A strategic thinker is someone who thinks beyond the day to day, focuses on mission and goals and look at relationships from a stakeholder perspective. (See our last blog for more about this.) One of the key skills of a strategic thinker is problem solving. A strategic problem solver uses both analytical and intuitive processes when exploring a problem. They effectively engage key stakeholders throughout the process and focus on building buy-in and trust.
That’s a tall order! It’s hard enough to solve problems without adding all this extra into it! But taking a strategic approach makes it much more likely that the problem will be solved most effectively and with the broadest stakeholder support.
The basic steps to analytical problem solving are to:
- Define the problem – gather data to specify the frequency, extent and impact of the problem… answer the question: why do we have to pay attention to this? Determine the cost of doing nothing.
- Explore the problem – identify the root causes – what is creating the problem and/or keeping it in place? What are the underlying causes of the obvious causes?
- Brainstorm possible solutions (most people skip the first two steps and start here… and they often end up solving the wrong problem).
- Set criteria for success and evaluate all the options and choose the best solution or mix of solutions.
- Develop a plan for how the solution will be implemented, monitored and evaluated.
- Implement, monitor and evaluate!
The strategic problem solver adds a few important elements:
1. Define the problem – in addition to the questions above, consider these:
- How does this problem impact on the overall mission, goals and general workload, outside the immediate scope of the problem?
- Who are the full range of stakeholders impacted by the problem and/or engaged in the related processes?
- What related processes/stakeholders could be impacted by how we solve this problem?
- Take time at this initial stage to gather data/input from a sample of all the related stakeholders and key decision makers.
2. Explore the problem – add some intuitive elements to the process – in addition to examining the data, collect opinions/ideas from others; hold brainstorming sessions with a wide range of stakeholders; use the 5-Why process. (Not familiar with 5-Why? Email us for more information.) These are all ways to get “outside the box” before you start coming up with solutions.
3. Brainstorm possible solutions – use wide open brainstorming, accepting any and all ideas no matter how unrealistic or whacky! Encouraging some fun at this stage helps open people’s minds and creative/intuitive ideas start to flow. Again, engage a wide range of stakeholders and non-experts in this process to help get outside the box. (Be sure to include experts as well!)
4. Set criteria – it’s important to do this after step 3. Doing it before will keep your brainstorming “in the box” as everyone tests their thoughts against the criteria before brainstorming – you end up with a logical list, not a brainstorm and can miss a critical “outside the box” idea.
Evaluate options – as much as possible, use consensus for decision making and collaborate on the discussions with key stakeholders.
5. Develop a plan – the strategic thinker does this collaboratively, not in isolation. Working with consensus to get full buy in on who will do what by when, where and why.
6. Implement, monitor and evaluate – strategic thinkers take time to think all this through carefully to maximize engagement and maximize efficiency… which can often be in conflict. They develop simple and effective evaluation tools that provide quality feedback without being cumbersome or expensive.
Taking some time to consider your problem solving strategy before you get started will help you develop a solution that is effective and broadly supported.
If you have some challenges that you’d like assistance with, call or email Nicole O’Connor, our Project Manager at Nicole@KriegerSolutions.com or 518-258-7038 to find out how we can help!