "Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation", 2009)

"The basic idea behind all of these techniques is to simplify problem solving by concentrating on its essentials. Consolidate and simplify the objectives. Focus on the things with the highest impact, things that determine other things. Put to one side minor issues likely to be resolved by the resolution of major ones. Discard the nonessentials. Model (abstract) the system at as high a level as possible, then progressively reduce the level of abstraction. In short: Simplify!"  (Mark W Maier, "The Art Systems of Architecting" 3rd Ed., 2009)

"Teaching statistical thinking means giving people tools for problem solving in the real world. It should not be taught as pure mathematics. Instead of mechanically solving a dozen problems with the help of a particular formula, children and adolescents should be asked to find solutions to real-life problems. That’s what teaches them how to solve problems, and also shows that there may be more than one good answer in the first place. Equally important is encouraging curiosity, such as asking for answers to questions by doing experiments." (Gerd Gigerenzer, "Risk Savvy: How to make good decisions", 2014)

"Building a comprehensive problem-solving framework is about leveraging a structured methodology that allows you to frame problems systematically and solve problems creatively." (Pearl Zhu, "Problem Solving Master: Frame Problems Systematically and Solve Problem Creatively", 2017)

"[...] strategy is about determining the problems and opportunities in front of you, defining them properly, and shaping a course of action that will give your business the greatest advantage. Balancing problem solving with creating and exploiting new opportunities through imagination and analysis is the cornerstone of a great strategy." (Eben Hewitt, "Technology Strategy Patterns: Architecture as strategy" 2nd Ed., 2019)

"The most fruitful research grows out of practical problems."  (Ralph B Peck)

"Understand the reality of the problem first, rather than wondering what its cause may be. The first step of problem solving is to understand the existing conditions." (Kaoru Ishikawa)

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