Tackling Complex Problems — Module Assessment

Question 1

A team spends a week fixing 'the export button is broken' and finds the button works fine. Users actually could not locate the exported file afterwards. What went wrong?

Accepted Answer

They solved the problem as stated instead of reframing it to the real issue.

Answer

The engineers lacked the skill to fix the bug.

Answer

The problem was under-resourced and simply needed more people.

Answer

The users reported the problem too late to help.

Question 2

Why can solving the wrong problem well be worse than solving the right problem badly?

Accepted Answer

A polished solution to the wrong problem looks like success and gets defended while the real issue is left untouched.

Answer

Wrong solutions always cost more money than right ones.

Answer

It is impossible to solve the wrong problem well at all.

Answer

Good solutions never fail, so there is no risk involved.

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of a minimum viable product?

Accepted Answer

To start the learning loop by testing whether real users want the core idea.

Answer

To launch a cheaper version of the finished product to more customers.

Answer

To impress investors with visible polish.

Answer

To include as many features as possible as early as possible.

Question 4

In Eric Ries's account, why did Dropbox's demonstration video qualify as an MVP even though it was not a working product?

Accepted Answer

Because it produced a genuine signal about demand - a jump in beta signups - before the hard engineering was done.

Answer

Because a video was cheaper to host than a real product would be.

Answer

Because videos are inherently more persuasive than products.

Answer

Because it already contained every planned feature of the product.

Question 5

In Mata v. Avianca (2023), what was the core problem with the lawyer's use of an AI chatbot?

Accepted Answer

The chatbot produced realistic but non-existent case citations that were filed without verification

Answer

The chatbot refused to answer legal questions

Answer

The chatbot was too slow to meet a court deadline

Answer

The chatbot leaked confidential client information

Question 6

Why does accountability for an AI-assisted decision stay with a person rather than the tool?

Accepted Answer

Because accountability is a property of a person who checks and stands behind the result, and it cannot transfer to software

Answer

Because tools are usually less accurate than people

Answer

Because laws have not yet been written for AI tools

Answer

Because verification is quick and rarely necessary

Question 7

Which is a defining property of a wicked problem as described by Rittel and Webber?

Accepted Answer

It has no definitive formulation and no stopping rule.

Answer

It has a clear stopping rule that tells you when it is solved.

Answer

Its solution can be proven true or false.

Answer

It can be solved once and then stays solved.

Question 8

Why is treating a wicked problem as if it were tame a costly error?

Accepted Answer

You define it too narrowly and declare victory prematurely, after which the problem re-emerges elsewhere.

Answer

It always requires more funding than is available.

Answer

Tame problems are actually harder to solve than wicked ones.

Answer

Wicked problems are morally wrong to work on.

Question 9

In design thinking, what is the main purpose of building a rough early prototype?

Accepted Answer

To test assumptions and gather feedback cheaply before committing resources

Answer

To finalize the product so it is ready to launch

Answer

To impress stakeholders with polished visuals

Answer

To document the requirements the team has already agreed on

Question 10

Which of these is a well-formed, human-centered problem statement?

Accepted Answer

A busy parent needs a faster way to get a healthy dinner on the table.

Answer

We should build a mobile app with a subscription model.

Answer

The team needs to hit its quarterly launch target.

Answer

Our competitor just released a similar feature.

Question 11

What does "satisficing" mean?

Accepted Answer

Choosing the first option that clears a deliberate good-enough threshold and stopping there

Answer

Searching exhaustively until you find the mathematically optimal solution

Answer

Lowering quality standards whenever a deadline is tight

Answer

Gathering as much information as possible before deciding anything

Question 12

On Apollo 13, what made the carbon-dioxide scrubbers a problem?

Accepted Answer

The Command Module's square canisters would not fit the Lunar Module's round system

Answer

The spacecraft had run completely out of scrubber canisters

Answer

The crew did not know how carbon-dioxide scrubbers worked

Answer

The scrubbers required electrical power the crippled ship could not provide

Question 13

A recurring customer complaint keeps reappearing under different descriptions each month. What does this pattern most suggest about how to approach it?

Accepted Answer

It signals a system-level structure worth zooming out to examine.

Answer

It is a tame problem that just needs faster execution of the existing fix.

Answer

It should be ignored until it becomes a single large failure.

Answer

It proves creativity is unnecessary and only more resources are needed.

Question 14

Research on skilled problem-solvers consistently finds that, compared with novices, experts tend to:

Accepted Answer

Spend proportionally more time understanding and framing before generating solutions.

Answer

Spend less time understanding the problem so they can start solving sooner.

Answer

Apply their single favoured method to every type of problem.

Answer

Avoid defining the problem at all in order to stay flexible.