MegaMaester

Problem Solving & Decision Making · Module 1

Understanding Problems

Most failed solutions are answers to the wrong question. This module is about the work that happens before anyone proposes anything: stating the problem so it can be solved, cutting it into pieces you can actually attack, finding the cause rather than the symptom, and seeing the system it sits inside.

It closes with generating options — deliberately more than one — and comparing them without deceiving yourself.

Lessons
6 lessons
Estimated time
~6-8 hours
Assessment
Module quiz included

Not started yet

Lessons

Lesson 1 · 16 min

What Is a Problem?

Lesson 2 · 17 min

Breaking Problems into Smaller Parts

Lesson 3 · 17 min

Root Cause Analysis

Lesson 4 · 18 min

Systems Thinking

Lesson 5 · 17 min

Creative Problem Solving

Lesson 6 · 17 min

Evaluating Possible Solutions

Check your understanding

Finish the lessons, then test yourself. Your best score is saved on this device. You can also open this quiz on its own page.

Understanding Problems — Module Assessment

13 questions · pass mark 75%

  1. 1.What three components make something a problem?
  2. 2.Why is 'we need a better ticketing system' a poor problem statement?
  3. 3.What is the practical difference between an objective and a constraint?
  4. 4.What does MECE ask of a decomposition?
  5. 5.Why does optimising a non-bottleneck produce no visible result?
  6. 6.What is the test that distinguishes a root cause from a symptom?
  7. 7.Why is 'human error' almost never a root cause?
  8. 8.What is the main weakness of the Five Whys?
  9. 9.What distinguishes a reinforcing feedback loop from a balancing one?
  10. 10.A support team is given a one-hour first-response target. What is the likely second-order effect?
  11. 11.Why do nominal groups outperform interacting groups at generating ideas?
  12. 12.Why must evaluation criteria be written before options are scored?
  13. 13.Which two options are most often missing from an evaluation matrix, and why does adding them matter?
Answer every question to submit.