In my current role, problem-solving is a basic skill. A customer reports an issue with a product, and we will strive to address it.
(Courtesy : Unsplash)
I see 3 key high-level areas to approach a problem.
1). A clear definition of the problem.
2). Build Hypothesis
3). Prove or Disprove. If disproved, go back to Step 2.
Let's plunge into the "Build Hypothesis" section. To understand the "why" of the specific behavior or observation, we take on the possible causes and try to prove or refute them. This "hypothetical construction" exercise is a highly creative space. Scientists and physicians do this all the time. Einstein, Heisenberg, and Dirac are major examples of building an assumption that a normal mind cannot easily perceive. Most people believe that Einstein's strong domain is mathematics. It is well known in the scientific community that the power of Einstein is in "Hypothesis Building". Conversely, his mathematics skills are known to be very average.
One of the things I've recently stumbled upon, a theory called "Occam’s Razor". This principle gives good guidelines for building hypotheses that can be tested.
Here is that theory,
"Hypotheses should not be multiplied without necessity"
It roughly translates to “Hypotheses should be simple”. Let’s say you see a bright object in the sky, one can reason that observation by either saying
That’s possibly a UFO or
Most likely a “Helicopter”, “Planet Venus” or “Weather Balloons”.
The above two hypotheses are true possibilities. Occam’s Razor proposes that the Simpler explanation[2] most likely has the highest probability for the cause.
For the first hypothesis to be true, a number of other hypotheses must be made and confirmed to be true. Therefore, for a UFO to be seen, we confirm that what follows are true.
The Existence of Aliens
Their ability to build Spaceships
Their Interest in Earth
Their incompetence to avoid detection.
Occam Razor gives us a good “rule of thumb” for problem-solving by start building simple hypotheses and testing them.