5 useful problem-solving strategies

We review some general methods for solving everyday problems.

What we will do is to review some classical cognitive theories that work as strategies for problem solving. We hope that some of them will help you.

1. The first step: define the problem

We know that having a problem does not mean, in any case, that we do not have the necessary resources to solve it, but that, many times, we do not know which ones to use or how to apply them.

In order to find the solution we must first define the problem well. This seems simple, but it is not always so. We must be clear about the current situation, i.e., where we are starting from and what we want to achieve. Being clear about our objective or what to do to achieve it is not as easy as it may seem.

If we analyze in depth any problem we currently have and try to define it, we may be surprised. Defining our problem precisely is therefore the first step.

Once we are clear about the problem, the solutions can be very different. Sometimes achieving success will depend on unlocking a single obstacle, but other times we have different difficulties that we have to solve difficulties that we have to solve progressively. progressively.

2. Algorithms and heuristics

Whatever the problem and the solution, to solve it we will always have, a priori, different options. To focus on problem solving methods, it is first important to distinguish between two concepts: "algorithm" and "heuristic".

An algorithm is a systematic process that tells us in a concrete way how to arrive, step by step, to the solution. Heuristics appear when it is not possible to use algorithms and involve the participation of intuition. Unlike the previous ones, heuristics cannot guarantee that we will find the solution.

It seems obvious that the really complicated problems to solve are those that do not have algorithms; we will focus on these. We will also leave aside those solutions that require specific knowledge, i.e., problems that arise simply due to lack of knowledge and that can only be solved by using previously learned strategies.

3. The trial and error method

One possibility is to use the trial-and-error method, which consists of one or several actions and evaluate if the result obtained has brought us closer to our goal. obtained has brought us closer to our objective. This method will be useful when we do not have any guide to reach the solution and when the lack of time is not an inconvenience.

A very basic example: if we want to open a door and we have different keys, we will try different keys until we find the one that will open it. The idea is that the next time we will be able to use the right key the first time.

Although this is a very elementary example, there are many situations in our daily lives that we solve using this method, and many of them are not so trivial. Young children, for examplechildren, for example, use this strategy a lot in their daily activities. Also in our social relationships we tend to modify our behavior based on the results obtained by trial and error.

4. The means-end analysis method

Another possibility is to choose actions that will help us to the distance between the current state and our final goal. goal. For this purpose, we highlight the means-end analysis method, which consists of defining the difference between the current state and the final state we want to achieve as a solution to our problem.

In summary, there is no ideal method to solve our problems, but there are different ways to deal with them so that the solution seems easier to us.

The two strategies we have discussed do not always work and there are many more that can be perfectly adapted to a particular type of problem, but we believe that they can be very useful as basic strategies for our day-to-day work, especially because they allow us to objectify the problems, simplify the problem, simplify the solution and make it easier for us to solve it. allow us to objectify the problems, simplifying them. and thus allowing us to approach the search for solutions in a less overwhelming way.