Creative Problem Solving

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

•    Understand problems and the creative problem solving process
•    Indentify types of information to gather and key questions to ask in problem solving
•    Identify the importance of defining a problem correctly
•    Identify and use four different problem definition tools
•    Write concrete problem statements
•    Use basic brainstorming tools to generate ideas for solutions
•    Use idea generating tools, such as affinity diagrams, word chaining, the box method, the six thinking hats, and the blink method
•    Evaluate potential solutions against criteria, including cost/benefit analysis and group voting
•    Perform a final analysis to select a solution
•    Understand the roles that fact and intuition play in selecting a solution
•    Understand the need to refine the shortlist and rerefine it
•    Understand how to identify the tasks and resources necessary to implement solutions
•    Evaluate and adapt solutions to reality
•    Follow up with solution implementation to celebrate successes and identify improvements