FST 696 TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING

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FST 696TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING

• SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS TO
• REAL INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS

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TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

• MAY HAVE MANY POSSIBLE ANSWERS
• NOT ALL TECHNICALLY CORRECT ANSWERS ARE FEASIBLE
  IN COMMERCIAL PRACTICE

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PROBLEM SOLVING

• PROBLEM DEFINITION
• FACT FINDING AND ANALYSIS
• IDEATION AND SOLUTION FINDING
• SOLUTION(S) - EVALUATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

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EVERY ONE CAN BE A PROBLEM SOLVER

• ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATIVE AND HAVE SOMETHING TO
  CONTRIBUTE
• APPROACH THE PROBLEM POSTIVELY WITH TOLERANCE FOR
  THE VIEWS OF OTHERS
• RESERVE JUDGEMENT UNTIL ALL THE FACTS ARE
  GATHERED
• ENGENDER AN ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES IDEATION
  AND LATERAL THINKING
• WORK FROM THE STRENGS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL
• FIND THE METHOD(S) THAT WORK BEST FOR YOU AND
  YOUR TEAM

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PROBLEM SOLVING IN AN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

• IN TODAYS INDUSTRIAL CLIMATE, PROBLEM SOLVING
  GENERALLY UTILIZES THE TEAM APPROACH
• PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND BACKGROUND
  BRING STRENGTH TO THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

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PROBLEM DEFINTION

• THE INITIAL STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM MAY NOT
  REALLY DEFINE THE PROBLEM
• A PROBLEM THAT APPEARS TO BE ONE THING, MAY BE
  ANOTHER

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PROBLEM DEFINITION

• REVIEW THE BACKGROUND O F THE PROBLEM
• VISIT THE LITERATURE
• TALK TO OTHERS FAMILIAR WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS
• GO OVER ALL ELEMENTS OF THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES
  TO GET A TOTAL PICTURE
• DEVELOP A LINE OF QUESTIONS TO CLARIFY ISSUES
• SUSPEND JUDGEMENT
• REDEFINE THE PROBLEM

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FACT FINDING

• TO DEFINE THE PROBLEM
• TO DETERMINE PROBABLE CAUSES
• TO BUILD A BACKGROUND
• TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS

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FACT FINDING

• USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES
• USE OF EXPERTS IN THE FIELD
• USE OF EXPERIENCE IN SOVLING SIMILAR PROBLEMS
• USE OF DIFFERENT EXPERTISE OF TEAM MEMBERS
• USE OF THE INTERNET
• DEVELOPING QUESTIONS TO ASK INDUSTRY
  REPRESENTATIVES AS A BASIS OF GET NEW INFORMATION

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??????????????

• REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE QUESTIONS TO APPLY TO ALL
  SITUATIONS - SUCH AS
• IS THE PROBLEM NEW?
• IS IT SPORADIC OR DOES IT OCCUR ALL THE TIME?
• CAN YOU RELATE TO PROBLEM TO A SPECIFIC CUSTOMER?
  SEASON? WORK SHIFT?
• WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE?
• PROCESS
• PRODUCT
• EQUIPMENT
• DISTRIBUTION

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?????????

• WITH EXPERIENCE, YOU WILL DEVELOP A LINE OF
  QUESTIONS THAT GET YOU STARTED IN ANY NEW
  SITUATION

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IDEATION AND SOLUTION FINDING

• AFTER PROBLEM DEFINIITION, THE NEXT STEP IS TO
  GET AS MANY IDEAS AS POSSIBLE AS TO BOTH CAUSES
  AND SOLUTIONS

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DETERRENTS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

• PREJUDGEMENT IS ALLOWED
• NO PRE-PLANNING
• GROUP DYNAMICS NOT UNDERSTOOD
• A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL IS ALLOWED TO DOMINATE
• TOO MANY SIDE TRACTS OR DISTRACTIONS
• CRITICISM OF IDEAS OCCURS
• NOT RECOGNIZING THAT EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO
  CONTRIBUTE

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EFFECTIVE IDEATION

• DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST -- GATHER AS MANY FACTS AS
  POSSIBLE
• DEVELOP A CHECK LIST
• TRY TO DEVELOP LATERAL THINKING
• IF YOU ARE GETTING NO-WHERE, TRY A DIFFERENT
  APPROACH
• TAKE A BREAN WHEN YOU GET STUCK
• KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

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FOR EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK

• BE A GOOD LISTENER
• WITHOLD CRITICISM
• BE CONSIDERATE
• GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
• SHOW INTEREST AND APPRECIATION OF THE VIEWS OF
  OTHERS
• BE CONSISTENT
• BE POSITIVE

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PROBLEM SOLVINGA STEPWISE APPROACH

• ORIENTATION - DEFINE THE PROBLEM
• PREPARATTION - FACT FINDING
• REDEFINE PROBLEM - AS NEEDED
• ANALYSIS - DIVIDE INTO WORKABLE UNITS
• SYNTHESIS - EXPERIMENTATION
• DEFINE SOLUTIONS
• EVALUATION - NOW YOU CAN BE OBJECTIVE
• RECOMMENDAITIONS
• REPORT -- THE FINAL STEP

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IDEATION - BRAINSTORMINGLATERAL AND ZIG-ZAG
THINKING

• PURPOSE OF BRAINSTORMING IS TO GET AS MANY IDEAS
  AS POSSIBLE
• REQUIRES BOTH VERTICAL AND LATERAL THINKING

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LATERAL VS VERTICLE THINKING

