Introduction

• General
  • Introduction
  • Definition

Topics

• Resources
• General

• Techniques
  • The bigger view
  • Change your character
  • Challenge current thinking
  • Confine the problem
  • Change the scene
  • Combining known ideas
  • Reverse thinking
  • Circumvent the issue
  • Lateral thinking
  • Logical approach
  • Aim for less
  • Multiple tools

• General principles
• Personnel and the meeting
• Prepare properly
• The meeting process
• The brainstorm process
• Simple example
• Managing the meeting process
• Assessing ideas
• Implementing ideas

Definitions

Problem solving itself has a variety of definitions:

‘The process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues.’

Or, for example

‘The process of working through details of a problem to reach a solution.’

Others are variants of these.

A problem itself can have many definitions:

‘A matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.’

In mathematics of physics it could be:

‘An inquiry starting from given conditions to investigate or demonstrate a fact, result, or law.’

Or

‘Any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.’

Or

‘A question proposed for solution or discussion.’

The above definitions can be found online.

Another definition that seems to fit the bill is:

‘An issue that if not resolved may give rise to a negative consequence.’

Note that the last one gives the impression, as do others, that if a problem is not solved it must lead to a negative consequence.
One can assume that a problem only exists if you wish to move from one state to another, that there is a good reason for doing so and you are trying to find a way to achieve it.
Otherwise, the status quo would exist.

Because there is a desire for change there must be a negative consequence if you fail to make that change.

It is the level of the consequence that indicates the importance of the problem.

For example, solving crossword clues or trying to get to the centre of a maze would not usually be defined as problem solving but more usually referred to as puzzles.
In actual fact each still goes through the process of attempting to solve a problem.
It’s just that the consequences of failure for these puzzles are often trivial.
These are often tackled by one person and do not require really complex processes to solve them.

Quotations

There have been many quotations relating to problem solving.
For example:

Problem solving is not just something considered by the great and the good but applies to everyone.