• VERTICAL THINKING PROGRESS BY SEQUENTIAL,
  JUSTIFIED STEPS -- EACH STEP ARISING FROM THE
  PREVIOUS ONE
• LATERAL (ZIG-ZAG) PROCEEDS BY ANY MEANS AT HAND
  -- SO LONG AS CHANGE RESULTS

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LATERAL THINKING

• IS NOT SEQUENTIAL - FREQUENTLY JUMPS FROM POINT
  TO POINT -- THEN STOPPING TO COALESCE
• DOES NOT HAVE TO BE CORRECT AT EVERY POINT. A
  REDICULOUS CONCEPT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO GIVE A
  NEW ALIGNMENT
• IS NOT RESTRICTED BY RELEVENT INFORMATION -- USES
  A RANDOM APPROACH TO PERTURB THE SYSTEM AND BRING
  CHANGE
• JUDGEMENT IS NOT ALLOWED!!!!

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LATERAL THINKING

• FOLLOWING IDEAS ARE TAKEN FROM JUMP START YOUR
  BRAIN
• BY DOUG HALL, 1996

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JUMP START YOUR BRAINCONCEPTS

• FUN IS FUNDAMENTAL
• RESPECT THE NEW BORN
• REALITY IS NOT RELEVANT
• YOU HAVE TO SWING A LOG TO MAKE A HOME RUN

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HALLS QUESTIONS

• WHAT WOULD BE THE SIMPLE SOLUTION
• WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST REDICULOUS SOLUTION
• WHAT WOULD AROUSE CURIOSITY
• WHAT WOULD TURN WEAKNESSES TO STRENGTHS
• WHAT WOULD BE MOST COURAGEOUS SOLUTION
• WHAT WOULD BE FARTHEST REMOVED FROM THE
  COMPETITION

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B.O.S.BRAIN OPERATING SYSTEM

• PEOPLE THINK IN DIFFERENT WAYS
• REALIST
• BUILDER
• DREAMER

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B.O.S. SCORES

• REALIST
• - SCORE OF 056
• BUILDER
• - SCORE OF 56-67
• DREAMER
• - SCORE OF 68-100

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REALIST

• PREFERS IDEAS THAT ARE A VARIATION ON A FAMILIAR
  THEME. HAS THE ABILITY TO GRASP ISSUES IS MOST
  CREATIVE WHEN OPERATING ON AN INCREMENTAL LEVEL
  IS GOOD IN REACTING TO OTHER IDEAS LIKES TO WORK
  IN A STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT

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BUILDER

• SEES ALL ASPECTS OF A SITUATION AND SEES WHAT
  OTHERS MISS CONNECTS THE DOTS AND MAKES POSSIBLE
  THE EXISTENCE OF EXTREMES AT HOME IN BOTH
  STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED ENVIRONMENTS CAN
  HELP AN IDEA GROW FROM AN ACORN TO A TREE.

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DREAMER

• SEES WHAT OTHRS DO NOT SEE WORKS BEST WITHOUT
  STRUCTURE LIKES THE LOOK, FEEL AND ELEGANCE OF
  AN IDEA, WITHOUT RELEVENCE TO REALITY IS OFTEN
  THE CATYLST FOR OTHER TYPES OF THINKERS MAKES
  UP LESS THAN 15 OF THE POPULATION

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THE ART OF THINKING

• PEOPLE THINK IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND THE SAME
  PERSON MAY USE DIFFERENT THOUGHT PROCESSES IN
  DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. MOST PEOPLE TEND TO FAVOR
  ONE OR TWO MODES AND ONLY A FEW USE MORE THAN TWO

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THE ART OF THINKING

• IF YOU SCORED MORE THAN 70 POINTS ON ANY TYPE,
  THIS IS THE MODE YOU USE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY
• IF YOU SCORED BETWWEEN 60 - 70, YOU USE THIS MORE
  OFTEN
• IF YOU SCORED BETWEEN 50-60, YOU USE THIS MODE
  OCCASIONALLY
• IF YOU SCORED BETWEEN 40-50, YOU USE THE MODE
  SELDON
• LESS THAN 40, YOU DONT USE THIS MODE AT ALL

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THE FIVE MODES OF THINKING

• SNYNTHESIST
• IDEALIST
• PRAGMATIST
• ANALYST
• REALIST

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SYNTHESIST

• TAKES AN INTEGRATIVE VIEW
• SEES LIKNESS IN APPARENT UNLIKES
• INTERESTED IN CHANGE
• SPECULATIVE
• SEEKS CONFLICT AND SYNTHESIS

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IDEALIST

• TAKES AN ASSIMULATIVE VIEW
• WELCOMES A WIDE RANGE OF VIEWS
• SEEKS THE IDEAL SOLUTION
• INTERESTED IN VALUES
• DATA AND THEORY OF EQUAL VALUE

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PRAGMATIST

• ECLECTIC VIEW
• WHATEVER WORKS!
• SEEKS SHORTEST ROUTE TO PAYOFF
• INTERESTED IN INOVATION
• ADAPTIVE
• ANY DATA OR THEORY THAT GETS US THERE

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ANALYSYST

• FORMAL AND LOGICAL DEDUCTION
• SEEKS ONE BEST WAY
• SEEKS MODELS AND FORMULAS
• INTERESTED IN SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS
• THEORY AND METHOD OVER DATA

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REALIST

• EMPERICAL VIEW AND INDUCTION
• RELIES ON FACTS AND EXPERT OPINION
• SEEKS SOLUTIONS THAT MEET CURRENT NEEDS
• INTERESTED IN CONCRETE RESULTS
• DATA OVER THEORY